The Good, The Bad and The Unread: Express Your Desires

Interesting idea from Avon.

Express Your Desires

The partnership kicks off with the Avon FanLit "Express Your Desires" contest. This collaboration between Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and FanLib marks the first ever online event inviting fans of romance fiction to work together on the creation of an original story. Catering to the 65 million romance readers in the United States, the Web site unites the passionate audience of romance readers and aspiring authors with bestselling Avon authors and their editors. Contest winners will see their work polished and published in a HarperCollins ebook, with one grand prize winner flown to New York City to present her own idea for a romance novel. Avon FanLit "Express Your Desires" is slated to launch August 23, 2006. Attendees to the Romance Writers of America Conference, July 26-29 in Atlanta, will get an overview of the event.

At the start of the eight-week event, located at http://AvonFanLit.com/, romance fans will vote for a favorite story premise. Participants will then submit chapters based on a weekly storyline. The vast majority of participants will contribute by reading, discussing, reviewing and rating the fan-written submissions. In addition to reviews and ratings from peers, submissions will be judged by a panel of Avon authors, including Victoria Alexander, Eloisa James, Cathy Maxwell, Teresa Medeiros, and Julia Quinn. At the end of each week, the highest rated chapter will be added to the developing manuscript until the story is complete. In addition to the judges, other Avon authors will also be available throughout the course of the event to provide writing tips, comments on work, and blog entries. HarperCollins will partner with retailers and sponsors to co-market the events and contribute prizes that will be awarded along the way.

Looks like the website is up.

So what do you think? Interesting idea? A way for Avon to finally get some reader input? Something new for Kristie to snark on ;)?

5 Comments:

Didn't Dorchester do something like this? I dunno what I think. I like authors to write what they want.

By Anonymous, at 7/26/2006 12:14:00 PM
Erm..I'm with Jane.

By Karen Scott, at 7/26/2006 03:09:00 PM
I am all for it, if it will be used as a jumping point to help show where readers interests are.

If other types of settings are popular wouldn't that show people have an interest in reading and BUYING books other than the typical regency book.

But go to the page and look at the editors involved... they are interested in buying... uh yeah regency and erotica.

I read regency, I like erotic romance but would putting out a western or two hurt?

To me then they could at least say, well we gave you Nicole Jordan's Wolf-we-know-this-will-never-fucking-get-written book and you didn't buy it. So it proves our point.

Of course I would hate for the future of any 'type' of book to rest on the shoulders of one author cuz what if they picked a Cassie Edwards or something?

I just don't understand why they can't take a chance. It isn't like they pay writers 10000000 a book and can't bet the bank on something that could fail.

uh my point... if more people show up than fangurls who eat whatever shit is put in front of them and like it, it could prove interesting...

or it could end up being fanfic.net

By sybil, at 7/26/2006 03:18:00 PM
oh my .... this sounds a lil' like fan fiction. Trust you to sniff this out, Sybil.

It' an interesting development. Let's see what will turn up. I've already bookmarked the site. Thanks for the scoop!

By Anonymous, at 7/27/2006 10:52:00 AM
Sounds like a way for them to make more moolah!

By romancelover, at 7/27/2006 11:39:00 PM


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