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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Court TV Media Contact:
Borders
Media Contact: Jaime Yandolino
Ann Binkley 212.973.7844 (734) 477-1739 Jaime.yandolino@turner.com
abinkley@bordersgroupinc.com
Gather.com Media Contact: Liz Bradley Kel & Partners 857.891.5531 (cell) COURT TV, BORDERS AND GATHER.COM FORM GROUNDBREAKING FIRST TIME PARTNERSHIP IN THE "SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT CRIME WRITER" CONTEST Multi-Media Alliance Raises Bar to Expose Undiscovered
Mystery/Crime Writer New York, NY - October 1, 2007 - Court TV; Gather.com,
the leading social media site for adults; and Borders Group, Inc. today
announced a unique first-time partnership designed to find "The Next Great
Crime Writer" through a multiplatform contest. The contest will run in conjunction with the
second season of Court TV's hit real-life series MURDER BY THE BOOK. Beginning
today, Court TV viewers and Borders Rewards¨ members will have the opportunity
to submit mystery/crime manuscripts to be evaluated and voted on by a community
of readers, writers and aspiring authors on Gather.com. A panel of judges will
select the Grand Prize Winner from a pool of finalists identified by the
Gather.com community. The Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing and
exclusive distribution contract with Borders Group and $5,000 in advanced
royalties. Complete contest details can be found at courttv.gather.com.
Court TV's MURDER BY
THE BOOK, which premieres Monday, November 5, 10pm ET, is a 13-episode,
one-hour series featuring best-selling crime authors including David Baldacci,
Sandra Brown, and Harlan Coben. Court TV's promotion for the "Search for
the Next Great Crime Writer" Contest will include on-air, Internet and
guerilla marketing. Gather.com members and fans of crime fiction will have a
unique opportunity to pose questions and interact with the authors via web site
postings and interviews. "Clearly, we are
setting a trend here, using our base of loyal members in our strong social
network to partner with two leading companies in their respective fields," says
Tom Gerace (tom.gather.com), founder and CEO of Gather.com. "The Gather.com,
Borders and Court TV alliance is a powerful mix of media that delivers a
multi-faceted platform to identify, vet and elevate aspiring mystery writers." "We are thrilled to launch
yet another groundbreaking marketing initiative, which, for the first time,
partners Court TV with Gather.com and Borders," says Mary Corigliano, senior
vice president of marketing for Court TV. "Taking advantage of this
multiplatform environment, we are extremely well positioned to lead the search
to bring national attention to an unpublished mystery writer primed for his or
her big break, while at the same time ultimately driving tune-in to our hit
series MURDER BY THE BOOK." Borders Group, a
leading retailer of books, music, movies, gifts and stationary items, is the
official retail sponsor of Gather.com. In addition to providing a guaranteed
publishing and exclusive distribution contract and a $5,000 in advanced
royalties, Borders Group will also promote the contest through its "Shortlist," a weekly e-mail sent to members of the Borders Rewards
loyalty program, which now
has more than 20 million members, and in Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide. "Driving quality
manuscript submissions is the key to any successful writing contest," said
Borders Group, Inc. Executive Vice President, Merchandising and Marketing, Rob
Gruen. "By joining forces with Court TV and Gather.com, we exponentially
enhance the quantity and quality of submissions. This puts Borders in a unique
position to make a dream come true for an aspiring and deserving writer." Making the contest truly special
will be an expert judging panel that includes three of this season's featured
MURDER BY THE BOOK novelists, Sandra Brown, David Baldacci and Harlan Coben.
These best-selling authors will draw on their expertise in the field as they
select the "Next Great Crime Writer" from the top five finalists. THE COURT TV SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT CRIME WRITER CONTEST
TIMELINE Round 1: October 1 – November 11, 2007 Submission period Round 2: November 15, 2007 – December 9, 2008: 1st Chapters posted of all eligible entries on
Courttv.Gather.com, where the community will help narrow the pool down to 25
semifinalists. Round 3: December 13, 2007 – January 2, 2008: The 25 semifinalists will post their second chapters on
Courttv.Gather.com, where the community will help narrow the pool down to 5
finalists. Round 4: January 3, 2008 – January 22, 2008: The judging panel will select one talented mystery novelist as the
Grand Prize Winner. Winner Announced: February 4, 2008: The judging panel will announce the mystery novelist as the
Grand Prize Winner, the Next Great Crime Writer. The Judging Panel: á
David Baldacci, bestselling author á
Sandra Brown, bestselling author á
Harlan Coben, bestselling author á
Ed Hersh, executive vice president of current programming &
specials, Court TV á
Bill Adams, buyer, Borders Group, Inc. á
Cathy Lashinsky, buyer, Borders Group, Inc. á
Tom Gerace, founder & CEO, Gather.com About Borders Group, Inc. Borders Group, Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol BGP. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., the company is a $4.1
billion global retailer of books, music, movies, and gift and stationery
items. More information on Borders Group is available at www.bordersgroupinc.com. About Court TV
Court TV, a Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
company, provides a window on the American system of justice through
distinctive programming that both informs and entertains. Seen in 86
million U.S. homes, Court TV Networks is comprised of Court TV News,
which provides live trial coverage in daytime; and Court TV: Seriously
Entertaining in prime time, featuring investigative drama, expert
reality and compelling non-fiction series. The Court TV Web
sites can be accessed via www.courttv.com and www.courttvnews.com. On Jan.
1, 2008, Court TV will change its name to truTV as part of a major re-branding
initiative.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company,
is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a
leading provider of programming for the television industry. About Gather.com Gather.com (www.gather.com) is the leader in social media
for adults. Gather.com members connect around shared interests ranging from
politics to books and from cooking to travel, and they're compensated for their
activity on the site. Members can engage in conversation with state and local
politicians, health and financial experts, personal coaches, bestselling
authors, and more. Over one million people visit Gather.com each month to read
content created by Gather.com members. Gather.com has a highly educated, highly
informed adult audience membership – a demographic elusive to most social
networking sites. This demographic has made Gather.com an exceptional partner
to media companies, advertising agencies, leading consumer brands, book
publishers, and movie studios. Gather.com is a privately held, privately funded
company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Investors include Allen &
Company, The American Public Media Group, Hearst, The McGraw-Hill Companies,
and Southern California Public Radio. For more information, visit www.gather.com or call (617) 720-4000, x1032. ### |
