MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 27 – Apr 03, 2008 Edition
Penguin UK Launches
Downloadable Short
Stories by Top Authors
NEW YORK, NY/3/27/2008–Starting 18 March, Penguin UK launched its most ambitious digital writing project to date. In collaboration with fêted alternate reality game designers SixtoStart http://www.sixtostart.com/) Penguin has challenged some of its top authors to create new forms of story – designed specially for the internet.
Over six weeks, writers including Booker-shortlisted MOHSIN HAMID, popular teen author KEVIN BROOKS, prize-winning NAOMI ALDERMAN, bestselling thriller author NICCI FRENCH, young British novelist TOBY LITT, popular thriller author CHARLES CUMMING, and debut author MATT MASON, will be pushing the envelope and creating tales that take full advantage of the immediacy, connectivity and interactivity that is now possible. These stories could not have been written 200, 20 or even 2 years ago.
But somewhere on the internet is a seventh story, a mysterious tale involving a vaguely familiar girl called Alice. Readers who follow this story will discover clues that will shape Alice’s journey and help her on her way. These clues will appear online and in the real world and will drive readers to the other six stories where they will have the chance to win some wonderful prizes, including The Penguin Complete Classics Library, over £13,000 worth of the greatest books ever written.
Expectation is already high — the gaming community has been awaiting the first project from SixtoStart and the next digital publishing initiative from Penguin whose last project, the wikinovel (http://amillionpenguins.com) generated 85,000 unique visitors in five weeks, arriving at a rate of 10 per second at one point. We Tell Stories (www.wetellstories.co.uk) will be widely promoted, through traditional and new media channels and will be a significant event in publishing, gaming and new media communities.
We Tell Stories will create new fiction and offer a unique, immersive and innovative experience to readers everywhere, the company says.
(Note: Authorlink’s own CelebWire offers downloadable original short stories by New York Times Bestselling authors, and StoryWire offers short story downloads by a variety of authors.)
