Author Lands Book Deal After Posting Manuscript Online

HarperCollins Publishers announced today the first acquisition from inkpop, its interactive website for teen writing. Slated for Fall 2011, The Carrier of the Mark, by debut author Leigh Fallon, is a fresh and thrilling paranormal romance linking two teens to a supernatural destiny.

Fallon, a native of Cork, Ireland, tried to get her manuscript published through conventional channels. She started by contacting agents and eventually took a less traditional route. She heard about inkpop through a writing group and decided to upload her manuscript. Within weeks her manuscript was voted into the coveted “Top Five” by the inkpop community and was reviewed by an editor at HarperCollins. A few emails later, she signed her first book deal with HarperCollins for World English rights.

“For many people the rise to ‘Top Five’ on inkpop is a long process, but for Leigh, The Carrier of the Mark shot to the top of the list. This was one of our first key indications that it was an outstanding project,” said Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Inkpop combines community publishing, user-generated content, and social networking to connect rising stars in teen literature with talent-spotting readers and publishing professionals. In just over a year, inkpop traffic has grown by nearly 500%. With over 60,000 projects uploaded, the highly engaged members spend an average of over 20 minutes per visit on the site.

Katz added, “The opinions of our readers matter to us. Inkpop is HarperCollins Children’s Books’ first site (and not the last) to really put the users’ voice and ideas in the forefront. Social media is incredibly empowering if used correctly, and HarperCollins recognizes this and is gearing up to make social media the cornerstone of all of its digital endeavors.”