Giving books a chance and being able to find the right read for you is something the entire publishing industry is very focused on. The process of ebook discovery is prompting thousands of new companies to simplify the process and create a Wild West free for all. HarperCollins is all too aware of this problem and it has prompted the company to initiate the BookSmash Challenge. This new program invites software developers to “unleash the book” in a $25,000 software competition for the best reading/book discovery apps.
The BookSmash challenge is a four-month-long contest that encourages developers to create new digital products that “break the binding” and re-imagine the book. HarperCollins is providing full access to its API for a number of authors participating in the program, which includes copyrighted books, covers, and complete metadata.
“Developers who wish to innovate around book products often find challenges in gaining access to authors’ content, as well as understanding rights, distribution, and legal issues,” said Chantal Restivo-Alessi, HarperCollins Chief Digital Officer. “We hope to bridge this gap by making content and guidance available, and encouraging participants to think outside the box about the reading experience as a whole.”
From the eligible submissions, there will be four prizes awarded: Grand Prize, Runner-Up, Popular Choice, and the HarperCollins Recognition Award. A group of judges, including entrepreneur and author of Curation Nation Steve Rosenbaum; entertainment industry veteran Paul Vidich; co-founder of N3TWORK and former Apple Executive Erik Lammerding; CEO of LiveDeal, Inc. Mike Edelhart; and HarperCollins Chief Digital Officer Chantal Restivo- Alessi will review the entries and select the Grand Prize and Runner-Up winners. Additionally, the projects will be posted to the ChallengePost online gallery this fall, where members of the public will be able to vote for their favorite submission for the Popular Choice category. Lastly, the HarperCollins Recognition Award, a non-cash prize, will be awarded to a participating large organization. A total of $25,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the creators of the winning projects.
If you have the fortitude to tap into the HarperCollins ebook API and design a new ebook discovery engine, this may be the contest for you! Apps will be accepted from June 6 to September 5, 2013 at http://booksmash.challengepost.com/
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