Legend Press imprint Paperbooks is pursuing an unusual scheme to “promote novel writing” in the U.K. this fall, publishing a half-finished book and inviting readers to complete the story. Only the first ten thousand words of A Novel Ending by author Gary Davison will be written; the remaining pages will be left blank. The publisher is asking aspiring authors—one of whom will score a contract with Paperbooks—to fill in and submit their own endings.
“This project is an exciting opportunity to find new writing talent, offering something a little bit different to the traditional submissions procedure,” Tom Chalmers, managing director of Legend Press, wrote on the publisher’s Web site. “We are keen to develop innovative ways to find new authors and build on our existing successful list by discovering new talent.”
Founded by Chalmers in 2005, Legend Press specializes in mainstream trade paperback fiction. The London-based publisher also organizes, in conjunction with Arts Council England, the Exclusively Independent program, which promotes books from independent publishers in bookstores and libraries.
A Novel Ending will be released on October 31 with an initial print run of fifteen hundred copies.
