World’s First Chain Thriller: Fan-Fiction Gets Collaborative

Best-selling author James Patterson is taking part in a writing project in partnership with Random House and Borders Australia that combines elements from the pulpy serialized novels of the past with the modern twist of audience sourced collaboration to create what is being called the world’s first chain thriller - a genre fit for the digital age. Patterson has written the first and last chapters of the new book AirBorne and 28 fans will be chosen from their 750 word submissions to complete the rest. Each winner will receive a print edition of the finished book – for the time being at least, the only copies being released – while the rest of the public can read the thriller as it unfolds one chapter at time online, beginning on March 20th. A great promotion that acknowledges the rise of fan-fiction and brings it to a larger readership while leveraging some of the outstanding original content being published on the web. We’ll be curious to see if the plot thickens or is just plain stiff.

[via Springwise]