NEW YORK, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, has partnered with MySpace, the world's most popular social network, to launch MySpace/HarperTeen (http://www.myspace.com/harperteen), a customized interactive community for teen readers to connect with one another, read author blogs, interact on message boards and forums, learn about upcoming releases, post photos, and participate in HarperTeen contests, programs and online polls. Beginning January 2008, HarperTeen authors will regularly interact with readers via the HarperTeen/MySpace site through author chats.

"With millions of teens spending their time online everyday, it makes perfect sense for us to partner with MySpace to build the HarperTeen community," says Diane Naughton, Vice President of Marketing at HarperCollins Children's Books. "Our custom community offers readers the latest updates on HarperTeen books and a place to interact with authors and peers -- all within the MySpace world."

The MySpace/HarperTeen profile also provides user generated content tools where MySpace users can "Create and Share" by submitting their own creative writing and getting feedback from their peers in the HarperTeen community.

Through January 7th, 2008, MySpace/HarperTeen users can enter the first "Create and Share" writing contest by submitting original entries in the form of short stories, poems, and songs. The winning writer will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a phone call from their favorite HarperTeen author. A panel of HarperTeen judges will select the ten most original and creative entries, but the MySpace/HarperTeen community will vote for the actual winner. Finalists and their work will be featured on the HarperTeen profile and various other MySpace pages.

"With writing contests, must-read book lists, author blogs, fun forums and so much more, HarperTeen and MySpace have created a fabulous, interactive place for readers!" says Sara Shepard, author of the bestselling Pretty Little Liars series.

The MySpace/HarperTeen profile will also keep readers informed of new releases via their "Weekend Read" bulletin. Every Friday, users receive a book recommendation and can discuss the book the following week on the message boards.

Throughout the partnership, HarperTeen and MySpace will work together to update the HarperTeen/MySpace profile with the latest contests, video trailers, polls, quizzes and information about new releases. MySpace will also promote the HarperTeen profile throughout their site.

About HarperTeen

HarperTeen is the new home of the most exciting teen publishing happening anywhere. HarperTeen books may pull back the curtain on the fabulous lives of the beautiful people, go beneath the humdrum veneer of the girl next door, or offer a glimpse into the days and nights of troubled teens. Comprising a wide range of critically acclaimed and bestselling titles, HarperTeen books reflect teen readers' own lives, their everyday realities and their aspirations, their struggles and their triumphs. From topical contemporary novels to lighthearted series books, from award-winning literary tales to smart and sassy beach reads, HarperTeen is the place to find compelling voices that get to the heart of what it means to be a teen. You can visit HarperTeen on the Internet at http://www.harperteen.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/harperteen.

Current HarperTeen titles include: Ana's Story by Jenna Bush, The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, and the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard.

About HarperCollins Publishers

HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation . Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children's Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children's books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world's foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement, HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com/.

About MySpace

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the first ranked web domain in terms of page views(*), MySpace is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind and is committed to providing the highest quality member experience. MySpace will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off. MySpace's international network includes localized community sites in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Latin America, Denmark, Norway, Finlandand the United Kingdom. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp. .

(*) Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, November 2007. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com/.

CONTACT: Melissa Dittmar, Senior Publicist of HarperCollins Publishers,
+1-212-261-6792, or Fax, +1-212-261-6895, melissa.dittmar@harpercollins.com

Web site: http://www.harpercollins.com/
http://www.harperteen.com/
http://www.myspace.com/harperteen
http://www.comscore.com/