MasterClass Provides Aspiring Writers A Once-In-A Lifetime Chance To Co-Author A Book With New York Times Bestselling Author James Patterson

The world's bestselling author, James Patterson, will pick a student from his online writing MasterClass to be his co-author

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MasterClass

Feb 09, 2016, 08:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterClass (masterclass.com), the premiere online education platform offering classes taught by the world's best, announced today a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to collaborate with acclaimed author James Patterson. Aspiring authors from around the country can compete for the chance to co-author a novel with the New York Times bestselling writer.

The idea was proposed by Patterson after seeing the quality of work students were submitting in his MasterClass. "There are a lot of people who have the talent, but haven't been shown the door to walk through. I've been surprised and impressed by the passion, devotion and talent of my students. They inspired me to want to help guide one of them through the publishing process. I'm looking forward to reading the submissions that are skillful, fast-paced and unpredictable," said Patterson.

Students can visit http://www.masterclass.com/jp to signup and enroll in James Patterson's writing class, where those who wish to enter the competition can submit an original book hook, story summary and a sample chapter. Each stage of the competition is designed to help writers learn how to craft and pitch their novel. Students submit their initial submission through MasterClass' website. The initial submission period begins February 16, 2016 and ends Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The top 10 semi-finalists will be awarded $1,000 and, from there, 3 finalists will be awarded $2,500 and given the opportunity to write an outline for their idea. Patterson will select the winner by May 24, 2016 and offer to co-author a future book with them. See Official Rules for details. There is no additional fee after enrollment and submissions are limited to one per student.

In the past year, MasterClass launched a series of popular courses, including those taught by Patterson (writing), Dustin Hoffman (acting), Serena Williams (tennis), and Usher (performance). Each of these classes make it possible for anyone to learn directly from the world's best.

"The goal of MasterClass is to educate and inspire people around the globe by creating classes from the very best" said David Rogier, CEO and co-founder at MasterClass. "I don't know if this sort of opportunity has ever been available in history before, and I can't wait to see it unfold. It's incredible that James wanted to select a student from his MasterClass to co-author a book with him," Co-founder, CTO, and Creative Director Aaron Rasmussen added,

About James Patterson's writing class:
Class synopsis: James Patterson, the author of a record breaking 19 consecutive No. 1 New York Times Best Sellers, teaches you everything he knows about writing a bestseller.

Class Includes:

22 video lessons (3.5 hours)
A workbook filled with writing exercises
A complete outline of Patterson's book Honeymoon
Additional class materials like excerpts from Patterson's first drafts.
Collaborative learning: students can upload writing samples and receive feedback from other students (and sometimes even James himself!). When James gives feedback, he shares it with the whole class so everyone can learn from it.
Class discussions via an online community forum
Q&A: James answers select questions submitted by students the whole class can access.

About MasterClass:

San Francisco-based MasterClass was founded by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen on the idea that everyone should have access to genius. MasterClass makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to learn from the best through immersive online classes from the world's most esteemed authors, actors, performers, athletes and more. Learn writing from James Patterson; acting from Dustin Hoffman or Kevin Spacey; tennis from Serena Williams; performance from Usher; or singing from Christina Aguilera. MasterClass pairs world-class instructors with Hollywood directors and Silicon Valley engineers to create a brand new type of learning experience. For more information, please visit www.masterclass.com.

CONTACT: Marian Koltai-Levine, PMK-BNC, [email protected], O. +1 212.373.6130 M: +1 914.672.2418; Leesa D'Alto, Director, Moxie Communications, [email protected], M. +1 516-524-7913

SOURCE MasterClass