Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Partners With LivingSocial to Create a Groundbreaking Digital Reading Experience for Teens

NEW YORK, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing today announced the launch of Loser/Queen at www.loserqueen.com, an online serial novel for teens by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson, hosted by the social discovery and cataloging network LivingSocial's Visual Bookshelf and sponsored by one of America's leading retailers JCPenney.  Loser/Queen is a new style of reading experience that provides online users the opportunity to shape an unfolding story.  

Beginning today, readers will have the opportunity to read the first few chapters and vote for how the story will continue.  Online readers will even have the opportunity to vote for final cover art.  New chapters and voting opportunities will be revealed every Monday until September 13th.  Loser/Queen then, in its entirety, will only be available online until September 20th.  Thereafter, readers will have to wait for the paperback edition and e-book edition to be released by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on December 21, 2010.  

Author Jodi Lynn Anderson says, "When Simon & Schuster approached me about creating an online book together, I was intrigued.  It was a chance to create something really new…the interactive elements, getting the chance to involve readers in deciding on where the story will go…It's been an exciting, creative process."      

"Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing is committed to exploring new ways to deliver content to our core audience and to have that audience be a part of the experience," said Justin Chanda, Publisher of S&S Books for Young Readers.  "I think Loser/Queen is a big step forward in the digital landscape, not to mention being a terrific story, by a first-class author."

"We're thrilled to be able to participate in the Loser/Queen as it's giving young readers a new way to engage and get excited about reading," said Tim O'Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder of LivingSocial.  "This is revolutionizing the way readers interact with publishers and authors alike.  We can't wait to see how the book ends up."

ABOUT SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, one of the leading children's book publishers in the world, is comprised of the following imprints: Aladdin Paperbacks, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Libros para ninos, Little Simon®, Little Simon Inspirations™, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Scribbles, and Simon Spotlight®. While maintaining an extensive award-winning backlist, the division continues to publish acclaimed and bestselling books for children of all ages. In addition to numerous Caldecott, Newbery, and National Book Award winners, Simon & Schuster publishes such high-profile properties and series as Eloise, Olivia, Raggedy Ann & Andy™, Henry & Mudge®, The Hardy Boys®, Nancy Drew®, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts®, Nickelodeon's® Dora the Explorer®, Blue's Clues® and SpongeBob SquarePants®, and Mirage studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™. For more information about Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, visit our website at http://kids.simonandschuster.com.

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com

ABOUT LIVING SOCIAL

LivingSocial is an online community that connects 85 million people to all the things they care about. LivingSocial also powers group buying through Deals, its new social commerce program which invites people and their friends to save 50% off or more each day at their favorite restaurants, spas, sporting events, hotels and other local attractions in major cities. As the creator of top Facebook applications "Visual Bookshelf" and its flagship "LivingSocial," it's the most comprehensive place on the Web for people to engage with others around topics like entertainment, food, fashion, technology and more. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C. To sign up for Deals in your city, or to find out more information about LivingSocial, visit www.livingsocial.com. You can also follow LivingSocial on Twitter at www.twitter.com/livingsocial.

SOURCE Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing