NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins Publishers announced today the first acquisition from inkpop (www.inkpop.com), its interactive website for teen writing. Slated for Fall 2011, THE CARRIER OF THE MARK, by debut author Leigh Fallon, is a fresh and thrilling paranormal romance linking two teens to a supernatural destiny.

Fallon, a native of Cork, Ireland, tried to get her manuscript published through conventional channels. She started by contacting agents and eventually took a less traditional route. She heard about inkpop through a writing group and decided to upload her manuscript. Within weeks her manuscript was voted into the coveted "Top Five" by the inkpop community and was reviewed by an editor at HarperCollins. A few emails later, she signed her first book deal with HarperCollins for World English rights.

"For many people the rise to 'Top Five' on inkpop is a long process, but for Leigh, THE CARRIER OF THE MARK shot to the top of the list. This was one of our first key indications that it was an outstanding project," said Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books.

Inkpop combines community publishing, user-generated content, and social networking to connect rising stars in teen literature with talent-spotting readers and publishing professionals. In just over a year, inkpop traffic has grown by nearly 500%. With over 60,000 projects uploaded, the highly engaged members spend an average of over 20 minutes per visit on the site.

Katz added, "The opinions of our readers matter to us. Inkpop is HarperCollins Children's Books' first site (and not the last) to really put the users' voice and ideas in the forefront. Social media is incredibly empowering if used correctly, and HarperCollins recognizes this and is gearing up to make social media the cornerstone of all of its digital endeavors."

In the coming months, inkpop will be announcing more acquisitions. Budding writers will have more opportunities to get their ideas in front of editors at HarperCollins Children's Books and will be offered more ways to get published. In addition, inkpop will partner with some of the hottest up-and-coming brands in entertainment and products:

BFF.TV

This week, the multimedia platform BFF.TV sponsored on inkpop an exclusive live chat with Sara Shepard, author of the New York Times bestselling series Pretty Little Liars. Together, BFF.TV and inkpop will continue to provide users with unique content and exclusive interviews, with talent from the worlds of film, TV, music, and books.

DYLAN'S CANDY BAR

Dylan Lauren, CEO and founder of Dylan's Candy Bar, and inkpop will team up to help inkpop members unwrap their "sweet" lives. During this month-long promotion, inkpop will host a one-hour live chat with Dylan to discuss her passions and how she made her dreams of creating a candy emporium come true. Inkpop will also host Dylan's Candy Bar's first interactive writing contest, where users will be asked to discuss their own sweet dreams. Winners of the Dylan's Candy Bar Writing Contest will receive a scrumptious prize package, including an exclusive invitation to a Dylan's Candy Bar party to be hosted at the flagship store in New York City.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN'S BOOKS

HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures--Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Ramona series, and Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics--The Graveyard Book, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors, and Fancy Nancy. HarperCollins Children's Books has published some of the world's foremost authors and illustrators, and has won numerous awards including the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, the Printz Award, and the Geisel Award. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and India. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at www.harpercollins.com.

SOURCE Harper Collins Children's Books