Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing to Partner With Mobile Commons for Young Adult Text Campaign to Debut at Comic-Con San Diego

NEW YORK, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing has partnered with Mobile Commons to offer Young Adult readers and fans an exciting new mobile program to engage with authors through text messaging. Simon & Schuster will debut the program for fans of Young Adult literature at Comic-Con San Diego later this week with a text-based sweepstakes that offers readers the opportunity to win prizes during the convention, and to continue communicating with authors via text long after Comic-Con ends.

Scott Westerfeld, the New York Times bestselling author of the Uglies and Leviathan series, will launch the text messaging channel with his readers at Comic-Con this week. Fans can simply text SCOTT to a special shortcode to enter for the chance to have coffee with Scott. Following the conference, these readers will get text messages from Scott about his books, as well as other opportunities to meet him. Readers and fans will have the opportunity to respond directly to him with information about themselves or their thoughts on characters and content.

"The best thing about spaces like Comic-Con is getting to meet fans of my work. This sweepstakes is a fun way to pick one reader to talk to in depth," says Scott Westerfeld. "I look forward to meeting the winner!"

In addition, S&S will raffle off other prizes like the exclusive The Blessed guitar from New York Times bestselling author Tonya Hurley. Readers can text BLESSED to a special shortcode to enter to win this sweepstakes.

"We are so excited to embark on this promotional campaign with Mobile Commons. Their platform is at the forefront of marketing technology and will allow us to connect much more easily with our readers, delivering the content they want directly to their phones," says Mara Anastas, Vice President, Deputy Publisher of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. "Teens already spend so much time on their phones now. This is another vehicle for us to reach this audience." 

"Simon & Schuster is revolutionizing how authors communicate with their fans," said Jed Alpert, CEO and Co-founder of Mobile Commons. "We know how great the opportunity is for brands to establish effective relationships with their customers via text messaging. This program will offer young adults an unprecedented connection with their favorite authors—and provide Simon & Schuster with the metrics to learn more about their most avid customers."

Texting is widely recognized as the preferred mode of communication for young adults, with the typical American teen sending 60 texts per day.  Mobile Commons' pioneering platform allows brands to develop innovative mobile messaging campaigns to engage teens (and adults) in a new way.  The Simon & Schuster author campaigns will use the consumer relationship tools on the Mobile Commons user dashboard, which include message editing, data segmenting, targeting, URL tracking, QR codes, and MMS (multimedia messaging). Simon & Schuster will also use the platform's real-time analytics and reporting to help them better personalize their communications with their teen readers. 

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, one of the leading children's book publishers in the world, is comprised of the following imprints: Aladdin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Beach Lane Books, Libros para ninos, Little Simon®, Little Simon Inspirations™, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, 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, Nickelodeon's® Dora the Explorer®, and SpongeBob SquarePants. 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, India, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

About Mobile Commons
Mobile Commons, a Brooklyn-based mobile strategy and software company, is the technology behind today's most effective enterprise mobile messaging campaigns. Mobile Commons makes messaging simple with its industry-leading expertise. The software is easy to use, quick to implement, fully integrated and equipped with every feature brands need to make outreach and engagement more powerful. Mobile Commons has run mobile campaigns for clients such as Nike, Capital One, MasterCard, the New York MTA, R/GA, AARP, the National Institutes of Health, the San Francisco MTA, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Sierra Club, and hundreds of others.  For more information, please visit www.MobileCommons.com.

SOURCE Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing