Gollancz, the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror imprint of Orion Publishing, is auctioning off the perfect Christmas present for budding genre novelists – the chance to have your work reviewed by the world renowned publisher and help a worthy cause at the same time.
It’s one of a number of lots up for bidding on eBay to raise money for Orion’s chosen charity The Samaritans. The winning bidder gets 10,000 words of their novel or story reviewed and edited by Gollancz Editorial Director Gillian Redfearn, editor for bestselling authors such as Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss. You can also bid to have new Gollancz editor Marcus Gipps review 15,000 words of your story.
If you or a loved one is a fantasy fan, there’s a unique and exciting chance to name a character in a future novel by Brandon Sanderson, the bestselling author of The Way of Kings and The Alloy of Law. There’s also an exclusive bundle of signed and limited edition promotional materials from Brandon.
Advice on how to promote your book from Gollancz Senior Marketing Executive Jennifer McMenemy, who has masterminded campaigns for many of Gollancz’s biggest names including Alastair Reynolds and Charlaine Harris, is also up for bidding, along with lunch in London with members of the Gollancz team.
Other auctions include signed books, lunch with an author and the chance to get a copy of every single proof copy produced by Gollancz in 2012. Gollancz proof editions, usually reserved for booksellers and media, are often hotly sought after by fans and collectors.
Orion Trade Managing Director Lisa Milton commented: “In 2011 Orion has been focussing on giving something back. Having identified The Samaritans as our company charity, we set ourselves a target of raising £10, 000 in one year. We are already nearly at that target and our final activity for this year is one that is very close to our hearts. A number of our staff and our authors are auctioning themselves. We have created a series of money can’t buy lots from having your work edited to being a character in a Brandon Sanderson novel, and we want to raise lots of money.
“The Samaritans is a fantastic cause for the Orion Publishing Group to be supporting, and although I’ve only been with the company for under a year, I knew I wanted to do something to help,” said Marcus, who set up the auctions. “Having seen other ‘money can’t buy’ auctions do well, and realising that we had access to some fantastic authors, publishers and prizes, it seemed like an effective way to raise some money. The generosity of my colleagues and our authors means that I hope we will be able to make a substantial donation to a very worthy charity.”
For the full list of items to bid on, please visit the page here or search for orionbooksforcharity on eBay.
