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over 10 years ago

One month to go (action required!)

Thank you to everyone participating in The BookSmash Challenge! We’re incredibly excited to see what you come up with. There's roughly one month to go in the submission period, so we thought it’d be a good time to check in and see how things are going. 

Registrants: please tell us how development is going here.

If you don't plan on entering anymore, please let us know.

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This challenge is about exploring ways that technology can help readers find new ways of discovering authors and books. Aside from monetary prizes and recognition, the ultimate reward would be to get readers to fall in love with books all over again, or to lead a reluctant reader to just the right story.

There’s still plenty of time to get your submission in before the deadline (September 5, 2013). For creative inspiration, check out the HarperCollins App Idea Bank, and the Author Innovator spreadsheet.

Here are some tips that you might find handy as you race towards the finish line:

Start your draft now 

It’s good to at least start a draft now, because you never know what may come up during the process. You can always save the draft and come back to work on it later, or update it periodically. Just make sure you’ve read through the requirements thoroughly, so that you don’t get caught up by any unexpected surprises at the last minute.

Submit early 

Submitting early does have its perks. Because we accept and review submissions on a rolling basis, we can offer feedback about anything that’s amiss. That also means you’ll have more time to fix whatever you need to before the final deadline.

Avoid getting disqualified: read the challenge guidelines

Make sure you understand all the requirements, especially:

  • Proof-of-concept apps which include the OpenBook API content must not be made available to the public.
  • Screenshots and a YouTube or Vimeo video must be included with your submission.
  • If you're submitting an existing app (developed prior to this challenge), you must make sure that: a) it didn't use the OpenBook API before the competition, b) it includes new features and functionality added after June 6, 2013, and c) the version submitted (which includes OpenBook API content) is not made available to the public.


Get those creative juices flowing and start your draft today! We’ll check back in closer to the submission deadline. 

Good luck!

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Questions?

Didn't find what you were looking for in our FAQs? Email support@challengepost.com with “HarperCollins BookSmash" in the subject line, and we'll respond as soon as we can.

#BookSmash

Join the conversation with #BookSmash on Twitter, and help spread the word about this challenge by sharing with your network!