After a summer that included trips to Halifax, visits to cottages, and short Fridays, it’s officially fall in the HarperCollins publicity department. Yes, the fall is busy for us – we’ll be working longer hours, clocking in on the weekends, and spending less time recapping Bachelor Pad at the water cooler, but don’t feel sorry for us publicists! Fall also meets big books finally releasing (think: Cornered by Ron Maclean), celebrity authors coming to town (how about John Lithgow promoting his new book Drama), and a series of fun festivals and events.
The first festival on our radar is coming up quickly, and is one of my favourites. Word on the Street has all the best things about summer – it’s held outdoors and the weather is still nice – with all the best things about fall – big authors on the stage sharing their books with fans.
Want to attend Toronto Word on the Street? It’s this Sunday, September 25th, from 11 am – 6 pm in Queen’s Park. For more information visit their website.
To celebrate the beginning of fall and Toronto’s Word on the Street, we’ve planned a special contest for all of our fans who will be attending – a HarperCollins Scavenger Hunt to take place on Twitter! We have some amazing authors visiting this year, and we want to see pictures of our fans at the various stages, enjoying what our authors have to share.
The rules are simple.
First, you must follow @HCCReview – our publicity department’s very own Twitter account which we update daily with event information and book reviews.
Second, you have to show up to at least three out of eleven different HarperCollins events and tweet a picture of yourself from each to @HCCReview with the hashtag #HCCBookHunt. To make it easy for you, I’ve included a list of event times and locations below – so you know where you need to be!
Keep in mind when you are taking pictures that we’re not looking for you to photo-bomb these readings (that’s only cute when squirrels do it)!
Finally, once you’ve completed the challenge, tweet at @HCCReview one final time to tell us you’ve finished the #HCCBookHunt.
So – quick recap:
- Follow @HCCReview
- Tweet at @HCCReview with the hashtag #HCCBookHunt from 3 out of the 11 HarperCollins events listed below
- Tweet at @HCCReview with the hashtag #HCCBookHunt one final time to let us know you’ve completed the challenge
And what’s in it for you (other than the opportunity to see some amazing authors)? How about being entered in a draw to win a library of HarperCollins fall books from authors that will be attending the city’s next big literary festival, the International Festival of Authors!
So get started now! Follow @HCCReview on twitter, check out the author times and locations below, comment on what you’re planning on seeing, and make room on your bookshelves for the books you’re planning on winning!
Kenneth Oppel – 12PM – Scotiabank Giller Prize Bestsellers Stage
Laura Calder – 12PM – Cooks n’ Books Stage
Jennifer McLagan – 1PM – Cooks n’ Books Stage
Holly Luhning – 2PM – This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage
Jonathan Alderson – 3PM – Healthy Living Stage
Amy Ballon and Danielle Botterell – 4PM – Healthy Living Stage
Frank Ferragine – 4:30PM – Healthy Living Stage
Claudia Dey – 5PM – Healthy Living Stage
Sylvia Tyson – 5:15PM – Great Books Marquee
Frances Itani – Great Books Marquee – 11 AM
Frances Itani – Giller Prize Bestseller Stage – 1:45 PM
Cheers,
Meghan
Publicist
Follow me at @meghanpaton and @HCCReview
Here’s the prize pack of books you could win! 
