HP Website Launches with Young Authors' Writing Contest

Posted on September 25, 1997

Hewlett-Packard Company today announced the launch of the HP Digital Book Club. The interactive site is designed for young people ages 8-18 to capitalize on their interest in the Internet to encourage reading and writing.

The book club was created partially in response to an HP-commissioned national survey on young people's Internet use and reading habits. More than 42 percent of teenagers surveyed read only between five and 12 books per year, while almost 78 percent use the Internet for education and information gathering.

The Web site includes a wealth of information, such as links to reading and writing sites, literature lists and writing tips from authors Bruce Coville and Jan and Stan Berenstain. The site also features links to classic books and templates to create bookmarks and bookplates for students' own libraries.

A writing contest on the site is intended to further encourage students' appreciation of books and writing through technology. Author Bruce Coville, magazine editor Debbie Skolnick, author and columnist Jon Pepper, and book editor Margaret Raymo will judge the contest.

The contest runs from Sept. 25 through Nov. 3. Entrants are required to select a book, insert themselves into the storyline as a new character, and write a two-to-five-page story based on this idea. Prizes for the writing contest include an HP Pavilion multimedia PC, an HP DeskJet photo-quality printer, writer's resource books and a scholarship to a local writer's workshop. Contest winners also will be honored at a special book signing event in early December.

Additional information on the HP American Youth on Books and Reading survey and the writing contest can be found at the HP Digital Book Club. Writing contest rules also are available at 888/474-4335. Contest entries may be submitted online or mailed to: HP Young Writer's Contest, 100 First Street, P.O. Box 368, San Francisco, CA 94105.