ABC'S 'Good Morning America' and Simon & Schuster's Simon Spotlight Entertainment Imprint Announce National Search to Discover an American Memoir

ABC'S 'Good Morning America' and Simon & Schuster's Simon Spotlight Entertainment Imprint Announce National Search to Discover an American Memoir Author of The Story of My Life to be Selected by the Public for Expected Publication in April 2005 NEW YORK, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented partnership, ABC's "Good Morning America" and Simon Spotlight Entertainment, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced today a national search to find an American memoir by an as-yet un-named author. Because everyone has a story to tell, but few have the resources and connections to find a publisher or national audience, "Good Morning America" and Simon & Schuster have asked Americans to submit 600 word essays of their life stories, and the American public will assist in choosing whose story they most want to read. The winner will receive $10,000. In addition, Simon Spotlight Entertainment plans to publish the book about the winner, titled The Story of My Life, with an intended publication date of April 22, 2005, and an estimated first printing of more than 100,000 copies. Earlier today on "Good Morning America," the viewing public was invited to submit 600 word essays detailing their life stories. Entries will be accepted until December 17, at which time a panel will evaluate the essays and narrow the field to three finalists based on quality and persuasiveness of entrant's essay, why the story is worthy of becoming a book, and overall potential of this life story for both on-air and book appeal. The finalists will work with professional writers who will turn their stories into manuscripts. The week of March 28, 2005, "Good Morning America" plans to air segments featuring each of the three finalists, and from approximately April 1 - 8, America will have the opportunity to judge the finalists' entries for themselves and vote for the winner. On April 22, 2005, the winner is scheduled to be announced by "Good Morning America" and profiled that evening on ABC's "20/20," to coincide with the intended publication date. In addition, the winner will embark on a national publicity tour. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older, a US resident, and may not be a professional writer. Entries can be e-mailed to the GMA web site or mailed to: Ansonia Station / P.O. Box 230477/New York, NY 10023- 0008. Visit the "Good Morning America" web site (http://www.gma.abcnews.com/) for further details and the full Official Rules. "This is an amazing publishing opportunity for Spotlight Entertainment. It's cutting edge, highly marketable, and commercial-three key ingredients to the kind of publishing we like to do," said Jen Bergstrom, Vice President and Publisher of Simon Spotlight Entertainment. "Most of all, we're thrilled to partner with the popular and highly-rated news program "Good Morning America." "Good Morning America" has always believed that every American has a special story to tell. That's why we're so excited about The Story of My Life, a unique opportunity to create compelling television and a rare reading experience. We look forward to working closely with Simon & Schuster," said Ben Sherwood, Executive Producer of "Good Morning America." Ben Sherwood is the executive producer of "Good Morning America." The Story of My Life was created by Carrie Cook, former Emmy Award-Winning senior producer at ABC News. The two-hour, live program, co-anchored by Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, airs Monday - Friday from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., ET, on the ABC Television Network. Simon Spotlight Entertainment, a new book imprint, launched this past September with He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth To Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccilli, which became an instant national bestseller -- hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The imprint will continue to focus on hip original non-fiction and media tie-ins. Other books on the Simon Spotlight Entertainment launch list include Poker: The Real Deal from Phil Gordon, world-class poker player and co-host of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown; Hardly Working: The Overachieving Underperformer's Guide to Doing as Little as Possible in the Office by Chris Morran, and novels based on hit television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and Everwood. SSE's spring 2005 list includes What Not To Name Your Baby (February) by Joe Borgenicht, The Hookup Handbook (March 2005) by Jessica Rozler and Andrea Lavinthal and Nothing's Sacred (April 2005) by comedian Lewis Black. Simon & Schuster, part of the entertainment operation of Viacom Inc., 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 multimedia formats. Its divisions include the Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Online, and international companies in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our web site at http://www.simonsays.com/ Source: Simon & Schuster CONTACT: Tracy van Straaten, Executive Director of Publicity, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, +1-212-698-2809; or Bridgette Maney, ABC News Media Relations for 'Good Morning America,' +1-212-456-5902 Web site: http://www.simonsays.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment