Publisher Raptor Press is turning literary convention on its head by offering readers, not writers, a cash prize for a good read – if they can also solve a fiendish puzzle.
The “Enigma” competition, to be launched at the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) on June 19, will give £1,000 to the first person who can solve a graphic riddle connected with its latest release.
To be in with a chance of winning, entrants must purchase a copy of hit thriller The Architect, by author Charles Bancroft, and register online.
The launch at the LFA will reveal an “odd looking shape” which has been generated from the storyline of the book – therefore requiring a “good read” first.
London and Boston-based publisher Raptor Press expects that initially it will be almost impossible to crack the puzzle and so every week new clues will released until it is solved.
Speaking about the competition, Charles Bancroft said: “I am very excited about the challenge as a ‘twist’ on the usual relationship between reader and authors. Readers will have to really engage with the storyline and characters to unravel the mystery.”
Phil Sills of Raptor Press, Boston, added: “This competition should be a lot of fun and embodies the spirit of Charles Bancroft’s thriller, The Architect, in being colourful, fast paced and a celebration of London.
“It also brings to life the enigma of the book’s central character, London-based architect, Rob Gilbert in graphic form.”
Since its release in October 2009, gripping thriller "The Architect" has been building a growing following and has received consistently strong reviews.
It has also smashed sales records at London-based World Architecture News, selling more than any other book in its 7,000-plus online titles.
Reviewers have praised the work for its "cinematic style" and "thrilling and cleverly interwoven" plot. Bancroft is currently working on a sequel, Masterplan, which is due out this autumn; an audiobook version of "The Architect" will also be released at the same time.
The competition is now open for registration and participants are urged to get hold of their copy now and register early in anticipation of the first clue.
Full details of the competition will be available on worldarchitecturenews.com and lfa.org
* "The Architect" by Charles Bancroft is out now, priced £7.99. Copies are available from the following outlets: Amazon, Waterstones, RIBA bookstores, The Building Bookshop, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT and www.wanbooks.com.
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