ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Borders, truTV and Gather.com today selected Terrence P. McCauley as the grand prize winner of "The Search for The Next Great Crime Writer" multi-platform contest for his manuscript, "Prohibition." McCauley's manuscript was selected by a panel of expert judges that included best-selling crime authors David Baldacci, Sandra Brown and Harlan Coben from a pool of finalists identified by the Gather.com community of readers, writers and aspiring authors. Viewers of truTV's real- life series hit "Murder by the Book," participants on Gather.com and Borders' customers had the unique opportunity to submit a mystery or crime manuscript as an entry in the contest. McCauley is the winner of Borders' exclusive publishing and distribution contract along with $5,000 in advanced royalties. "The quality of the manuscripts was impressive. The stories were original and fun. What excited me most was how original the voice of each writer was," said best-selling author Sandra Brown. "Being asked to judge was an honor. I didn't count on it being so much fun! The finalists had written some terrific stories, each one unique and entertaining." "We are excited to launch a first time author through Borders exclusive publishing program while at the same time helping Terrence reach his dreams of being 'The Next Great Crime Writer,'" said Borders Group, Inc. Executive Vice President, Merchandising and Marketing, Rob Gruen. "Borders joint participation with truTV and Gather.com was very successful in producing a large pool of high quality manuscripts from aspiring writers. The judges and the community of readers on Gather.com did a great job of selecting 'Prohibition' as the winning manuscript." "The partnership with Borders and Gather.com in 'The Next Great Crime Writer' contest has been an incredible success on every level," said Mary Corigliano, senior vice president, marketing for truTV. "This was a strategic alliance among three great companies who could not have been more perfectly matched for this initiative. The contest served to generate many stellar submissions while at the same time helping drive viewers to 'Murder by the Book' and traffic both to Borders bookstores and Gather.com. We congratulate Terrence McCauley and thank everyone for participating in this groundbreaking initiative." "Gather.com has proven to be an ideal platform to discover and create an audience for aspiring writers," says Tom Gerace, Gather.com founder and chief executive officer. "Our partnership with truTV and Borders has created an unmatched opportunity for mystery authors to launch careers in writing. We want to thank everyone who participated and offer our congratulations to our winner." An avid reader and writer, McCauley is a life-long New Yorker currently living in Wassaic, NY with his wife. He has more than 12 years of extensive economic development and government affairs experience which he used to shape his story in "Prohibition." The story, set in 1930's New York City, revolves around the desperate East Coast mob taking drastic measures to not just survive, but to become more powerful, all while hunting an assassin who is targeting them. It's a race against time to destroy the killer before he destroys them. "The Search for The Next Great Crime Writer" contest was launched in October 2007 with the premiere of truTV's "Murder by the Book" -- a 13- episode, one-hour series featuring best-selling crime authors including David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, and Harlan Coben. Promotion for the contest included on-air, Internet and guerilla marketing by truTV. Borders promoted the contest through its "Shortlist," a weekly e-mail sent to members of the Borders Rewards loyalty program, which now has more than 23 million members, and in Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide. Gather.com members and fans of crime fiction had the opportunity to pose questions and interact with the authors via web site postings and interviews. About Borders, Inc. Borders is a subsidiary of Borders Group, Inc., a $4.1 billion global retailer of books, music, movies, periodicals and gift and stationery items with over 30,000 employees and more than 1,100 stores worldwide primarily operating under the Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) brand names. Currently, there are over 500 Borders superstores in the U.S. that carry up to 200,000 titles. Customers enjoy a comfortable shopping experience, as well as a host of in-store events and community-centered activities when they visit their local Borders stores. For more information, visit http://www.bordersgroupinc.com/. About truTV truTV is television's destination for real-life stories told from an exciting and dramatic first-person perspective. Currently seen in 91 million U.S. households and enjoying more than a year of solid and consistent ratings growth, truTV features high-stakes, action-packed originals that give viewers access to places and situations they can't normally experience. Among truTV's primetime fan favorites are the original series "Forensic Files," "Ocean Force," "Haunting Evidence," "Psychic Detectives," "Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege and Justice" and "The Real Hustle." During the daytime, the channel features expert trial coverage under the name "In Session." Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world. About Gather.com Gather.com is a unique social networking site that targets adults and is the perfect place to find some of the best expert- and member-created content online from socially and culturally-informed contributors. Gather.com is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Boston, Mass. Investors include Allen & Company, The American Public Media Group, Hearst, The McGraw-Hill Companies and Southern California Public Radio. For more information, visit http://www.gather.com/. DATASOURCE: Borders CONTACT: Borders Media, Ann Binkley, +1-734-477-1739, ; truTV Media, Jaime Yandolino, +1-212-973-7844, ; or Gather.com Media, Lesley Solomon, +1-617-720-4000 ext. 1008, Web site: http://www.bordersgroupinc.com/ http://www.gather.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/106169.html

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