Gather.com Moves to Voting for Next Great Crime Writer

Gather.com, the social media site for adults, has narrowed down its search for America’s “next great crime writer," to 25 semifinalists.

The contest is running in conjunction with the second season of Court TV’s hit real-life series “Murder by the Book.”

The semifinalists hail from all corners of the country from Louisiana to California to North Carolina to New York, who have submitted mystery/crime manuscripts since October.

The group was selected through online voting by the Gather.com community, who will now read and rate the first chapters of each of the semifinalist’s novel. Voting runs through Jan. 2. The three chapters with the most “10” votes will proceed to Round 3, along with two chapters selected by the Gather editorial team.

The grand-prize winner will receive a publishing and exclusive distribution contract with Borders Group and $5,000 in advanced royalties.