Simon and Schuster Children's Books Announce New YA Community, HASHTAG READS

Simon and Schuster Children's Books today announced the launch of a new YA community, Hashtag Reads, to highlight upcoming titles and encourage interaction with older readers who are notoriously difficult to reach via traditional media channels.

The focus of Hashtag Reads is 'books worth talking about.' Hosted on blog platform Tumblr, alongside a Twitter account and Facebook page, Hashtag Reads is the online home for showcasing upcoming S&S novels aimed at teens and young adults. The site will focus on two new titles each month, which will be highlighted via author interviews and guest posts, behind-the-scenes features and exclusives, but content will also include classic reads and backlist titles, regular features such as themed book reviews and Top Five lists, videos and event round-ups.

The community has been created to encourage maximum interaction with readers through the public feedback and discussion features offered via social media channels. Kat McKenna, Senior Marketing & Publicity Executive at S&S, explains: "We want to get as much feedback as we can, so the conversational element of this project is key for us. We'll be looking at how users respond to the content we offer and will tailor future posts accordingly, so we can build a loyal fan base and find out much more about what our readers want - and in turn give them exciting content they will share with their own communities and social networks."

The two featured titles in January are Defy the Stars by Sophie McKenzie and Find Me by Romily Bernard. Defy the Stars concludes McKenzie's four-part romance exploring the turbulent first-love between River and Flynn. Find Me is a debut thriller following computer hacker Wick after she discovers a dead school-mate's diary with the message FIND ME scrawled inside.

Join the conversation at http://hashtagreads.tumblr.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/hashtagreads
Facebook - www.facebook.com/hashtagreads