How nice of Borders to sponsor a contest where one of their 30,000 employees has the chance to be published by their in-house imprint. Synergy, I tell you! Anyway, today’s press release has more info, and employees have until January 31, 2008 to submit manuscripts. “Our employees are talented and creative individuals who have a tremendous passion for books, and we believe that there are many who also have undiscovered writing talent,” said Rob Gruen, executive vice president, merchandising and marketing for Borders. “We are excited to discover new authors within our company and to promote their novels to the millions of loyal customers who rely on our recommendations. We have such confidence in the talents of our staff that we are anticipating multiple winners and hope to publish fictional works ranging from mysteries and thrillers to romance and historical novels.”

Yes, because every bookseller is a budding author – and a talented one at that…