New serial story to start for 2013

May 23, 2013

Life’s no field of clover for Manny. Over the years, his kind has gotten stuck with a bad rep. They’re believed to be lazy, ugly and dumb. Manny has had it up to his long ears with this pile of mule hooey—and in a new eight-week serial story, he’s going to set the record straight.
Thanks to the National Newspaper Association Foundation, newspapers will have free access to Manny’s story during the fifth annual Reading Across the Nation project. Author Chris Stuckenschneider has written a new animal tale that will delight readers of all ages.
In 2012, more than 400 newspapers from 44 states downloaded Stuckenschneider’s “Patriotic Pals: Tails of the Civil War” through a special partnership with the Missouri Press Foundation. It was the most successful story in the history of this partnership project.
Beginning in January, newspapers will have six months of free access to “Manny Kicks Long Ear Lore,” an eight-chapter story. Each chapter feature is provided in a print-ready format.
Also available through the project is a companion teacher guide correlated to the Common Core Standards. The guide may be distributed to teachers or posted on a newspaper’s website. Additionally, each chapter in “Manny Kicks Long Ear Lore” offers links to website resources and books.
The Reading Across the Nation project not only offers newspapers the chance to connect with young readers in classrooms and at home, but also presents new revenue opportunities. Many newspapers approach non-traditional advertisers to sponsor a chapter or the series. One Iowa newspaper developed a serial into a special interest supplement and sold advertising throughout.
Beginning Jan. 1, newspapers may download “Manny Kicks Long Ear Lore,” at www.mo-nie.com using code: nnaread. This code offers access to the eight chapter features, a promotional ad to let readers know when you’ll begin publishing the series, the teacher guide and rules for publication.
Please read the full rules included in the download, but in summary:
• Your newspaper may access “Manny Kicks Long Ear Lore” files from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2013.
• You can’t change the story or the credits—but you may add your own credits to include your newspaper and sponsors.
• If you plan on publishing the story in more than one newspaper operated by your company, you must log in under each newspaper’s name so we have an accurate record of all the publications participating in the project.
• You may use the story electronically only within a PDF or similar product of the newspaper in an electronic archive edition. Newspapers may only publish this e-version of the chapter within a complete-page version of its newspaper and not in any other stand-alone format.
For more information, contact Sara Walsh at sarawalsh@nna.org or at 573-777-4980 or Dawn Kitchell at dawn.kitchell@gmail.com or at 636-932-4301.
“Manny Kicks Long Ear Lore” author Chris Stuckenschneider, wrote the serials “Patriotic Pals, Tails of the Civil War,” “Pressing West,” and “Twist of Fate: The Miracle Colt and His Friends.” “Twist of Fate” was the NNA Reading Across the Nation serialized story in 2009 and was published as a children’s book that same year. The book was a Missouri Association of School Librarian’s 2011-2012 Show Me Award finalist.
Stuckenschneider also writes monthly book columns, available free to newspapers nationwide, through Missouri Press. Learn more at www.cstuckenschneider.com.