MS TALENT - Volumes 1, 2 and 3

The aim of the MS TALENT project is to publish original work for the enjoyment of the public at large, while raising funds for UK charities helping people affected by multiple sclerosis and promoting awareness of multiple sclerosis, which is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults in the UK.

Further information about the project is available here.

Ordering your copy of MS TALENT Volume 2

The latest volume was published on 19th November 2008 and features short stories written by thirty-two authors including the very talented Kayleigh Moore, Eiona Roberts, Ralph Edmunds, Athos Athanasiou and Graham Millitt. The RRP of Volume 2 is £8.95 and you can order it using the PayPal link below.



Buying your copy of MS TALENT Volume 1

The award-winning Volume 1 was published in November 2007. You can buy online by debit or credit card through the security of PayPal - simply click the button below and follow the instructions. The RRP of Volume 1 is £16.50.



The MS TALENT fundraising project


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Cover photograph ©Lorella 2007
All printing, publishing, marketing, postage and packing costs of MS Talent are being met by private individuals and are not recovered from whatever you pay.

When you buy your copy of Volume 1 or Volume 2 through the PayPal links above, the Publishers pay a matching amount (plus Gift Aid) to UK MS charities. Please note that, for tax purposes, this does NOT count as a Gift Aid donation made by you.

If you buy through bookshops or online retailers, about 30% of proceeds go to UK MS charities. Currently, Amazon impose a handling charge for each copy of Volume 1 and only £13.20 per copy goes to the charities.

Why not order your copy of Volume 1 and/or Volume 2 now and settle down for a good read? Or give copies as Christmas gifts - they can be gift-wrapped if you want!


UK MS charities
All the proceeds received for MS Talent go to charities. The UK MS charities benefiting from proceeds and donations made in response to MS Talent Volumes 1 and 2 include:

MS Society
MS Trust
MS Resource Centre
Kent MS Therapy Centre (Canterbury)

For a therapy centre near you, please see www.ms-selfhelp.org


Awards
We are delighted to have been awarded the coveted David St John Thomas Charitable Trust Community Cup 2007-8. This is a prestigious national award recognising fund raising through self-publishing for charitable causes.

With so many of the contributors to Volume 1 being previously unpublished authors, this is a particularly fine achievement.

Thanks go to all our contributors and everyone who has bought the book and made it such a fundraising success.


Rave reviews


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Prior to publication, Volume 1 was reviewed by local press and featured on Radio Kent.

Here's what journalists had to say about the book:

'An inspirational read'
Amanda Willis, Canterbury Messenger

'So good you'll forget to Marmite your toast'
Sean O'Hare, Buckinghamshire Advertiser

'For me perhaps the finest book written in the English language since The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'
Reg, East London Oracle



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Volume 2 was equally well received by the press:

'A fantastic variety of stories that are certain to appeal to people of all ages.' Jack Abell, Buckinghamshire Advertiser

'Compassionate, moving and very inexpensive, this is a finely wrought work.' Reg, East London Oracle

'A heart-warming collection of short stories and prose to keep every book-lover happy.' Deborah Punshon, Falkirk Herald

'A great mix of creative stories.' Judy Graham, author

'Poignant and thought-provoking stories, many of which demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit in times of adversity.' Geoff Rousell



The concept behind MS TALENT

Donating to one of the UK MS charities is donating to a good cause.

With MS Talent, you give a generous amount of money to go to UK MS charities, and you receive a worthwhile book as well. Everybody wins!

Volume 2 (ISBN 978-0-9557393-1-6 RRP £8.95) can be ordered online using the PayPal link at the top of the page. Volume 1 (ISBN 978-0-9557393-0-9 RRP £16.50) can also be ordered online using the second PayPal link above.

Do please encourage your friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances to get a copy - or buy copies as gifts.



Cover design ©Samantha Smith 2008
The contributors
We are delighted that so many talented writers of all ages and from all backgrounds generously sent us their short stories, poetry and personal accounts to publish in Volume 1.

Once again, a fantastic array of talented authors have donated their original short stories for inclusion in Volume 2, which was published on 19th November 2008 and can be ordered now using the security of PayPal via the link above.


MS Talent is the book you need to buy
Quick as you can, before they fly
All the money's going to a good charity
It's full of fun, tears and some hilarity

Just ask the shop for Volume 2
Put it on your list of things to do
Out in November, so make a date
Don't leave it down to passing fate

I'm in the book, it makes me feel great
To help out people, it must be fate
I'm a carer too, as well as a writer
She is to me the world's best fighter

So thanks to Rachel for making this book
And all the others for the time it took
So get out your pennies and reserve it today
So we all can cheer and shout hooray!

© Graham Millitt 2008


MS TALENT Volume 3

Short stories
We are now looking for original, previously unpublished short stories of up to 2,000 words suitable for a general readership for inclusion in Volume 3. Like Volumes 1 and 2, Volume 3 will probably be 192 pages in length and contain about 50 short stories. Material that is simply "too difficult" for younger readers is perfectly acceptable - but no adult material please.

Authors (or their legal guardians in the case of child authors) must be able to give us the following permissions:

* exclusive rights to the material that they give us at least until after Volume 3 is published
* permission to allow online book sellers to reproduce the material in its entirety on their websites (e.g. Amazon's "read inside" feature)
* permission to produce an audio version of their material (intended only for readers with visual impairments)

We shall be delighted if authors wish to provide us with a sound recording of their material for the audio version. Easy to follow information about electronic format and tagging is available on request.

Cover design
Once again, we are looking for original designs for the cover and marketing material.

A detailed specification is available here.


If you would like to submit material for Volume 3, please send it to the address below. Short stories and cover designs must be received by 31st March 2009.


Further information

If you have any questions about the project that aren't answered here, please e-mail us at

m s t a l e n t @ b t c o n n e c t . c o m



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