Six different Twitter accounts claiming to be The Name of the Wind author and self-described luddite Patrick Rothfuss are competing to be voted the most convincing version of the novelist and earn $1000 for their chosen charity.
This is one way to make an entrance on social media! New York Times bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss has devised a game to have a little fun with his debut on Twitter and benefit some worthy charities at the same time. Six different Twitter accounts, all with versions of the name “Patrick Rothfuss”, started tweeting for the contest on October 17. The person behind one of the accounts actually is Rothfuss, while the other five are impostors. On Halloween, the public will be invited to vote on which of the collection of Rothfi (Rothfusses?) was the most convincing. To make things even more interesting, clever replies on Twitter to any of the six accounts can win you a prize – prototype iron drabs, a type of currency from Rothfuss’ trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle that are sure to become a collectible. After the vote, Rothfuss will reveal the people behind each account, and whoever earns the bragging rights for the most votes will also earn $1000 USD for the charity of their choice. The prize is being provided by Rothfuss’ publisher, DAW Books. You can join in by following all six accounts on Twitter (@PatrickRothfuss, @RealPatRothfuss, @PatRothfuss, @NotPatRothfuss, @Pat_Rothfuss, and @FakePatRothfuss) or see all the feeds at the same time at the Pat Twitter Tracker.
The charities being championed are Worldbuilders, Architecture for Humanity, Teach for America, 826LA, Con or Bust and Project Nightlight. The real Rothfuss will be playing for Worldbuilders, the charity he founded whose mission statement is “to use the collective power of readers, fellow authors and book lovers to make the world a better place.” Last year, a bevy of authors including Terry Pratchet and George R. R. Martin helped raise money for Worldbuilders through a pin-up calendar of their characters.
Rothfuss has had this game in mind for a long time. The six accounts were all created on October 14, 2012, each with single tweet saying, “I am the real Pat Rothfuss.” To keep the competition fair for the impostors, Rothfuss has promised to post no pictures of himself with a current newspaper. The impostors come from what Rothfuss calls “the geek glitterati,” social media savvy friends of the author. In addition to the literary giants Rothfuss knows through his charity, Rothfuss has produced content for Geek & Sundry, the YouTube channel headed by Felicia Day of The Guild, Supernatural, and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog fame. This means he might have been able to call in favors from a roster of geeks that ranges from Wil Wheaton, former Star Trek ensign turned icon, to Grant Imahara, robot enthusiast and MythBuster. No matter who is behind the impostor accounts, they have certainly been tweeting up a storm. My money had been on the FakePatRothfuss account, who hadn’t tweeted at all until October 22. Now, I’m not so sure.
Source: Official Patrick Rothfuss Blog
