Authors Auction Character Names on Ebay

Posted on August 31, 2006

Authors are once again auctioning off character names on eBay to raise money for the First Amendment Project (FAP). Last year the auctions raised $150,000 according to a Houston Chronicle article.

The 2005 online auction raised $150,000 for the nonprofit organization devoted to protecting freedom of information, expression and petition.
It also thrilled nearly two dozen fans who paid to see their names in print, according to David Greene, executive director.
Linda-gail Case, 52, a self-proclaimed "tried and true" Nora Roberts fan, spent $6,800 last year to see her name in Roberts' latest novel, Angels Fall.
For Case, it's been "a hoot" reading about Linda-gail, a waitress who has a crush on the town's bad boy.
Case said that seeing her unusual name in print is distracting, and she often needs to reread chapters.

This year's auction can be found here on eBay. Authors auctioning character names include Carl Hiassen, John Lescroart, Elinor Lipman, Francine Prose, Edward P. Jones, Chris Ware, Kevin J. Anderson, Emily Barton, Phillip Margolin, Douglas Preston, Tim Green, Lorrie Moore, Stephen Elliot and Patricia Polacco. The auction will be live from September 7th until September 23rd.