Self-published author offers £10k prize to crack his book's code

Self-published historical fiction author D N Carter is offering a £10,000 prize to the reader who can crack the codes hidden in his new book series.

Carter's new historical fiction series Outremer contains genuine codes of antiquity and modern mathematical clues that lead to a £10,000 cash prize if decoded.

Funded by the author himself, the prize is intended to generate interest in codes and histories. Readers will need to read all four books in the series to crack the code. The titles are published by Clink Street Publishing, an imprint of author services company Authoright.

Carter, who is a researcher working across history and archaeology, told The Bookseller: "I haven't written the book for profit or fame, I'd just like to share the knowledge and information I've uncovered in my research. The cash prize is a guaranteed way to generate interest. I want people to try and crack the code, but it won't be easy. The money will encourage people to look closely at the codes and clues in the text and hopefully it will generate interest in history and antiquities."

Outremer is an "epic love story" about overcoming religious divide, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Crusades and ancient mysteries of the Holy Grail. It tells the story of Christian-born Paul Plantavalu, known for his artistic nature, inquisitive mind and unshakable love for his Muslim childhood friend, Alisha al Komaty. Courageous of spirit and not shy of speaking her mind, she returns Paul’s love, but many things stand in their way —from religion to war and political upheavals and a mysterious enemy determined to wipe out both of their family lines.

Carter is building an interactive website for the series which will go live when the book is out. It will include character breakdowns and will be a place for readers to discuss the codes. "I hope it will encourage interaction with the readership", Carter said.

Discussing the prize money, Carter said he has already funded it from his personal funds. "The prize money has already been funded and I’ve set it aside. I was thinking about how to generate interest in the series so decided a cash incentive would be best."

Carter added: "It’s probably possible that someone could crack the code from book one, but they will have to read up until book four for all pieces of the jigsaw. It’s potentially feasible but I’m hoping to get a least six months out of it. I’ve written a proviso within coding to re-establish a secondary code if someone cracks the first one early."

He added: "Around 10% of book sales will go into the fund, so the more sales the more money to be won."

The first book in the series, Outremer: Who Controls The Past Controls The Future, will be published on 9th May by Clink Street Publishing. The second book will be released in October, with the third and fourth to come in 2018.

Readers who think they've cracked the code should contact the publisher directly.