Amazon.com’s annual awards for new authors, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, have been carefully whittled away from the thousands of entries in each of the two categories—fiction and young adult fiction—to come to a final six submissions. Three authors from each of the two fields received word today that their entries had been selected for the final phase of the competition.
Initially, the entries were selected for advancement based on what amounts to the pitch, much like an author would use to attempt to hook an agent or publisher. After the first round, books were reviewed by professional reviewers before being chosen to go forward in the competition.
At this stage in the contest, which is sponsored by Amazon, CreateSpace, and Penguin Group, the three finalists from each category will be judged and voted upon by Amazon readers while a panel of experts in the fields will weigh in on the books, people whose own credentials include literary agents and widely recognized bestselling authors. The two winners chosen by the voters will each receive a publishing contract from Penguin and a $15,000 advance on sales.
“This year’s ABNA contest saw thousands of submissions from talented writers around the world,” said Nader Kabbani, Director of Independent Publishing, Amazon, in a press release today. “According to the judges and editors, the quality of the entries continues to climb, making the contest more competitive each year. The finalists this year are among the best yet and Amazon.com customers will have a challenge picking a favorite.”
The nominees for the finalists spots are as follows: The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill, Grace Humiston and the Vanishing by Charles Kelly, A Chant of Love and Lamentation by Brian Reeves, Dreamcatchers by Cassandra Griffin, Out of Nowhere by Rebecca Phillips, and On Little Wings by Regina Sirois.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
