Yes, as the title says, I'm going to do it. I'm going to jump in feet first and hope for the best! What am I talking about you ask? Well, I'll tell you.
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award is coming up and I plan to enter this year.
Here is what Amazon.com says about the Award:
Amazon.com, along with Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace, is pleased to announce the fourth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the international competition seeking the next popular novel. The competition will once again award two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.
The Breakthrough Novel Award brings together talented writers, reviewers, and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction. If you're an author with an unpublished or previously self-published novel waiting to be discovered, visit CreateSpace to sign up for regular
contest updates. Open submissions for manuscripts will begin on January 24, 2011 and run through February 6, 2011.
I'm really nervous about this, as will be the first novel contest I've entered. I made this decision actually a few days ago, to enter, but I wasn't sure which novel I would submit. Logic told me to submit Burden of Prophecy from the The Faery's Tale Saga that I've been slaving over this year, but I also have Cleanse Fire from The Kinir Elite Chronicles that is at about the same point in editing as the other.
Finally, it came down to which novel did I think would make it in a contest like this. I read all the rules and visited the CreateSpace site also to learn every detail of this contest. In the end, I decided to submit Cleanse Fire.
Why? Well, BOP doesn't actually end perse. It 'stops' and book 2 picks up to continue the story since the full story spans 4 books. CF, while part of a series too , is it's own novel and could stand alone if it wanted to, seperate from the rest of the series. With that in mind, I thought CF would be the better story to submit. I might be crazy for thinking that, but hey. It enabled me to make a decision at all! LOL
What about you guys out there? Anyone else entering this huge contest? Let me know in the comments and we can cheer each other on. I'll be working my fingers to the bone from now until Jan in order to have Cleanse Fire ready in time, but it'll be worth it!
I will of course keep you all updated on my progress before and during the contest.
If you want to learn more about this, see the official contest rules.
That is awesome. Good luck to you!
I wish I had a novel ready to enter into a contest but it's going to be awhile before that happens. I haven't decided if I'm going to try contests. I know they can be very good places to start but it's still new to me so I need to do more research first.
Oh wow - very best of luck to you
^_^
I keep trying to decide if I want to do this or not, but haven't gotten up the nerve yet. I would love to see your name on the finalist list!
I'm not entering, but you go for it, Anastasia!
That's a contest I haven't heard about. Good luck with it, though.
I'm going to focus on getting a novel out there in 2011 without exploding my head. That's my 2011 contest, and it will likely involve a lot -- a LOT -- of beer.
- Eric
Dawn: Thanks! Contests are great places to gain readers, friends, and promotion for your work. This is the first one that I'll be doing, so I'm a bit anxious about it, but excited too!
Loralie: Thank you! It took me a while to work up the nerve too. I first read the information about it a few months ago, and just now decided to go for it!
Alex: Thanks! Why aren't you entering though? It would be fun to have you join me!
Eric: Thank you much! I wish you luck with your own contest. And don't get too drunk or your proof readers will hang you!
Wow, this is really exciting!! I might have to look into it myself :)
One word for you. Hire an editor. OK that's 3, what can I say. I have entered contest in the past without success. Then I talked to several authors who had won, they all hired an editor.
I may enter, I will have to check into it. My high fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium will be available next week on kindle. Not sure what day yet.
Good luck,
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Trish: It would be great to see you there too! If you do go for it, I wish you luck!
Nancy: Thanks for the advice. I don't think I could afford one at the moment, but I'll still look into it.