Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Begins January 25, 2010

The 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award is Here!

Do you have an unpublished or self-published novel you know Amazon.com readers will love? Enter your novel in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for a chance to win one of two $15,000 publishing contracts with Penguin USA and distribution of your novel on Amazon.com.

How the Contest Works

Beginning January 25, 2010 through February 7th, 2010 you can enter your unpublished or self-published English-language novel into the General Fiction category, or the new Young Adult Fiction category. The contest will then proceed through four phases of judging:

First Round: Amazon editors will review a 300 word Pitch of each entry. The top 1000 entries in each category (2000 total entries) will move on to the second round.

Second Round: The field will be narrowed to 250 entries in each category (500 total entries) by Amazon top customer reviewers from ratings of a 5000 word excerpt.

Quarterfinals: Publishers Weekly reviewers will read the full manuscript of each quarterfinalist, and based on their review scores, the top 50 in each category (100 total entries) will move on to the Semifinals.

Semifinals: Penguin USA editors will read the full manuscript and review all accompanying data for each semifinalist and will then select three finalists in each category (six total finalists).

Finals: Amazon customers will vote on the three finalists in each category resulting in two grand prize winners.

See Official Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Official Contest Rules Here.

How to Enter

Contest submission period begins January 25th, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time) and ends February 7th, 2010at 11:59 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), or when the first 10,000 Entries have been received, whichever is earlier.

To enter; starting on January 25th 2010, go to www.amazon.com/abna or www.createspace.com/abna, register and submit your entry following the instructions on the entry form. In the meantime, go to www.createspace.com/abna to sign up for contest updates and valuable online content that will help you get your submission ready. To register and enter you will need to submit:

• The full/complete version of your manuscript (the "Manuscript"), which must be between 50,000 and 150,000 words;
• Up to the first 5,000 words, but no less than 3,000 words, of text of that manuscript, excluding any table of contents, foreword, and acknowledgments (the "Excerpt");
• A pitch statement (cover letter/summary) of up to 300 word (the "Pitch");
• Other registration information as asked for on the entry page (such as name, contact information, book title), and
• An author photo (if desired), which must be in .jpg format (at least 72 dpi and 500x468 pixels)
  (The foregoing five entry requirements are collectively referred to as the "Entry" or "Entries".) Sponsors will NOT accept or review paper-copy Entries.

The author of each manuscript must be an individual author. Any manuscript submitted as an entry that was written by two or more authors will not be eligible. Poems and short stories or collections of poems and short stories submitted as entries will also not be eligible.

Manuscripts Must:

• be the original creation of entrant;
• be fictional;
• be in the English language;
• be in Times New Roman and 12-point font;
• be double spaced and paginated with a 1-inch margin on all sides (in a manner enabling reformat to single-space display easily, i.e. no "hard" returns to achieve double spacing);
• be of interior black and white text with no images in the document;
• be a digital file of Microsoft Word .doc, .docx, or .rtf format;
• not currently or previously have been the subject of a publishing agreement with any publishing house; self-published entries are acceptable, as long as the entrant retains global distribution rights to the work.
• not currently or previously have been the subject of a publishing agreement with any publishing house;
• not include the author's name in the body of the Manuscript or in the Excerpt or pitch statement; and
• meet the content guidelines found at www.amazon.com/contentguidelines

All Entries determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion to meet the foregoing requirements will be deemed "Valid Entries." Entries submitted by authors who are represented by an agent are acceptable, provided author agrees to comply with these Official Rules.

Sponsors' servers and clock shall be deemed the official clock for the Contest and entrant's proof of submission does not constitute proof of receipt by Sponsors.