Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest Announcement

CreateSpace has announced the details for the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.

New this year are five genre categories including Mystery/Thriller. (The others are General, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult.) The Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract and an advance of $50,000; four First Prize winners will receive a publishing contract and an advance of $15,000. The books will be published through Amazon Publishing.

There are five rounds, from pitch through excerpt through full manuscript — which reviewers from Publishers Weekly will read and rate — and on to 25 semi-finalists (five from each category) and then the finals, which will be voted on my Amazon customers from five finalists chosen by the editors of Amazon Publishing.

Get started now! Even though the entry period doesn't begin until January 14th, 2013, only 10,000 entries will be accepted. (There are also individual category limits, but these aren't stated.)

Full details on the contest are available on the CreateSpace website.