Amazon and Penguin invites entries for award

11 Dec 2009

Amazon.com and Penguin Group (USA) have announced the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the international competition seeking the next popular novel.

For the first time, the competition will award two grand prizes: one for general fiction and one for best young adult novel.

The 2010 competition will also now be open to novels that have been previously self-published. Writers around the world are encouraged to begin preparing their manuscripts for entry into the competition, which is scheduled to launch on 25 January, 2010.

Writers with can submit manuscripts of their works (English only) from 25 January to 7 February 2010, their work at www.amazon.com/abna.

Up to 10,000 total initial entries will be accepted, with up to 5,000 each in the general fiction and young adult categories. Amazon's editors will select 1,000 entries from each category  for the next round. In the subsequent round, Amazon editors and at least.

one top reviewer on Amazon.com will read excerpts of the 2,000 entries and narrow the pool to 500 quarter-finalists (250 in each category).