And They're Off!

The submission period for the 5th Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award is now open! From now until February 5th any writer with an unpublished or self-published novel has the opportunity to enter and win a publishing contract with Penguin, along with a $15,000 advance.

The contest takes up to the first 5,000 entries in each category: Young Adult and General Fiction.  From here, the fields get narrowed down each month. The first cut comes on February 23rd based on the pitch each contestant entered. From the original 10,000 entries only 2,000 (1,000 per category) will advance. It gets more intense from then on.

Follow along on this year's contest.  Whether I advance or get cut, I'll continue to blog on the outcome.

Interested in joining me on this journey? Check out the contest at amazon.com/abna.

First Post and Contest for the New Year

Welcome to 2012 everyone! Yes, I know we're already over halfway through January. No, I haven't been a good little blogger. Yes, it will be my new year's resolution....for 2013.

I know you're wondering why it's taken me so long to post.  I've had personal things come up. My grandparents' house burnt down last Thursday and my grandmother is still in the hospital in intensive care.  She's been up-and-down a lot, so my brain hasn't been capable of editing or revising an already finished MS, never mind thinking of something to write for a whole blog post. Now things have settled down somewhat I have allowed panic over something unrelated to move in.

On January 23rd, Amazon will be opening up submissions for the 5th Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  With the hope of publication and a $15,000 advance, unpublished (and some self-published) writers are weighing the pros and cons of entering. Some don't want to have their MS tied up for the six months the contest runs for.  Others see it as the perfect opportunity to get their work out there. I fall in the latter category.

This will be my second year entering. Last year my YA entry Down the Wooded Path made it to the quarterfinals. My entry this year is all new and I'm a bit worried. I've posted the pitch on various boards for feedback. My excerpt is up on Create Space for reviews. I've polished and revised and rewritten it several times, but it never seems to be quite right. Now, there's less than a week and I'm starting to stress. I'm looking forward to hitting the 'Submit' button and forgetting about it. Be prepared and warned. Once the contest starts rolling, there will be constant updates. Cross your fingers they'll all be good ones. 

Have you written a novel you want to see published? Want to take a chance and enter ABNA? Here are the rules and info.  Good luck!