Book News: Amazon, Penguin, and HP Launch Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

by Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 10/12/2007

Amazon.com, the Penguin Group, and Hewlett Packard have announced the creation of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the online bookselling Goliath’s “first international writing contest to find the next popular novel.” Beginning now through November 7, writers with an unpublished English-language novel manuscript can submit their work for consideration via CreateSpace, Amazon.com’s self-publishing platform for books, movies, and music. Amazon said that submissions will be judged by a panel of experts from Penguin, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon.com. Amazon customers ultimately will vote to choose the grand prize winner. The top entry will be announced on April 7, 2008, with the winner receiving a $25,000 advance and contract from Penguin to publish their manuscript.