Book News: Amazon Presents Breakthrough Novel Award to Bill Loehfelm for Fresh Kills

Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 4/8/2008 6:49:00 AM

• Inaugural prize goes to noir mystery
• Loehfelm awarded $25K publishing contact from Putnam
• Selected from 5000 qualified submissions worldwide

Aspiring author Bill Loehfelm April 7 was named winner of the first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6490462.html?q=Amazon+Breakthrough+Novel+Award+) for his noir mystery Fresh Kills. The award was created in October 2007 by Amazon.com in conjunction with Penguin Group (USA) (http://us.penguingroup.com/) and Hewlett Packard (http://www.hp.com/) to identify “the next popular novel.” Loehfelm will receive a $25,000 book contract for Fresh Kills, which will be released by Penguin’s Putnam division. 
Brooklyn native Loehfelm worked as a bartender in New Orleans while writing the novel. After fleeing and then returning to the Katrina-ravaged city, the former high school teacher said doing the book helped him find “the new normal.” Amazon.com said it received roughly 5000 qualified manuscripts from 2000 cities around the world and every U.S. state. Submissions were judged by a panel of experts from Penguin, Amazon.com, and Publishers Weekly, who selected the top ten, which then were voted on by Amazon.com customers.