# Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest 2013 Starting up in January



## Zero Angel (Dec 4, 2012)

Hey guys, 

If you haven't heard of it before, it's basically Amazon's publishing contest with 6 people or so getting publishing contracts out of 10000 entries. 

Here's a link if you want to read about it: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Official Rules


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Dec 4, 2012)

Wow. Some SIGNIFICANT changes from before, folks. First off, Penguin has apparently been kicked to the curb - the publisher which now gets to publish the winning entries is Amazon Publishing. This is a big plus, IMHO, as the "staple" Amazon contracts are worlds better than the base contracts from Penguin imprints.

But on the down side, they retained the old rule that you are not allowed to negotiate the contract, and "must" sign it as it is sent to you. Of course, you really can't be required to sign a contract. Or rather, you can't sign away your right to refuse a contract. So if the contract is truly terrible, you can still pass. But the odds of it being terrible probably went down (last year's winners, I suspect, signed away all print and ebook rights to their books for duration of copyright, and probably pledged to not publish or cause to be published any competing works for duration of copyright as well).

You can send in self published books, but not books published by a third party publisher. That's interesting. SP is OK because Amazon knows it can still get all rights. You can't be shopping the book to agents for the duration of the contest, which USED to mean that you had to sit on a finished book for six months, which frankly was sort of a bad idea for a writer just for a contest with so many entries and very low odds of winning and getting anything. But now, you still can't go the trad pub route, including shopping to agents, but you CAN still at least put the book out to make money the indie route. (Not sure if this is a change or not, but seemed pertinent.)

Used to be I recommended against this contest, because of the no negotiation clause (and Penguin's absolutely craptastic contract reputation) and the slim odds of winning vs being forced to sit on a novel for six months. But I think this newer version of the contest is a significant step up. You can publish the work and begin making income from it, so if you don't win, you haven't lost anything. And frankly, I'd rather publish with Amazon than with Penguin.


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## BWFoster78 (Dec 4, 2012)

Curse you!  You have me actually considering doing this.


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## Zero Angel (Dec 6, 2012)

I think if you can win this contest that you have a better chance of signing an agent and getting a traditional publishing deal. 

I mean, you have a 6 in 10000 chance of winning -> 3/5000 -> 0.06%.

I would think you'd have at least a 1% chance of getting an agent and after getting an agent at least a 1/10 chance of getting a publishing deal which would be 0.10% chance overall. 

If you are considering though, make sure you get in your novel before the fill up. They're only accepting the first 10,000 entries.


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## saellys (Dec 6, 2012)

Can I just be one of the people they will inevitably have to hire to read all those freakin' novels?


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## BWFoster78 (Dec 9, 2012)

Zero Angel said:


> I think if you can win this contest that you have a better chance of signing an agent and getting a traditional publishing deal.
> 
> I mean, you have a 6 in 10000 chance of winning -> 3/5000 -> 0.06%.
> 
> ...



I didn't see any kind of entry fee, though, so it doesn't cost anything to enter.  I'll be about a third through my third draft of _Power of the Mages _as of the opening of the contest.  I don't think it'd cost me much in terms of time to figure out the formatting and put my current version just to see.

My main issue is that I'd feel I'm making a deal with the devil.  On the other hand, it's not like it's possible to be a successful author in this day and age without dealing with Amazon.

Anyone else thinking about doing this?


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Dec 11, 2012)

Why would publishing with Amazon be any more a "deal with the devil" than, say, S&S (which just started its own scam-the-writer subsidy press) or Penguin (which owns Author Solutions, the best known "scam the writer" subsidy press corporation), or Harlequin (which has a bunch of its writers suing in a class action suit for allegedly cheating them out of royalties), or probably most of the other major publishers?

They're corporations. They exist to make profit. We partner with them to make a profit, but NONE of them have anything but their own profit in mind.


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## psychotick (Dec 20, 2012)

Hi,

Eh gad! What a contract! I would be tempted I suppose, but the timing sucks for me. My goal is to get two novells out by the end of January and though I have another novel almost ready, I don't think I could do it as well within the time frame.

Cheers, Greg.


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## BWFoster78 (Feb 13, 2013)

Didn't make the cut for the second round


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## Steerpike (Feb 13, 2013)

BWFoster78 said:


> Didn't make the cut for the second round



So you just join an impressive line of writers who didn't make the cut at one publisher or another. I wouldn't let it get you down. Many of the most successful writers had works rejected time and again, including works that actually became highly successful later.


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## BWFoster78 (Feb 13, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> So you just join an impressive line of writers who didn't make the cut at one publisher or another. I wouldn't let it get your down. Many of the most successful writers had works rejected time and again, including works that actually became highly successful later.



It doesn't worry me too much.  My strength is definitely NOT a 300-word description of my concept.  When I read that part of the judging procedure, I almost decided not to enter.

Oh well, it sped my editing of the 3rd draft, so it's a net positive overall.


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## Zero Angel (Feb 13, 2013)

I'm sorry you didn't win ('cuz that would have been cool). 

Now frame the rejection letter and hang it in your office. 

What doesn't matter is how many times we get knocked down, but that we get up after each time. Use it as fuel for your future


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## BWFoster78 (Feb 13, 2013)

Would be kinda nice to be able to talk about how Amazon turned down the next Harry Potter 

Of course, mainly because then I'd have written the next Harry Potter...


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## T.Allen.Smith (Feb 13, 2013)

I just posted this same quote in another thread about rejection but I'm going to place it here as well because it applies:

"Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor." - Truman Capote

The harder you work to attain that goal...the more you face rejection & struggle...the sweeter the moment when those dreams are realized from your efforts. I'm sure you're already know this... I just love a good, fitting quote.


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## Devor (Feb 13, 2013)

Don't let it get you down.  But also, see if you can learn from the experience.

Have they posted some of the pitches that made it to round 2?  Maybe you could look at what some of them did and spend an hour tweaking yours to match them.  It might help you pitch to reviewers or publishers later on.


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