CreateSpace, a member of the Amazon group of companies, offers an array of self-publishing options, all designed to help authors get published and reach readers. From free tools to professional services, CreateSpace is your one-stop shop for publishing, marketing, and selling your book.
Shelfari is the premier social network for people who love books. Create a virtual shelf to show off your books, see what your friends are reading and discover new books and authors.
Penguin is one of the leading U.S. adult and children's trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Viking, G. P. Putnam's Sons, The Penguin Press, Riverhead Books, Dutton, Penguin Books, Berkley Books, Gotham Books, Portfolio, New American Library, and Plume, among others.
Publishers Weekly is the leading trade publication dedicated to books and writing and the official reviewing sponsor of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Professional reviewers from Publishers Weekly will provide full-manuscript reviews for novels that go on to the semifinalist round in April.
Wondering how it felt for finalists to get "the phone call," or what Penguin editors thought of the submissions? Check out our video archive, featuring previous winners, finalists, and editors discussing what it takes to write a breakthrough novel.
We've opened a message board where authors can set up local writing groups, events, and get-togethers to help each other prepare for the Breakthrough Novel Award and cheer each other on as the contest progresses. If you're interested in starting a local group or want to find groups meeting in your area check out the ABNA Local Chapters Forum.
Patricia McArdle has won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in General Fiction for Farishta, which expert panelist Julie Barer calls "a moving and fascinating story of one woman’s work in a place that few Americans have experienced beyond newspaper headlines and CNN stories."
Amy Ackley has won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in Young Adult Fiction for Sign Language. Expert panelist Sarah Dessen says "Ackley brings Abby’s voice to life, capturing all the fear, hope, and confusion involved in trying to cope with the most grown-up of issues while still only a teen."
Our panel of expert reviewers called Farishta an "admirable and compelling" novel with a "believable, even heroic" main character, which "could be a hugely successful, even revelatory, novel."
Our panel of expert reviewers said Sign Language "tells its story beautifully and movingly," and is filled with "finely drawn details and sincerity" which create a "poignant and realistic account of the stages of grief."
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award brings together talented writers, reviewers,
and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction. For the first time, the 2010 competition awarded two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. Each winner received a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.
We'll announce details of the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in the coming months; in the meantime, join in discussions with new and returning writers in our author forum below.
Previous Winners in Print
Launched in 2008, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award has helped many aspiring writers become published authors. James King's remarkable fiction debut, Bill Warrington's Last Chance, won the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and, according to bestselling author Sue Grafton, "is what reading is about and what a good book is supposed to do." The 2008 winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, Bill Loehfelm's Fresh Kills, "quickly expands past itself, blows away its limiting genre boundaries, and becomes a story of real psychological complexity and emotional realism," according to bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert.
Publishers Weekly is the leading trade publication dedicated to books and writing and the official reviewing sponsor of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Professional reviewers from Publishers Weekly will provide full-manuscript reviews for novels that go on to the semifinalist round in April.
Patricia McArdle has won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in General Fiction for Farishta, which expert panelist Julie Barer calls "a moving and fascinating story of one woman’s work in a place that few Americans have experienced beyond newspaper headlines and CNN stories."
Amy Ackley has won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in Young Adult Fiction for Sign Language. Expert panelist Sarah Dessen says "Ackley brings Abby’s voice to life, capturing all the fear, hope, and confusion involved in trying to cope with the most grown-up of issues while still only a teen."
Pre-order Farishta
Our panel of expert reviewers called Farishta an "admirable and compelling" novel with a "believable, even heroic" main character, which "could be a hugely successful, even revelatory, novel."
Our panel of expert reviewers said Sign Language "tells its story beautifully and movingly," and is filled with "finely drawn details and sincerity" which create a "poignant and realistic account of the stages of grief."
Launched in 2008, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award has helped many aspiring writers become published authors. James King's remarkable fiction debut, Bill Warrington's Last Chance, won the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and, according to bestselling author Sue Grafton, "is what reading is about and what a good book is supposed to do." The 2008 winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, Bill Loehfelm's Fresh Kills, "quickly expands past itself, blows away its limiting genre boundaries, and becomes a story of real psychological complexity and emotional realism," according to bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert.