LOTLOF, there's already a thread about this in our Novels room, so I'm going to merge this with it. We don't need a separate thread about it in Self Publishing.
And you won't, either. The doors-and-windows bookstores are de-facto boycotting them.
Going with Amazon means no shelf placement -- ever.
This blog from 2013 http://www.allymachate.com/blog/201...-the-amazon-breakthrough-novel-award-contest/ pretty much echoes my concerns about this contest. Like others have said, you win, you sign their contract. Period. Plus the fact that you can't be actively querying during the contest.
I don't know. I dream of $50K advances, seeing my stuff in print but there's just too much about this contest that I'm not comfortable with.
I pulled up the official rules and I think you're correct, that's what it sounds like so I was wrong about that.Lauram6123: The way that I read it is, you can still query your book, but it just can't be shopped by agents. So, if during the contest you sign with an agent, you can just withdraw your entry.
I know, those advances sound so enticing.LOTLOF: Above is the contract summary for the Grand Prize and First Prize winners. I don't see anything particularly objectionable. I would certainly be okay with these terms, especially with a $50,000 or $15,000 advance.
I wasn't quite done with my final round of edits, but I decided to submit my entry anyway. Just getting a couple reviews of my intro and first chapter if I make it past the query phase is worth the price of admission.
I see some language in the rules that seems designed to prevent the winners from pulling out at the last minute. My question is, do you have the ability to withdraw an entry an any time?
I received my Amazon email newsletter on the 17th but didn't open it until the 22nd. My initial reaction was '10,000 entries? they have to be at capacity.' But what the heck, I gave it a go, and twenty minutes later had my entry confirmation number.
If it goes no further from there, so be it. At the very least it was a good exercise in massaging my pitch.
Regarding the avatar, those are my real nails and I am male. . I consider them to be my sobriety nails. As easily as I can break one of my nails is as easy as it would be to break my sobriety. I wrote about it an anecdote titled: "At risk of getting nailed" which, along with the picture, was published in a certain trade publication nationwide.
It's been an effective reminder, although I have been passed over for business trips cause my nails might freak people out.
Also, it makes it rather hard to type the letters 'a,' 'q,' and 'z.'