Well, it's official

I did not make the Semi-Finals in the Amazon contest, but after the review from my PW reviewer, I didn't expect to. I read three or four (of the five) who made it through to the Semi-Finals in romance, but I didn't leave a review for any of them ... so that tells me they were not books I would be interested in reading. Even if the novel seemed to be extremely predictable, if the writing was good, I left a review. I didn't leave reviews on the ones that were boring, poorly written, or that had plots that were (in my opinion) just plain ridiculous.

I tried to leave only reviews that were positive. If I had nothing positive to say, I didn't leave a review ... with two exceptions ... and those two were so offensive I felt obligated to leave bad reviews. They were not just offensive, but darkly, deeply disturbing. The love interests in one was a child and her pedophile molester. Am I to assume we are supposed to hope the pedophile "gets the girl"? The other was one writer's attempt at "Fifty-Shades-of-Grey-Mommy-Porn", and fell far short. It was really just expletive-ridden, vulgar language by promiscuous women who were rather mean. I didn't like them, so I didn't really care if they found love or not ... and I kind of hoped they wouldn't! Even so, I was kind when I left reviews for them. I don't see any point in being cruel or hateful, even if I was repulsed by their stories.

None of those I enjoyed and rated highly made the Semi-Finals. I hope those writer's understand that the PW reviewer who judged their entry (most likely quite harshly) isn't necessarily their target audience ... I am ... and I liked their work. The PW reviewer read their romance novel because they were paid to, not because they have any expertise in, or the desire to read, that genre.

I am disappointed that I was eliminated, but not as much as I thought I would be. According to one PW reviewer (per his blog), Publisher's Weekly hired reviewers on a contract basis to judge the entries. This judge did not mention that they were given entries in their preferred genre. I've said it before and I'll say it again ... you cannot accurately judge a book properly if it is a genre you do not enjoy. If you were to give me the Twilight manuscripts, I wouldn't be able to give them bad reviews fast enough. I do not enjoy paranormal romance ... at all ... and I will be the first one to tell you not to ask my opinion on one, because I already know you won't like what I would have to say. Don't give me horror, either, because I'd rather read paranormal/fantasy than something like that! I cannot accurately judge those types of work because I do not read them, do not enjoy them, and have no way of knowing if I'm reading a plot that's been done ad nauseam.

My review was written in a way that leads me to believe the reviewer does not enjoy reading romance. While not overtly hateful, it was definitely mean-spirited, and got a few key facts very wrong. They either did not read the book (skimming rather than reading), or I did a very poor job of getting my message across. Since this person seems to be the only one who came away confused on basic facts, it doesn't appear they read very carefully. I realize not everyone will like it, even those who enjoy romance, but this reviewer almost seemed angry that he/she had to read "another romance novel".

Although I wanted to win (of course!), I honestly never expected I would. More than anything, I wanted to make it to the Quarter-Finals (and I did!) for one reason ... to get a PW review that I could use when querying an agent. Well, I got my review, but I don't think I can twist it enough to make it usable.

Okay, enough grumbling! It's time to look on the bright side ... now that I'm no longer in this contest, my manuscript if freed up and I can concentrate on finding an agent and getting published. Not winning did not dampen my spirit, and I still believe I will be successful and that my dream will be attained. As long as I have tomorrow, my dream will live on :)

Tomorrow Amazon Announces the Semi-Finalists

I wish I felt better about my odds at progressing into the Semi-Finals, but my gut feeling at this point is that I will not. I think I wrote a great book that appeals to more than just fans of romantic fiction, and I will work to get published if I fail to make it to the next round of ABNA, but it takes more than a good story and great writing to continue on ... you also have to be lucky enough to have your work read by someone who reads ... and enjoys ... the genre in which you write.

Some of the Publisher's Weekly reviews are available to contestants, privately. It is my understanding that all Quarter-Finalists get two PW reviews.  (Note: I was incorrect ... we get one PW review). I have one review posted to my account, and it isn't glowing. It wasn't horrible or scathing, but it was definitely not kind. If they are correct in their assessment, then I have some things to work on. For instance, they said Larry was constantly talking about his past, his dreams, needs and wants, and that Tara had a crippling self-esteem issues and "never had anything to say, so she said nothing at all".

What?

If that's what they took away from the story, then I did not write it well. Yes, Tara does have self-esteem issues, but they are hardly crippling ... and yes, Larry talks about his past, etc., but every book has characters who talk/remember their past ... and since Larry is quite content with his life, his past is a very minuscule part of the book.

The way they referred to "the genre" in the review makes me feel like this is not someone who reads romance novels. I received two amazing reviews from the Amazon Vine Reviewers, who both chose to read from the romance category, and they both loved the excerpt. These are the people who buy books, so I'm choosing to believe their comments are closer to what a romance reader would feel.

I had heard that the PW reviews were notoriously brutal, and yet I wasn't worried ... I was actually looking forward to their reviews! Oh, how naive I can sometimes be! I will read my book again, and try to see it through the eyes of the PW reviewer.

I am very curious to see who makes it through to the Semi-Finals. I read a good many of the excerpts in the romance category, and wasn't impressed by any of them. There were a few that I might pick up at the library, but I didn't read any that made me want to finish them badly enough to purchase them.

One more day and I will know if I'm one of the lucky 5% to continue on ... or if I will be one of the disappointed 95% that will be eliminated.

My stomach hurts!

My stomach hurts, and it has for well over a week now. When it started I figured it was because Amazon was just a few days away from posting those moving to the Quarter-Finals. A week later, I began to think maybe it wasn't nerves at all, but a stomach bug. Now, a week and a half past the onset of my upset tummy, I'm back to thinking its nerves. 

Every time I get ready to look at the ABNA forums on Amazon's website, my stomach twists into knots. There are some really nice people posting there, but there are also some pretty hateful ones. The ones I loathe, however, are the ones who are blatantly promoting their work under the guise of a question. Promote your work if you want. Ask people to read and review your excerpt (most everyone does) … but don't pretend you're asking for advice when you just want to draw attention to your excerpt. Nearly everyone is asking others (particularly unbiased strangers) to read and review their excerpt. The ones that leave a bad taste in my mouth are the ones who pretend their embarrassed by their work and what others will think of their excerpt. I find it less than a coincidence that those are always the ones with overly-foul language, written to shock rather than entertain.  I can understand why they would be embarrassed to have others read it, but look ... you don't enter an international contest of this caliber ... in your own name ... if you don't want your family to know! Even if they had written under a pen name, how are they going to explain the prize money ... or the trip to New York for the awards ceremony ... if they were to win?

I downloaded all the Quarter-Final entries of the romance genre, and have been steadily making my way through them. A few were quite good, and I would have happily continued reading the rest of the novel if I could. A few were written well, but not my kind of romance (paranormal). Nevertheless, I would probably have finished them, if for no other reason than I'd started them.

Some, however, are beyond bad. There is a splattering of poorly written "mommy porn" in the Quarter-Finals, and that really bothers me. Erotica is not romance. Like all pornography, erotica is created with the intention of selling a lot of books, not with telling a compelling story. It doesn't belong in this contest any more than porn movies deserve to be showcased with mainstream movies at the Oscars. I don't believe it requires explaining … we all know there's a reason pornography holds its own award ceremonies, away from those of "real" movies.

Fifty Shades of Grey is touted as an erotic romance, but there's really very little romance to it. It's basically an older man subjugating a young, impressionable woman. It has sold a LOT of books, but not because people want to read about the love between Christian and Anastasia, but because they want to read about the perverted sex between them! There's nothing wrong with that, but trying to pass it off as a romance is.

A lot of people bought the book to see what all the hype was about and were disappointed in it. I know at least one woman who saw a group of housewives on morning television claiming "this book changed my marriage". She bought it thinking it would help hers, and was shocked to find out she had bought an x-rated, bondage book. I know someone who reads erotica. An avid reader of all types, she bought the book, but can't force herself to finish it. The plot is implausible and the writing is mediocre at best.

Mommy porn sells, and I'm fine with that … just be honest about what it is … and don't try to pass it off as romance. If you take out the sex, all you're left with is a couple of poorly written passages that no one would bother buying or reading. Without the sex, there is no story, and if there is no story without the sex, it's neither a romance nor literature. Let's just say that anything a twelve-year-old boy would hide under his mattress has no literary merit.

There is also a book about a young girl abandoned by her father after her mother dies. She's raised by an aunt, who leaves her in the care of her teenage sons and a neighbor boy. As she grows up, they molest her. As she grows older, she's beaten, raped, and impregnated … more than once … by these three boys, one of which, is her "love interest". Really? A love story between a victimized six-year-old child and her abusers? I find this one to be very disturbing, as did many others (per the reviews).

If you uploaded your entry with Internet Explorer, it uploaded the excerpt as one, long, unformatted paragraph, which makes for very difficult reading. If you were one of those people, your writing had better be spectacular to make up for the difficulty in reading such a passage. I read one that was formatted like this, and I hope English was not their first language (all entries had to be submitted in English). The story may have been well written in another language, but the translation made for some very stunted, confusing sentences … the kind you read a couple of times to make sure you read it right, then think "Hmmm, that's really what it says. Wonder what they meant to say!"

These are just a few of the examples, and they temper my enthusiasm at being one of the "chosen" Quarter-Finalists, and once again, cause me to question the overall quality of the entries submitted in the romance category.

Everyone believed in the piece they entered, myself included. I realize others could read my entry not care for it, but they won't walk away scratching their head or feeling like they need a bath … or antibiotics. I have been told I should be more graphic with sex scenes, but I don’t' think it's necessary. I'm not writing a sexual "how-to" … it's a love story. As far as I'm concerned, the sex is irrelevant and it is a by-product of their love. The sex is not the story, so it's left to the imagination of the reader. The sexiest movies I have ever seen are the ones that have no sex scenes in them!

I'm certain that by the end of the contest only the well-written stories will remain. In judging this round, Publisher's Weekly reads and reviews the entire manuscript. They are blatantly honest in their reviews because it's what they do. They aren't in business to make writer's feel warm and fuzzy inside … they are paid for their honest opinion, which can be brutal at times.

There are numerous typo's and grammatical errors in my submitted entry, and I can only hope that it is written well enough that the reviewers will understand I can write well, even if the piece still needs some editing. The reviews I got from Amazon reviewers/editors were very positive, so obviously the typo's didn't bother them or get in the way of the story I was telling, and I can only hope that's the case with the Publisher's Weekly reviewers.

Like all the other writers who entered this contest, I believe I write well and told a compelling story. The reviews I've garnered on the Amazon website for my entry are all very good and give me hope that I'll continue on, but there is certainly no guarantee. I'm not exactly worried about what Publisher's Weekly will say about my work, although I am somewhat anxious. I hope if they are critical of something, it's done in a way that I can use their criticism to make the story and/or writing better. If their only criticism is that it needs editing, I will take that as a glowing review … everything has to go through an editing process before it's published.

There are twenty-nine days until Amazon releases the twenty-five entries lucky enough to continue to the Semi-Finals. Out of the one hundred per category in the Quarter-Finals, only five per category move on.

Ninety-five percent of the Quarter-Finalists will be eliminated … and I can only pray that I am among the five percent deemed worthy enough to move forward.

On April 16th, the pool of entries moving forward will have gone from 10,000 to 2,000 to 500 to 25. Regardless of the odds, I will remain hopeful … and, most likely, dehydrated and nauseated!

My Judges Reviews

Those who made it to Round Two had two top reviewers from Amazon read the excerpt, score it, and answer three questions. Those who judge the excerpts are only human, and their bias plays into their scoring, but I think they all tried very hard to do a good job and be fair. It's a lot of work for them, with very little compensation. I have a hard time believing any of them would take on this responsibility if they weren't committed to the task. I believe they were honestly trying to be helpful, in both their criticism and praise.

The reviews are posted privately, but some entrants are posting theirs on the contestant forum boards. Some posting their reviews were cut this round, others are continuing. Only a few are openly complaining. Most seem to think the reviews were fair and honest, even the ones with less than stellar comments.

To my complete and utter amazement, both of my judge's reviews were excellent. I'm still blinking back tears that two complete strangers loved my work so much! I guess I'm having what many would call a "Sally Field Moment" ...

You like me! You really, really like me!  

I have lived my whole life dreaming of the day I would become a published author, and with these two amazing reviews, it feels possible that my dreams may actually come true!

So, to the anonymous reviewers whose words filled my heart with joy, validated my passion for writing, and give me the courage and drive to continue ... thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Here are my reviews, copied and pasted verbatim:

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

Amazing prose. Perfect flow and delivery. It's like being with Chuck and Tara, being a part of their story. Well done!

What aspect needs the most work?

Honestly there was nothing that I felt really needed a lot of work. Sadly the excerpt was a little short, I would have liked to read a bit of the 'present' Tara. But I won't hold it against you since we only get 10 pages!

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

I admit that I am not a huge romance novel reader, but I enjoy the literary romance novels, especially those with something beyond the interaction of a young, troubled couple (looking at you Nicholas Sparks!). I enjoyed the memories and the way it all played out. The reader gets a feel for how much Chuck loves Tara and then 'poof' he's gone and the reader is left with a sense of loss and a sense of sadness and sympathy for Tara. We are hooked into her story just with the near death memories of Chuck. I would very much enjoy reading more!

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

This is an absolutely breathtaking excerpt and the strongest part is the snipets of life that Chuck is seeing in his dying moments. It is written very well and easy to follow and lovely to read.

What aspect needs the most work?

There is nothing that needs any work. Great story in my opinion.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Overall, I can't wait to read the finished product. This was a very good excerpt. The story of a woman who goes back to where she grew up with her father and grandmother and where her father drowned just months after her last visit, seventeen years ago. Tara and her father had a very close relationship after loosing her mother when she was just a little girl. It is beautiful to see the way this burly cop melts in the presense of his daughter. The "pitch" tells us that Tara is going to learn things on this trip that will surprise her and she will meet a man. This promises to be a good read to the end. Well written!!

"A Summer in Ocracoke" Made the Quarter-Finals!!!!!

What a relief!!!!  I didn't realize how nervous I was until I opened up my iPad this morning to see if the results were posted.  My stomach was so twisted in knots I actually thought I might get sick.  What a tremendous relief to make it to this round!

All Quarter-Final excerpts are available for download (typo's and all!!!).  Here's the link to A Summer in Ocracoke ...

Click here to download the excerpt of "A Summer in Ocracoke"

So, out of the 10,000 entries, 500 are still contenders, 100 of which are in the romance category.  I can't wait to download the excerpts of the other romance Quarter-Finalists and see what kind of competition I have.

The Semi-Finals will be announced April 16th.  Only 25 total will make it through ... five per category.

Gulp!

A Summer in Ocracoke is moving to Round Two in the ABNA Contest!!!

I checked the Amazon ABNA page when I woke up this morning.  The results weren't posted yet, so I got ready for work.  I had a pretty busy day planned, but I checked the website one more time before I had to leave my desk and get busy.

It was just after 8:00 a.m. Central Time.  The results were posted.  My heart was pounding.  I wanted to make it to Round Two!

With much trepidation, I clicked on the link for "Romance".  They were in alphabetical order ... by first name.  I scrolled slowly until it hit the J's ... and my name was there!!!!  I was so excited!  I started screaming to my co-worker ... who knew I had entered and was excited for me, but nearly as excited as I was!  I took a few deep breath ... more like huge sighs of relief ... and then sent a test to a few people who were as anxious to know the results as I was.  I wanted to hug someone, but there was no one to hug!!

After I found that typo, I really didn't think I would make it past the first round, so I was elated to see my name on that list!

Now I wait until March 12th, when the Quarter-Finalists are revealed.  I know I am incapable of being unbiased about my own work, but I really do think this novel has an exceptional beginning, which is what will propel me to the Quarter-Finals.

So once again ... I wait ... but with much more hope :)

Groan :(

Reading over my pitch for the ABNA contest, I discovered a typo ... and a pretty big one.  I used the word "sale", when it should have been "sell".  With the judging for Round One already completed (to be announced in two days), I discovered the mistake far too late to correct.

With this round being judged solely on the pitch, and with the pitch being 300 words or less, every word matters.  While "sale" rather than "sell" may seem like a minor mistake, it may appear as though I don't know proper English ... and who wants to read more of a book where the writer obviously has such a tenuous grasp of language?

It may not matter at all, and it may turn a judge off entirely.  I guess I'll find out the day after tomorrow.  It was always going to be a long shot to pass from round to round, and I think this makes it more difficult for me to do so.

I read my pitch hundreds, if not thousands of times before I entered.  I gave my pitch to several others to help me proof it, and none of us caught it.  Maybe the judges won't either ... but I think it's just as likely that my fair godmother swooped down on her pink unicorn and fixed it before they had a chance to see it.

Reading

As all writers do, I love to read.  I bought a Kindle book on Amazon (though I will not reveal the title).  Fortunately, it was only 99¢.  Had it been more, I would have been upset.

I don't know for certain, but I'm assuming it was self-published.  I say that because there were numerous typo's in it that a professional editor would have caught.  I also say that because the formatting was atrocious!  Anything in italics (and some entire sentences were) had no spaces ... just one really long word.  Take the last part of that sentence ... justonereallylongword.  While it's possible to read it, it's cumbersome.  There were also many, many words with the first or last letter separated by a space ... separate d by a s pace.  Again, it's possible to read, but makes the entire reading experience less enjoyable.

Most all online retailers that sell ebooks have their own ebook tablet readers, and they allow self-publishers to upload their work as a PDF or Word document, then their software formats it to be read on their device.  The problem is that it never formats them correctly.  I remember pulling my hair out after uploading my first book and seeing what it looked like when downloaded.

I spent days trying to figure out how to format it in a way that uploading wouldn't ruin, with zero good results.  I ended up paying someone to format it for me.  When I found an error (my error, not theirs) in the ebook, I had to fix it.  I couldn't afford to pay someone to format an ebook over and over, so I finally figured out how to create an ebook myself.  The process to create one is very time-consuming, and after having done it, I understood why it had cost me so much to have someone else do it.

I don't know the age of the author for the book I downloaded, but I'm guessing she was young ... a teenager.  Her writing showed promise, and I think in time she will become a good author, but this book was not written very well.  Parts of the book were told through the eyes of a child.  Those parts were a little easier to read than the parts told through the eyes of an adult ... because it sounded like a kid trying to pretend to know how adults think.  The plot was overly predictable and silly at times.  When the protagonist met a kid on the playground in chapter one, she hated him so much I had a feeling they would end up getting married ... and .... (yawn) ... they did.

As someone who has self-published, it makes me sad when I see something like that for sale.  It's books like that one that give self-published novels a bad name.  Agents see a lot of this, I'm sure, and it's one less reason to think a self-published novel has any credibility.

If the person who wrote that book was a teenager, I hope she continues to write.  As she gets older and her adults don't sound so immature and juvenile, I think she'll be really good.  If she's an adult, I hope she gives up writing or joins a writing group that will give her some constructive criticism, and that she uses a professional to format any future ebooks.

O r should I s ayandthatsheusesaprofessionaltoformatanyfutureebooks.

And the Countdown Continues

Nine days until ABNA announces those advancing to Round Two.  This is the part of the contest that worries me the most, because Round One is judged solely on the pitch.  I made my pitch as strong as I could, and I don't know how I could have made it any better ... but I don't think it does justice to my work.

If I make it to Round Two, my excerpt will be read.  My excerpt is Chapter One, and is just over 3,000 words.  I think A Summer in Ocracoke has an excellent beginning, and if I can just make it to Round Two, I think I have a pretty good shot at going further.

I recently sent the manuscript (as an ebook) to a total stranger.  He writes a blog I read, and I emailed him out of the blue to ask him if he would read it for inaccuracies regarding a specific thing.  He is an author of non-fiction, and I know he loves to read ... but this is a man who does not choose to read romance novels.  I expected him to tell me no or not even bother to reply back.  To my pleasant surprise, he did reply back ... he said yes ... and then wrote back that he enjoyed it!  He read it very quickly, and told me it was very engaging ... that he kept turning the pages to see what happened next.

He went to the trouble to note typo's and other errors throughout.  When he uploaded the book from his Nook to his computer, the notes were stripped away ... so he sent me his Nook so that I could change the errors he found.  I was flabbergasted ... that's the only word I can use to describe it ... flabbergasted.  As a thank you, I'm tucking a small gift certificate in the package when I ship it back.  He doesn't expect anything for reading it, but I think he's gone above and beyond the call of duty, and I wanted to thank him somehow.

It is very exciting to have my work read ... and enjoyed ... by someone who does not know me and does not care for the romance genre.  I think it helps that I don't write ooey-gooey, over the top stories, with fabulously wealthy protagonists who jet-set around the world and live off their trust fund.  Nor do I write erotic, descriptive love scenes (something I've been told I should do!) ... but I don't ... and never will.  Unless you're writing something like Fifty Shades of Grey, I don't really see the point.

One of the sexiest movies I've ever seen was Phenomenon ... yet there were no love scenes ... the camera's cut away at just the right time.  You knew what was happening, but didn't watch it.  To me, that's sexier.  It's not the sex that's sexy ... it's the emotions that lead up to it and follow it that are the story.  Fifty Shades of Grey is a book about sex ... A Summer in Ocracoke is a book about love.

I write about ordinary people ... with ordinary lives ... that share an incredible love.  And I think that is sexy.

So ... nine days to see if I'm lucky enough to be read by a judge who can see the value of my work ... who didn't just have a fight or find a run in their pantyhose or get stuck in traffic on the way to work or come home to find their dog got sick on the carpet.

The only thing I can equate this to is when I was a kid, waiting for the last nine days of school before summer vacation.  Like then, I just have to wait ... nine ... long ... days.

Critique My Pitch!

I have entered my latest novel, A Summer in Ocracoke, into the Romance category of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest this year.  

Round One is judged solely on the appeal of "the pitch".  According to the rules, the pitch is "A well-written description of your book that addresses more than just a summary; it needs to be a well-written explanation of what the book is about. Talk about your novel's strengths, and highlights what differentiates it from other novels in its genre. with respect to how it is being evaluated."

Upon review of the above rule, I tweaked my pitch just a bit.  The submission phase will close soon, but until then, I can still revise it. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think ...

          It had been seventeen years since Tara Martin had been to the tiny island of Ocracoke, North Carolina. It was easy to remember how long it had been; it was the last vacation she had taken with her father. They had spent two glorious weeks at her grandmother's cottage that July. After her father drowned a few months later, the thought of being on a tiny strip of sand in the Atlantic terrified her, and she never set foot on Ocracoke again. Until today.

           Within hours of arriving, Tara discovers puzzling clues from her grandmother's life. With each new clue more confusing than the last, she's left wondering how well she really knew the woman who raised her. Despite her promise to stay the entire summer, her plans are to leave Ocracoke as soon as her grandmother's cottage is ready to sale. But then she meets Larry Taylor, a handsome local contractor, who came to Ocracoke a few years before to escape his own demons, and found life on the isolated island a soothing balm to his fractured soul. Finally at peace, Larry patiently pursues a reluctant Tara. Plagued by insecurities and self-doubt, Tara slowly allows Larry into the recesses of her heart, second-guessing and questioning his motives, as well as her own, every step of the way — but it's the unraveling of the mysteries surrounding her grandmother that leave her heart reeling.

           Set in the picturesque village of Ocracoke, North Carolina, A Summer in Ocracoke is not just another predictable romance novel. It's not only the story of new love, but the mature love of the elderly, and the discovery of the sacrifices made in the name of love that ultimately cost them everything. Fresh and inspiring, readers of all ages will be moved by this unique tale.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (ABNA)

Last Monday I entered “A Summer in Ocracoke” into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.  It’s a contest they have held annually for the last five years.  The rules change somewhat each year, but the basic premise is the same … up to 10,000 submissions are accepted, which are whittled down in several rounds, with one being crowned this contest’s equivalent of Miss America.

This year, as in the past, up to 10,000 submissions are accepted.  The submission period, which began January 14, 2013, will end either on January 27, 2013 or the moment 10,000 entries have been submitted.  The contest this year is different from past years in that all five authors making it to the Final Round will be crowned winners, with one of those being christened the Grand Prize Winner.  That means five authors will be offered publishing contracts.  In past years, only one or two were guaranteed contracts (though many others have been "discovered" and saw their dreams come to fruition).

There are five categories this year:  Romance, General Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, SciFi/Fantasy/Horror, and Young Adult.  “A Summer in Ocracoke” is entered into the Romance category.  While none of us who have entered know exactly how many will be entered into each category, the categories everyone expects to be the most gloated are General Fiction and SciFi/Fantasy/Horror. 

Round One - The Contestant Parade

Round One is judged solely on the basis of your “pitch”.  The pitch is basically what you find on the back of the book or the jacket cover.  In 300 words or less, one must introduce their novel, the basic plot, and the protagonists.  The scary part is that the judges are given a number of entries to read and score, regardless of their personal preference or area of expertise.  That means someone who reads nothing but Stephen King or John Grisham could be judging (and scoring) my pitch on a romance novel.  It’s hard to believe someone accustomed to reading nothing but gore or action-packed thrillers would be terribly moved by my pitch.  My fear is that because of personal preferences, my pitch won’t be scored as highly as something in their preferred genre.  I know the judges will be as impartial as they can be, but my fear is that some grumpy, old, cop-turned-writer-agent-editor will be reviewing my piece with a look on his face like he just sniffed something “iffy” in the refrigerator.  But, I knew this going in, and it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

Round Two - The Evening Gown Competition

On February 13, 2013, 2,000 submissions will move into the next round. Round Two “contestants” will have their excerpt read by the judges.  The excerpt is the first 3,000 to 5,000 words of your novel.  Considering the word count limit for submissions is 50,000 to 150,000 words, that’s not much of the finished work.  My manuscript is around 82,000 words, and the excerpt just over 3,000 words … or about 3.5%.  Although the percentage the judges read of each piece will vary according to the overall word count vs. the length of the excerpt, I’m guessing most will fall in that same percentage.  And again, I am at the mercy of a judge ... who might not be willing to read a romance novel if his/her life depended on it.  But once again, I knew this going in, and it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

Quarter-Finals - The Talent Competition

The Quarter-Finalists (500), will be announced on March 12, 2013.  No one wants to be cut before making it at least this far, as it's the first time the entire manuscript will be read and reviewed.  That being said, 9,500 will not make it to this round.  I believe it is at this stage that Amazon makes the excerpts and judges reviews available to the public, and readers are encouraged to review and rate them as well.  There have been several authors who did not move past this round, yet they were able to use the reviews from the judges to get an agent to give them the time of day ... and eventually, a publishing contract.

Semi-Finals - The Swim Suit Competition

Semi-Finalists (25), will be announced April 16, 2013.

Finals - "I just want world peace/Where's my crown?"

Five finalists will be announced on May 21, 2013, and Amazon customers will be asked to vote for their favorite.  Because of a rules change this year, all five finalists (one per category), will be awarded publishing contracts.

On June 15, 2013, Amazon will announce one of the five finalists as the Grand Prize Winner.

I realize moving from one round to the next is a bit of a crap shoot, but as a yet-to-be-published author, it’s hard to pass up such an opportunity.

I have spent my entire life dreaming of being a published … of walking through the airport and seeing someone reading my book … of being someone whose next book release is eagerly anticipated by thousands.

I’m hopeful, yet realistic, of my chances of winning or even progressing from one round to the next.  I’m well aware that it’s a long shot … but a long shot is still a shot … that’s all I really ask for … I just want a shot at making my dreams come true.

Wish me luck!