I’ve always been a little wary of entering these competitions, but now that the Traveler in Black and White has some nice reviews on both Amazon.com and Amazon UK, and it qualifies, I thought I’d have a go. The entry fee is only $20 after all. That’s a big slice of my royalty payment this year so far, but since I’ve recovered some tax on it, I might as well invest it in my books! That’s me justifying spending money, by the way. I feel I need to.
The first phase will be some reviewers sifting through the first few pages (the sample amount, basically). If they like it, it will go through to the semi-final stage, where it will be read in full by someone. The semi-finalists will be announced on July 1st. The top five finalists will be announced on September 1st. That’s 5 for each of 8 categories – I’ve entered it in scifi/fantasy, as there isn’t a middle grade or children’s book category. Heck, I should have suggested they add one for next year in the space for ‘improvements’ on the entry form. Shucks! The winners of each category are announced on October 1st.
I just hope they like it enough to get through the first stage. That would be awesome. Mariusz and Hugo would approve!
If you’re interested, you can see the full details here. Entries close 1st May.
