Amazon's 2nd Annual Breakthrough Novel Contest
James King Wins Contest, Publication With Penguin Group USA
May 29, 2009
The winner of Amazon’s 2nd Annual Breakthrough Novel Contest has been declared: James King, of Wilton, Connecticut, with his novel Bill Warrington’s Last Chance.
About James King
According to Penguin Group’s announcement, James King is a corporate communications specialist, but has wanted to be a writer since he was a child. He was born in Ohio, and currently lives in Connecticut with his wife and children. King wrote most of Bill Warrington’s Last Chance while earning a Master of Arts in creative writing from Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY) in 2008.
Bill Warrington’s Last Chance, the Winning Novel
James King summarizes his winning novel like this: “Bill Warrington is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and decides it's time to reestablish ties with his estranged children. After several attempts at a reunion fail, he decides the only way to get his feuding sons and daughter talking is to kidnap his 15-year-old granddaughter.”
When mystery writer Sue Grafton reviewed it, she would have wished for a different title, but said, “King creates actual character arcs, allowing the reader to witness the changes in attitude and understanding that demonstrate emotional growth. He sets up the conflict and then allows the reader to participate in its resolution.”
Eamon Dolan, editor in chief of Penguin Press, said, “Everything about this novel is sharp – the angular prose, the twisty plot, the keenly etched details of place and person, the barbs characters fling at one another.”
Author Sue Monk Kidd said, “The real test of a novel like this is whether the author can take such an envelope-pushing scenario and make believers out of us . . . . Mostly, I believed – thanks to the author clearly spelling out the characters' motives and how desperate they are to achieve them.
James King’s author page includes a lengthy excerpt of the book for interested readers.
Amazon’s Annual Breakthrough Novel Contest
Entries in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Contest go through several rounds of judging, including reviews by publishing industry professionals and votes from readers.
In 2009, entries came from all 50 US states and 21 other countries. Entries included the full manuscript, a 3,000-5,000 word excerpt, and a 300-word pitch statement.
The first round of the contest is judged on the novel’s pitch statement. The second round is judged on the excerpt portion of the novel, and the third on the full manuscript. Excerpts from the three finalists are posted on Amazon.com, and readers vote on the winner.
Entries were open during a single week in February, 2009, but only the first 10,000 entries were accepted. Writers who want to enter Amazon’s 2010 Breakthrough Novel Contest should be doing final edits on their novels this year.
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