“As electronic publishing has become a significant element of the publishing world,
we decided to recognize an outstanding work of mystery fiction by offering a substantial advance and a great opportunity for world-wide recognition. Our goal is to acknowledge the outstanding work being produced in this format and reward it appropriately.”
Otto Penzler, President and Publisher of MysteriousPress.com.
The publishing landscape continues to shift and evolve — and much of this change is good news for us as writers. One example that some of us may want to take note of is an annual Mysterious Press Award given for the best e-book original mystery novel. The winning entry receives a prize of $25,000 and guaranteed world-wide publication. This year’s winner will be announced at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair.
The $25,000 prize is an advance against future royalties. The winner will be published as an e-book original by MysteriousPress.com along wih print-on-demand copies.
This annual contest is open to established authors and first-time novelists. Submissions of full-length, unpublished novels are accepted only from accredited literary agents. The contest is open to all categories: Traditional detective stories, hard-boiled, noir, police procedural, suspense, crime, historical, humor—any book which has as the central theme of its plot a crime, or the threat of a crime.
While this year’s award selection is already under way, the upcoming contest should kick off early in 2017 — just a few months away. So if you have a mystery in the works or one already you plan to release as an e-book and you have agent representation, you may want to think about throwing your hat in the ring.
Amazing, isn’t it, how many opportunities for gaining exposure are cropping up and taking root? The more contests and awards there are for both traditionally and non-traditionally published books, the greater the possibility for reaching new audiences with our work. Write on!