Amazon have released details about their new publishing program for writers which aims to publish new books which get the most votes online.
The Authors-Got-Talent-type set-up is looking for books of at least 50,000 words in any of the genres of Romance, Mystery & Thriller, and Science Fiction & Fantasy.
Authors will need to submit a complete, never-before-published book and cover, and the first pages of each book will be published on a website for readers to preview and nominate their favorites. The books with the most nominations will be reviewed by the Amazon team for potential publication.
The deal for selected authors includes:
-
A guaranteed $1,500 advance and 50% ebook royalty rate.
-
Worldwide publication rights for ebook and audio formats in all languages. You retain all other rights, including print.
-
If your book doesn’t earn $5,000 in royalties during your initial 5-year contract term, and any 5-year renewal term after that, you can choose to stop publishing with Amazon.
-
After two years, your rights in any format or language that remains unpublished, or all rights for any book that earns less than $500 in total royalties in the preceding 12-month period, can be reverted on request – no questions asked.
-
One week before release date, everyone who nominated your book will get a free, early copy to help build momentum and customer reviews.
-
Featured Amazon marketing: Your book will be enrolled into the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited as well as be eligible for targeted email campaigns and promotions.
Submissions should be English-language books in the Romance, Mystery & Thriller, and Science Fiction & Fantasy genres. Any adult with a valid US bank account and US social security number or tax identification number is eligible. Non-US authors can get a tax identification number (TIN) with a simple call to the IRS office. You can get tax details at Amazon.
Amazon give a list of what you should prepare to successfully submit your book:
-
Complete, never-before-published manuscript & book cover image. 50,000 words or more in Word format and a book cover image that reflects the essence and uniqueness of your book. Make sure your work is ready for others to read. Only the first pages will be posted to the website (approx 3,000 words).
-
Book one-liner – A very short pitch (no longer than 45 characters) for your book that will be used on the home page and throughout the website. Think of examples like “Space opera meets the Middle Ages” or “How far will one woman go to save her family?”
-
Book description – Help readers understand the content and quality of your book. Keep the description to 500 characters or less.
-
Your bio & picture – Give readers a chance to learn more about you. You will also have a chance to answer relevant questions regarding your book and personal story in a short Q&A section.
Authors will need to review and accept Amazon’s submission and publishing agreement that grants a 45-day exclusivity period to post your excerpt and tally nominations. If not chosen for publication, you automatically get all your rights back at the end of the 45-day exclusivity period.
If you want to get updates on the publishing program and be notified as soon as it opens for submissions, you can sign up for Updates at Amazon.
Authors Got Talent – new crowdsource show coming soon for Amazon