SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON DEBUT AUTHORS
Award includes monetary prize and marketing support for books in three categories: Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction – Romance, and Non-Fiction
Toronto – February 4, 2016 – Rakuten Kobo, one of the world’s most innovative eReading services, today announced it is now accepting submissions for its second annual Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. With thousands of books published every year all competing to capture the attention of readers, this prize identifies and rewards exceptional debut authors in three categories: Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction (this year Romance, with a different genre showcased each year), and Non-Fiction. Each winning author will be awarded a $10,000 CAD cash prize as well as promotional, marketing, and communications support, with the winners announced in June.
“We know how challenging it can be to find an audience for a first book, especially in digital where new authors can struggle to find exposure. With that in mind, we are pleased to present this award to help highlight just a few of the incredible new voices that we have found while serving Canada’s booklovers,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo.
Submissions will be accepted at www.kobo.com/emergingwriter until March 11 for debut books published in 2015 by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, in any of three categories: Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Genre Fiction – Romance. Submissions can be made by publishers or directly by authors. A winning book from each category will be chosen through a judging process led by top Canadian authors – Camilla Gibb for Non-Fiction; Gail Anderson-Dargatz for Literary Fiction; and Lynsay Sands for Genre Fiction (Romance). Traditionally published and self-published books are eligible for submission.
“Canada’s authors are our national treasures. Through them we learn about ourselves, our country and where great writing can take us. We are proud to play a part in ensuring that Canada has both a great literary past and a stellar literary future,” says Tamblyn.
To explore the winning titles of the 2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, please visit: https://www.kobo.com/emergingwriterprize
MORE ABOUT THE KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE
Eligibility: The award is eligible to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who have published debut books during the 2015 calendar year in the categories of Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction (Romance this year; a different genre highlighted each year), or Non-Fiction. All submitted books must be available at Kobo.com.
Nomination process: Publishers and authors (traditionally published and self-published) can submit debut books published in 2015 at www.kobo.com/emergingwriter.
Selection: The author judges will select winners from a shortlist created by Kobo booksellers based on a combination of literary merit and reader engagement – completion rates, ratings, and reviews may be considered.
For more details, and Official Rules: www.kobo.com/emergingwriter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR JUDGES
Gail Anderson-Dargatz – Author Judge – Literary Fiction
Gail Anderson-Dargatz’s newest novel, The Spawning Grounds, is slated for release in September and is her first since the 2007 bestseller Turtle Valley. Her novels have been published in several languages worldwide; her first novel, The Cure For Death By Lightning, met with terrific acclaim and garnered her the UK’s Betty Trask Award and a nomination for Canada’s Giller Prize. A Recipe for Bees soon followed with nominations for the Giller and the IMPAC Dublin Award. A Rhinestone Button was a national bestseller in Canada and her first book, The Miss Hereford Stories, was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. After nearly a decade of teaching within the optional-residency creative writing MFA program at the University of British Columbia, Gail now mentors writers around the world through her own on-line forums. She also hosts the Providence Bay Writers’ Camp for adults on Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron, Ontario. For more, please visit Gail’s website: www.gailanderson-dargatz.ca.
Lynsay Sands – Author Judge – Genre Fiction (Romance)
Lynsay Sands is the bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historical romances and anthologies. She’s been writing since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Please visit her on the web at lynsaysands.net.
Camilla Gibb – Author Judge – Non-Fiction
Camilla Gibb is the author of a memoir called This Is Happy, as well as four novels – Mouthing the Words, The Petty Details of So-and-so’s Life, Sweetness in the Belly and The Beauty of Humanity Movement. She has been the recipient of the Trillium Book Award, the City of Toronto Book Award and the CBC Canadian Literary Award, and shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the RBC Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction. In addition to her books, Camilla has written a variety of essays, articles and reviews published in top publications such as The Guardian, Toronto Life, and The Globe and Mail, among others. She has a Ph.D. from Oxford University and is an adjunct faculty member of the graduate creative writing programs at the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph-Humber. Camilla is currently the June Callwood Professor in Social Justice at Victoria College, University of Toronto. For more information, please visit http://www.camillagibb.com.
About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s most innovative eReading services offering more than 4.7 million eBooks and magazines to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides them with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders to suit any Reader’s style including the Kobo Touch 2.0, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura H2O, and the Kobo Glo HD. Along with the company’s free top-ranking eReading apps for Apple®, BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows®, Kobo ensures the next great read is just a page-turn away. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com
