Breakthrough Novel Contest Judge Confesses
As GalleyCat readers dramatically debate the merits of the $25,000 Breakthrough Novel contest from Penguin Group USA and Amazon, one of the judges from last year’s contest has written a tell-all about the review process.
Contest judge Darryl Lorenzo Wellington wrote a long article about the contest at n+1‘s brand new book review, N1BR. His essay ponders literary exploitation, writing instruction, and the struggle to create a literary community in the 21st Century.
Here’s an excerpt: “[F]or the purposes of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (the discussion boards insisted) I was the bloodless professional, the executioner. Over a period of six weeks, some twenty manuscripts arrived at my apartment. The deliveries thumped at the doorstep like children on Halloween, wanting treats. I dispatched them with 250-word critiques–tricks.”
UPDATE: On February 4th, the National Book Critics Circle wrote GalleyCat with new information about this article. The NBCC’s full statement follows after the jump.
“Yesterday Galleycat linked to an n+1 article that included erroneous information about the NBCC. In ‘Reality Publishing,’ an article recently posted on the online version of n+1, Darryl Lorenzo Wellington suggests that there is a partnership between the National Book Critics Circle and the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
“No such partnership exists. It is true that a former president of the organization, John Freeman, was involved with the contest (as a judge), as is at least one present board member. Other NBCC members may have signed on to help with the culling process. But these are private, remunerated affiliations–the organization has no connection with Amazon’s contest.”
–Jane Ciabattari, President, and the Board of Directors of the National Book Critics Circle
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