Gregory Hill & Jill Baguchinsky Win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Amazon and Penguin have announced the two winners of the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Gregory Hill won the general fiction award for his title East of Denver. Jill Baguchinsky won the YA fiction award for her title Spookygirl.

Here’s more about the contest: “The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award brings together talented writers, reviewers, and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction … Each winner received a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.”

The judges for the YA fiction category included YA author Gayle Foreman, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers publisher Jennifer Besser, and literary agent Julie Just. The judges for the general fiction category included novelist Lev Grossman, G.P. Putnam’s Sons editorial director Marysue Rucci, and literary agent Jennifer Joel.

In 2010, Patricia McArdle won in general fiction for Farishta and Amy Ackley won in YA fiction for Sign Language.

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