Tag: debut

Emerging Writer Prize (2023) Open for Submissions

Posted on by Kim

The Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is an annual competition. The award showcases Canadian debut authors with the chance to win CAD 10,000 per category, plus marketing support for the three winning books.

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.

black kobo aura one tablet with box
Photo by Perfecto Capucine on Pexels.com

Rakuten is a Japanese multinational technology company based in Tokyo. Kobo is its digital publisher and bookseller business created by and for book lovers, with its headquarters in Toronto, Canada.

Rakuten Kobo has 38 million users worldwide. Its books can be read anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

Its mission is to improve reading lives by connecting readers to stories using an open platform.

The reason behind the Emerging Writer Prize

Kobo wants to raise the profiles of debut authors. This prize recognises exceptional books written by first-time Canadian authors in three categories:

  • Literary Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
  • Genre Fiction (a different genre is chosen each year, Speculative Fiction is the genre for 2023)

The Emerging Writer Prize is in its ninth year.

Last year’s winners were:

  • Literary Fiction: Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung. “A graceful and indelible debut about love, grief, and family”.
  • Non-Fiction: Unreconciled by Jesse Wente. “A powerful part-memoir, part-manifesto which uncovers the truth of our flawed concept of reconciliation”. 
  • Genre Fiction (Romance): New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan. “A delightful small-town, slow-burn romance”.

Three prominent authors are chosen each year to select the winning titles.

The 2023 judges are:

  • Literary Fiction: CS Richardson
  • Non-Fiction: Emily Urquhart
  • Genre Fiction (Speculative): Robert J Wiersema

Submit your book before the deadline: 6th March 2023!

The 3 winning authors will be announced in June 2023. The winners receive a cash prize of 10,000 CAD however, that’s not all. They also receive valuable marketing and communications support for the rest of 2023.

All books submitted must be available at kobo.com.

 Read all the Rules, Regulations, Terms & Conditions before entering.

Spread the word, and good luck!

The Agatha Award 2022 Winners!

Posted on by Kim

As a lover of the cosy genre, I’m not letting the Agatha Award 2022 pass without mentioning the winners on my blog!

Hello. Today on the blog I’m sharing the Agatha Award 2022 winners. This prestigious literary award is run by Malice Domestic. The award was created in honour of the queen of cosy mysteries, British crime writer Agatha Christie to celebrate the authors publishing works in the cosy genre.

Here’s what Malice say about it on its website:

“Established in 1989, Malice Domestic is an annual fan convention that takes place each year in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Malice celebrates the Traditional Mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex, or excessive gore or violence.“

The six categories in the Agatha Award are:

  • Novel
  • First Mystery
  • Historical Novel
  • Short Story
  • Non-Fiction
  • Children’s/Young Adult Mystery.

Additionally, in some years the Poirot Award is presented to honour other individuals who are not writers themselves, but who have made outstanding contributions to the mystery genre.

The nominees are suggested by everyone who has registered for or became a Friend of Malice Domestic by the end of the previous years. The five finalists in the six categories are chosen, then the attendees vote for the winners. In case you were wondering, here’s a link to the list of nominees.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Agatha Awards were once again announced at the More Than Malice online event.

So, who were the Agatha Award 2022 Winners in the different categories?

Contemporary Novel

**Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane Books)

Historical Novel

**Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day (HarperCollins)

First Novel

 **Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley)

Short Story

**”Bay of Reckoning“ by Shawn Reilly Simmons in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)

Non-Fiction

**How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America by MWA with editors Lee Child and Laurie R. King (Simon & Schuster)

Children’s / Young Adult 

**I Play One on TV by Alan Orloff (Down & Out Books)

Have you already read any of these winning titles? I’ll certainly be adding a couple of those fiction books to my shelf. 😉

Are you in the progress of writing your own cosy mystery story? Would you like someone to give you some honest, supportive feedback? I can do that. Have a look at my Manuscript Critique service to find out how.

The Agatha Award 2021 Winners!

Posted on by Kim

As a lover of the cosy genre, I couldn’t let the Agatha Award 2021 pass without mentioning the winners on the blog!

Hello. Today on the blog I’m sharing the Agatha Award 2021 winners. This prestigious literary award is run by Malice Domestic. The award was created in honour of the queen of cosy mysteries, British crime writer Agatha Christie to celebrate the authors publishing works in the cosy genre.

Here’s what Malice say about it on their website:

“Established in 1989, Malice Domestic is an annual fan convention that takes place each year in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Malice celebrates the Traditional Mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex, or excessive gore or violence.“

The six categories in the Agatha Award are:

  • Novel
  • First Mystery
  • Historical Novel
  • Short Story
  • Non-Fiction
  • Children’s/Young Adult Mystery.

Additionally, in some years the Poirot Award is presented to honour other individuals who are not writers themselves, but who have made outstanding contributions to the mystery genre.

The nominees are suggested by everyone who has registered for or became a Friend of Malice Domestic by the end of the previous years. The five finalists in the six categories are chosen, then the attendees vote for the winners. In case you were wondering, here’s a link to the list of nominees.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Agatha Awards were once again announced at the More Than Malice online event.

So, who were the Agatha Award 2021 Winners in the different categories?

Contemporary Novel

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Perry (Minotaur)

Historical Novel

The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen (Berkeley)

First Novel

 Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Kensington)

Short Story

 “Dear Emily Etiquette” by Garb Goffman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Sep/Oct)

Non-Fiction

Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Lady Behind Hitchcock by Christina Lane (Chicago Review Press)

Children’s / Young Adult 

Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco by Richard Narvaez (Pinata Books)

Have you already read any of these winning titles? I’ll certainly be adding a couple of those fiction books to my shelf. 😉

Are you in the progress of writing your own cosy mystery story? Would you like someone to give you some honest, supportive feedback? I can do that. Have a look at my Manuscript Critique service to find out how.

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