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Argentine author Cristian Perfumo wins Amazon’s Literary Award for independent Spanish-language authors

  • El Coleccionista de flechas by Argentine author Cristian Perfumo, will get the chance to be published globally in Spanish by Amazon Publishing in digital, print and audio formats, and translated into English and published globally by AmazonCrossing
  • Winning entry selected from more than 1,800 works of fiction and non-fiction submitted from 39 countries using Amazon’s self-publishing serviceKindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

SEATTLE, 2017-Nov-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon today (Nov. 6, 2017) announced that Argentine author Cristian Perfumo has won its Fourth Annual Literary Award for independent Spanish-language authors with his thriller El Coleccionista de flechas. The winning entry was selected from more than 1,800 submissions from 39 countries that were self-published through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) between July 1 and August 31.

Perfumo was one of five finalists whose books were reviewed by a panel of celebrity judges that included best-selling author and coach Ismael Cala, popular Latin American author Blanca Miosi, and Jordi Sierra i Fabra, a best-selling author from Spain.

To be eligible, stories had to be original works written in Spanish, published only through KDP in both digital and print formats, and available exclusively to Kindle through enrollment in KDP Select. The countries with the highest number of participating authors were (in order) Spain, Mexico, Argentina, the United States, and Colombia.

“When I hung up the phone, I hugged my wife and found myself overcome with happiness,” Perfumo said after learning his book had been selected to receive the award. “It was then that I realized the true meaning of winning Amazon’s Literary Award: a lot of new readers were about to transport themselves to my homeland, Patagonia (Argentina), through my stories. A beautiful dream come true.”

One of the judges, Sierra i Fabra, described El Coleccionista de flechas as “a classic police thriller that presents Patagonia and its people with precision, kindling readers’ interest. The plot is well-threaded, excellently crafted, with solid characters. It also has a coherent and precise ending as well.”

As the winning entry, El Coleccionista de flechas will get the chance to be published globally in Spanish by Amazon Publishing in digital, print and audio formats, and translated into English and published globally by AmazonCrossing. Perfumo also will receive a cash prize of $5,000 USD.

Charles Kronbach, Director, Kindle Direct Publishing, explained that self-publishing with KDP gives authors more choices than ever about how to bring their writing to readers.

“This award recognizes the fact that there are many incredibly talented writers out there who have stories to tell and readers eager to access their work,” Kronbach said. “We’re proud to help bring these authors and readers together.”

All books entered in the contest are available at the Kindle Store and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, PC and Mac, and on Kindle e-readers and Fire Tablets. Kindle Unlimited subscribers also can read many of the books with no additional cost. The full catalog of 2017 Literary Award submissions, as well as this year’s finalists, are available online at www.amazon.com/premioliterario. Previous winners of the award include Ningún escocés verdadero (2016) by Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana, La hija del dragón (2015) by Myriam Millán, and La mirada de piedra (2014) by Jorge Magano.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

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Amazon launches its 4th Annual Literary Award for Spanish-language books

  • The contest will award the best original Spanish-language work written by an independent author and published through Kindle Direct Publishing Select
  • The winning book will have the opportunity to be published globally in Spanish by Amazon Publishing and Audible in digital, print and audio formats, and translated into English and published globally in all formats by AmazonCrossing
  • Jury members this year include best-selling authors Ismael Cala, Blanca Miosi and Jordi Sierra i Fabra

SEATTLE, 2017-May-31 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon today (May 30, 2017) announced the launch of its 4th Annual Literary Award for Spanish-language books. Independent authors can submit their previously unpublished works through Amazon’s self-publishing service, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), making their stories available to millions of readers around the world and qualifying for the opportunity to have their work published in print and audio, translated into English, and distributed worldwide. Amazon invited top author and coach Ismael Cala, ambassador for the contest in the U.S. and Latin America for the past two years, as well as two new ambassadors — Blanca Miosi, best-selling Latin American author, and Jordi Sierra i Fabra, best-selling Spanish author — to join the jury this year.

From July 1 to August 31, authors can upload their work to Amazon’s KDP service (http://kdp.amazon.com) for global distribution in both digital and print formats. Authors are given full control over the publishing process, from designing the cover to setting the list price, allowing them to earn up to 70 percent in royalties while retaining their books’ copyrights.

To qualify, authors need to make their books exclusively available through Amazon in both print and digital formats. For the Kindle Book it is necessary to enroll the title to KDP Select (benefiting from access to promotional tools and participation in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon’s eBook subscription service). They must also set their book price at a minimum of US$2.99, include PremioLiterario2017 in the keywords metadata field, and make the book available for sale globally only in all Amazon marketplaces during the award period. Submitted works must be original, unpublished works written in Spanish. The complete rules and the terms and conditions for the contest can be found at: www.amazon.com/premioliterario.

Books will be reviewed based on several criteria, such as creativity, originality, commercial viability and quality of writing. Five finalists will be chosen and out of this group, one will be selected as the winner and have the opportunity to be published in print, digital and audio formats by Amazon Publishing and Audible, as well as translated into English and published in digital, print and audio formats by AmazonCrossing, the Amazon Publishing imprint for translated world literature.

“By encouraging Spanish-language authors to publish and submit titles to our contest, over the past 3 years we have been able to get more than 2,500 works off of authors’ desks and into the hands of readers,” said Charles Kronbach, Director, Kindle Direct Publishing. “We look forward to this award each year, when we spotlight Spanish-language authors from all over the world. We are excited to announce that this year we have added 3 stars to our cast of jury members.”

“Winning the Amazon contest has been like finding the key to a closed door for us,” said Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana, authors of Ningún Escocés Verdadero, the winning book of the 2016 edition. “We intuited what was on the other side but now we can see it. And we hope that with the publication of Ningún Escocés Verdadero with Amazon Publishing we can definitely cross the threshold.”

“It is an honor to join the jury of the Amazon’s Independent Authors Literary Award this year. For two consecutive editions, I have been closely associated with the contest as an ambassador for the U.S. and Latin America, and now as a member of the jury,” said Ismael Cala. “The competition is a great opportunity to promote literary talent in Spanish. To participate is to win.”

“The award for the independent Spanish-language author that Amazon organizes is a tremendous contribution to the talent of so many new writers,” said Blanca Miosi. “I am honored to be a jury member and to join in the effort that this great company brings to literature. I hope many writers enter the prize that will give them a great boost to their careers.”

KDP is a free and seamless way for writers and publishers to make their print and digital books available to readers around the world. All the works taking part in the contest will be available in full on paper through Amazon, or as eBook through the Kindle Store and available for free for Kindle Unlimited customers. Customers will be able to purchase the books participating in the contest in print and digital formats. Enjoy the Kindle Books on any device with the free Kindle app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, PC and Mac, and on Kindle e-readers and Fire Tablets.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon

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Amazon: Ningún Escocés Verdadero by Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana won the Third Indie Literary Prize for Spanish-language

  • More than 1,400 authors from 39 countries participated using Amazon’s self-publishing service Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
  • Ningún Escocés Verdadero, by Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana, from Cartagena, Spain, will be published globally in Spanish by Amazon Publishing, and translated into English and published globally by AmazonCrossing in digital, print and audio formats

SEATTLE, 2016-Nov-11 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon today (Nov. 10, 2016) announced that Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana, with their title Ningún Escocés Verdadero—a thriller that involves religion, mystery, art and deception—have won the Third Indie Literary Prize for Spanish-language authors worldwide. From July 1 to August 31, more than 1,400 authors from 39 countries entered the contest by uploading their titles to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) (https://kdp.amazon.com). The top countries participating were Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, the U.S. and Argentina, and the books were sold to customers in 71 different countries. To be eligible for the contest, the stories had to be original, unpublished works written in Spanish, and exclusive to Kindle through enrollment in KDP Select. After selecting five finalists, submissions were carefully reviewed by a panel of judges to determine the winning title.

Ningún Escocés Verdadero tells the story of Elías, a private investigator specializing in art-related crimes, who is hired by the Spanish Bishop of Murcia to search for the Cross of Caravaca, stolen in the year 1934. His mission is to restore it in time for an upcoming visit from the Pope. At the same time, Elías is tasked with acquiring a mysterious painting, which also goes missing soon after he purchases it in an auction in Madrid. From there, he meets an enigmatic and beautiful woman who will lead him down a dangerous path to the truth.

“Hope, excitement, restlessness, joy, anxiety and happiness. We have gone through all these emotions throughout the contest, since we submitted the novel until we learned we were the winners,” said authors Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana. “We know where we came from and how hard it was to get here, so now the future seems like a wonderful place.”

“For the third year in a row, we were amazed by the talent participating in the Indie Literary Prize for Spanish-language. It is great to be able to bring amazing characters such as the ones in the thriller Ningún Escocés Verdadero to a broader audience for Spanish readers and, in the future, to English readers as well,” said Charles Kronbach, Director, Kindle Direct Publishing. “This initiative is a great way to make new books available to our growing Spanish-speaking customers worldwide. The incredible engagement we see every year, both in terms of authors and readers, confirms that there are many more books out there that haven’t had a chance to be read and there are millions of readers eager to discover new stories.”

Contest ambassador and best-selling author Ismael Cala, said, “Winning a contest is not a matter of luck, but talent and perseverance. I congratulate the winning authors, the finalists, and all of the participants. Whatever the outcome, all of them have written a book and have made it available to others under the auspices of Amazon. The accomplishment is collective and our history is being added to day by day.”

Ningún Escocés Verdadero will be published globally in Spanish by Amazon Publishing, and translated into English and published globally by AmazonCrossing in digital, print and audio formats. Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana are now part of the group of winners of Amazon’s Indie Literary Prize for Spanish-Language, which also includes Myriam Millán, winner of the prize in 2015 with her book La hija del Dragón; and Jorge Magano, 2014 winner with his title La mirada de piedra. Complete information on the contest, participating titles and terms and conditions can be found at: www.amazon.com/concursoindie.

KDP is a free and seamless way for writers and publishers to make their eBooks available to Kindle readers around the world. Titles enrolled in the contest are available in full in the Kindle Store and most of them are also available for free for Kindle Unlimited customers. All Kindle Books can be read on Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets, and free Kindle reading apps for computers, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

Media Hotline:

206-266-7180
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Amazon announced the 5 finalists of the Second Annual Indie Literary Contest for Spanish-language authors

  • More than 1,200 authors from 37 countries participated using Kindle Direct Publishing
  • The winning Spanish-language book will have the opportunity to be published globally in print by La Esfera de los Libros, in audio with Audible and translated into English and published globally by AmazonCrossing in digital, print and audio formats

SEATTLE, 2015-9-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — (NASDAQ:AMZN)–Amazon today announced the 5 finalists of the Second Annual Indie Literary Contest for Spanish-language authors worldwide who self-publish using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). From July 1st to August 31st, more than 1,200 authors from 37 countries entered by uploading their titles to Amazon’s KDP platform (https://kdp.amazon.com). The top countries participating were Spain, Mexico, Venezuela and the U.S. To be eligible for the contest, the stories had to be original, unpublished works, in Spanish and exclusive to Kindle through enrollment in KDP Select. Submissions were then reviewed based on several criteria, including their commercial viability.

“We are thrilled with the success of the Second Annual Indie Literary Contest for Spanish-language authors and proud to have given many new authors across the globe the opportunity to publish independently with Kindle Direct Publishing. Many of the submitted titles have made it to the top of our best-seller lists, showing that readers across the world are interested in discovering new literary voices in Spanish,” saidCharles Kronbach, Director, Kindle Direct Publishing. “Spanish is truly a global language offering great opportunities to authors worldwide. This year, for example, 60 percent of the submitted titles were from the U.S. and Latin America.”

As an ambassador for the contest and a best-selling author himself, Ismael Cala said: “In all aspects, the contest was a big success. Congratulations to the finalists and to all who participated, for their efforts and talent shown. A career is built by working each and every day with passion, patience and perseverance. This has been a great opportunity for many to fulfill their dreams of becoming an author and most certainly will lead to other opportunities.”

The top 5 finalists are: “El caparazón de la tortuga,” by Lola Mariné from Barcelona, Spain; “Cartas a una extraña,” by Mercedes PintoMaldonado from Málaga, Spain; “La Hija del Dragón,” by Myriam Millán from Sevilla, Spain; “Lazos de Cristal,” by Kristel Ralston fromGuayaquil, Ecuador; and “La novelista fingida,” by Rafael R. Costa from Huelva, Spain.

The winning Spanish-language title will be announced on October 15 and will have the opportunity to be published in print by La Esfera de los Libros, in audio by Audible and translated and published in digital, print and audio formats in English by AmazonCrossing, the Amazon Publishing imprint for world literature in translation. All the information on the contest, participating titles, and terms and conditions, can be found at: www.amazon.com/concursoindie.

KDP is a free and seamless way for writers and publishers to make their eBooks available to Kindle readers around the world. All the novels taking part in the contest will be available in full in the Kindle Store and can be read on the Kindle and Fire family of devices, and free Kindle reading apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and on Android smartphones and tablets. Each week on average, about 45 titles out of the top 100 Spanish-language eBooks sold globally on Amazon are published via KDP.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

About Ismael Cala
A celebrated figure in the Latin community, Ismael Cala is a journalist, author and motivational speaker who is the face of one of the top-rated shows in Latin programming. CALA on CNN en Español is an intimate program in which Cala invites domestic and international viewers to be part of his conversations with politicians, authors, philosophers, artists, celebrities, and other notable international figures. He is the author of the best-selling titles El poder de escuchar and Un buen hijo de P. For more information, visit http://ismaelcala.com.

Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

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