Get ready. Summer is almost here. And that means that the first annual Hot Book Summer is fast approaching.
What is Hot Book Summer?
To make things really simple, from June 8th through the end of August, an up and coming novel will be featured each week via social media and this blog. It doesn't necessarily have to be a replica of the New York Times bestseller list. Just one book per week (any genre accepted) that arrived onto the scene in the last year or two and has started to gain some traction. Or just a recent book that readers think is hot.
What's the point?
Hot Book Summer isn't just a way to champion popular books that probably don't need any more help reaching the hands of avid readers. Far from it. It's a way to support authors at the top of their craft, who are currently winning at the game we call 'Writing and Publishing a novel that gets the lit community buzzing'. And it also serves as a way to dive deeper into some of these books and provide insight on what elements in particular have led to their success.
One featured book per week. Recommendations will be taken via social media before each week's selection is made. Then a write up on the work in question will drop. Then...(this is the fun part)...fans and members of the lit community will be able to go online and vote for which book should be at the top of the list. By the end of summer, we will have created our own bestseller list of sorts.
Wait, there's more!
Hot Book Summer isn't just about published novels that are already confidently doing their thing. Running in parallel with the same weekly format will be a competition for unpublished works. Prior to each new week, submissions will be accepted and then pitted against each other and voted on by viewers. More details to come, but entry will entail a high concept blurb (a few sentences), synopsis (1-3 pages), and the first few chapters of your unpublished work.
What about nonfiction?
Generally speaking, this is a fiction contest, but special consideration will be made for narrative nonfiction works. If it reads like a novel, bring it on.
That's it for now! I can't wait to get Hot Book Summer up and running in conjunction with Super Dope Books, a new indie publisher that's completely digital and still currently getting off the ground. They'll have plenty more exciting events and contests to come. For now, keep looking out for updates on Hot Book Summer.
Please share this post if you're interested and comment below. As always, I can be reached at life9ent@yahoo.com.
If any authors are interested in participating or being interviewed in conjunction with an upcoming book release, let me know!
- Charles Harned
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