What is the Debut Author Challenge?
Do you have to read 12 novels?
When is the challenge?
Do the books for the challenge have to be released in 2011?
Does the book have to be a Young Adult or Middle Grade?
Meg Cabot has a new YA coming out in 2011, does that count?
Some of these authors listed already have books published why are they on the debut list?
I had an ARC of a 2011 debut but I read it in 2010 can it still count?
How do you know if a book is a 2011 debut?
Is there a certain time you have to sign up by?
I live in the UK, but I have a copy of a 2011 debut for the US, can that count toward the challenge? OR I live in the US, but I have a copy of a 2011 debut for the UK, can that count toward the challenge?
I’m a book blogger and live in the UK. US publishers won’t send me books, how can I get more debuts?
I’m not a book blogger. Can I still participate in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge?
An author has a debut novel, but it’s also part of a series, and those books are being released this year too. Do all the books count?
An author has several titles out released in (insert country here), but they are just releasing their first book in the US, does that count as a debut novel?
I'm a book blogger, but I'm from Spain/France/Brazil/etc, and my blog is not in English. Can I still participate in the challenge?
Why is Megan McCafferty listed as a debut novel, she has like five books published?
What if the author has previous titles in YA or MG, but they are publishing a new YA/MG under a pseudonym?
Q: What is the Debut Author Challenge?
A: The Debut Author Challenge highlights young adult and middle grade authors that are releasing their first novel in 2011. The challenge is to read at least twelve debut novels.
Q: Do you have to read 12 novels?
A: No, you can read more than 12. If you read less than twelve, you won’t technically complete the challenge, but that doesn’t mean you can’t participate in all the fun along the way.
Q: When is the challenge?
A: The challenge will run for on year. January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011.
Q: Do the books for the challenge have to be released in 2011?
A: Yes. If it’s a debut novel from 2010 or 2009... whenever. It will not count toward your challenge total.
Q: Does the book have to be a Young Adult or Middle Grade?
A: Yes. Only YA or MG books will count for this challenge. If your interested in reading debuts of general adult fiction or nonfiction there are challenges for those elsewhere.
Q: Meg Cabot has a new YA coming out in 2011, does that count?
A: No. A “debut” denotes the first publication of a writer. Meg Cabot has several YA titles released, so her books, regardless of their 2011 release, would not count toward the challenge.
Q: Some of these authors listed already have books published why are they on the debut list?
A: Some of the authors listed have ‘adult fiction’ or ‘children’s books’ already published, BUT this is their young adult or middle grade debut.
Q: I had an ARC of a 2011 debut but I read it in 2010 can it still count?
A: If you read it in 2010 it won’t count toward your total for 2011, but you can still link your review for a chance to win the January Prize Pack.
Q: How do we know if a book is a 2011 debut?
A: I have a list that you can see on the information page. Please note that these are US debuts only.
Do the research! It’s not hard to visit an authors page to see if this is their first novel. You can also ask another blogger if you are unsure.
I am having some UK bloggers make a list of UK debuts that I hope to share as well. Do you have a list of debuts from your country? Let me know and I’ll post it as well!
Q: Is there a certain time you have to sign up by?
A: Nope. You can sign up anytime between not and December 31! Although it might be a little hard to read twelve novels in one day. You must sign up by November 20, 2011.
Q: I live in the UK, but I have a copy of a 2011 debut for the US, can that count toward the challenge? OR I live in the US, but I have a copy of a 2011 debut for the UK, can that count toward the challenge? (You could insert any countries in the question, it's not just limited to the US & UK.)
A: Okay... we're going to see how this works, because it got a little confusing for me at times last year, trying to figure out where someone was from and seeing if the novel counted as a debut. When you sign up, I'll be asking for your country of residence and also when you submit a link I'll be asking info about the book, hopefully this will equal less confusion.
Here's the deal, you can read a debut from any country, I don't care where you live. My only stipulation is you can't use a release date from another country if the novel is already released in your county. FOR EXAMPLE: I'm going to use The Iron King by Julie Kagawa... so The Iron King has a UK debut release in January... but The Iron King has been released in the US since Feb. 2010. SO! The US participants would not be able to use The Iron King as one of their books. And vice versa... Does that make sense?
See how it can get confusing. Which is why I'll be collecting all that extra info! I'm not just doing it to be annoying!
Q: I’m a book blogger and live in the UK. US publishers won’t send me books, how can I get more debuts?
A: An excellent resource for international bloggers is NetGalley! You can download books for your e-reader or computer and you don’t have to live in the US to participate since the copies are digital. You must have a book blog to participate in NetGalley and you must be accepted by NetGalley to use their program.
There are also "traveling ARC tours that you could sign up for.
Q: I’m not a book blogger. Can I still participate in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge?
A: Yes. But you will need a public place to post your reviews. Which could include, but it not limited to: Goodreads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, Amazon, B&N, 2011 Debut Author Challenge Blog... etc.
Q: An author has a debut novel, but it’s also part of a series, and those books are being released this year too. Do all the books count?
A: No. Only the first book of the series will count as the debut novel.
Q: An author has several titles out released in (insert country here), but they are just releasing their first book in the US, does that count as a debut novel?
A: Yes. This question came up a lot last year with author Alexandra Adornetto and her US debut Halo. Alexandra had several titles in Australia, but Halo was her first novel released in the US. So in this instance, that would mean her book would have counted as a debut novel.
If there are instances similar for this for 2011 the answer will be the same. If it's a US author debuting in another country, same thing.
I'm a book blogger, but I'm from Spain/France/Brazil/etc, and my blog is not in English. Can I still participate in the challenge?
Yes! Your blog does not have to be in English to participate in the challenge. It is open to everyone.
Why is Megan McCafferty listed as a debut novel, she has like five books published?
I assume when you mean she has five books published you mean the Jessica Darling series, although the character of Jessica is a teen, the series is not a Young Adult series, nor was it published by a YA publisher or marketed as YA. As I noted in the challenge info, just because a book is about a teen or has teen character, does not automatically make it a Young Adult novel. Bumped is Megan's first "official" young adult novel.
What if the author has previous titles in YA or MG, but they are publishing a new YA/MG under a pseudonym?
If the author has previous titles in the YA & MG genre but will be debuting a YA/MG novel under a pseudonym, they would count as a "debut author." There were similar situations in 2010 with Robin Schneider and her novel Knightly Academy written under the name of Violet Haberdasher, and Elizabeth Scott and her novel Low Read Moon written under the name Ivy Devlin.