The American Library in Paris Book Award Guidelines & FAQ

The American Library in Paris Book Award was launched in 2013 and carries a $5,000 prize, which is supported by generous funding from the Florence Gould Foundation. The past recipients of the prize reflect the diversity of intellectual and literary output that the Book Award seeks to recognize.

The Book Award honors a title that best realizes new and intellectually significant ideas about France, the French people, or encounters with French culture. Qualities considered in submitted works include literary merit, depth of insight, and originality. The Book Award considers works in all genres, published originally in English.

Submissions for the 2024 Award are now closed. Submissions for the 2025 prize will open on 1 November 2024.

• Any book-length prose fiction or nonfiction work, originally written in English, about France or the French, will be considered by our Advisory Screening Panel.
• A translation into English from another language is not eligible.
• Nominated books must be scheduled for English-language publication between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 for the 2024 prize, or between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 for the 2025 prize.
• A reprint of a book first published in another year is not eligible.
• Anyone – author, publisher, agent, reader — may submit books for this award.
• Books published exclusively in electronic form or online are not eligible.
• Self-published books are eligible.
• Books by members of the Advisory Screening Panel are not eligible for the Award.
• The decision of the jury is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process.

Please see the Book Award FAQ for additional information.

	2024 Book Award	2025 Book Award
Submissions open	1 November 2023	1 November 2024
Submissions close	1 May 2024	1 May 2025
Longlist announced	June 2024	June 2025
Shortlist announced	September 2024	September 2025
Winner announced	November 2024	November 2025
Award ceremony in Paris	November 2024	November 2025

Submissions for the 2024 Book Award closed on 1 May 2024. Submissions for the 2025 Book Award (for books published between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 inclusive) will open on 1 November 2024.

STEP ONE – Complete the online submission form. A separate form must be submitted for each title. Forms will not be processed without the 50.00€ submission fee. If you want to by check, by credit card, or via wire transfer, please contact the Book Award Coordinator at bookaward@americanlibraryinparis.org for instructions.

STEP TWO – Send us five (5) copies of each submitted book. Proof or reviewer’s copies are acceptable as long as the book’s publication date will fall on or before 30 June 2024 and must be replaced by finished copies at the time of publication.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY CUSTOMS OR VAT FEES ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ENTRANT. BREXIT AND NEW EU VAT LAWS HAVE ALTERED THE PROCESS OF SHIPPING BOOKS TO FRANCE. PLEASE TAKE CARE TO ASSURE THAT ARRANGEMENTS ARE IN PLACE TO COVER THESE COSTS BEFORE SHIPPING BOOKS.

To indicate that these books are being mailed as “sample copies,” we ask that you please indicate a value of no more than $5 per book, or $25 total, when declaring them for customs.

The American Library in Paris
Attn: Book Award Coordinator
10, rue du Général Camou
75007 Paris FRANCE

Phone number, if needed by shipper:  +33 1 53 59 12 60

As soon as an online submission form has been completed, please notify the Book Award Coordinator at bookaward@americanlibraryinparis.org with the title of the book and the estimated date the Library will receive the required five print copies. If you choose to send books via FedEx, UPS, DHL, or another shipping company, please provide us with a tracking number.

All submitted books must be postmarked and mailed to the American Library in Paris no later than 1 May 2024. Print copies of books will not be returned and become the property of the American Library in Paris.

STEP THREE – If possible, send a PDF or eBook access to the submitted title to bookaward@americanlibraryinparis.org. Digital review copies and eBooks will be deleted at the end of the Book Award cycle upon request.

The Award is administered by the American Library in Paris, is overseen by its Writers Council and is judged by an independent jury.

The Book Award Administrator is John Burnham Schwartz. The Book Award Coordinator is Claire Hargreaves.

The American Library in Paris Book Award is made possible by a generous gift from the Florence Gould Foundation.

If you are interested in becoming a patron of the Book Award ceremony, or have questions about the prize, please write to bookaward@americanlibraryinparis.org.

What is the American Library in Paris Book Award?
The American Library in Paris Book Award is an annual literary prize for the most distinguished book of the year, written and published in English, about France or the French. The Book Award is made possible by a generous gift from the Florence Gould Foundation. The Award is administered by the American Library in Paris and advised and supported by its Writers Council.

What kinds of books are eligible?
The American Library in Paris Book Award is not limited by genre. In 2023, the 63 entries included memoirs, children’s books, poetry, debut novels, exhibition catalogues, and academic titles as well as works of fiction, history, biography, and criticism.
All submitted books must have been written and published in English and explore France or the French in some way. In order to be eligible for the 2024 award, submitted books must be published on or after 1 July 2023 and on or before 30 June 2024.

My book is self-published. Is it still eligible?
Yes.

My book was originally published online. Does it qualify?
No. Books first published in electronic form or online are not eligible.

My book isn’t published in the UK or in the US. Is it still eligible?
Yes. As long as the book matches the eligibility criteria, the country in which it is published is not a consideration. Every year we receive a number of books published in France, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and elsewhere.

I am not an American citizen. Is my book eligible?
Yes. The competition is open to authors of all nationalities. However, only books originally written and published in English are eligible.

I am an author. May I submit my own book?
Yes. Submissions may come from authors, publishers, agents, or readers.

My book will be published on 1 July 2023. Is it still eligible?
Books published on or after 1 July 2023 will be eligible for the 2024 award. Books published on or after 1 July 2024 will be eligible for the 2025 award.

My book will be published in the US and the UK on different dates. Is it still eligible?
The book must be published by the submitting publisher during the current Award cycle’s dates (1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024). If an earlier English-language date of publication in another country is within a previous cycle’s dates (ie. 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023), the later book is still eligible for the 2024 Award, as long as the earlier edition was not submitted during a previous cycle. If both countries’ publication dates fall within the current cycle, only one publisher needs to submit the book for consideration.

Do you accept posthumous works?
The book’s author must be living during the submission and screening process in order for the title to remain eligible. The decision to award a posthumous prize is at the discretion of the Book Award Administrator.

Do you accept e-books in lieu of hard copies?
We request that all entrees send an e-book copy alongside the hard copies of the book. However, in order for a submission to be complete, we must receive five print copies before the 1 May 2023 deadline.

Do you accept proofs, galleys, or advance copies?
Yes. We would be happy to receive proof copies⁠—paper or electronic⁠—in advance of the publication date. However, in order for a submission to be complete, we must receive five finished print copies once they are available.

My book is an academic title with a high retail price. Its cost doesn’t permit me or my publisher to send five copies. May I send fewer?
Please contact the Award Coordinator if your book has a list price of £75 / $75 or higher.

Where do I send my submission?
The submission form must be filled in online. Please send books and entry fees to:

American Library in Paris
Attn: Book Award Coordinator
10, rue du Général Camou
75007 Paris FRANCE
Phone number if needed by shipper: +33 1 53 59 12 60

May the books, submission form, and payment be sent separately?
Yes, but please ensure that all parcels and envelopes are clearly labeled for The American Library in Paris Book Award.
Any payment coming separately from the submitted books should include a cover note or a payment reference stating the title of the book(s) associated with the check or wire transfer.

What happens after my book is entered?
Once the submission is complete, one copy of your book will be added to the American Library in Paris’s circulating collection. Four copies are shared among Advisory Screening Panel members for consideration.
All authors are informed of the Book Award longlist when it is made public in June, and of the Book Award shortlist when it is made public in September. The independent jury will then select the winning book from the shortlist, and the winner is announced in November.
All submitted books are featured in a special Book Award display in the Library in the fall and on the Library’s website and online catalog. All authors who entered are invited to the award ceremony in Paris.

Who is on the jury?
Each year’s independent jury is overseen by the members of the Library’s Writers Council.

2024 jury – Andrew Sean Greer (Jury chair), Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Ayelet Waldman
2023 jury – Doan Bui, Lauren Groff, Sudhir Hazareesingh
2022 jury – Charles Trueheart, Thomas Chatterton Williams, and Alexandra Schwartz
2021 jury – Lauren Collins, Julian Jackson, Dinaw Mengestu, and Maggie Paxson
2020 jury – Ethan Katz, Rachel Donadio, and Jake Lamar
2019 jury – Alice Kaplan, Thomas Chatterton Williams, and Pamela Druckerman
2018 jury – Diane Johnson, David Bellos, and Pierre Assouline
2017 jury – Adam Gopnik, Bruno Racine, and Stacy Schiff
2016 jury – Laura Auricchio, Robert Harris, and Robert O. Paxton
2015 jury – Laura Furman, Lily Tuck, and Fredrik Logevall
2014 jury – Alice Kaplan, Sebastian Faulks, and Pierre Assouline
2013 jury – Adam Gopnik, Julian Barnes, and Diane Johnson

Who do I contact if I have further questions?
The Library’s Book Award Coordinators will be pleased to answer any further questions you may have. You may reach them via e-mail at bookaward@americanlibraryinparis.org.