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Independent publishers make up three of the eight-strong shortlist in the latest Amazon Rising Stars campaign.
The promotion aims to highlight books from up-and-coming authors. Titles from Alma Books, Bitter Lemon Press, and Granta have made it to the shortlist, alongside Random House stablemates Ebury and Harvill Secker, as well as Macmillan, Blue Door and Penguin's Fig Tree.
One book will be promoted on a dedicated Amazon.co.uk page each week, featuring a Q&A with the author. The books will feature on marketing emails to customers encouraging them to review the titles on the website. They will also be sent to Amazon's "most valued" reviewers under the Vine scheme. Vine reviewers typically receive proof copies of books for review.
At the end of the eight weeks, the book with the most positive reviews will be announced as the winner. The promotion runs bi-annually. Previous winners include Mari Strachan's The Earth Hums in B Flat (Canongate), Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle (Canongate) and S J Bolton's Sacrifice (Bantam).
In order to be included, publishers submit titles to Amazon, where a judging panel selects a shortlist of eight.
The full list of titles:
Shappi Khorsandi A Beginner's Guide to Acting English (Ebury)
Anne Berry The Hungry Ghosts (Blue Door)
Linda Castillo Sworn to Silence (Macmillan)
Claudia Pinero Thursday Night Widows (Bitter Lemon Press)
Rosie Alison The Very Thought of You (Alma Books)
Eleanor Catton The Rehearsal (Granta Books)
Bich Minh Nguyen Short Girls (Fig Tree)
Stuart Neville The Twelve (Harvill Secker)