TSUTAYA x Nola to host the 1st Next Generation Writers Literary Award, providing comprehensive support for authors from their writing environment to nationwide sales

2020.12.10 Press Releases
Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd. / Indent Co., Ltd.

- The grand prize winning work is guaranteed to be published and will be displayed and sold in prime locations in the book and comic section of TSUTAYA stores nationwide -

Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as TSUTAYA) and indent Inc. (headquarters: Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and CEO: Kamagata Yuki; hereinafter referred to as "indent"), which provides the writing tool "Nola" that supports the creation of structured stories, have established the "1st Next Generation Writers Literary Award" and will begin accepting applications on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

This award is a unique literary prize co-sponsored by TSUTAYA and Nola, with the aim of "supporting the next generation of authors who will lead the book and manga industry in the future" and "providing comprehensive support for authors, from their writing environment to nationwide sales."Co-hosted by TSUTAYA's group publishers, the event will have categories based on different themes and genres for each publisher: "General Entertainment Novels," "Light Novels," and "Comic Adaptation Originals." The grand prize for each category will be determined through selection by the publishers, the "Nola" editorial department, and the Tsutaya Bookstore BOOK Concierge. Entries will begin on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, and the grand prize winner will be announced on a certain date in September 2021.

As part of our efforts to provide comprehensive support to authors, from the writing environment to nationwide sales, we will use "Nola" during the creative stage to provide an environment in which authors can create deep, unwavering stories, from plot formation with an introduction, development, twist, and conclusion, to organizing manuscripts by chapter, and setting up characters and a worldview. In addition, the winning work will receive a cash prize and will be guaranteed to be published as a book by Tokuma Shoten and Earth Star Entertainment, both of which are publishers of TSUTAYA's group companies. In addition, the book will be heavily promoted and sold in prime locations in the book and comic section of approximately 800 TSUTAYA stores nationwide.

Through this award and future initiatives, TSUTAYA and Indent will fully support the writers of the next generation who love books, manga, and writing, and aim to create entertainment works that will be enjoyed by a wide range of generations.

Overview of the 1st Next Generation Writers Literary Award

■About the Next Generation Author Literary Award: Co-hosted by TSUTAYA and Nola, the award supports the next generation of authors who will lead the book and manga industry in the future.
This is a literary award open to the public with the aim of:
■ Categories: "General Entertainment Novel Category," "Light Novel Literature Category," "Comic Adaptation Original Category"
■Grand Prize: One work will be selected as the "Grand Prize" from each category.
① Prize money of 300,000 yen
② A commitment to publish the book by a TSUTAYA group publisher　
　*The "General Entertainment Novel" category will be published as a book by Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd.
The winners in the "Light Novel Literature" and "Comic Adaptation Original" categories will be published as books by Earth Star Entertainment Co., Ltd.
3) Large-scale sales in prime locations in TSUTAYA book and comic section nationwide
■Special award: Several winners in each category. The publisher that recommended the special award winning work will proceed with consideration for publishing the book.

1st Next Generation Writer Literary Award Application Guidelines

■Application period: Tuesday, January 12, 2021, 10:00 to Friday, April 30, 2021, 23:59
■How to apply: Please apply using the application form (※1) on the special website.
■Results announcement: September 2021
■Notification of results: Only those who pass the intermediate and final selections will be notified via the email address provided on the application date.
Notification of mid-term selection results: Scheduled for July 2021
Final selection results will be announced around September 2021.
■Submissions: Please submit the following documents ① to ③ according to the category you are participating in.
① Synopsis ... 400 characters or less　
② Plot... csv file (.csv) or PDF file (.pdf) (*2)
③ Manuscript...
[General Entertainment Novel Category] 
400字詰め 300枚~上限600枚のWordファイル（.docx）  または PDFファイル（.pdf）
[Light Novel Literature Category or Comical Adaptation Category]
42x34 Word file (.docx) or PDF file (.pdf) with more than 100,000 characters
■ Genre: Any work that does not deviate too far from the category
■Exclusions and notes: Please see the special website (https://contest.nola-novel.com/zisedaisakka202109) Described in "Notes"

*1) January 12, 2021 (Tuesday) 10:00, on the special website (https://contest.nola-novel.com/zisedaisakka202109) was opened.
*2) About creating a plot: Writing tool "Nola (https://nola-novel.com/) allows you to easily create plots using templates such as "introduction, development, twist, and conclusion."It is possible to output the results as a CSV file for submission to this contest. Please note that creating a plot in Nola is not required.

What is the novel writing tool "Nola"?

"Nola" is a writing tool exclusively for writers, operated by Indent Inc. In addition to being able to synchronize and use data on both PC and smartphone, it also features the ability to support the creation of structured stories through the management of plots and characters. "It would be convenient if there was a service that allowed you to save the structure and settings of a story and write while looking at them. "The idea for this project began with the idea that we should create a platform for writers to make their debut as writers. We have been listening to the opinions of writers through offline meetups and other events, and have been working towards developing tools that will help writers with their creative work, as well as initiatives that will lead to writers making their debut as writers. We have developed this app to provide writers with a manuscript writing function, a function to save participation materials, and a function to create plots, in order to provide some support to their writing.

"Nola" app overview

■ Compatible devices: iPhone/Android
■ Price: Free (some paid features available)

Main functions: Manuscript writing function, plot creation/management function, character and world setting/management function

Materials related to this matter

TSUTAYA x Nola to host the 1st Next Generation Writers Literary Award, providing comprehensive support for authors from their writing environment to nationwide sales

Inquiries regarding this matter

Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd. Public Relations　
TEL: 03-6800-4764 MAIL: tsutaya_pr@ccc.co.jp