Gallery Announces Winner of Books Like Us First Novel Contest

Gallery Books has announced the inaugural winner of its Books Like Us First Novel Contest, launched in 2020 to "facilitate accessibility to underrepresented writers." During the contest's two-week entry period in June 2020, writers were encouraged to submit 25 pages of an original adult novel. In January 2021, the author of the winning novel, as selected by the Gallery Books team, was awarded the opportunity to enter into a $50,000 book deal with Gallery Books.

The inaugural winner of the Books Like Us First Novel Contest is Elba Iris Pérez's Woronoco, a coming-of-age story about a girl from Puerto Rico who lives in 1950s New England. 

Pérez is from Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, spent her early childhood in Woronoco, Mass., and now lives in Houston. She has a BA in philosophy from the University of Puerto Rico, an MA in theater from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in history from the University of Puerto Rico, and studied creative writing at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. She is the author of the 2010 book El Teatro Como Bandera, a history of street theatre in Puerto Rico (UPR & La Tertulia). 

In future seasons, the Books Like Us First Novel Contest will rotate among other Simon & Schuster adult imprints. More information about the Books Like Us First Novel Contest can be found here.