Editing National Book Award (section)

== Annual eligibility ==
A book must be published "between December 1 of the previous year and November 30 of the current year" to be eligible. Its publisher must complete a nomination in the spring and mail copies to the panelists. The panelists read all the valid nominees during this time, and the panels compile shortlists in September.<ref name=process/><ref name="nationalbook.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalbook.org/nbaentry.html#.WIjJ_FMrKUk|title=National Book Awards Entry Rules & Guidelines, The National Book Foundation|website=www.nationalbook.org|access-date=27 November 2017|archive-date=19 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119203729/http://www.nationalbook.org/nbaentry.html#.WIjJ_FMrKUk|url-status=live}}</ref>

The pre-war awards were announced in the winter, usually February, and described with reference to the year of publication, if any; for example, "National Book Awards for 1939" announced February 1940.<ref name=nyt1940-2>"1939 Book Awards Given by Critics: Elgin Groseclose's 'Ararat' is Picked as Work Which Failed to Get Due Recognition", ''The New York Times'', February 14, 1940, page 25.</ref> The 1950 to 1983 awards, as the National Book Foundation labeled them, were presented in the spring to works published during the preceding calendar year.<ref name=nyt1983>"American Book Awards Announced", Edwin McDowell, ''The New York Times'', April 14, 1983, page C30.</ref><ref name=nyt1950>"Book Publishers Make 3 Awards:&nbsp;... Gold Plaques", ''The New York Times'', March 17, 1950, page 21.</ref> Since 1984 the NBA have been presented in the fall, usually November, to books published roughly during the calendar year (December of the previous year through November).<ref name=nyt1984a>"11 Nominated for American Book Awards", Edwin McDowell, ''The New York Times'', October 18, 1984, page C25.</ref><ref name="nationalbook.org"/>