American National Book Awards are mainly divided into four categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and youth literature. Each category of works was selected by a group of five people, including a chairman, who was selected by the National Book Foundation. The best five works in each category will be selected for the final selection. In each category, the final winner will receive a prize of $654.38 +00000 and a bronze statue, and the other 654.38+06 nominees will also receive a prize of $654.38 +0000 and a medal.

American National Book Award was once replaced by American Book Award of 1979. After 1964, the non-fiction awards of the National Book Awards were further divided into the best works awards in literature, art, history and biography, science, philosophy and religion. 1965 New Translation Award. 1969 New Children's Literature Award. 1972 began to award the best works such as contemporary affairs, contemporary ideas and current hotspots. 1980 further distinguishes between hardcover novels and paperback novels. At the same time, the first novel award was added to encourage newcomers. Since 1984, the awards have suddenly decreased, and have been basically fixed in four categories: novel, non-fiction, poetry and youth literature.

1989 In the spring, the top management of the Award Committee realized the importance of people of all ages and different cultural backgrounds in reading and writing, and the great difference between literate and uneducated readers, so they made a major decision to set up the National Book Fund of the United States, so as to expand the recognition scope and influence of the award in the literary field, and thus improve the literary appreciation and cultural literacy of the people throughout the country.

From 65438 to 0999, Ha Jin won the National Book Award for his novel Waiting, becoming the first China writer to win this honor.