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New Writing Contest: “All About Love”

Tell us your tale — a first crush, an old flame, a treasured friend or family member, a passion for a special place…

HOW IT WORKS
Starting June 1, 2014, email your story of 2,500 to 3,000 words to [email protected], and you’ll be entered for a chance to win $2,000 and possible publication in a future issue of Good Housekeeping or on goodhousekeeping.com. Be sure to provide your full name, phone number, and mailing address both in the email and on the submission itself.

DEADLINES
Entries must be received by midnight September 1, 2014. One entry per person allowed. Submitted material cannot be returned or acknowledged. Winner will be notified by March 1, 2015.

ELIGIBILITY
Contest is open to anyone age 21 or older who is a legal resident of the United States, the District of Columbia or Canada (excluding Quebec).

PRIZES
One winner will receive $2,000 and possible publication of the winning story in a future issue or on goodhousekeeping.com.

Read the official contest rules »

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction

The Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction is a literary prize to promote writers and great undiscovered stories of Catholic fiction.

What is Catholic fiction? Stories that capture the imagination of the reader and are infused with the presence of God and faith — subtly, symbolically or deliberately.

Think of Flannery O’Connor, Graham Greene, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton and many others whose writings reflected the thoughts of the great writer Gerard Manley Hopkins: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

This is the “stuff” of literature that wins the Tuscany Prize.

Do you have a manuscript? A Novel? A Young Adult Novel? A short story? Would you like it published?

Does your story have themes of faith and struggle, of grace and nature, atonement, courage, redemption and hope? Whether it is fiction, historical fiction, mystery, fantasy or humor, the Tuscany Press is open to all genres.

FEE: $10

DEADLINE: June 30th

We seek original great stories of unpublished/self-published works of fiction. 

Are you the next great writer of Catholic fiction?

We invite you to send in your manuscript. 

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT

Tuscany Press publishes young adult (YA) novels that parents can trust and which young people, ages 12–17, will enjoy and want to read. Our goal is to provide passionate authors an avenue to reach a young adult audience with well-written stories of challenge and growth within a Catholic worldview. Our young adult fiction earns the trust of parents. Please read our “novel guidelines” for an explanation of what makes Catholic fiction. Guidelines for a Tuscany Press Catholic Young Adult Novel:

More than 50,000 words.

• The protagonist/narrator must be young (between the ages of 12 and 17). The best way to appeal to the YA audience is to present fiction focused through the point of view (POV) of a young protagonist who is in roughly the same age bracket as our target audience. Young adults want to be able to relate to the protagonist.

• Characters must be well drawn and believable.  The actions and dialogue should be appropriate for the ages of the characters.

•  The story must contain a Catholic perspective. Our young adult fiction must have characters or heroes that support and exemplify a Catholic worldview. (See our “novel guidelines” for an explanation of what makes Catholic fiction.) The characters may not start out with a Catholic perspective, but should end with a Catholic perspective.  Also, not all characters will have a Catholic perspective.  Good fiction contains conflict.  Young adults understand that not everyone or every action is morally good.

Please note that good Catholic young adult fiction might never mention Christ, the Church, or the faith. Instead, Tuscany Press YA fiction is infused with grace and a morality consistent (through characters and their actions) with Catholic teaching.

• Tuscany Press YA fiction must be good writing for a YA audience. Young adult fiction is not an excuse for poor writing. Teens don’t appreciate (or tolerate) being talked down to. Don’t shy away from or sanitize real life. The story must be entertaining. The story must capture readers’ imaginations, engage their interest immediately and be well paced throughout the book and chapters.

Please note that one boring (e.g., informational) chapter may lose a reader. Also note that our stories should offer hope. Humorous scenes are not a requirement, but we believe that humor makes a better YA story.

• Our young adult novels will ideally appeal to both genders and the entire span of our readers’ age range. However, it is difficult to write for both boys and girls.  Do not shy away from making the story appeal to either boys or girls.  Remember, if the main protagonist is a boy, then the story will likely appeal to boys.  If the protagonist is a girl, then the story will likely appeal to girls.

A story should have Catholic meaning—that is, small instances of the theme(s) being explored, sprinkled throughout the story, culminating in a Catholic theme that somehow presents a Catholic message or truth that we (and maybe the protagonist) can discover or realize more fully or in a new way.

For more information, please see the Tuscany Press website, the Writers Resources tab on the menu bar: Required Reading for Writers of Catholic Fiction.  We strongly recommend you read Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Artists and the recommended books.

At Tuscany Press, we believe the Catholic literary revival is upon us and we invite you to be a part of it.

Note: All submitted manuscripts, not just the prize-winner, are considered for a publishing contract. 

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Eve Bridburg is the founder and Executive Director of GrubStreet, one the country’s leading creative writing centers.  A former literary agent, Eve developed, edited and sold a wide variety of books to major publishers before returning four years ago to GrubStreet to oversee an expansion in programming designed to better equip writers to thrive in the digital age.  She has presented widely about publishing at conferences and writes a monthly blog post called Publish it Forward which can be found at Grubdaily.org

The Mary Shelley Award for Imaginative Fiction, successor to the popular Ursula K. Le Guin Award. Good Luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

THE FOURTH ANNUAL NORMAL PRIZE

IN FICTION, NONFICTION, & POETRY

It’s that time of the year: The Normal School is accepting entries for the 2013 Normal Prize until 3/15/13. We can’t wait to spend our winters, holed up in our caves, reading submissions. Every entrant gets a free two year subscription to The Normal School so, why not? Read on for our full contest guidelines, and send us your best.

Fiction Prize: $1000 & Publication in magazine

Nonfiction Prize: $1000 & Publication in magazine

Poetry Prize: $1000 & Publication in magazine

Final Judges

Fiction: PABLO MEDINA

Nonfiction: DINTY W. MOORE

Poetry: AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL

GUIDELINES

• All fiction and nonfiction submissions must be 10,087 words or less, double-spaced, 12 pt. font. Poetry submissions should not exceed five pages or five poems total. No identifying information on the manuscript.
• All submissions must be previously unpublished (print or electronic media).
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed as long as you notify editors should your piece be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions ARE allowed.

HOW TO SUBMIT

• All submissions must be uploaded through our online submissions manager found here.
• $20 per submission, paid through PayPal only. One story or essay, or up to five poems per entry fee.
• You will receive a confirmation email once your submission has been uploaded.
• Submissions will be read between 12/15/2012 and 3/15/2013.
• Winners will be announced Spring/Summer, 2013.

Note: Remember that you should always check out a magazine or publisher to see what type of things they like and publish. That will help you save money and give you a better chance to win.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I am very excited to announce that Jenne Abramowitz, Senior Editor at Scholastic has agreed to be out Guest Critiquer for February.  She acquires chapter books and middle grade fiction, as well as easy readers. She has worked with a diverse and talented list of authors and illustrators including Marion Dane Bauer, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, Frank Remkiewicz, Beth Ain, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Robert Neubecker, and Kevin Sherry.

Before joining Scholastic, Jenne worked at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency and Harlequin. Jenne looks for commercial voices and high-concept plots. She loves mysteries, modern (but not epic) fantasy, adventures, humor, ghost stories, and anything with a really juicy secret.

Jenne will be on the faculty at the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in June and doing critiques. This is a great opportunity to, not only, learn from Jenne, but to get a flavor of what she thinks and help you prepare.  Registration will open shortly for the conference. Don’t worry about not seeing the information, I will post as soon as you can register. The New Jersey conference gets writer’s and illustrator from all over the country and many parts of the world.

Deadline for First Page Critique Submission: February 23rd.

____________________________________________________________________

Here is an incredible opportunity for children’s book authors.  The National Association of Elementaary School Principals has teamed up with Charlesbridge Publishing to discover, publish and launch two aspiring writer’s careers.  There will be two winners, a children’s picture book winner and a children’s chapter book winner.

DEADLINE: Entries need to be postmarked by March 15th, 2013

ENTRY FEE: $45 – $25 for additional entries

ENTRY FORM:  Click here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BELOW:

What is the National Children’s Book of the Year Contest? It’s a contest for prospective children’s authors to submit manuscript(s) for picture book and/or chapter book written for children 3-16 years of age. Applicants have the opportunity for their work to be endorsed by the NAESP Foundation and published by a nationally known publisher.

Why submit a manuscript? It is extremely difficult to break into the publishing world, let alone have your manuscript reviewed by an esteemed publisher. This is your chance to have your work(s) reviewed by a publisher with a proven track record and extensive outreach across the nation. If you win, you will receive a contract with Charlesbridge Publishing and have your work endorsed by the NAESP Foundation. This is a wonderful opportunity for authors, aspiring authors, or anyone with a great piece of children’s literature.

Who is eligible? This opportunity is for any individual who has written a children’s manuscript that they feel is worthy of being published.

Who is judging and what are the judging criteria? A select panel including experts from the fields of editing, education, reviewing, bookselling, and libraries will judge each manuscript. Judging will be based on content, originality, and age-appropriateness.

How do I submit my manuscript? 1. Download an entry form 2. Attach your completed manuscript(s) 3.  Enclose cash, check or credit card information payable to NAESP Foundation $45 for the first manuscript and $25 for second and subsequent entries (entry fees are non-refundable) 4.  Mail entry form and manuscript(s) to the NAESP Foundation, Attn.: National Children’s Book of the Year Contest, 1615, Duke Street, Alexandria, VA  22314.  No email entries are accepted.

When does the contest end and how do I know if I won? Entries can be submitted until March 1, 2012. Five finalists will be announced on March 23, 2012. You will be contacted via email if you are a finalist or check the NAESP Foundation homepage after March 1, 2012. Two winners will be announced March 23, 2012 at NAESP 2012 Annual Conference and receive a contract to publish his/her books.

What do the two winners receive? Each winner will receive a contract to have his/her book published by Charlesbridge Publishing in Boston and endorsed by the NAESP Foundation with the NAESP Foundation Children’s Book Award emblem on his/her book.

Will I get my manuscripts back? No, please send copies of manuscript only.

Do I have to submit illustrations? No, illustrations are not required for either category. The publisher will identify an illustrator after the manuscript is approved.

Do I relinquish rights after I submit my manuscript? No, the authors retain all rights unless they win and work with Charlesbridge in a publishing contract.

If I win, will I receive royalties from the selling of my book? The author contract, including royalties will be negotiated with Charlesbridge, but you are under no obligation to accept they agreement if you decide otherwise.

Who will sell the books? The books will be marketed for sale via the extensive Charlesbridge Publishing network which will include school libraries and major retail sellers. The books will also be marketed and sold to the education market via NAESP.

Where can I go for more information? More information about the contest and download an entry form is available on the Foundation page, or by contacting:

NAESP Foundation [email protected]  (703) 684-3345

GOOD LUCK!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

If you write for young children, this might be just the ticket for you to get published. Check it out.

knowonder is looking for creatively crafted read-aloud stories, written in 3rd person limited.

The focus and mission of knowonder! magazine is to help parents promote, encourage, and teach creativity, imagination, and literacy to their children.

Their audience is parents and their children between the ages of 3 and 10. We publish 10 fiction stories per month on the web site. Additionally, weThey publish both print and digital collections of stories from the 500 stories available on our web site.

Stories: Story submissions should be fiction. They sometimes accept an occasional non-fiction story but this is the exception, not the rule.  They encourage writers to submit stories that are full of action, adventure, and/or fun.  They discourage stories that deal with everyday lives of children or present familiar things in a familiar way.  They encourage creativity and imagination, and most of all, fun!  Each story should be one that a child will love to listen to.  Imagery and action are key elements that we strongly encourage.

Story word counts may range between 500 to 2000 words.  Call outs are appropriate and do not count toward the total word count.  Call out activity ideas or “talk time” ideas are welcome! We are willing to entertain longer stories.  We may be willing to accept stories told in rhyme, but have very high expectations for proper meter, etc.

Fiction: We pay $25-50 per fiction story.  Each published story is also eligible for the monthly Editor’s Choice Award and a $100 cash prize.

Articles: We are currently looking for volunteers to help us build out this section (fun facts). Please see the submission guidelines for more information on what we are looking for in this category.

for You by You articles:  We are currently looking for volunteers to help us build out this section.  Please see the submission guidelines for more information on what we are looking for in this category.

Kid Stories: We do not pay anything upfront for Kid Stories or Kid Art, however, we hold a monthly contest and award kids with great prizes each month!

Click here to submit a story.  (Note: you will need to create an account with them. It’s quick and painless, and once you’ve done it, you’ll be able to use that account to submit work to lots of other publishers, too).

Before submitting, however, they ask that you please do these two things:

1.  Read through our legal agreement.  By submitting to us, you acknowledge that you have read and accept our legal terms and agreement.

2.  Read our submission guidelines!  We have accepted a lot of different stories in the past, but we are narrowing our focus and want you to have the best chances possible of getting your stories published.  So please read these guidelines before submitting to make sure you’re sending us something we really want to see.

Here is what they are looking for.  This is very good explanation of what makes a good book for this age group. I cut out all the examples from books they provided, but when you have time it is worth studying.  Here’s the list:

Narrative stories that are fun, adventurous, engaging, silly, imaginative, creative, have great characters, are memorable, entertaining, flow well when read aloud and have action! Remember, you are sitting by the bedside of the child, you have just enough light to read-aloud. The child’s eyes are closed, or even if they’re open he’s imagining what you are reading. knowonder!  wants stories that will paint images in a child’s mind and encourage use of all 5 senses as they imagine amazing visions of their own.

Read-Alouds – knowonder! stories are read-aloud stories.This means that a large majority of stories you submit to knowonder! should be stories that a parent or older child can read out loud to younger children. These are very different in form, format, function (etc.) than picture books.   Our stories have just one picture and rely, instead, on imagery created inside the story.  In that sense, our stories are much more akin to chapter books and young adult fiction. Therefore, be careful to write stories that aren’t envisioned from the beginning as a picture book.

SDT—This stands for Show-Don’t-Tell and is a well-known method for drawing the reader into a story. Please look it up; research SDT. Then check every sentence to make sure you are following the rules!

Narrative– please don’t eliminate good narrative because you are attempting to Show-Don’t-Tell. Narrative includes telling a story using description and well written prose that allows the child listening to create the pictures in his own mind. Imagery and style come in to play here. Give the child the opportunity to use all of her senses when engaging in the story.

Literary device usage—simile, metaphor, imagery, onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole,  and use of idioms are all devices that pull readers into the story, make the story exciting, liven up the characters, and make reading aloud fun and engaging.

Plot—A good story will include a well designed plotting of events that somehow effect the main character. Every word, sentence, and paragraph should be analyzed to make sure it is significant to that plot and moves the story forward.

• Beginning–jump right into the action, in medias res! Remember the children are lying in bed, waiting for the action of the story to begin. Write your beginning in a way that will have them mesmerized so much they’ll quit squirming and listen.
• Middle–remember these pointers– rising action (with action being the operative word here), the main character engaging in some conflict, active voice, and keep moving!!!
• Great endings / tie-backs / punchlines–A well written story will follow the plotting to a point where the action rises to critical mass and Explodes! Then it will come down and have a rap up. Good endings do not fall off cliffs, they have a punch line (not necessarily a funny ha!ha! punchline, although that would be nice) but a great ending that has punch and ties back to the conflict, characterization, repetition, or some other element of the story. Wrap up stories nicely. The last line is the hardest to write for a reason. It takes work to get it just right. (Finding a great ending is like the scene from Sister Act where Whoopie Goldberg punches that young red-headed nun in the stomach and out comes that great high note!!! Ahhhhh!!!)

Words—check your writing for weasel words. Do you overuse the word “that,” or any other word? If you have more than one “that” on a page you should just take them out; I’m sure that you will find that you don’t need them. Also, use a thesaurus!! If you’ve used a descriptive word more than once, look it up in a thesaurus and use a synonym. Also, check your word choice–again use a thesaurus! Thesaurus.com should be your best friend! When writing for children an author must look at every single word. How do the words fit together to make a sentence? How do those sentences flow to create a paragraph? How does each word, sentence, and paragraph come together to paint a picture in the mind of a child?

Repetition—Children giggle when funny things happen in stories; they engage when funny things repeat in stories. I’m not talking about rhyme; I’m talking about rhythm and beat and repetition of lines, actions, etc…. A well crafted story will roll off the reader’s tongue and skip along through the child’s mind.

Characterization—Have you been around children? If not you should spend some time listening to them, seriously eavesdropping! You should talk with them, interact with them, keep a notebook nearby at all times, and jot down what they say and do. Each character in your story should be developed so we can see them, hear them, and understand them. They should be quirky, exceptional, and unique. No two children are the same in the real world so they shouldn’t be the same in fiction either. Characters should be dynamic and well rounded, not static and flat. Static means they don’t change, and flat means boring. Show each character through their actions and traits.

Voice—Dialogue should move the story along and help us hear the voices of the characters, especially the voice of the main character. That voice should be unique, whether it’s sad, happy, spunky, thoughtful, philosophical, or whatever, the words chosen should bring that voice out so we can hear it. The tag-lines should be well written. As our editorial team discussed dialogue, we decided we don’t want too much dialogue in our stories. Remember these are read-alouds. The more narrative prose and the less dialogue the better. Not that we don’t want any dialogue – we just don’t want a story that is 75% dialogue! We are looking for more description, imagery, and narration in between because this lends well toward reading aloud.

Point of View—After careful consideration, we’d really like knowonder! stories to be written in 3rd person. First person is also ok, but not the norm. Also, as I looked through the stories I noticed some of the ones we like best are written in 3rd person omniscient. This style is considered archaic nowadays. But I’ve had to consider why. Third person omniscient allows the author/narrator to step into the mind of every character. The powers that be say this is too confusing for a child. J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S. Lewis wrote in this manner. Even J.K. Rowling steps into this style in some of the Harry Potter books. When interviewed on this, she stated it was necessary to step into the mind of Voldemort on occasion and even into the minds of Hermione and Ron. The important point? It moved the story forward. Sticking with 3rd person limited in the mind of only the main character will be our norm, but occasionally the listener might want to know about the minds of different characters.

Tense—Past tense is best for read-alouds. Please stick to past tense. Novice writers tend to switch tense and point of view.  No present tense and no switching tense please!

You are your best critic– Write a first draft. Read it out loud. Look carefully at the beginning, middle, and end. Look at each of these guidelines and see if you can spice up your story before submitting to our editorial department. Rewrite. Revise. Submit. We’ll send suggestions as needed. Our goal is to encourage your own creative genius to blossom. (A note on formatting- Justify flush left, no double spacing, only one space after punctuation. (Word-processing has been allowing for the extra space now for many years).

Didactic stories– Didactic means preachy. A moral can be woven into a story without making it come across as a lecture. Characters should grow naturally out of the choices they make, the events in the stories, and their interactions with other people. We get stories all the time that are obviously written with the express purpose of teaching a lesson. Many of these types of stories will fall flat with children.  Should we teach them good values and morals? Can we use literature to teach lessons?  Yes, absolutely!  But let it happen naturally. Also, because of the nature of what we are (2000 words or less) this can be difficult to do without forcing it. So keep in mind the the main purpose of knowonder! is to make reading fun. It’s more important for children to learn to love reading at this point than it is for us to play parent and try to teach them through the stories we write. Think about  fables and parables and how relateable they are.

Click this link to read their full Submission  Guidelines to make sure you are not sending in the types of stories that stack their desks. You will also find the Editor’s favorite stories and why. Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

What happens when the great minds of Tumblr and Chronicle Books unite? A unicorn is born! Wait, no. Awesome Tumblrs like F*ck! I’m in My Twenties and Dads Are the Original Hipsters become hilarious books.

And now, it could be your turn.

We’re looking for the next big humor book idea. This is your chance to get your idea in front of our editors.

Here’s how it works. Pitch us your laugh-out-loud funny book idea using Tumblr. You can use text, photos, animated gifs, artwork, videos—just get our attention. Then our editors will judge the entries and choose a grand-prize winner whose idea will be considered for publication. You may use an existing Tumblr or create a new Tumblr to illustrate your book idea. Just remember: we’re looking for humor.

To enter, tag a post “Tumblr Book Search” and include:

1)      The title of your humor book

2)      A written synopsis of  your idea (200 words or less)

3)      Examples of the book’s concept (can be photos, animated gifs, artwork, video, text, or any media supported by Tumblr)

Then, hop over here to give us your basic contact information and the link to your post.

Hurry, the contest ends 2/28/2013. Read the official rules and submit your Tumblr entry now!

1 Grand Prize:

• Book idea considered for publication
• $300 of Chronicle books
• Your Tumblr featured on Tumblr Tuesday
• Feedback session with a Chronicle Books editor
• Feedback session with Rachel Fershleiser, Tumblr’s Director of Literary Outreach and co-creator of the New York Times Bestselling Six-Word Memoir Book Series
• And more!

3 Runners-Up:

• $100 of Chronicle books
• Written critique from Chronicle Books editors
• Feedback session with Rachel Fershleiser

Questions? Email [email protected]

Talk soon,

Kathy

The above illustration was sent in by Author/illustrator Carlyn Beccia.  In 2008 she debuted with, Who Put the B in the Ballyhoo? which was a the Golden Kite honor recipient for picture book illustration. In 2009, The Raucous Royals was the winner of the International Reading Association’s 2009 Children’s and Young Adult Book Award for Intermediate-Nonfiction. Her latest release, I Feel Better with a Frog in my Throat was the nonfiction picture book Cybil Award winner, Parent’s Choice Silver Honor medalist, an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio award winner and received a Silver Honor from the California Reading Association’s Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Awards.

Here is a no-fee Novel Writing Contest I thought you might like to know about.  They date to submit opens on January 14th, so you have a few weeks to get your manuscript ready.

The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest is right around the corner. You won’t want to miss this incredible opportunity to win a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing. Now in its sixth year, this international contest promises to be the best yet. Here’s what’s new:

One Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract with an advance of $50,000, and four First Prize winners will each receive a publishing contract with an advance of $15,000. Visit the Prizes page for the full list of prizes and details.

We’ve expanded the categories to include five popular genres: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction. And we’re accepting entries from more countries than ever before. For complete eligibility details, view the official contest rules, or read details on how to enter.

Amazon Publishing is the official publishing sponsor for 2013 — which means a faster publishing timeline, higher royalties, ability to launch the books in multiple formats (print, audio, ebook) and worldwide distribution. Visit CreateSpace to learn more.

Preparing Your Entry

1) Prepare a strong pitch. More than a summary, your pitch should highlight your concept, protagonist, setting and writing style—all the elements that make your story unique. View sample pitches from past entrants.

2) Select the Genre that best fits your book: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, or Young Adult.

3) Stay within the word-count limits — pitch, up to 300 words; excerpt, 3,000 to 5,000 words; manuscript, 50,000 to 150,000 words.

4) Remove all identifying information from your pitch, excerpt and manuscript, including: your name and/or pen name, contact information, any awards received for your book and an author bio/resume.

5) Submit all your materials in the English language.

6) For complete entry requirements, view the Official Contest Rules.

7) Create an account with CreateSpace (if you haven’t already).

(1) the complete version of your manuscript that is between 50,000 and 150,000 words (“Manuscript“);

(2) up to the first 5,000 words, but not less than 3,000 words, of your Manuscript, excluding any table of contents, foreword, and acknowledgments (“Excerpt“);

(3) a pitch of your Manuscript consisting of up to 300 words (“Pitch“); and

(4) the personal information required on the entry form. (1-4 collectively, an “Entry“). We will not review any Entry that does not comply with these Official Rules. Entries for General Fiction must have an accompanying genre selection.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS. You must be the only author of your Manuscript, and your Manuscript must be a novel between 50,000 and 150,000 words. Any Manuscript submitted as an Entry written by two or more authors will not be eligible. Additionally, poems, short stories, and collections of works are not eligible. Your Manuscript, Excerpt, and Pitch must:

(a) be your original creation;
(b) be fictional;
(c) be in the English language;
(d) be of interior black and white text without images;
(e) not currently or previously have been the subject of a publishing agreement with any publisher (but you may submit your self-published novel if you retain all worldwide distribution rights in and to the novel);
(f) not include your real or pen name anywhere in the Manuscript, Excerpt, or the Pitch;
(g) not include any information that identifies the author in any way including, but not limited to, a resume, previous awards received for the work, or the identity of additional works by the author, but excluding any file document properties that may identify the author; and
(h) meet the content guidelines found at http://www.amazon.com/contentguidelines (which are incorporated in to these Official Rules by this reference).

Additionally, you must submit your Manuscript digitally in Microsoft Word .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt format. Any entry that we determine, in our sole discretion, to meet these requirements will be considered a “Valid Entry.” You may be represented by an agent on the condition that you – not your agent – agree to comply with these Official Rules.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

HarperTeen and figment are partnering to provide YA writers with this contest opportunity to get their story published in an anthology along with other well-known YA authors. 

The contest challenge: Write a story that takes place at night or in the dark. The story can be of any genre: contemporary, paranormal, horror, science fiction, romance, humor, fantasy, etc.

What happens in the dark? Why are things different at night? Maybe it’s magic, or madness or both. A new anthology coming Summer 2013 from HarperTeen, Defy the Dark explores those questions and invites you to try your hand at answering them.

What’s in it for you? A chance to be published in Defy the Dark, alongside some of your favorite YA authors (including Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hawkins, and Beth Revis). 

The winner will be noted in the book’s table of contents, on the copyright page, and have a byline on their story. They will also have an opportunity to give an acknowledgment and will be featured on the Defy the Dark website. The grand-prize winner will receive a $500 cash prize awarded by HarperCollins and five copies of Defy the Dark.

1. Eligibility

The Defy the Dark New Author Contest (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including District of Columbia and territories, possessions and military bases) or Canada (excluding Quebec) who are thirteen (13) years or older at the time of entry.

2. Sponsors

Figment, LLC, 118 East 64^th Street, New York, NY 10065, and HarperCollins, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022.

3. Entry Period

The Promotion begins on August 1, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on September 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Promotion Entry Period”).

No sun-drenched, thousand-watt fables here—bring us your things that go bump in the night, bring us the things that hide in the shadows. Saundra Mitchell, the anthology’s editor, is excited to read your best YA fiction and choose one writer to be a part of the forces that will Defy the Dark.

4.  Submission Requirements

• Submission must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words.
• Submission must be an original work created solely by you, has not been previously published, and does not infringe upon any third-party copyrights or other intellectual property rights.
• Submission must not contain defamatory statements.
• Submission must not contain any telephone numbers, street addresses or email addresses of any individual.
• Submission must not invade privacy, publicity or other rights of any person, firm or entity.

Click here for more official rules:  http://dailyfig.figment.com/defy-the-dark-official-rules/

Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

HarperTeen and figment are partnering to provide YA writers with this contest opportunity to get their story published in an anthology along with other well-known YA authors. 

The contest challenge: Write a story that takes place at night or in the dark. The story can be of any genre: contemporary, paranormal, horror, science fiction, romance, humor, fantasy, etc.

What happens in the dark? Why are things different at night? Maybe it’s magic, or madness or both. A new anthology coming Summer 2013 from HarperTeen, Defy the Dark explores those questions and invites you to try your hand at answering them.

What’s in it for you? A chance to be published in Defy the Dark, alongside some of your favorite YA authors (including Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hawkins, and Beth Revis). 

The winner will be noted in the book’s table of contents, on the copyright page, and have a byline on their story. They will also have an opportunity to give an acknowledgment and will be featured on the Defy the Dark website. The grand-prize winner will receive a $500 cash prize awarded by HarperCollins and five copies of Defy the Dark.

1. Eligibility

The Defy the Dark New Author Contest (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including District of Columbia and territories, possessions and military bases) or Canada (excluding Quebec) who are thirteen (13) years or older at the time of entry.

2. Sponsors

Figment, LLC, 118 East 64^th Street, New York, NY 10065, and HarperCollins, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022.

3. Entry Period

The Promotion begins on August 1, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on September 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Promotion Entry Period”).

No sun-drenched, thousand-watt fables here—bring us your things that go bump in the night, bring us the things that hide in the shadows. Saundra Mitchell, the anthology’s editor, is excited to read your best YA fiction and choose one writer to be a part of the forces that will Defy the Dark.

4.  Submission Requirements

• Submission must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words.
• Submission must be an original work created solely by you, has not been previously published, and does not infringe upon any third-party copyrights or other intellectual property rights.
• Submission must not contain defamatory statements.
• Submission must not contain any telephone numbers, street addresses or email addresses of any individual.
• Submission must not invade privacy, publicity or other rights of any person, firm or entity.

Click here for more official rules:  http://dailyfig.figment.com/defy-the-dark-official-rules/

Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

HARLEQUIN AND MILLS & BOON LAUNCH GLOBAL WRITING CONTEST WITH PUBLISHING CONTRACT PRIZE

NEW YORK, LONDON, TORONTO, SYDNEY June 21, 2012

Harlequin, a leading publisher of books for women, and Mills & Boon, their international romance imprint, today announced the inauguration of a global English-language writing contest that offers aspiring authors the chance to win a publishing contract. The free 24/7 online conference, So You Think You Can Write (soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com) will take place September 17–21, 2012 and will be the first event to combine the strength of the publisher’s two iconic brands—Harlequin (North America) and Mills & Boon (Europe, Australia and Africa), taking advantage of an international presence and audience.

So You Think You Can Write allows hopeful romance novelists to spend a week with more than 50 editors from Toronto, New York and London through social media tools including podcasts, videos, webinars, blogs, live chats, community discussions and Twitter events. Aspiring authors will attend a virtual romance-writing “boot camp” designed to teach them how to write a romance novel that will attract the attention of publishers.

So You Think You Can Write has been organized in such a way as to help participants prepare completed manuscripts for submission to the So You Think You Can Write contest by the deadline, October 13, 2012.

Entrants into the contest portion of the conference will experience the path a professional writer undertakes from the genesis of a story idea all the way through to the publication of a novel. Participants will initially be asked to submit a first chapter accompanied by a maximum100-word pitch. An online vote, open to the public, will narrow the field down to 25 contestants who, along with three “wildcard” entrants selected by Harlequin, will then be required to submit a finished manuscript. Harlequin and Mills & Boon editors will select three finalists whose manuscripts will be judged in an online vote, again open to the public, and a winner will be named and awarded a publishing contract to write a series romance novel for Harlequin/Mills & Boon.

Harlequin and Mills & Boon editors believe that by engaging aspiring writers, showcasing the tremendous appeal of the romance genre and offering expert insights into crafting the perfect story, they can help promising novelists hone their skills and achieve their dreams of writing for one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women. For more information please visit soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com.

Salamander 2012 Fiction Prize – DEADLINE: June 15th

$1,500 Honorarium and Publication
Final Judge: Carolyn Cooke

SUBMIT: Online or by mail from May 15 through June 15, 2012; on-line submission available at end of day on May 15th.

Reading fee: $15

•All entries will be considered for publication. All entries will be considered anonymously.

•Send no more than one story per entry. Each story must not exceed 35 double-spaced pages in 12 point font. Multiple entries are acceptable, provided that a separate reading fee is included with each entry.

•Please submit two separate cover sheets with each entry, one with the title of the story only, and the other with the title of the story and your name, address, phone number, and email. Your name should not appear anywhere on the story itself.

•Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but the contest fee is non-refundable if the submission is withdrawn. Please notify the editors as soon as possible if a submitted story is accepted elsewhere.

•Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere cannot be considered. Salamander’s definition of publishing includes electronic publication.

•No handwritten, faxed, emailed, or poorly copied/printed manuscripts will be considered.

•Salamander will not consider work from anyone currently or recently (within the past 4 years) affiliated with Suffolk University or the prize judge.

•If you wish to be notified of the arrival of your manuscript, please enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard. Please also include a self-addressed stamped business-sized envelope for notification of contest results. Manuscripts cannot be returned.

•Contest reading fee includes a one-year subscription. Checks should be made out to Salamander. We will send your subscription to the address on your cover sheet unless instructed otherwise. Overseas addresses, please add $10 for subscription postage ($5 for addresses in Canada). Please note that we cannot accept money orders or checks from foreign banks.

Here is the link to submit: http://salamandermag.org/contests/contest-submissions/

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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