NOVEL PITCH & 1ST FIVE PAGES CONTEST 2009 SEMIFINALISTS - By Title Only (Alphabetically)
The BODY of HELEN CHIN LEE'S PLACE The END of ALL ROADS The FIRST YEAR IN and OUT of MADNESS IN the SHADOW of the LONE STAR INVISIBLE VAMPIRE KILLING RABBITS LETTERS from the DEAD MY NAME IS SADIA NO LIFE but THIS RISEN SECOND CHANCES SHADOWS of the COMANCHE SOMEWHERE HOME The SOUND of INK THICK and THIN The THIRD STEP
Winners notified by the end of the first week of February. A list of the winners will be posted here by mid-February, along with a few comments by the final judge and contest director highlighting how the winners grabbed our attention. We'll also give general pointers on how the entries that didn't reach the semifinalist level can be improved. We hope this will help writers find success when entering future contests or submitting their fiction for publication.
NOVEL PITCH and 1ST FIVE PAGES CONTEST
SPONSORED BY SMOKE CITY NARRATORS
DEADLINE: September 9, 2009 EXTENDED to SATURDAY OCTOBER 17, 2009
We're pleased to announce our2009 Contest Judge: Cindy Dyson, author of THE LAST QUERY: A New Approach to Crafting a Novel Query Letter. Dyson shows how-to hone in on the most intriguing qualities of your novel and your life, even if you lack writing credits, and shape them into a unique query.
Her query letter hooked Agent Marly Rusoff, who sold Dyson's first novel, AND SHE WAS, to Harper Collins.
Dyson's nonfiction credits include numerous magazine articles, five nonfiction YA books and three literary biographies in Harold Bloom's BioCritiques college library series. She grew up in Alaska and now lives in Montana, where she's working on her second novel. Learn more about her and her writing process on these websites:
In SCN's contest, every entry wins. A deadline, especially one that rewards effort and talent with cash, often motivates writers to take the next step in the publishing process.
Many industry professionals decide to reject, request the complete manuscript, or make an offer within the first few pages of a novel. Agent Noah Lukeman explains why in THE FIRST FIVE PAGES: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile.
A short and snappy synopsis that reveals the heart of the story, especially when rendered in the tone, style or voice of the novel, can hook an agent. Some agents have used that descriptive sentence to pitch the book to editors and land a publishing contract.
Shrinking a novel into one sentence sounds daunting but it's not impossible. TV Guide does it daily. Turning readers into life-long fans with just five pages may sound even harder. Yet debut authors accomplish that every year.
We hope you use this contest's deadline to create a killer query packet and advance your writing career. Due to the subjective nature of story-telling, entries that miss the final cut may still appeal to the agent or editor of your dreams.
RULES: Contest open to residents of the United States, with the exception of members of Smoke City Narrators. Entries must be original and unpublished (includes Internet). Multiple entries OK but only one prize awarded to any winner.
Submit: Two copies of each entry in standard manuscript format: Double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 pt. font, Courier New or Times New Roman.
* First five pages of a novel, 1,500 words max.
* One-sentence pitch for the novel (mini-synopsis), 20 words max.
* $8 fee for each entry.
Enclose a separate cover page containing only: Novel Title, Author's Name, Snail Mail Address, Phone Number and E-mail Address.
At the top of the first page of the manuscript, include: Novel Title, Word Count for the First Five Pages, Pitch and its Word Count. Number the pages but DO NOT show author's name anywhere on the manuscript.
Make checks or money orders payable to: Janice Wiley-Dorn. Send contest entries and fees to:
Janice Wiley-Dorn, SCN Contest Director P. O. Box 1031 Pell City, AL 35125
NOTE: For delivery confirmation (optional), please include a self-addressed stamped postcard (SASP). To receive a List of Winners, please include a #10 self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE).
Prize winners and Honorable Mentions will receive a certificate of merit and may have their novel pitch posted (optional) on the website of Smoke City Narrators and on the blog, PUBLISHED NOVELIST: Are We There Yet? Authors retain all rights because novel pages will not be published.
*Rule violations will result in disqualification, and entry fees will not be returned.*