Aurora Metro is launching a competition for unpublished novel by a woman

Carol

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/89180-new-women-writers-encouraged-by-aurora.html

febes

Thankyou for that Carol! Better get writing hadn't I?

Stirling

This may help

http://www.aurorametro.com/October_Version/Virginia_Prize_-_Rules__Informa.html

Thanks for the tip, Carol. Although I'll be finished the current draft I'm not sure whether I'll be happy to send it out in September. I think it will take at least another year (two drafts.)

Carol

There may be somone else on TB who will have a manuscript ready. :)
Anyone?

Red

I might have a go at this.

Jay Mandal

"Dawn of the Dead"?

*SA*

hmm... i'm thinking i might send book #1 off to that... it's nearly finished, and i was going to start sending it off to agents and the like around then anyway... couldn't hurt to enter, could it? ;)
it doesn't say anything about what sort of book they're looking for. i'm hoping that means they're open to anything...

*SA*

Jenny

The Bookseller article says "the winning entry will be published" but the entry form says "conditional offer of publication".

Anyone know what "conditional" means in this connection (before I recommend the competition to anyone!)?

Carol

It also said in the terms that runners up might be published.
Presumably the conditional means the winner's story is the required length, not libelous/slanderous etc.
HPRW might know if there is a definition.

LeeH

Any hint of how much of an advance there is? as the wife's not back from a weekend at her folks for 4 hours and I might be willing to have surgery to become Leanna if its loads. I'm sure I can explain away the slight change.

HPRW

A conditional offer would be subject to conditions, surely. So the prize is an offer of publication on condition that the writer fulfill certain criteria, which could include (to look on the dark side, as I usually do) rewriting the whole thing, signing away all rights to it, paying for that publication, or doing housework for the publisher in perpetuity.

A brief look at the publisher's web page isn't promising: it's not very professional, the design is pretty poor, and I don't think I've seen any of its titles reviewed in the press or on book shop shelves. I'm sure they have good intentions, but I don't think I'd submit to this particular publisher.

ceka

Bit like a British version of the Proverse Prize, but a great deal cheaper to enter! Both my 'suitables' are out for rehoming at present, so it's not for me.
Anyone else?