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Daily Mail novel competition in conjunction with Transworld
Competition may be of interest to some. If you've had a novel published under an ISBN you can't enter, and it appears to have been limited to UK entries only because of expected deluge.
There are links on the page to the full rules.
Thanks for that Carol. It looks very interesting. I expect they will still be flooded with manuscripts even though they have restricted the entries to the UK only.
Time seems to be a factor, to fit in with the newspapers schedule for promoting.
But I suspect they didn't originally think about how many from outside the UK might submit.
When ever these type of competitions appear they always seem to underestimate the response, but this time they are being realistic.
It probably means they will have a very tough sifting criteria.
I entered Richard and Judy's competition a few years ago, and it never occured to me to check out what Macmillian normally published. After all they will probably already have an idea what they are looking for, what they know how to sell, and that it will fit into what they already publish. So I've done my research this time in The Writers and Artists Yearbook, and I have visit Transworld's website. So yes, they publish crime. Next step will be to pick up a copy of one of their crime author's from Borders on Wednesday.
I wonder how many of the entries will be classified as unsuitable?.
I've been looking on the forum on the Daily Mail's website and some people are unhappy that they have to submit a whole manuscript, after all they will treat this as though it had landed in their slush pile, and the majority won't be read beyond the first chapter. So really the rules are the same as making an unsolicited submission.
The terms and conditions failed to say that the work has to be double-spaced, but one of the judges has said this on the forum, I think the rule of thumb is to set it out professionally. At least anyone who has experience of agents and publishers can set themselves apart as a serious writer from the novices that will no doubt try their luck.
I saw details in the Mail at the weekend and hurriedly went online to check the rules, but sadly the novel has to be at least 80000 words and mine is too short! Can I add another 14000 words by June or would it ruin what I think is an already completed story? I think it would just be unnecessary padding so I will have to pass on this one, or write another novel very very quickly!
I suspect it will be initially judged on the synopsis and the first chapter. As clearly they want something that is almost perfect and ready to go, otherwise why ask for the whole manuscript.
I don't think they are asking for a synopsis Carol, just the manuscript.
I'm working my way through a second draft and my word count is about 70,000, and struggling to lift it. I won't pad it, but I think agents and publishers would think it was too short under 80,000 (I am writing a crime novel, so the conventions might be different in other genres).
Hubby was hogging the computer last night, doing his digital photos so I didn't get a chance to confirm the synopsis bit with you Stirling. But you obviously found that piece after all.
Re the extra wordage. Is there something that you could expand, which you haven't previously?
Stirling, when we had John Harvey speak at our writers club last year, he mentioned word length of his books, and he was working to 80,000 words. That seems to have become the minimum, unless you're writing in a genre that has different requirements.
Comments
Competition may be of interest to some. If you've had a novel published under an ISBN you can't enter, and it appears to have been limited to UK entries only because of expected deluge.
There are links on the page to the full rules.
I don't know why, but I couldn't find the page using the address you gave, I did find it through the book club pages however.
As for this competition, ex-pat exclusion? Hmmmm seems a bit arbitrary to me....
But I suspect they didn't originally think about how many from outside the UK might submit.
When ever these type of competitions appear they always seem to underestimate the response, but this time they are being realistic.
It probably means they will have a very tough sifting criteria.
I wonder how many of the entries will be classified as unsuitable?.
I've been looking on the forum on the Daily Mail's website and some people are unhappy that they have to submit a whole manuscript, after all they will treat this as though it had landed in their slush pile, and the majority won't be read beyond the first chapter. So really the rules are the same as making an unsolicited submission.
The terms and conditions failed to say that the work has to be double-spaced, but one of the judges has said this on the forum, I think the rule of thumb is to set it out professionally. At least anyone who has experience of agents and publishers can set themselves apart as a serious writer from the novices that will no doubt try their luck.
I'm working my way through a second draft and my word count is about 70,000, and struggling to lift it. I won't pad it, but I think agents and publishers would think it was too short under 80,000 (I am writing a crime novel, so the conventions might be different in other genres).
Re the extra wordage. Is there something that you could expand, which you haven't previously?
Stirling, when we had John Harvey speak at our writers club last year, he mentioned word length of his books, and he was working to 80,000 words. That seems to have become the minimum, unless you're writing in a genre that has different requirements.