2012 Hot Prospects Contest
GUIDELINES AND ENTRY FORM
Looking to sign your first book contract, switch from a small press to a large publisher or simply explore another genre of romantic fiction? Turn up the heat on your writing career with the Hot Prospects Contest.
Fee: $25 for Valley of the Sun RW chapter members
$30 for non-chapter members
Postmark Deadline: September 1st, 2012
E-Submit Deadline: September 1st, 2012
Eligibility: Any uncontracted and unpublished work.
Enter: 3-5-page synopsis and up to 25 pages of story (30 pages max). Entry or synopsis may be shorter, but neither may be longer than specified.
Categories/Judges: Trained judges for preliminary round,
Editors and Agents for final round.
1) Historical/Regency
Editor - Lauren Plude, Grand Central Publishing
Agent - Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency
2) Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal
Editor – Holly Blanck, St. Martins Press
Agent – Agent Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary Agency
3) Romantic Suspense
Editor – Deb Werskman, Sourcebooks
Agent – Elaine English
4) Contemporary Long/Single Title
Editor – Katherine N. Pelz, The Berkley Publishing Group
Agent – Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management
5) Series Contemporary
Editor - Harlequin Johanna Raisanen, Associate Editor, Harlequin
Editor - Leanne Morgena, Senior Editor, Sweetheart Rose, The Wild Rose Press
GRAND PRIZE: The winner will receive $250.00 USD.
Entry Fee: $30.00 (U.S. funds) per entry. Make check payable to Valley of the Sun RW or pay with Paypal. Fees are non-refundable.
Deadline: Entries must be postmarked by September 1st, 2012. Electronic entries must be received by 11:59pm PST September 1st, 2012.
Eligibility: The Hot Prospects Contest is open to any work uncontracted and unpublished at the time of entry.
Contents: A synopsis (up to five pages) and the first 25 pages of the manuscript.
The same entry cannot be placed in more than one category.
Contestants may submit more than one entry in a category or enter multiple categories, but each entry must be accompanied by a separate Entry Form and Fee.
Judging: Each entry will be judged by two trained judges in the preliminary round. Judges are published and unpublished authors who have been through the chapter training for contest judging. The preliminary judges are encouraged make comments directly on the manuscripts or in the electronic files and each will provide a score sheet to be attached to the manuscript for return to the contestant.
The total number of points possible is 65. If the preliminary scores for any entry vary as much as a 26 point spread, the entry will be judged a third time and the lowest score (of the three) will be thrown out.
NOTE: All judging is confidential. The Contest Coordinators will not reveal the names of the judges.
Finalists: The top three finalists will be determined based on the average of the two preliminary scores for each entry and will be notified by October 31st, 2012. All finalists will have approximately 1 week to review judges’ critiques and make changes to her/his manuscript before it goes to the final-round judge.
The synopsis and the revised manuscript (or the original manuscript on file, if the entrant does not revise) will be sent to the editor/agent judge.
Winners: Editors/Agents will read the top three manuscripts in each category to determine final placements, which will be returned to the contest coordinator via email. These entries will not be returned, as the editors/agents traditionally do not make any notes on them. We have asked the editors/agents to shred those finalist entries rather than return them.
Those entries that do not final will be returned approximately November 7th, 2012 to help those who plan to enter RWA’s Golden Heart.
Prizes:
Grand Prize Winner: The single highest scoring first place entry across all categories $250.00 USD.
All finalists in each category will receive a certificate, a graphic for their website and an acknowledgement in the Romance Writers Report.
Approximate date of winner notification is December 15th, 2012.
Failure to Comply: Any entry failing to comply with the rules as stated herein will be disqualified and entry free forfeited. No fees will be refunded on the basis of disqualification or withdrawal. The Hot Prospects Contest Chair reserves the right to return any entry that does not comply with the contest rules.
Categories:
Contemporary Series: Romantic novels, which may also include sensuality that may or may not be intense. Projected word count: More than 50,000 words.
Long/Single Title- Romantic novels released as individual titles, not usually part of a series. Projected word count: over 70,000 words.
Romantic Suspense- a suspense/mystery/thriller plot is integrated within a romantic novel. Projected word count: over 70,000 words.
Historical- Romantic novels set in a time period prior to 1945. Projected word count: over 70,000 words.
Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal- futuristic, fantasy, or paranormal elements are integrated within the love story. Projected word count: over 70,000 words.
Valley of the Sun RW reserves the right to return all entries and fees if the minimum entry number for each category (5) is not received. Entrants will be contracted to see if they wish to place their entry in another category before entries are returned.
ENTRY FORM - word document
ENTRY FORM - PDF document
Pay Contest Fee for non-members through Paypal:
Pay Contest Fee for members through Paypal:
Previous contests finalists and winners