Hookline Novel Competition
The Readers' Choice
|
The Hookline Novel Competition is aimed at new writers,
specifically students and graduates of MA writing courses. But
rather than judge the competition ourselves, we have turned the
procedure over to book club members – those avid book
consumers who meet each month to discuss, criticise and laud
works of fiction.
The competition takes ten months. New authors begin by
submitting only the first three chapters and a 300-word synopsis
of their novel.
Each book club is given a selection of the works and, after three
months, they must decide which writers show the most promise.
The top writers are then asked to submit their complete novel,
and book groups evaluate and rate these works on plot,
character development, writing style and, most importantly,
reader satisfaction.
This is the first writing competition to link new writers with serious
consuming readers.
The competition is open only to students and graduates of MA
writing programmes. Writers should initially submit the first three
chapters and a 300-word synopsis of their novel (think of this as
the back blurb of a book jacket so use it to engage potential
readers).
The winning manuscript will receive a publishing contract from
Bookline and Thinker Ltd.
Deadline for submission of the first three chapters and 300-word
synopsis - January 31, 2010. Deadline for submission of the full
novel - June 30, 2010. The winner will be announced in early
November, and publication should coincide with the London
Book Fair 2011.
To Apply:
1. Submit the application form on Hookline Application
2. Email, as Word attachments, the first 3 chapters of your novel
(8,000 word max. if chapters long or chapter form not used)
along with a 300 word synopsis of your novel. Send to:
fictioneditor@booklinethinker.com
3. To make life easy for our reading groups, we typeset and
bind the works into book form and then mail multiple copies.
This is expensive, therefore we must charge a submission fee of
£50. This can be submitted via Paypal or by cheque made out
to Bookline and Thinker Ltd. (address below).
Bookline and Thinker Ltd
#231, 405 King's Road
London SW10 0BB
Tel: 0845 116 1476
Hookline Rules:
- The Hookline Novel
Competition is open to
students and graduates of
MA writing programmes in the
United Kingdom.
- The work must be in English
and not previously published.
- Entry must be the original
work of the named entrant.
- Entrant must personally
submit the entry.
- Each entry must be
accompanied by a 300-word
synopsis.
- Single novel entry only.
- Deadline for submission of
the first three chapters is
January 31 2010. (If chapter
form is not used, or chapters
are particularly long, we ask
that you limit your submission
to 8,000 words)
- Entries must be submitted
electronically as a Word
document with name and
contact details on a cover
sheet. Please include no
unusual fonts or insignia. If
you do not know how to use
page numbers, headers or
footers in Word, then please
do not put them in manually
(simply omit and we will insert
them ourselves).
- Copyright remains with the
writer.
- The winner will be offered a
publishing contract with
Bookline and Thinker Ltd.
- There is no cash or
alternative to the prize stated,
and the prize is not
transferable.
- Bookline and Thinker Ltd are
not responsible for any failure
of receipt of entries.
- Writers with agents are
welcome to enter the
competition, but the terms of
the contract will not be
changed.
- Entries should be emailed to
fictioneditor@booklinethinker.
com
- We must charge a £50 fee to
cover printing and mailing
costs to book clubs (this
covers both stage one and
stage two of the competition
should you be shortlisted).
This is payable by Paypal or
by mailing a cheque to
Bookline and Thinker Ltd.
- Submission of an entry will be
deemed acceptance of these
conditions.