Zondervan and Mount Hermon Writer's Conference Sponsor Competition for Aspiring Fiction Authors
Winner Receives $10,000 Publishing Contract
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Unpublished Christian fiction writers, get your manuscripts ready. Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, today announced All About the Story, a writing competition for first-time novelists. The winner will receive a $10,000 publishing contract with Zondervan, and all finalists will have their works recognized during the Christian Book EXPO in Dallas in March 2009.
Sponsored by Zondervan and Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, All About the Story is open to any unpublished writer who has attended a past Mount Hermon Writer's conference or who is registered for the 2009 conference. In addition to the opportunity for their work to be published by Zondervan, the winning author will also receive valuable feedback from editors and experienced judges, including bestselling Christian fiction authors Karen Kingsbury, Terri Blackstock, Brandilyn Collins and Noel Hynd.
"We know there are many talented Christian fiction writers who just need an opportunity like this to get the break they need to become a published author," said Dudley Delffs, vice president and publisher of Trade Books at Zondervan. "We are pleased to partner with Mount Hermon to uncover top writing talent just waiting to be discovered."
The All About the Story contest will be judged in three stages:
1. Synopsis and the first 5,000 words of work will be judged to determine semi-finalists.
2. Semi-finalists will submit a full manuscript to be judged by Zondervan editors to determine finalists.
3. The winner will be determined by a panel of bestselling authors.
The grand prize winner will receive a publishing contract with Zondervan including a $10,000 advance on royalties. Finalists will be recognized at the Christian Book EXPO in Dallas, Texas, March 20-22, 2009. The winner will be announced at the 2009 Mount Hermon Writer's Conference on Saturday, April 4, 2009.
All first-round entries must be received before November 5th, 2008. For additional information, and contest rules, visit www.zondervan.com/
About Mount Hermon
Founded in 1906, Mount Hermon was the first Christian camp west of the Mississippi. From its inception, Mount Hermon has been both interdenominational and evangelical. For 102 years Mount Hermon has consistently proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior, by teaching the authoritative Word of God and serving churches and other Christian ministries both here and around the world.
About Zondervan
Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, is the world leader in Christian communications and the leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences by influential authors and emerging voices, and has been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Zondervan is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in San Diego, Miami and London. Its resources are sold worldwide and are translated into nearly 200 languages in more than 60 countries. Visit Zondervan online at www.zondervan.com.
Some editors or agents ask for a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. Not all of them do, so don’t automatically assume you need one. However, it’s the easiest type of synopsis to write, in my opinion. It’s simply a list of each chapter number, and then a couple sentences describing what happens in the chapter. Any significant spiritual or internal conflicts should be included, as well as major plot points, red herrings, symbolism, etc. The chapter-by-chapter synopsis will take the reader on a shortened version of the same ride you’ll give your novel reader, so include the dead ends and frustrations and obstacles that beset your characters. Each major character should be named, and minor characters can also be named if they have a significant impact on the storyline. However, peripheral characters shouldn’t be named in a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. I usually write a chapter-by-chapter synopsis first, then cut that down to a 1-2 page synopsis which I use for my proposals. Most proposals call f...
This contest sounds very interesting, but I can't find how to registerfor the 2009 conference.
ReplyDeleteI added a link for the Mount Hermon conference!
ReplyDeleteCamy