The Frasier Contest 2010 is now closed to entries.
(Frasier 2011 will open January 21, 2011.)
My Book Therapy
writing contest
for the members of
Club Book Therapy Voices!
We, at My Book Therapy, believe in the power of feedback to help a writers grow in their writing craft! And one of the best ways to get unbiased feedback is to enter a contest. Agents and editors agree that writing contests are the perfect way to: 1. Get feedback from professionals on your manuscript and 2. Start a buzz for your work among the gatekeepers.
However, it’s not enough, sometimes, just to get a contest entry back…how do you take the feedback and go to the next level? Our vision is to help authors become PUBLISHED authors…..
Which is why we’ve designed the “Frasier” writing contest for unpublished member of the My Book Therapy Voices…with a grand prize that is more than a certificate or a plaque…it’s a TICKET. Or rather, a SCHOLARSHIP to one of the My Book Therapy’s intimate yet intensive writing retreats.
A $500 value.
A great story is comprised of the same elements – a great hook, storyworld, a compelling inciting incident, a sympathetic characters, stakes that matter and a strong voice. The Frasier is designed to pick out the best of the best – no categories, just storytelling. Using the elements of a great book that we’ve blogged about at MBT over the past few years, the Frasier award will go to the story, regardless of genre, that best captures the reader.
The winner of the Frasier will receive his or her choice of a FREE MBT Retreat, be featured in the Voices Ezine, and on the MBT blog, as well as receive writing feedback from published authors/judges from the industry. Finally, the final entries will be judged by a literary agent tba, the perfect way to get your work in front of a literary agent.
The winner will be announced at the annual MBT Pizza Party (at the 2010 ACFW Conference in Indianapolis, IN)
And, only members of the MBT Voices are eligible to enter.
What’s the cost? $30 per entry
Who is eligible? The MBT Frasier contest is open to Voices members unpublished in adult or young adult fiction in the last seven years (that means nothing in print, over 20K by publishers, both tradition or electronic who pay advances, royalties, or offering subsidy contracts), or contracted authors as of March 31, 2010. NON-Fiction authors are eligible if they haven’t published any fiction works. Self-published authors are also eligible; however, they may not enter any manuscript that has been self-published and offered for sale.
Judges: First round judges are current therapists with My Book Therapy and/or currently published authors. They will judge the ms based on the elements taught by My Book Therapy (See FAQ: score-sheets), on a number/rating basis; each ms will be judged twice, by different judges. The top ten percent of entrants will then be sent to the second round judges, and judged on hook, craft and voice. Entries will be judged, but not edited. All entries are anonymous to the judges. Entrants will receive feedback on the judging feedback form – line edit feedback is optional.
Finalists will be announced by June 1, 2010.
The final 5 entries will be judged by Susan May Warren, award-winning author, Susan Downs, Senior Editor at Summerside Press, and Sandra Bishop, literary agent with MacGregor Literary.
Guidelines:
This is an all-email contest. No hard copies will be accepted (and will not be returned). All contest entries and fees must be received by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on March 31, 2010. If any entry and/or fees are received after March 31st, 2010 entrant will be notified of disqualification and fees will be returned. All entrants will receive a confirmation email of their entry. If you do not hear from My Book Therapy about your entry, email us at Frasier@mybooktherapy.com.
Manuscript Formatting:
In ONE file, compile a 500 word synopsis (single spaced), and your opening scene up to 1500 words (double spaced). NO MORE, or your entry will be marked down. Format your MS with 1-inch margins, using Times New Roman type, pt. 12 font.
Format your header so it reads: Name of entry/Frasier Contest Submission (e.g. Happily Ever After/FRASIER Contest Submission). Number your pages.
Submission Details:
- Send your entry as an ATTACHMENT in one file in .doc or .rtf format only. The synopsis should be placed at the beginning of the manuscript pages to Frasier@mybooktherapy.com
- In the body of your email, please list:
- Your Name
- Your address
- Your phone number(s)
- Your e-mail
Note: If you have multiple submissions, you must enter them (and pay for them) separately.
Copy and paste the following into the body of your email as proof that you have read and agree to the contest rules.
I, as author of this novel, have read and understood the rules of this contest and agree to abide by the final decision of its judges and the contest committee. I certify that I have been unpublished in novel length fiction within the last seven years and that the manuscript I submit is my own original work. I will not submit this manuscript for consideration by any publishing house while it is entered in the 2009 FRASIER contest.
3. Submit your payment through the PayPal link
or via PayPal to booktherapy@susanmaywarren.com , or send a check or money order to:
My Book Therapy
PO Box 1290
Grand Marais, MN 55604
In the notes/comments section of the PayPal page, or in the memo line of your check, please list the title of your manuscript.
Because we have CBA professionals judging these books, CBA standards apply. (IOW: No erotica or manuscripts with questionable language will be accepted.)
**Entrants who do not comply with the above rules
will be disqualified and entry fee will be forfeited.**
Welcome to the Frasier Contest!
Elements included on the scoring:
The Frasier will be judged on the elements of a great story, as taught over the last three years at My Book Therapy.
First Round Judging will look at: The HOOK: Stakes, Hero and Heroine Identification, Storyworld, use of Backstory, Inciting Incident and Story Problem
Second Round Judging will look at: Dialogue, Emotional layering in a scene, and Voice
Third Round Judging will be readably and overall storytelling. This is subjective, of course, but so are all books. It’s a taste of real world.
