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Monday, February 9, 2009

Call For Submissions: Can you hook a SECRET AGENT?

Submissions are officially open.

The guidelines:

1. Please submit the first 250 words of your COMPLETED NOVEL to facelesswords(at)gmail.com.

2. Submissions must be received IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:

Screen Name (PLEASE list this first, as it's easier to swipe the text below without including it)
TITLE:
GENRE:

(Please -- no bold, underlines, or strange fonts.)

(Also -- please, NO CENTER-JUSTIFYING!)

*Submission in a normal font (NOT Courier, Comic, or anything that is outside the realm of normal in the publishing world), 250 words (your first page)

3. This month's contest will include the following genres:

  • Commercial (literary and mainstream)
  • Women's fiction (including chick lit in all its varieties)
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction/Fantasy
  • Young Adult/Middle Grade

    • If your novel does not fall within one of these genres, please do not enter.

    4. Entries will be limited to a 24-hour submission window, or 50 submissions -- WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.

    5. All submissions will receive a confirmation email containing your post number. If you do not receive a confirmation email, I did not receive your submission.

    6. I LOVE your personal notes -- I really do. But please refrain from sending a "thank you" email after I've sent your post number.

    7. NO ATTACHMENTS. Please send your submission in the body of your email.

    8. By entering this contest, you are agreeing to the public posting and critiquing of your work.

    9. If you are chosen as a winner of this contest, you will agree to the terms of the prize as laid out by our Secret Agent, or your prize will be subject to forfeiture.

    If we reach our 50 submission limit before 24 hours have ended, I will let you know. Otherwise, submissions will close tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9:00 am
    at

    35 comments:

    1. J.R. JohanssonFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:11 AM

      Thanks for doing this Authoress. I've never entered before and I'm very excited to see how this works.

      my word verification is glerni.
      I take this as a good sign because I believe it means learning in a rare lost dialect of pig latin.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Jamie Smith HopkinsFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:14 AM

      Yes, thank you! I can't stop hitting "refresh" on my mail program to see if the confirmation email has come through. :-)

      ReplyDelete
    3. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:21 AM

      I really appreciate this opportunity, Authoress. The last contest I entered really helped me make a brand-new (and much better) beginning to my novel and now I'm excited to see how it turns out this time around.

      ReplyDelete
    4. feywriterFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:22 AM

      I'm really looking forward to seeing how mine does. I used the same WIP, but started with a different scene.

      ReplyDelete
    5. ScottFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:39 AM

      Thanks from me as well. First time doing this contest.

      Jamie - I keep hitting refresh on my email as well. I don't think my ISP is going to like me very much this morning. : )

      S

      ReplyDelete
    6. Jenn NixonFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:54 AM

      First timer as well, can't wait to participate!

      ReplyDelete
    7. Kathryn Hupp-HarrisFebruary 9, 2009 at 9:57 AM

      Scott and Jamie,

      I'm right there with you -- clicking refresh.

      If someone put us all next to each other, we'd probably look like a bunch of fools. :-)

      Good luck to everyone! I can't wait to read the entries (and the critiques).

      ReplyDelete
    8. UnknownFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:01 AM

      Hehe, I was sitting with my e-mail entry all ready at 1,00am here in Australia. I keep hitting my refresh button too for my confirmation e-mail. I have to go to bed now though, so I'll have to wait untill I wake up.

      I was having this awful feeling that we would lose power and I wouldn't be able to send it. There is a well needed storm brewing.

      Has everyone else re-written those first 250 words a trillion times like I did? Or is it just me? Just wondering, is all.

      Thank you for giving us so much excitement, Authoress. You're such fun.

      My word verication is blesmsta (Does that mean: Bless my story?)

      ReplyDelete
    9. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:02 AM

      Thanks from me, the newbie. A great opportunity!

      ReplyDelete
    10. UnknownFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:04 AM

      Kat, I've been hitting refresh all night waiting for the 'Go' sign. Anyone else care to admit to that too?

      ReplyDelete
    11. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:06 AM

      Once again, authoress, thank you for the opportunity!

      Sincerely,
      Lilianamama

      ReplyDelete
    12. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:14 AM

      I'm a newbie, like Pat, but I want to say thanks too. ;D You rock, Authoress.

      ReplyDelete
    13. Kathryn Hupp-HarrisFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:14 AM

      Trish,

      LOL!

      ReplyDelete
    14. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:18 AM

      P.S. My conformation was "Bundt"... does that mean I'm cake? (although the title of my ms does have the word "cakewalk" in it")


      ...this time it's "quead"... rhymes with "weed?"

      ReplyDelete
    15. UnknownFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:31 AM

      Am I there yet?

      ReplyDelete
    16. Cate KariaxiFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:31 AM

      *humored* At least you guys don't have a statement like "imbented". What if I don't want to be bented? :]

      I submitted too and looking forward to the fun.

      ReplyDelete
    17. Sheila JGFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:37 AM

      Has anybody heard from Authoress? I'm dying to know if I made the cut. I'm thinking that nano-second of hesitation may have cost me . . .

      I can't wait to read these, regardless. Good luck everyone!

      ReplyDelete
    18. ScottFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:41 AM

      Sheila - I'm still waiting to hear, and I submitted right around 9 AM EST. We may have overwhelmed her.

      ReplyDelete
    19. UnknownFebruary 9, 2009 at 10:41 AM

      I'm still up and my eyes are hanging out my head. It's 2.40am here. I'm tired, but I can't stop hitting refresh.

      What a bunch of children we all are. LOL

      My word verificarion is : 'proncess'. Am I a proncess?

      ReplyDelete
    20. AmandaFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:02 AM

      Thanks for the opportunity.

      My word is tststh.

      Apparently I'm a leaky tire.

      ReplyDelete
    21. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:03 AM

      Oh no! My verification word is 'cruel'!

      And now I forgot what I wanted to comment about! Why, oh why, couldn't I have gotten something cakey? Or coffee related? Or soap opera?

      But no. I get 'cruel'. Hope it's not a portent.

      ReplyDelete
    22. nightsmusicFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:08 AM

      I sent mine at 9:04 but haven't gotten a confirmation email. I'm sending again. If I made the 50 count, please disregard the second.

      coming from nightsmusic (at) phantomgerry.net

      ReplyDelete
    23. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:19 AM

      ah no... i got out of bed at 7:05 PST, which is 10:05 EST, but i submitted first thing... i dont think i made it

      at least there's always next month :D

      (conformation= ismente... "is meant to be... tea?")

      ReplyDelete
    24. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:20 AM

      And I must be really out of it... I keep spelling "confirmation" as "conformation"

      ReplyDelete
    25. J.R. JohanssonFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:28 AM

      If it makes anyone feel any better, I submitted at exactly 9:00am EST. and just got my reply saying I was post#1 about 45 minutes ago. Which would be 10:45am EST

      Good luck everyone!

      ReplyDelete
    26. nightsmusicFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:43 AM

      Miss Authoress! Please disregard my second sending.

      I tried a new add-on for Thunderbird, an email scheduler to send because I wasn't home. I was afraid when I'd come home, it hadn't worked, but it did!

      **snoopy dance**

      Thank you!!

      ReplyDelete
    27. Casey SomethingFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:46 AM

      Best wishes everyone! I can't wait to read the submissions.

      ReplyDelete
    28. ScottFebruary 9, 2009 at 12:15 PM

      Received my confirmation - #30! Whew!

      woordst is my verify word. I was very woordst that my email did not go through.

      Sorry, brain is not functioning properly. Need more coffee!

      ReplyDelete
    29. nightsmusicFebruary 9, 2009 at 12:25 PM

      I got mine about 20 minutes ago. *whew*

      This is my first time, again I apologize for the resend. I panicked. What can I say? Sorry...

      Do the submissions get posted with their user name? Or are they posted anonymously until after the critiquing period is over? I was trying to find a previous submission blog entry, but didn't have much luck.

      *sigh*

      Today is still asleep Monday for me, I think.

      ReplyDelete
    30. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 1:03 PM

      I seem to have made the list, but I'm new.
      I read somewhere we're supposed to critique five entries?
      When does that part happen?
      Thanks.
      Sabrina

      ReplyDelete
    31. AuthoressFebruary 9, 2009 at 1:07 PM

      All entries are posted anonymously. Screen names are for identification purposes "behind the scenes" and our winners.

      The submissions will be posted on Wednesday, which is when the crit fest will begin in earnest. :)

      ReplyDelete
    32. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 2:40 PM

      Thank you!

      ReplyDelete
    33. Sarah JensenFebruary 9, 2009 at 2:47 PM

      I, of course, didn't enter this time, need to edit a new ms for next round. But I look forward to reading this months submissions.
      Good luck everyone!

      ReplyDelete
    34. nightsmusicFebruary 9, 2009 at 3:19 PM

      Miss Authoress :-)

      Didn't you say something yesterday about not filling up with submissions right away?

      It didn't seem to take very long to me!

      ;-)

      ReplyDelete
    35. AuthoressFebruary 9, 2009 at 4:45 PM

      Quiet, or I'll delete your submission. ;)

      ReplyDelete