2012 Minuet of Love Entry and Payment Form

Please contact the contest coordinators at novella@mcrw.com with any questions.

Minuet of Love Entry Form

Entry fee: $15

To submit entry fee by PayPal:
To submit entry fee by check, email dana_brantley@hotmail.com.

2012 Minuet of Love Novella Contest Rules

Categories and Final Round Judges:

Historical: Linda Ingmanson, Editor, Samhain Publishing

Contemporary: Deborah Nemeth, Editor, Carina Press

Paranormal: Adrien-Luc Sanders, Senior Editor, Entangled Publishing

Minuet of Love Entry Form

Contest Rules

Entry fee: $15

To submit entry fee by PayPal:
To submit entry fee by check, email dana_brantley@hotmail.com.

Entry deadline:

All entries must be received by 11:59 PM on Friday, June 1st, 2012. MCRW reserves the right to cancel any category and refund entry fees if there are less than ten entrants in that particular category. The Minuet of Love contest will be capped at 50 total entries, taken in the order complete entries are received. Incomplete entries will not “reserve” spaces in the contest.

Eligibility:

Authors may have previously been published (in any format, any length). However, the manuscript entered must not have been published as of the entry deadline. This includes traditional print, electronic versions, self- or subsidy publishing, and any other format in which the story is for sale.

Your manuscript’s completed or projected length must be between 15,000 and 40,000 words and must have a HEA (happily ever after) or a HFN (happy for now) ending. All heat levels are accepted. You may enter multiple categories if you wish, but must submit a different manuscript for each.   Please include a note with both your entry fee and your submission email if you are entering more than once – it will help keep us from worrying that we missed something in our paperwork.

Questions? Contact the contest coordinators at novella@mcrw.com.

Entry Submission:

Your entry must have the following three elements:

1) Entry fee paid via check or PayPal.

2) Completed entry form.

3) Your manuscript’s first 10 (or fewer) pages, emailed as an attachment to novella@mcrw.com. You may choose to omit prologues and/or to send fewer than ten pages, if you wish.

OPTIONAL: You may also include ONE of the following options as a separate attachment:

- a short (maximum 250 words) synopsis

OR

- a sample version of your query letter. Query letters sent will have personally identifying information removed (including specific agent/editor names and the “about the author” section, if included).

Synopses/query letters are entirely optional and are not part of the contest score sheet. If you choose to include one, however, contest judges may use them as a guide to more fully understand and score parts of the story. For example, if your heroine doesn’t show up in person until page 11, this extra information would help your judges evaluate how well she fits with the hero, even though she’s not directly referenced in the portion of the story included in the contest submission.

You will receive an email to confirm that we received your entry. Please allow 5 working days (ie, not weekends or holidays) before you ask the coordinators whether the entry has been received. Email address for questions is novella@mcrw.com, and this year’s contest coordinators are Wendy Qualls and Dana Sieders.

Entry Format:

1) All entries must be electronic and conform to the following standard manuscript format:

・ 12 point standard font (Times New Roman or Courier New)

・ double-spaced

・ indented paragraphs (i.e. not block style)

・ one-inch margins

・ .doc or .rtf format (please, no .docx)

2)  Each page should contain a header with the manuscript title, category, and total (or projected) word count in the upper-left-hand corner and the page number in the upper-right-hand corner. The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript.

Prizes:

The top scorer in each category will receive $25, a snazzy certificate, and will be announced in RWR.

Additional information:

- Be aware that your name may be in the document properties as the document’s creator because of software settings. If you don’t know how to change it, the coordinator can delete this for you with your permission.

- Do not paste the chapter into the body of the email. Use the format outlined above.

- Your entry will be test-opened upon receipt; if there are issues, you will be notified. While the contest coordinators will do their best to help you fix any problems, it is ultimately your responsibility to submit a usable entry before the contest deadline.

- Note: while it is acceptable to submit the entry form and payment before you submit your pages, all  the parts (pages, entry form, payment, and optional synopsis or query letter if desired) must be received by the contest deadline or your entry will not be counted in the contest. Your entry fee will be reimbursed if this happens.

Judging:

Each entry will be scored by at least two trained first-round judges. A third discrepency/tiebreaker judge may also score certain entries. Top scorers in each category will receive a two-week window in which to revise their entries before the final-round judges receive them. All judges’ decisions are final.

Finalists will be notified via e-mail and posted on the MCRW website, http://www.mcrw.com.  First round scores of finalists will be mailed or emailed as soon as possible; other scores will be released within 30 days after the finalists are announced.  Winners will be announced shortly after all final round judges return their scores.

Fine print (left in 12 pt font for ease of reading):

Entries received which have already been published (i.e. offered for sale in any format) will be disqualified. No entry may be withdrawn after being submitted to the contest with one exception (see below). Entry fees from disqualified entrants will not be refunded. Entry fees will be refunded to entrants in any category that does not receive the minimum number of entries unless they request placement in another category. Any entries over the contest limit of 50, or those received after the due date, will be returned along with the entry fees.

Here is the one exception about withdrawing your entry mentioned above: if you receive a contract for your submission or self publish it before the contest deadline, you may withdraw your entry with proof of contract or publication and your fee will be returned. If you receive a contract or self publish a different manuscript in the chosen category before the contest deadline, it will not affect your entry.

 

Why enter our contests when there are so many to choose from?

Because we:

  1. Welcome electronic entries and PayPal payments for those who like to be green and/or save postage;
  2. Don’t require a synopsis for the initial round (yay!);
  3. Give finalists a chance to incorporate judge comments (including optional comments from our resident Grammar Wench) before mailing the manuscripts to the editors and agents;
  4. Accept a limited number of entries so judges can focus on each manuscript;
  5. Allow contestants to specify alternate subcategories such as erotic, inspirational, or romantic elements for precise judge assignment;
  6. Constantly improve our score sheet and rules from year to year based on judge and entrant feedback;
  7. Have a high ratio of published to unpublished authors who help with the contest;
  8. Use almost all in-chapter judges who are personally known to the contest coordinator;
  9. Employ experienced discrepancy judges when needed;
  10. Have a lot of experience handling contests — this is the Melody of Love’s 13th year; and…
  11. Get our entrants noticed! Many finalists’ manuscripts have been requested by editors or published since they entered our contest.
    • Laura Navarre, the 2008 winner in the Historical Catagory with THE DEVIL’S VIRTUE,  sold the manuscript to Dorchester as THE DEVIL’S TEMPTRESS. This title was released in August 2011.
    • Lisa Cooke, author of TEXAS HOLD HIM, a 2006 finalist, was purchased by Dorchester publishing and released in 2008. Lisa said, “Thank you for the great feedback from your judges and the exposure your contest provided!”
    • Catherine Kean, author of DANCE OF DESIRE, from Medallion Press had what she called a “great experience with the Melody of Love Contest. Winning second place was a tremendous thrill. Not only did I receive solid feedback from the contest judges and the opportunity to have an editor read [DANCE OF DESIRE], but the much-needed encouragement to keep writing. Thirty contest finals and nine first-place wins later, I clinched my first sale!”
    • Said Robin T. Popp, author of TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN and MCRW’s 3rd place Paranormal category winner in 2000:  “I’m a big proponent of contests because I think they’re a great source of feedback while you’re learning your craft and a terrific opportunity to get noticed. I sold my first book, TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN, as the result of finaling in a contest. The Melody of Love will always be one of my favorite contests because it is the first one I ever finaled in.”Robin also finaled in the 2003 Golden Hearts and her novel won the the RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee for Best Futuristic.
    • From that same year, another of the paranormal finalists, Patti O’Shea, published her winning manuscript RAVYN’S FLIGHT. That was a good year for paranormals!

    12.  

Contest Entry Tips

  1. The contest allows up to 10  pages. That doesn’t mean you should try to squeeze as much as possible into those 10 pages! Leave judges with a snappy ending, even if it means sending fewer than 10 pages. It’ll be worth it.
  2. Make sure you double check for typos and grammatical errors. If necessary, get someone to proof for you. A professional manuscript is not sloppy and will be nearly free of such errors. Honest.
  3. If you are uncertain about the electronic formatting of your manuscript, please give yourself enough time to work with the contest coordinator to meet the contest guidelines. We will work with you!
  4. An interesting beginning is definitely an asset. You don’t want to drown your judges right up front with backstory, nonessential or as-you-know-Bob dialogue, or long sections of worldbuilding or scenery. Sneak that stuff in. Find a balance!
  5. If the text of your entry is sizzlin’ hot, please consider checking the appropriate subcategory box on the entry form. This will help us assign judges who are familiar with the erotic romance market. Ditto if your entry is an inspirational or women’s fiction instead of mainstream romance. If your entry is not sizzlin’ hot in the part of the manuscript you’re submitting, it is your choice as to whether or not to check that box.
  6. If you happen to final, take advantage of the chance to revise before we send you to the final round editor or agent. Put your best partial forward!
  7. The judges really appreciate thank you notes. If you feel so inclined, you are welcome to hand write them and send them to the contest mailbox for distribution or email them to the contest coordinator. They can be anonymous if desired, in either format. Your personal information will not be shared with judges unless you request it.

Ideas from our judges!

  • If you write cross-genre fiction (ie, a romance with a science fiction/fantasy setting or plot), please make sure you are familiar with the other genre(s). Every genre has tropes, some of them tired and clichéd. Many of our judges, like many readers, are well-versed in numerous genres. They will appreciate a non-romance genre trope done with flare, inspiration, or a new twist.
  • Make sure you include enough hints of the story’s key conflicts to let the judges know what the rest of the story is about and they will be begging to read more. We only get to read the first 25 pages, so we need promises that the rest of the story will be just as fabulous as the first pages.
  • Create your own style guide for the entry so you can ensure their characters’ names, settings, brands, etc., don’t change in the middle.

Additional questions can be directed to contest coordinators, dana_brantley at hotmail.com or wqualls at gmail.com.

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