SYTYCW 2015 DEAR AUTHOR BLOG POST —Birgit Davis-Tod
Miscwriting contests5 Comments
Welcome to…So You Think You Can Write!
By Senior Executive Editor Birgit Davis-Todd
Once again Harlequin and Mills & Boon are searching globally to find new authors for all our series plus Carina Press. Always wanted to see your book published by the world’s leader in romance fiction? Be sure to enter your manuscript in our Writing Contest. One lucky winner will be offered a two-book publishing contract–and the opportunity to work with a topnotch editor!
New for 2015: We’ve teamed up with Wattpad, a huge online community for writers and readers, to offer authors a unique opportunity to learn, write and network along the way.
Enter the SYTYCW Writing Contest by posting your romance manuscript directly on Wattpad between now and September 21 4:59 pm EST, and get reader feedback as you polish your masterpiece. Remember to join Wattpad and set up your profile before posting your entry!
What Makes a Contest Submission Stand Out?
As an editor I’m looking for a unique voice, good writing plus a great plot and main characters. The story should grab me on page one and keep me hooked to the end of the chapter. Likewise the 100-word pitch should stir my interest and make me want to read more of the manuscript. It’s also important that the story fit within one of our eligible Harlequin series or Carina Press.
That said I’m also interested in submissions that show potential such as a strong hero, great use of dialogue or evocative love scenes. A story may not be perfect yet but as editors we will work with a writer to revise a manuscript to make it better—and saleable.
Authors interested in submitting to the writing contest should visit harlequin.com to check out our guidelines and everything we publish.
Five Day Online Conference
All writers should join us September 14 – 18 for our 24/7 online conference AKA Harlequin’s Boot Camp for Writers. Exercise those writing muscles with an intensive workout packed with blogs, live chats, Twitter events and more. Want to know more about plotting, characterization, conflict or sensuality? This is the conference to attend. You’ll meet over 50 Harlequin Editors ready to coach you and whip your manuscript into final shape for the writing contest.
This year we are offering three Daily Writing Challenges: First Page, First Meeting of Main Characters and Writing Your 100-Word Pitch. Get ready to submit so your work can be reviewed the same day by our talented editors.
Our Five Day Online Conference is free and fun! No need to register or leave the comfort of your home or office. Log on daily—night or day!
How Do You Spell Success?
Since launching the So You Think You Can Write contest and online conference in 2010 we’ve discovered and published thirty plus new writers for Harlequin.
We can’t wait to find our next new SYTYCW author! Could it be you?
Submit your entry by September 21, 4:59 pm EST at: Wattpad.com/user/harlequinsytycw
Calling All Writers! Let me know if you have questions or comments about this year’s SYTYCW online conference and writing contest.
This comment doesn’t have to do with the contest, which is a great opportunity, but maybe you could pass along a suggestion to the admin at Carina press (or whoever does their website) to include a category for either multicultural works or interracial romance)
Its’ great that Female/female are listed on the first page as well as BDSM and male/male, so it would be nice to have a category for readers who enjoy diverse protagonists (and yes, I realize that in each category there are probably books with diverse leads, It’s just that hunting them down is a lot easier when they’re listed with the other categories)
Thanks in advance.
Hi, I’ve passed your suggestion on to the Carina team. If you’re looking for particular books with multicultural protagonists, we can suggest the following:
Alyssa Cole’s Off the Grid series is new adult post-apocalyptic romance featuring members of a Korean-American family, found here: http://www.carinapress.com/shop/miniseries/off-the-grid.html
(Third book is coming in October!)
The LA Doms series by Solace Ames is erotic romance, and features multicultural characters: http://www.carinapress.com/shop/miniseries/la-doms.html
HIS ROAD HOME by Anna Richland (RITA winner, 2015) has a hero with a physical disability: http://www.carinapress.com/shop/books/9781426899126_his-road-home.html
RED BLOODED by Caitlin Sinead has a Latin-American hero: http://www.carinapress.com/shop/books/9781459290044_red-blooded.html
MAKING THE FIRST MOVE by Reese Ryan has African-American protagonists: http://www.carinapress.com/shop/books/9781426895876_making-the-first-move.html
And coming in November, we have HIDDEN IMPACT by Piper J. Drake, which features a Chinese-American heroine.
Thanks for writing!
@wikkidsexycool:
Thanks for your comment about the Carina Press categories. I’d be happy to have a convo with you if you want to email me! angela.james AT carinapress.com
@Birgit Davis-Todd:
Hello Ms. Davis-Todd,
Thanks for the recommendations. I will definitely check them out.