So many people are writing these days, but we've all heard how hard it is to market a book and get it published. Well, if you or your teenager have a passion for young adult literature, and have a burning desire to write a YA novel of your own, now's your chance!
Not only is November National Novel Writing Month, when you actually write your own 50,000 word novel in 30 days, BUT there's also a Young Adult Novel Discovery Contest going on as well. What an exciting way to kick off the new month!
If writing an entire 50,000 word novel seems like an impossible task over the next 30 days, how about just coming up with a title and the first 250 words of a YA novel? That's all you (or your teenager) need to do in order to enter into the Young Adult Novel Discovery Contest.
Literary agent Regina Brooks will review all submissions, along with the editors at Sourcebooks, and the top 20 entries will be selected. They will then be passed on to editors at Soucebooks Fire, Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin), HarperCollins Children’s Books, Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Harlequin. These judges will select 5 winners, each of whom will be provided with commentary on their submissions.
The Grand Prize winner will not only be able to submit an entire manuscript for review, but she or he will also win a 10-week writing course! Actually, each of the top 20 participants will receive something; but when you really think about it, anyone who decides to take part in this process has already won something valuable. The whole experience, and just having your writing reviewed by a leading literary agent, is truly a gift to writers everywhere.
To find out more, and to send in a submission, please visit Gotham Writers' Workshop web site.
If you do decide to participate in this contest, please let us know by leaving a comment below. Good luck!
What kind of YA novel are you ready to write?
