Young Adult Novel Contest

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Writing Great YA Fiction
No query? No pitch? No problem!

Serendipity Literary Agency, in collaboration with Sourcebooks and Gotham Writers' Workshop, is hosting its first Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition for a chance to win a one-on-one consultation with one of New York's leading YA literary agents!

If you've written a novel for young adults�or have an idea for one that you would like to write�we invite you to enter our contest. Simply submit only an enticing title along with the first 250 words from the opening of your original YA novel using the form below. There's no entry fee or purchase requirement.

GREAT PRIZES
The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks and receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop.

The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York�s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors at HarperCollins, Penguin, Harlequin, Random House, and Sourcebooks and receive a one-year subscription to The Writer magazine.

The Top 20 Entrants will receive autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.

JUDGING
YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Soucebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children�s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to five, and each of the five winners will be provided commentary on their submissions.

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo
In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)�an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days�entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET), November 30, 2009.

IT IS EASY TO ENTER!
The contest is open to writers 13 years of age or older. Entrants will be judged solely on the title and the first 250 words of their YA novel�no additional material will be accepted. For an inside look at what the judges will be looking for, participants can refer to Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. There is no minimum word count for the submission. Only online entries will be accepted. And only one submission per person.

>> For writing tips from Regina Brooks, click here.

What are you waiting for? Use the form below to submit your entry beginning November 1!

Entry Form

First Name:		Last Name:
Address Line 1:		Address Line 2:
City:		State:
Postal Code:
Country:
Phone:		Email:
Date of Birth:
How you heard about this Contest:
Yes, I would like to receive coupons and information concerning books (including Writing Great Books for Young Adults) from Sourcebooks.

Entry Title:
Word Count:
Entry Text:

By submitting this entry you signify:

That you are the author of the entry
That you are 13 years of age or older on the date of entry
That the work is original and unpublished
That you agree to the rules of the competition
That you are entering only one work to the competition

All entries must be received between 12:01AM EST November 1, 2009 and 11:59PM EST on November 30, 2009, the contest deadline. Limit one entry per person. Keep it short but sweet - no more than a title (25 words or less) and the first 250 words of the novel. (There is no minimum word count.)

Because entries are forwarded to Sourcebooks for judging as soon as they are submitted, be sure that you�ve uploaded your best work before hitting the �Submit� button. We cannot accept revisions for any entry. Have questions? See Frequently Asked Questions.

No Purchase Necessary. Open to legal residents of the United States or Canada who are at least 13 years of age on date of entry. Void in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and where prohibited by law. For details, see Official Rules.

The authors of the top five entries will each win a 15-minute, one-on-one call with the founder of Serendipity Literary, Regina Brooks. During the call, winning writers can either pitch an individual project and receive pointers on presentation and concept, or ask the agent questions about the publishing process. As with any conversation with a literary agent, there�s always the possibility that she may request the entire manuscript.

Regina Brooks is the founder and President of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC and the Executive Director of the YB Literary Foundation, a non-profit organization which promotes literature to youth. She is also the author of the new book Writing Great Books for Young Adults which addresses everything from character development in the YA novel to specific instructions for querying an agent. Brooks has been instrumental in establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, as well as Sundee Frazier�a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection.

Official Rules - Frequently Asked Questions