HookLine Novel Competition 2010
Competition which is open to graduates of creative writing MA courses.
At Bookline and Thinker, we have launched a competition aimed at new writers, especially those who have committed time and money to studying creative writing at university.
Novel writing is highly subjective – what pleases one reader, brings out criticism in another. Until now, publishers and editors have acted as gatekeepers in deciding which novels will reach publication and which novelists face rejection.
But rather than select a winner ourselves, we have turned the judging procedure over to book club members – those avid book consumers who meet each month to dissect, critique and enthuse over their monthly read.
The competition is in two stages:
Stage 1 - Students and graduates of MA writing courses submit the first three chapters and a one-page synopsis of their novel – exactly what is sent to an editor or agent for first evaluation. Each club receives no more than ten writers’ work to read. From these early chapters, each book club chooses the writer that hooked them. That writer is asked to submit their complete novel.
Stage 2 - The completed manuscripts are distributed to book clubs and rated on four criteria: plot, character development, writing style and, most importantly, reader satisfaction.
The 2009 competition is ongoing. The winner will be announced in early November.
Deadline for the next competition: 31 January 2010
