Miami University Press Novella Contest

About the novella and our contest

The novella form has had a long and distinguished place in American literature, and has triumphed in the hands of Herman Melville, Henry James, Katherine Anne Porter, Stanley Elkin, Cynthia Ozick, Jane Smiley, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, William Gass, John Gardner, Andrea Barrett and Tobias Wolff, to name just a few.

As commercial publishers are driven more and more by marketplace concerns, novellas, by nature of their length, often fall between the cracks of short story collections and novels and wind up being published—if at all—not as individual volumes but as part of a collection of stories. Because the form is such a pleasure for readers and writers alike—short enough to be read at a single sustained sitting, but long enough to allow the writer greater freedom in character and plot development than does the short story—we are happy to present a rare venue for publishing individual novellas as stand-alone volumes.

Manuscripts submitted for the award will be read and evaluated by our creative writing faculty, all of whom are active publishing writers. The manuscripts will be read “blind;” in other words, all identifiers will be stripped from the pages before the manuscripts are read, and the author’s history of previous publication will not be available to readers. Each year a different member of our faculty will serve as the final judge and will decide from among the list of finalists submitted by the other readers.

Students, former students, faculty, former faculty, or anyone connected to Miami University will not be considered for the award. Though we believe strongly in the talent of those we have worked with and taught, we will do everything we can to assure that this prize is administered impartially, fairly, and without regard to association.

Miami University Press is a non-profit organization. Though we are requiring a reading fee (currently $25), we wish to make it clear that this money will be used to pay for the administrative costs of the contest, to help with the costs of publishing a book of high quality, and to allow each entrant to receive a copy of the winning volume. We want that book to be a pleasure to hold in the hands and to read. The winning volume will be distributed nationwide.

Submission rules and guidelines

Note: Due to staffing limitations, entries received after May 27 will not be processed until August 2.

• Entries must be accompanied by (1) a completed Entry Form, (2) a title page with only the entry title and word count (do not include your name on the title page), and (3) the required reading fee of $25 U.S. Dollars (check or money order made payable to Miami University Press). We are unable to accept credit cards or cash.
• Winning entry receives book publication and a $750 advance against royalties.
• Entries must be postmarked by October 1, 2010.
• If you are entering more than one manuscript, you may mail all entries in the same package and include one check or money order for the total reading fee; however, each manuscript must be accompanied by a separate entry form and title page.
• The reading fee is non-refundable.
• Our contest is open to residents of any country, but please note that the reading fee must be paid in U.S. dollars.
• Manuscripts must be 18,000–40,000 words—exceptions cannot be made. Include the exact word count (counting every single word, except the title and contact information) on the cover page.
• Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, in a legible font on white 8½" x 11" or A4 paper. Loose pages, held together with a binder clip or rubber band, are acceptable.
• Previously published works are not eligible.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcomed; please notify us if your submission is accepted for publication elsewhere; your entry will be pulled from our pool. We regret that we cannot refund the entry fee.
• We cannot return submitted manuscripts.
• To receive notification of receipt of your manuscript, send a self-addressed stamped postcard along with your entry.
• All entrants receive a copy of the winning book.
• Results will be announced on our website by early February 2011.

Mail to:
MU Press Novella Prize
English Department
356 Bachelor Hall
Miami University,
Oxford, OH 45056