Mslexia news
MSLEXIA 2011 WOMEN'S NOVEL COMPETITION
1st Prize: £5,000
Judging Panel:
Clare Alexander, literary agent
Jenni Murray, broadcaster
Sarah Waters, novelistThe competition is open to unpublished women novelists writing in any genre for adults, including literary fiction, women’s fiction, young adult fiction, science fiction, fantasy, chick-lit, crime fiction, thriller, historical fiction... but not nonfiction or fiction for under 13s. To constitute a novel, your book must total at least 50,000 words.
Closing date: 30 September
Entry fee: £25
Send up to 5,000 words – which must be the first 5,000 words of your novel. Please make sure you have finished the novel before you send your entry.
Who is the competition aimed at?
"It doesn't have to be the truth, just your vision of it, written down." Virginia Woolf
- Women with an unfinished manuscript languishing in a bottom drawer. (Could this be the impetus you need to finish it?)
- Women who took up the write-a-novel-in-a-month challenge with NaNoWriMo and have a rough first draft. (Why not polish it up and send it to Mslexia?)
- Women who’ve submitted their completed novels over and over, and have despaired of finding an agent. (If you reach our shortlist, they’ll all sit up and take notice.)
- Women who’ve always wanted to write a novel, but could never find the time.
Get your book noticed
Because publishers specialise in different genres, we cannot guarantee a publishing contract at this stage. But we can guarantee that agents and editors will be falling over themselves for a first read of the winning manuscript.
What editors and agents are saying:
'When you find a great winner you can be sure publishers will come knocking. I will be first in line, wanting to read whoever wins’
Lennie Goodings, Virago Press‘It’s exciting to welcome a new prize that shines a light on talented unpublished women writers – I’d love to have first read of the winning novel’
Judith Murray, Greene and Heaton Literary Agency‘How wonderful to hear about this new platform for talented women writers. I’m really keen to read the winning manuscripts’
Alexandra Pringle, Bloomsbury Publishing‘If a new writer wins a competition it immediately grabs my attention. I am a big fan of Mslexia and will definitely look at the prizewinning entries’
Madeleine Buston, Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency‘I’m committed to discovering new women’s voices, so this is great news. I know there are many talented writers out there waiting to be discovered’
Sarah Savitt, Faber and Faber