Got a novel in you? Here's your chance to get published

[KateMumsnet]

First novel competition: If you think you've got a novel in you, but despair of ever being published, stand by: in partnership with renowned literary agency Janklow & Nesbit, we're launching a fantastic competition for unpublished novelists.

Submit the first 8,000 words of your novel - Janklow & Nesbit guarantee to read every single entry. One enormous stumbling block to getting published is simply being noticed - so this really is an amazing opportunity.

The fantastic prize on offer is representation by J&N - setting you firmly on the path to publication: get details of how to enter here.

If you'd like to enter, but could use a bit of bespoke advice, we've organised a one-day Get Published course on Saturday 29 November 2014, where you'll have the chance to pick the brains of the Janklow agents and leading editors - and pick up tips from authors who've already broken through.

What are you waiting for?

LOL at the vomming, MrsSchadenfreude! My memoirs are going to include lots of that! (literally)

I did it!

I am so proud of myself!

I'm just remembering my husband's look of subtle disbelief when I told him about this competition and how I was going to start writing something and submit my 8,000 words! Muahaha!

Good luck to everyone who has entered. Bring on the 23rd!

Good luck to all who took part. Realised my missing 0 in my word count just before submitting lol. I would also like to know how many entries they had, probably a large number.

Oh no! I was just finishing mine off this morning.

I'm too late aren't I? I am absolutely gutted. :-(

Mankymummymoo - why don't you just submit it to an agent, like Darley Anderson, anyway? If the work's done, don't waste it!

I am a complete newbie writer - would I just email them?

Submit to them normally. Look at the website and check for any differences in requirements (they ask for the first three chapters - up to 50 pages so you may need more than 8k words), and pick the best agent that matches your novel to address your email to. Use the email as the cover letter with the sample of your work and the synopsis as attachments.

I'm sure they're treating the competition entries like any other, with the exception of the 'promise' of representing one entrant. At the course they ran they admitted that they'd be happy to find more than one 'winner'.

In other words they're looking for more submissions. You have blown nothing.

Maybe we need a continuation thread, support for those of us who are going to research and continue submitting after this is all over.

Thank you so much. I will do that.

I feel so much better, if not less of an idiot !

I have submitted to camilla at Darley Anderson and also to the competition email... in the hope they will take pity on me for being a fool !

I found a similar competition that ends today manky www.convilleandwalsh.com/index.php/literary/prize/

If you live in the North there's a few competitions at www.northernwritersawards.com/

I've entered them too!

I have received a confirmation of receipt email from the competition so hopefully they may not be closing the "door" until Monday morning.

I should think there's no reason why they won't accept it manky. They need a deadline to allow them to thoroughly read and draw up a shortlist. One day late won't affect that.

I know it's a "competition" but really in a lot of ways it's just a drive to attract potential clients isn't it? From a pool of very good writers. Mumsnet has always had some exceptional storytellers. The "prize" depends upon your merit as it's representation, not a publishing deal. And if you have written the first 8,000 words of an outstanding novel then they'd be fools to not accept it because you were one day late.

I think you'll be fine.

Thank you... Fingers crossed - for everyone!

Hmm, Eating, if I pull my finger out with a synopsis, I could send my second novel there.. and my YA one to Darley Anderson?

Great

Good to see that everybody on this thread had the exact same worries I did (length/format/synopsis/finishing the blooming thing) even if I'm late to the thread/party! Submitted at 2am on the morning of the final day - got a bit hairy! But as others have said, just thrilled to have actually got my draft into some sort of shape for the first time, regardless of outcome. Good luck everybody!!

I don't really understand the 'competition' element with this because if you go to their website they accept submissions anyway- all year round- and promise to feed back.

Will the shortlist be posted on this thread?!

I was wondering that.

I think it will be posted in the "Winners' Corner" thread.

I just read over my submission again last night and I am mortified by a couple of typos I'd missed..

I looked at my piece about a week after submitting and was horrified to see quite a few typos and even a sentence that I had read through lots of times with a word missing. Don't know how I missed them...

emily and sherlock I daren't read through my submission again for the same reasons!!! I'm sure it'll be fine as there'll be the opportunity for editing etc, right?

There was a rogue comma on my first page facepalm

I reckon they got several hundred entries...they will have had lots of entries from people who didn't/don't use mumsnet regularly- such competitions are scarce so it will have been sniffed out by the wider writing community. Would be interesting if MN could tell us....?