Win $1,000 cash prize PLUS your story will be published as an opener to the Nightingale enhanced novel, as well as a stand-alone e-book, PLUS East India Press will consider your novel submission for publication, FREE to enter (no fees of any kind), Open to all – any nationality, any age – with teens especially encouraged to enter, Finally, your chance to test your writing talent and win a shot at fame!
Guidelines:
- Your story must be no more than 2,500 words long and written in standard manuscript format. Feel free to download this pre-formatted Microsoft Word file.
- Stories must be submitted electronically and must be formatted as either a PDF or Microsoft Word document.
- E-mail your electronic short story to shortstorycontest@eastindiapress.com, and be absolutely certain to include your full name and mailing address.
- Your story must be suitable for a general audience. It cannot infringe on the copyrights of other properties—such as books, movies, television, or songs.
- Contest deadline for submissions is March 1, 2012. Stories may be submitted beginning October 15, 2011.
- Only one submission per person.
Best wishes and good luck from all of us at East India Press. Now get writing!
This contest is sponsored by East India Press and David Farland, author of over fifty published novels and anthologies, a former prize writer himself, who launched his novel writing career with a short story written for a contest much like this. When he was discovered, agents stood in line for the chance to be his publisher.
Mr. Farland has taught writing at Brigham Young University and has been a regular lecturer at writing conventions for years, as well as a notable mentor and discoverer of dozens of New York Times Bestselling authors such as Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson and Stephenie Meyer. Mr. Farland will personally read your story, along with many other notable judges, such as New York Times Bestsellers Kevin J. Anderson and Tracy Hickman.
Farland will edit the winning story to help get your gem ready for publication.
Your story can take place in any time period, and can take place anywhere, even on on another world.
You also have the option of placing your story in the world of Farland's new masterpiece, Nightingale, using its fantastic system of magic and taking any advantage of the rich setting he has already created. (Sample chapters will be available soon.)
This should be considered carefully. Internet book sellers, such as Amazon, allow us to link related books together, so that should your winning story be set in the Nightingale setting, whenever anyone looking to buy the next book in the Nightingale series searches the website for "Nightingale," your story will likely pop up. This serves to make your story more visible and give you sales that you otherwise could never achieve. So while you don’t have to set your story in the world of Nightingale, it is an effective marketing strategy for you to do so and take advantage of Mr. Farland's generous offer. Farland is, in effect, allowing you to piggyback upon his successes and following.
If you choose not to use the Nightingale setting, your story will be judged on its own merits. After all, East India Press is just looking for good writers. In fact, several finalists in the contest may be asked to submit manuscripts for review.
If you do choose to use the Nightingale setting, you can get a feel for it through the several sample chapters on this site and this "Magic System Spoiler".
Now, earlier I mentioned that Farland was a prize writer who launched his career with a story in a contest much like this one. He wisely followed that story up with a novel, and that is a strategy to success. East India Press will consider a novel submission by the winning author.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: shortstorycontest@eastindiapress.com
For submissions: shortstorycontest@eastindiapress.com
Website: http://nightingalenovel.com
