Here at Blydyn Square Books, we think you can tell a lot from a good beginning. That’s why we’re excited to announce our first-ever first-chapter contest! Send us the first chapter of your unpublished work in progress or finished book. The winner will get a contract to have the completed book published. Two runners-up will receive a free manuscript critique.
Submissions are open January 1 to April 30, 2025. Our panel of judges will choose the winner, to be announced June 30.
HOW IT WORKS:
- Our first-chapter contest is open to all writers, both fiction and nonfiction.
- Maximum word count for the submitted chapter is 5,000 words.
- Only previously unpublished work is eligible. No reprints or work that has been previously published in any format.
- Entry fee is $25 per submission (multiple submissions are allowed, with a separate entry fee for each)
- Entries should be double-spaced and in 12-point type.
- No cover letter or synopsis required; simply send the first chapter on its own. Please include your contact information (name, phone, email) at the END of your submission. Our judges want to read the submissions blind, so please don’t include any identifying information on the first page or in the header/footer of the work.
- The work should be your own and entirely human-written. No AI-generated work will be accepted.
- Although international submissions are welcome, the work must be written primarily in English.
AWARDS:
- First place: Contract to publish the completed book
- Second and third place: Free professional critique of the current work in progress by one of our editors
Send your chapter (pasted into the body of the email, NOT as an attachment) to info@blydynsquarebooks.com, with the subject line: CONTEST ENTRY.
Payments ($25 per entry) can be made via PayPal (tara@blydynsquarebooks.com), Venmo (@Tara-Tomczyk-1), Zelle (tara@blydynsquarebooks.com), or check (made out to Blydyn Square Books and mailed to PO Box 412, Kenilworth, NJ 07033).
We look forward to reading your work!
