Are you the New Voice of Romance?

Are You the New Voice of Romance?

Mills & Boon recently announced a new competition for unpublished writers, and I have to admit that I'm quite excited about this one. I've touched on the subject of competitions briefly on this blog, as there is no denying that several writers have launched their careers off the back of a competition win; Valerie Wood, who I interviewed for the Literary Project here, is a case in point.

Competitions offer an alternative route to publication for aspiring authors. This is not to say that it is a short cut or a better route than the traditional slush pile – after all, you are still being judged on the quality of your work, and you are still up against other writers – but it is a different one. Some people (cough, like me, cough) thrive on competition and love the idea of your work being judged not just by the editors, but by the very people who will be reading and buying your books. After all, it is the audience who will decide whether you are a one hit wonder or are going to have a long term career as a writer. The other bonus is that you know, without a doubt, that the editors have read your work, so there is no reason to drive yourself crazy trying to figure out if your baby was rejected without ever being looked at.

As successful M&B author Kate Walker says, "this New Voices competition is another way for unpublished authors to get their work in front of the editorial team. True there can only be one winner but every entry will be read by the judging team, so anyone with talent will be spotted too."

The overall winner gets their work published, an editor for a year and an ipad. In terms of prizes, this is a pretty special one; I'm drooling thinking about it. For me, the best part of this prize is not actually the publication bit, although if I won that I'd run around the house screaming with hysterical happiness, but the fact that the winner gets an editor – and thus all the help and advice that comes with that – for a whole year. You can't buy, beg or steal that kind of professional input for your work. I mean, sure, you can use writing groups, go on courses or even pay a consultancy in order to improve your work, all of which are fantastic options, but imagine being able to have your very own editor, from the very publishing line you want to write for, helping make your work the best it can possibly be. I'm giddy, I tell you. Giddy.

So, if M&B hadn't done enough to sell me on this competition, they then go and add this little sweetener: The top ten finalists are being offered the chance to have their very own writing mentor, all of whom are successful M&B writers or editors.

"Through the mentoring scheme there's a chance for people to have real input into their work by editors and some of the most successful authors around. That's pure gold, the sort of input I would have killed for when I was just starting out. It's a great opportunity - so good luck to everyone who enters," says Kate. She has a point.

Let's face it, writing is a lonely business, even with the benefits of social networking we are lucky enough to have these days. Many writers find critique groups and beta readers to be an invaluable tool, but the simple truth is that there is a lot more to the publishing game than simply writing a good book and it is unlikely that someone outside of the industry is going to be in the best position to help you launch your career. I would give my right arm for a writing mentor. Which is probably why I am entering the competition.

The competition will have four stages to it, and will open 6^th September.

Stage 1: Open Entry

Entrants submit the opening chapter of their novel. All submitted entries will be read by the Mills and Boon judges

Stage 2: The Longlist

A list of 10 authors will be announced, and their first chapters posted on the website.
All longlisted entrants will be assigned a Mills & Boon author or editor as a 'mentor' to help them with their second chapter


Stage 3: The Shortlist
The public get to vote for their favourites! Along with the judges, this will whittle down the ten to the final four who go through to the final stage.

Stage 4: Winner!

The final four will be asked to write the "pivotal moment" of their romance. The judges, aided by a public vote, will then decide on the winner.

I interviewed Kate Walker a few weeks back, so I recommend going to read over the interview if you are planning to enter the Mills & Boon competition – there is some great advice in there. She also wrote the 12 point guide to Writing Romance, which is a handy little book to have if you are a budding romance writer. Several Mills & Boon writers are doing masterclasses at libraries across the country, which will be worth attending if there is one near you.

Author / Editor	Library	Date	Contact
Michelle Styles	Knaresborough	1st September	0845 300 5112
Heidi Rice	Brent	6th August	020 8937 3400
Kate Walker	Doncaster	26th August	01302 736000
Liz Fielding	Carmarthan	9th August	01267 224824
Caroline Anderson & Kate Hardy	Diss & Attleborough	18th August	01953 452 319(Attleborough) 01379 642 609(Diss)
Chantelle Shaw	Dover	7th September	01304 374 726
Meg Lewis & Megan Bassett - Editors	Havering	26th August	01708 342071
Lucy Gilmour Flo Nicoll Anna Boatman	East Sheen	7th September	020 8876 8800
Fiona Harper	Bromley	TBC	0208 461 7185
India Grey	Nantwich	9th September	01270 624867

Good luck to everyone giving this competition a shot; if you win, I want to interview you. And maybe steal your new ipad.