Romance writing contest open to submissions from December 15

Romance writing contest open to submissions from December the 15th

13 December 2010

The 2011 Clendon Award, New Zealand's premier romance writing contest, in which unpublished authors submit an entire romance novel manuscript to be judged by devoted romance readers, is now open for submissions for the 2011 award.

Administered by Romance Writers of New Zealand, Inc., The Clendon Award is believed to be the only contest in the world where every entrant’s full manuscript is read and given detailed feedback. Seven of the previous 11 Clendon winners and a further 11 former finalists have gone on to international writing careers, including New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh, Emily Gee (daughter of Maurice Gee) and USA Today Bestselling authors Tessa Radley and Sandra Hyatt.

Entries are judged by between three and eight romance readers, depending how far they progress in the contest. Finalist manuscripts are judged by an editor at Harlequin Books in New York, the world’s largest publisher of romance and women’s fiction. The award is then presented at the RWNZ annual conference.

The contest was founded by Barbara and Peter Clendon of Barbara’s Books, the specialist Auckland romance bookstore, after they realized that most people who start writing a novel never manage to finish it. The Clendon Award was an incentive to writers to get to “The End”.

“These days, we have a small army of dedicated volunteers who collate, read and judge the anonymous manuscripts, all hoping to discover the next international star,” says Barbara Clendon, whose bookstore continues to sponsor the award.

Romance Writers of New Zealand president Abby Gaines, a former Clendon Award winner and now a Mills & Boon author, says the of Clendon Award that, "This is a fantastic foot-in-the-door opportunity for Kiwi writers. I’ve seen so many writers go on to sell their first book after they finalled in the Clendon Award—including me.”

This year's winner, Wendy Vella, says that the feedback on her contest entry provided by readers helped hone her writing skills. "There is nothing more reassuring than winning a contest judged by the people who will be buying your books, in my mind they're our harshest critics. I strongly recommend that any aspiring writer enter this competition, for me it has proved invaluable."

The 2011 Clendon Award closes 26 February. Manuscripts must be between 40,000 and 110,000 words. Full details, including the entry form, can be found on the Romance Writers of New Zealand website, www.romancewriters.co.nz.

ENDS

© Scoop Media