Contest Information ~ Sample Scoresheet
Submit Your Entry ~ 2008 Winners
2009 Finalist
Has your manuscript been shredded in other RWA contests because it’s not quite romance? Do you write fun, sassy, contemporary fiction centering around the journey of the heroine? (Maybe you don’t even have a hero at all.) Do your manuscripts not play by the romance rules? Do you strongly believe that chick lit isn’t a flash in the pan? That, despite what the publishing houses may say, it’s hip, hot, happening and here to stay (even if it’s called something else)?
If any of the above apply, then this is the contest for you!
The Get Your Stiletto In the Door Contest is open to all chick lit writers who have not signed a publishing contract for novel-length fiction with an RWA-approved publisher within five years of the contest deadline. The entry must have a projected minimum of 75,000 words (35,000 words for Young Adult).
Contest Details
Entries must be received by June 20, 2009. In addition to the special prizes for finalists, randomly selected entrants will receive a complimentary copy of Cathy Yardley’s how-to book, WILL WRITE FOR SHOES.
Finalists will be notified by September 5, 2009 and will be given the opportunity to revise their entry prior to forwarding to the final judges. Winners will be notified by November 5, 2009.
Final Judges
In the preliminary round, entries will be judged by two (2) qualified judges – Chick Lit Writers members experienced in critiquing and/or published authors of the genre. Large score discrepancies will be sent to a third judge. All entrants will receive detailed score sheets and judges’ comments from the preliminary round. Top four (4) entries in each category will move on to the final round.
The final judges will rank the top four finalists in each category: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention. We have an impressive array of chick lit friendly agent and editor judges for the final round who are excited and anxious to read your entries. (Each finalist entry will be judged by an agent AND an editor!)
Classic Chick Lit/Lady Lit
Editor: Claire Baldwin, Little Black Dress/Headline Publishing, Ltd.
Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, KT Literary
Chick Thrill
Editor: Jessica Sebor, Random House
Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Agency
Paranormal Chick Lit
Editor: Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing
Agent: Michelle Wolfson, Wolfson Literary Agency
Inspirational Chick Lit
Editor: Beth Adams, Guideposts
Agent: Kelly Mortimer, Mortimer Literary Agency
Young Adult Chick Lit
Editor: Regina Griffin, Egmont USA
Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Laura Dail Literary Agency
New this year!
“Best of the Best”
The 1st place winner in each category will be judged by author and agent Lois Winston of Ashley Grayson Literary Agency.
Plus, the 1st place winner in each category will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
Category Descriptions
Classic Chick Lit/Lady Lit: We’re talking “Bridget Jones Diary,” “Flirting with Forty,” and “The Devil in the Junior League.” Send us your tired, your poor, your fashionistas-in-the-making. We welcome all ethnicities living a classic Chick’s life.
Chick Thrill: Been “Spying in High Heels” or arguing that “Size 12 Is Not Fat” in between solving mysteries, catching the bad guy, or running from the do-badders? Then Chick Thrill is the place for Chick Lit mysteries and suspense.
Paranormal Chick Lit: If “Enchanted, Inc.” or “Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom” describe your style, then your ghost-hunting, spell-casting (or repelling), time-traveling, and otherwise other-worldly Chicks belong here.
Inspirational Chick Lit: Sometimes you gotta have faith. Whether your Chick declares that “With This Ring, I’m Confused” or battles faith and weight issues in her personal version of “The Whitney Chronicles,” she belongs here.
Young Adult Chick Lit: Teens can be Chicks, too. It’s all about the attitude. If she’s “Royally Jacked” or resorting to “Plan B,” then she’s a true Young Adult Chick.
Please note that this is a Chick Lit specific contest, not a romance contest. Our categories aren’t suited for Regency entries. Contemporary Single Title, Paranormal romance, or Romantic Suspense won’t do well unless the focus is on a plucky heroine with a true Chick Lit voice.