Please submit only the complete first chapter of your unpublished novel-in-progress (fiction only). Please do not include title pages, dedications, prologues, introductions or any other opening pages—submit only your complete first chapter. There is no page limit or word count limit. 

Format your submission as follows (this is industry standard for manuscript submissions): 

– 8.5” x 11” or A-4 page

– 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins all around

– 12-point font (use your preferred font)

– Double-spaced (not 1.5 or 1.15 spacing) with no extra spaces between paragraphs (extra space for section breaks is allowed). NOTE: If you're working in Word, there's a setting that sometimes automatically puts an extra space between paragraphs, and you can change that in your Word settings to get rid of that extra space. Click here for a 45 second video that shows you how.)

Submittable accepts the following types of documents (when in doubt, save your chapter as a PDF to preserve the formatting): .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf.

Please note: if your formatting is not exactly as specified above, your entry won't be considered and you'll forfeit your $20 submission fee. 

Your name should not appear anywhere on your pages or in the name of your document, but you're welcome to include the novel's title if you wish (there's a place to enter the title in the submission form, too).

No alterations may be made to the entry once it is submitted.

Each entry must be accompanied by the $20 (USD) entry fee. 

Writers are welcome to submit more than one entry—each entry needs to be submitted and paid for as a separate entry.

Please read through the terms & conditions before you submit your entry. 

All entries must be made through Submittable.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Entries that do not precisely follow these guidelines will be disqualified without refund of the entry fee.