THE 2013 UNPUBLISHED BEACON OPENS AUGUST 1st!

Contest runs August 1-31, 2013 and is limited to the first 125 entries received. The deadline will NOT be extended unless in a case of man-made or natural disasters.

Contest is open to unpublished authors and authors not published in the past three years.

Finalists announced by October 15^th.  (All finalists will have an opportunity revise their entries before the final round.)

Winners announced by December 15^th.

First place in each category receives a Beacon Lapel Pin. All finalists and winners receive a certificate, and of course – BRAGGING RIGHTS!

Contemporary Series (except Suspense & Adventure)
Agent:   Marisa Corvisiero–Corvisiero Literary Agency
Editor:  Christina Brower–NAL/Penguin Group

Erotic Romance
Agent:  Beth Miller–Writers House, LLC
Editor:  Linda Ingmanson–Samhain Publishing

Historical Romance
Agent: Laura Bradford–Bradford Literary Agency
Editor: Elizabeth Poteet–St. Martin’s Press

Inspirational Romance
Agent: Mary Sue Seymour–The Seymour Agency
Editor: Shana Smith–Harlequin Love Inspired

Paranormal/Fantasy/Futuristic Romance
Editor: Andrea Somberg–Harvey Klinger Inc.
Editor: Kerri-Leigh Grady–Entangled Publishing

Romantic Suspense
Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan–Sanford J. Greenburger
Editor: Allison Lyons–Harlequin Intrigue

Single Title Romance
Agent: Rebecca Strauss–DeFiore & Co
Editor: Kate Dresser–Harlequin Single Title

Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit/Mainstream Romance
Agent: Michelle Grajkowski–3Seas Literary Agency
Editor: Leis Pederson–Berkley/Penguin Group

Young Adult Romance
Agent: Kevan Lyon–Marsal Lyon Agency
Editor: Aubrey Poole–Sourcebooks

First Coast Romance Writers 2013 Unpublished Beacon contest:

• All entries will be judged by two trained judges. At least one of them will be a published author.
• Each finalist will be judged by some of the top editors and agents in the romance industry.
• Finalists will have an opportunity to revise the contest entry based on judges’ comments before the final round.
• Each entrant will receive their overall ranking compared to other entrants in their category.
• Our 2013_Beacon_Unpublished_Scoresheet is designed to provide detailed critique and feedback

Judges: First round will be judged by at least one published author and one trained judge. In the case of a discrepancy that is 20 points or great, a third judge will be brought and the lowest score will be dropped. The final round will be judged by at least one acquiring editor and agent in each category except for Erotic Romance. Erotic Romance final round entries will be judged by two acquiring editors.
Final round judges are subject to change when unavoidable.

Eligibility: Open to all authors of romantic fiction, not contracted and/or published in book length fiction (40,000 words and over) in the last 3 years. (Self-published authors are considered published.) RWA membership is not required for entry. Contest is limited to the first 125 entries.

REGISTRATION:

STEPS:

1. Download and complete registration form.
2. Use Paypal or mail check (with registration form)
3. Email registration form and entry pages as RTF documents to fcrwbeacon@ymail.com

Fee: $25 FCRW members, $30 RWA member (not FCRW), $35 non-RWA member

Registration runs August 1-31, 2013 or until a maximum of 125 entries received.

Entrants may pay by PayPal or check but registration is not complete until payment has been processed.

RULES & DEFINITIONS

Entry: First 25 pages of the manuscript. The entrant may also include an optional 5 page synopsis for a maximum of 30 pages. (Synopsis will not be judged.)

The Unpublished Beacon accepts electronic entries only.

FCRW recognizes an author as being published the same way as RWA National does. Unpublished writers are those“… who have not accepted a publishing offer for a work of original fictional narrative prose of 40,000 words or more…” by August 31, 2013.

CATEGORIES:

Contemporary Series – Focuses primarily on the romantic relationship, released as part of a series, set after 1945

Contemporary Single Title (over 70k words) – Focuses primarily on the romantic relationship, released as a single title, set after 1945

Erotic Romance – The sexual relationship is an integral part of the plot, but may also contain elements of other subgenres

Historical/Regency – Focuses primarily on the romantic relationship, set in any time period prior to 1945

Inspirational – Spiritual beliefs (in context of any belief system) are a major part of the romantic relationship

Paranormal Romance – Future, fantasy world, or paranormal happenings are an integral part of the plot

Romantic Suspense – Suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot

Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit or Mainstream – Other themes or elements take the plot beyond traditional romance boundaries.

Young Adult Romance – Strong romantic theme geared toward young adult readers

Questions? For more information please contact the Unpublished Beacon Co-Chair at fcrwbeacon@ymail.com

PREVIOUS BEACON WINNERS

Contemporary Series (All except Suspense and Adventure)

Contemporary Single Title

Erotic Romance

Historical / Regency

Inspirational

Paranormal Romance

Romantic Suspense / Contemporary Series: Suspense and Adventure

Women’s Fiction /Chick Lit/ Mainstream

Young Adult Romance