The 2013 Molly Contest
2013 Molly Information and Rules
Purpose: The purpose of THE MOLLY is to inspire, motivate, and reward unpublished authors of romance fiction.
Eligibility: Participation is open to all unpublished authors of novel length romance fiction and those who have not published within three years prior to contest deadline. Previous Molly FIRST PLACE winning entries are not eligible to re-enter that winning manuscript. Reformatting and/or title changes of previous winning entries will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fees. All work must be the author’s original work that has not been contracted for publication prior to the contest entry deadline. Entry form and entry fee must accompany each submission. NEW THIS YEAR: Entries are to be up to the first 25 pages (including prologue) PLUS up to 5 pages of an un-judged synopsis.
CATEGORIES:
Contemporary – Romantic novels, which may also include sensuality that may or may not be intense. Projected word count: More than 40,000 words.
Single Title / Mainstream – Romantic novels released as individual titles. Projected word count: over 70,000 words.
Romantic Suspense / Mystery – Romance novels in which suspense/mystery may constitute a strong element in the romance plot. Projected word count: over 70,000 words.
Historical - Novels that have a strong romantic element throughout. This includes Regency and gothic romances. Settings must be at least one hundred years in the past. Word count: over 40,000.
Paranormal / Time-Travel / Futuristic - Romantic novels with any time setting (past, present, or future) that contain elements such as time-travel, mystical and/or paranormal themes. Word Count: over 40,000 words.
(NEW) Paranormal Young Adult- Novels with a Romantic and Paranormal elements aimed at teen and young adult readers. Word count: over 40,000 words.
Young Adult – Novels with a romantic element aimed at teen and young adult readers. Word Count: More than 40,000 words.
HODRW reserves the right to return all entries and fees if the minimum entry number for each category (10) is not received. Entrants will be contacted to see if they wish to place their entry in another category before entries are returned.
We accept only Electronic entries
Entry Deadline: May 25, 2013.
All entries must be received by 11:59 pm MDT May 25, 2013. Please factor in that your ISP may not deliver in mere seconds and time zones.
Entry Fees: Payment can be triggered from the end of the entry form. $30 for all HODRW members, $35 for all other RWA members, and $40 for all non-RWA members.
International entries must use the PayPal method and be paid in US Dollars.
Payments by check or money order should be made out to HODRW and be marked for Molly. Mail to: Lesli Lent P. O. Box 3811, Englewood, CO 80155-3811
EARLY BIRD Deadline –
DEDUCT $5 FROM FEE IF e-mailed BY May 1, 2013
ELECTRONIC ENTRIES
Entries MUST be in an .RTF (rich text format) file. Header on manuscript and synopsis pages should contain title and category in the upper left corner and the page number in the upper right. A category subgenre (i.e. “Historical,” “Time Travel,” “Young Adult,” etc. ) may, but need not be included in the header. Author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript or synopsis, or the entry will be disqualified.
Entries must be in New Times Roman 12 or 14 or in Currier 12 with one inch margins. Every attempt should be taken to maintain proper formatting and readiness for printing. Final round judges may ask for print for the finalist’s entries.
Payment is encouraged through PayPal. Payment by check for electronic entries must be received by the HOD treasurer prior to the entries being sent for the first round – with a printed entry form for proper tracking – by May 30, 2013.
Verification of receipt of entry will be made by email address included on the entry form. If you do NOT receive a verification email within 72 hours, please notify the appropriate coordinator immediately.
FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE RULES MAY DISQUALIFY THE ENTRY AND THE ENTRY FEE MAY NOT BE REFUNDED.
Checklist
_____ Payment PayPal is encouraged. Or One (1) check or money order made out to “HODRW” for the applicable entry fee for each entry sent to the proper address (see entry form).
_____ One (1) completed Molly Entry Form and agreement for each entry.
_____ NEW: First pages (up to twenty-five (25)) of your manuscript. This can be a combination of Prologue plus Chapter One, but 30 pages maximum, including up to five (5) page max of your synopsis. The synopsis is not judged, but is helpful in helping the judges score your entry. Try to stop on a cliff-hanger.
Judging:
First Round: Two qualified judges will judge the first round. Up to the top 30 percent of entries in each category will move into the second round. Re-judging will occur in the first round only, and only where there is a difference of at least twenty (20) points between the two judges, AND the higher judge gave a score of 85 or more. When re-judging or discrepancy judging occurs, the lowest score will be discarded.
Second Round: The second round will be judged by two published authors. After the four scores from first and second round are received, the lowest of the four scores will be dropped. The three entries with the highest total of the three remaining scores will advance to the finals. Additional finalists will be added in the event of a tie.
Judges for both rounds are encouraged to comment within the manuscript on entries and also on the score sheets.
Click here to see a copy of the Molly’13 – Score Sheets.
Final Round: An editor/agent will select a winner from the finalists.
Final Round Judges:
Contemporary: Sue Grimshaw, Bantam
Historical: Jill Limber, Boroughs Publishing Group
Paranormal/TimeTravel/Futuristic: Debby Gilbert, Soul Mate Publishing
Young Adult: Jeanne De Vita, Musa Publishing
Single Title/ Mainstream: Val Hughes, Passion in Print Press
Romantic Suspense: Celina Summers, Musa Publishing
Unsinkable Heroine:
Heart of Molly (Member-Only Award): Jim McCarthy, Agent
Notification: First Round entries moving to the Second Round will be notified by APPROXIMATELY July 20, 2013.
Second Round finalists will be notified by APPROXIMATELY August 9, 2013.
Winners will be notified by APPROXIMATELY October 5, 2013, following the contest award ceremony.
Awards:
Molly Award for each category: The first place winner in each category will receive the “Molly Award Plaque.” All other finalists will receive certificates. Results will be publicized on website, loops and in the RWR.
The Unsinkable Heroine Award: Each entry will be judged for “The Unsinkable Heroine” award. This award is separate from the regular contest scoring and in no way reflects adversely or advantageously to the general scoring system. The heroine in each entry will be judged for Spunk, Imagination & Creativity, and Unsinkability.
The Heart of Molly Award: Only Heart of Denver Romance Writers (HODRW) members (as of January 31, 2013) are eligible for this special award at no additional charge and in addition to the Molly and/or Unsinkable Heroine Awards. An agent or editor will select the winner for the Heart of Molly Award.
General Questions? Email Molly@hodrw.com
