The Harlequin Presents Writing Competition 2009 has officially arrived!
by Presents/Mills & Boon editor Joanne Grant
Yes, the moment all you aspiring authors have been waiting for has arrived – we are thrilled to announce that our writing competition is now open to entries! Here are the all-important details:
• The competition entry must consist of either the first chapter and synopsis of a Harlequin Presents or Modern Heat novel
• Please email your entry to writingcompetition@hmb.co.uk
• The WINNER receives an editor for a year
• TWO RUNNERS-UP will be given critiques of their first chapter entries and an editorial consultation
• The competition will close on November 2nd 2009 and the winner will be announced in December 2009 on I Heart Presents
The Harlequin Presents and Modern Heat guidelines have very recently been updated and will be posted on this blog July 14, but if you can’t wait until then, we have updated all of our UK acquired series guidelines and they can be found here on eHarlequin.com.
And now for the serious part!
Rules:
• Your entry must be aimed at Harlequin Presents or Modern Heat
• Your entry must NOT have been submitted previously to Harlequin Mills & Boon
• Only ONE entry per person
• Submissions received after the closing date will NOT be assessed!
More detailed rules will be posted Thursday, July 9.
We look forward to hearing from you soon and keep coming back to visit the blog for updates, editorial tips by editors and authors, and blogs by our previous winners!
The HARLEQUIN PRESENTS WRITING COMPETITION 2009
BE PART OF IT!
Note from Amy: So, duh, I linked to both sets of Modern Heat guidelines and missed the Presents/Modern guidelines. The links have now been updated. The contest isn’t just for Modern Heat so please check them both out. Thanks! ~Amy
ETA: More Questions about the contest? Please read the Official Rules post!
Woooohoooo!!!!!
So, who’s thinking about entering? Come on, don’t be shy!
~Amy
Count me in! Thanks to all the staff for another great opportunity. Also looking forward to all the tips from the editors/authors – always chock-full of great information!
Amy Strnad
Is it okay to enter under a pen name? (if real name is given, too)
I’d be able to write much steamier sex scenes if I knew I could hide behind a pen name if I won. (A long shot I know
)
Laura – feel free to write under a pen name. We wouldn’t want to miss out on those steamy love scenes
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Can I enter if a response hasn’t been received by a current work in progress sent in April of this year? I was invited to re-submit but haven’t heard back.
Should I set that one aside to work on the contest? What if the editor asks for the complete manuscript of the work in progress? (I could only hope, however I wouldn’t want to appear undisciplined).
Thank you HMB for another opportunity.
Karen in California
As a Modern Heat runner-up from last year, I can definitely recommend entering this contest! My entry wasn’t ultimately successful but gaining the ‘ear’ of an editor has been the best. I’ve learned so much!
If you are wavering, then waver no more. You have nothing to lose. Read the new guidelines, read lots of Presents, then write the best chapter you can.
Good luck everyone!
Jackie
Woooeeee! Here we go again!
I’m in this time for sure!
Jane
Hi,
Does this mean a submission that has been sent to Sweet but has been changed considerably is not allowed to enter.
Thanks,
Tarnya.
Oh, this is very exciting! I was getting a bit disappointed because I can’t make it to the RWA conference this year, but this competition has given me something to look forward to
Thank you for running another competition, and with plenty of time for us to prepare a submission. I’m eagerly awaiting the detailed rules.
May the muses visit us all before November!
Madeline
Woo hoo!! How exciting!
Thanks HMB for this fab opportunity
and for giving us so much time to get an entry ready 
Thank you for all your enthusiasm!
More detailed rules will be posted soon, but to clarify: your entry must be a new submission, meaning it shouldn’t have been previously submitted to Harlequin, even if it has been revised since.
Karen – you certainly can still enter the contest with a different story, but I would contact the editor to ask the status of your partial to help put your mind at rest. Email eEditors@hmb.co.uk with your submission reference number.
Joanne
Oh wow, here we go again!
I’m just not going to be able to stop myself from entering this amazing competition again, but I just know this will mean I’m going to be a gibbering, obsessive wreck until December!
How many times can you re read one chapter and a synopsis before it becomes unhealthy, folks? Not forgetting the times you do it AFTER submission!
Good luck everyone!
Rach (UK)
Cool, another writing comp. Actually I love these things too cos I always find it fascinating to hear what other authors (and of course editors) have to say about writing Modern and Modern Heat.
Just to get us all in the mood. I thought I’d post the synopsis for my first ever published book Bedded by a Bad Boy on my blog (http://heidi-rice.blogspot.com) this morning – along with some notes about what changes my editor suggested before the book got published.
Personally, synopsises (see, I don’t even know how to spell the word!!) are my personal bug-bear and I avoid writing them at all costs. I sweated blood over this one before submitting it to the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and I thought it might be interesting for anyone here planning to enter this comp to get an idea what worked plotwise and what didn’t.
Big kudos and the best of luck to all of you who get up the guts to put your work out there.
Thankyou so much for the competition.
Just read the updated guidelines, and making a special note: “However, Modern is not the home of purple prose, cliché or melodrama; we want to see writing that offers unique perspectives and bursts with originality.”
It’s about a year since I last submitted anything and I can see now why my big brown envelope came straight back to me. Nevertheless, I was given four pearls of wisdom: make the two characters central to the narrative, talk about inner (emotional) conflict, add secondary characters (but don’t swamp the story with them) and have a specific range in mind.
I’ve now got two new stories which should be in the post very soon. I’m just trying to reign in some of the extranious detail so that it hangs together, and so that it doesn’t read like you’d want to hurl the book across the room in a fit of rage.
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Wow! I was really kicking myself for not sticking with the
First Modern Heat Contest last summer.
Harlequin M&B thanks again for giving another chance at entering and
maybe winning the contest.
If I don’t I know that I had really finished a project and learn some
good writing tips from authors and editors.
Jane O’Connor.
Wow, this sounds like an amazing opportunity! This is the first time I’ve ever worked up the courage to enter a contest and this is also my first blog!!
Can anyone specify the differences between modern heat and modern romance? I’ve looked over the guidelines, but the definition seem a little fuzzy to me..
good luck to all!!
Joyce
Have I missed the information as to page count, synopsis and such? Thanks to any and all for help!
Patti
Joyce, the best way to understand the difference is to experience it!Read some books from each line and you’ll understand what the guidelines mean. It’s tougher in the US as the two lines are both mareketed under Presents, but compare books by the MH authors in the guidelines with traditional Presents writers, and it’s apparent early on. If you go on the UK Mills and Boon site it’s clear which are Modern Heat releases and which are Modern, then you can get a taste by using the “Read more” links there or the “Look inside the book” feature on eHarlequin.
Patti, the full rules are published in another post. Click the writing contest category in the category list on the right hand column, and you’ll see it.
I am excited and have started on my chapter. One, question do I need to send in a chapter and a synopsis? Thanks!
Hi Susan,
Yes, you must submit a first chapter and synopsis. More details on length, etc. can be found in the official rules:
http://www.iheartpresents.com/2009/07/official-rules-for-the-harlequin-presents-writing-competition-2009/
Best of luck!
~Amy
plesae advise me how i send my manuscript for the competition??? thanks
I would love submit a story for consideration in the I Heart Presents competition 2009! Do I need to register or is it an open competition based on a submittal on or before November 2nd?
Marianne Morea
Does the story need to be sent as an attachement or in the body of the email?
hi,
I am doing this. I am from vancouver!
anyone from vancouver – I have just started writing – do you know about any sites / groups for writing and keeping up with motivation!
markh
Markh, there is a writing community on eHarlequin.com. It is wonderful!!!
Trenda
Beena, Marianne, and Jennifer–Instructions for submitting your entry are included in the official rules, which you can find here:
http://www.iheartpresents.com/2009/07/official-rules-for-the-harlequin-presents-writing-competition-2009/
Good luck to everyone entering! Have a fantastic day!
Trenda
Hi I have never really wrote Modern Heat, but I believe that I could do it well. So I am going to try in hopes of learning and hopefully winning right.
R authors from other country welcome? I’m from Indonesia.
Fiyi, the competition is open to everyone. Your entry must be written in English.
You can find the official rules at:
http://www.iheartpresents.com/2009/07/official-rules-for-the-harlequin-presents-writing-competition-2009/
Happy writing!
Trenda
Sounds like a great Contest! Don’t know how I missed it before.
I’ve been all over this site and couldn’t find where to enter. Thanks Jax.
Lorraine
Lorraine,
You can find the official rules here: http://www.iheartpresents.com/2009/07/official-rules-for-the-harlequin-presents-writing-competition-2009/
You will email you entry (following the guidelines given in the rules) to:
writingcompetition[at]hmb.co.uk
Happy writing!
Trenda
Hi Amy,
I was just wondering – is the competition only open to women?
Best regards,
Vijay
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Hi Vijay,
No the contest isn’t just for women — men are welcome to enter submissions as well!
~Amy
Hi everyone. Has anyone heard of the Gotcha! contest on RWA? Is it ok to submit for both Gotcha and this Harlequin Presents writing competition?
Thanks!
I’ve got my submission for the I heart Presents contest – it says 5K but my first chapter is 6K. Can I forward 6K just so they can see what I can do to fully develop the chapter? Or is that a no-no?
@Cat — I believe the general rule about Harlequin submissions is they discourage simultaneous submissions or entries in other contests. The official rules say your entry for the Presents contest can’t have won any awards before.
@Cheryl — I think 1,000k words over is pushing it a bit. Editor Joanne was asked how strict the word limit is in the Community chat and this was her response:
Question: Is the 5000 word count very ’strict’? (i.e. would an entry be disqualified if it was 5020 words?)
JG: No, it wouldn’t be disqualified for being a little over, but it is good discipline to try and write to the specified word count. After all, in series books we do have a limit on overall word count.
Amy, thanks for the advice. Yes, it is a discipline to write as tight as possible and adhere to the word count.
Thanks for the reply, Amy! Will then choose the Harlequin Presents writing competition over the RVA Gotcha one (as if it was a tough choice to make lol).
This is my first romance novel contest (and only my second writing contest), so I’m really hyped… will try to send my entry today or tomorrow…
Good luck to everyone! The important thing is: Have Fun!!!
O.K. I am a little late on finding this competition. How long do I have to wait for your next one to begin?
Hi Deb,
I don’t know when/if the Presents editors will have another writing contest — but you still have two weeks until the deadline if you want to pull together an entry
~Amy
I have never done something like this before. I worked on my book for over a year, but I’ve been nervous about doing anything with it. My family has been pushing me to do something with it, so when I found this contest, I thought this is a chance for me to at least try. Best of luck to all who enter. I just want to say thanks for the oppertunity regardless of if I win or not.
I just found this, so my understanding is does it have to be an actual chapter from either a Harlequin Presents or Heat… or do we write one similar but different from an actual chapter?
Call me confused at this late date and how many words, does the manuscript have to be complete by entry date or complete when winners are announced?
thanks
Rhyanna
Hi Rhyanna,
Not sure what you mean by “actual chapter”…but imagine you were submitting a novel to Harlequin Presents/Modern Romance/Modern Heat. Your entry would be the first chapter from that novel, plus the synopsis.
Technically I guess you only need the first chapter written, but if you were to win I’m sure the editors would want to look at more before too long
~Amy
I’m feeling a bit sheepish asking this question, but I just finished editing my 8 pages of synopsis down to the 2 required for the contest and it really helped when I put the font at Times Roman size 10. Is that allowed or must it be size 12?
Just a question about author names. Do you need the real name when submitting for the competition or would a pen name be acceptable.
If the real name is submitted and is not suitable, would you recommend changing it to a pen name afterwards?
Hi Mimi — I really don’t know about the font size. It may be a bit small. Do you think the editors can read it comfortably when they print it out?
Hi Clara — you can use a pen name if you wish but make sure the editors will have the correct contact info for you as well. If you have a pseudonym picked out, you could do what many do and put “Mary Smith writing as May Smythe” somewhere with your entry.