Launching A Star Contest now open!

At long last, the 2009 Launching A Star writers contest is open. As you may know, I've worked on this contest for the last few years and it's one of the best things my chapter does. This contest rocks! We always have agent/editor requests and several times those requests have resulted in someone signing with an agent or making that first sale. This is the official info, so feel free to share it wherever you like:

The countdown for the 2009 Launching A Star contest has begun! You won’t want to miss your chance to enter this terrific contest where last year’s acquiring editors and agents requested an amazing 10 manuscripts, resulting in at least two sales. This year, we’ve added new categories – Romantic Suspense, Inspirational and Novellas – in our efforts to bring you the most value for your contest dollars.

To enter, submit the first chapter (25 page max) of your romance in any of our nine categories. All first round judges (2 per entry, one trained, one published in romance) will provide constructive comments on every entry. Two industry professionals (one agent and one editor) will judge each category in the final round. Complete details and entry forms are available on the STAR Chapter website: www.authorsofromance.com

But hurry! You must send your entry in no later than September 5^th.

Launching a Star 2009

Sponsor: SpacecoasT Authors of Romance Chapter (STAR)

Fee: $25-$30, SASE

Please Note: The deadlines listed in RWR are incorrect. The correct deadlines are:

Deadline: Post-marked by September 5th, Received by September 12^th

E-deadline (for non-US residents only): Emailed by September 5^th, received by September 6^th.

Eligibility: Unpublished or not PAN Eligible

Enter: The first 25 pages. No synopsis.

First round judges: One trained; one published.

Final round judges: One editor and one agent for each category

Single Title – Editor Selina McLenmore, Grand Central;

Agent Becca Stumpf, Prospect Agency

Romantic Suspense – Editor Sara Goodman, St. Martin’s;

Agent Kimberly Whalen, Trident Media

Inspirational – Editor Natalie Hanemann, Thomas Nelson;

Agent Rachelle Gardner, WordServe Agency

Historical – Editor Talia Platz, NAL; Agent Elizabeth

Pomada, Larsen-Pomada Agency

General Paranormal: Editor Heather Osborne, TOR; Agent

Laurie McLean, Larsen-Pomada Agency

Fantasy/Futuristic: Editor Meredith Giordan, Berkley/Jove;

Agent Deidre Knight, The Knight Agency

Series Contemp: Editor Susan Litman, Harlequin Special

Edition; Agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Agency

Young Adult: Editor Kristen Daly, HarperCollins; Agent

Elaine Spencer, The Knight Agency

Novellas: Editor Angela James, Samhain; Agent Roberta

Brown, Brown Literary Agency

Prizes: Star named in honor of overall contest winner; Engraved paperweights (just like that star up there) for all First Place in category; Certificates for all finalists.

For More Information: www.authorsofromance.com