A Contest by Any Other Name...

…would be as fun.

In keeping with the new look of our blog, we’re also changing the name of our contest for unpublished writers. The old title, Out of the Slush Pile: Novel Journey’s Fifteen Minutes of Fame Contest, was not only too long and clumsy, but it’s still wearing that old, outdated “Novel Journey” T-shirt. So we’ve decided to give it a new look.

Therefore, today we’ll unveil the new name: Novel Rocket’s LAUNCH PAD Contest: Boosting You Out of the Slush Pile.

What’s that you say? The new T-shirt is just as oversized as the old one? Well, you’re wrong. Though they’re both twelve words long, the old name is fifty-nine characters, but the new name has only fifty-eight. And it has a nicer ring to it, don’t you think? Besides, it coordinates better with the rest of the outfit.

The name, however, is the only thing we’re changing midstream. All the rules remain the same, and we’re still following the same schedule. Namely:

The Historical Fiction and Suspense/Crime/Mystery/Cozy Mystery categories are already finished, and the winners have been announced.

The Contemporary Fiction/Women’s Fiction category is finished, with the winner to be announced next Monday (August 8).

We’re still taking submissions for Middle Grade/Young Adult entries (deadline is August 10, winner to be announced September 12),

Contemporary Romance (deadline is September 10) and Speculative (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror) (deadline is October 10).

The Grand Prize will be determined from among the winners of each of the above.

If you’re an unpublished novelist, you haven’t entered yet, and your genre is still pending, there are still seats available on board the rocket.

We’ve retitled the entry form, but it's otherwise unchanged, so you can still use the old one if you’ve already downloaded it.

We hope you’ll join us on this voyage!

Yvonne Anderson writes from rural Ohio. The Story in the Stars, the first book in her space fantasy series from Risen Books, is available in paperback and ebook.