S&S Romance Writing Contest

Here's a writing competition that begins TODAY, sponsored by one of the big boys, Simon & Schuster!

The Gather.com First Chapters Romance Writing Competition is a first time author's gateway to publication. From August 1 - 22, aspiring romance novelists will have the opportunity to submit a 1000,0000 word, full-length romantic fiction manuscript for consideration (erotica prohibited).

One novelist will win a guaranteed publishing contract and a $5,000 advance from Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books. Enter from August 1-22. Voting starts August 27.

During the competition, authors will post their first two chapters in the First Chapters Romance Group. These chapters will be rated by the Gather.com community along with the Gather Editorial Team. Five finalists will be selected through two rounds of voting. The Grand Prize Winner will be chosen for publication by a panel of judges.

The Romance contest winner will be announced on October 30, 2007 and publication (in mass market format) will be no later than July 31, 2008.

The winners for the first First Chapters competition which took place in January 2007, were announced in May. They are Terry Shaw, author of The Way Life Should Be, a murder mystery and runner-up Geoffrey Edwards who wrote Fire Bell in the Night, a historical thriller. Both novels are scheduled for release next month.
To learn more, check out: Rules and regulations! Q&A

Article - Ten steps to writing a good romance novel.