The 11th annual GOTCHA! Contest is closed to entries and is now in its judging phase. Good luck to all who entered!
I made my first sale through the GOTCHA contest! - Kathrynn Dennis
Over 50% of 2006 and half* of the 2007 GOTCHA! winners had a MS requested by an editor.
*No editor results yet for the Paranormal Category
The information below is for reference purposes only. The contest is now closed to entries. Thank you for entering!
Fee: $25*
Eligibility: Not published in the category entered within the past five years.
Enter: First 15 manuscript pages. Top 4 winners in each category are sent to an editor. Winners have 2 weeks to revise the 15-page entry prior to editorial review.
Deadline: Received by November 12, 2008, 5:00 p.m. PST. Entries open October 1, 2008.
First round judges: 1 published author and 3 experienced, trained writers. Lowest score is dropped and 3 highest determine final score. All score sheets will be returned. Top four winners in each category will be sent to an Editor.
In-depth Information:
- Participating Editors
- How to enter
- Category coordinators
- Judging
- Official Rules
- Category Guidelines
- FAQ - All questions answered
- Gotcha Hall of Fame - past results
- GOTCHA entry form in rtf
- 2008 GOTCHA sample score sheet in pdf format
- Sample format template
2008 participating editors
Short Series Contemporary:
Susan Litman, Silhouette
Long Series Contemporary:
Keyren Gerlach, HQN Books
Mainstream Contemporary:
Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Single Title Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Christopher Keeslar, Dorchester
Series Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Allison Lyons, Harlequin Intrigue
Historical (Before 1945):
Hilary Sares, Kensington
Regency Historical/Sweet to Spicy:
Hilary Sares, Kensington
Paranormal (Specialty/Time Travel/Fantasy):
Jessica Wade, Berkley/Jove
Inspirational:
Emily Rodmell, Steeple Hill
How to enter
The 2008 GOTCHA! contest is now closed to entries. Good luck to all who entered!
Category Coordinators
Short Series Contemporary: Stephanie Neal
ShortContempGotcha@gmail.com
Long Series Contemporary: Nia Fishler
LongContempGotcha@gmail.com
Mainstream Contemporary: Isabel Singh
MainstreamGotcha@gmail.com
Single Title Mystery/Romantic Suspense: Esther Erman
STSuspenseGotcha@gmail.com
Historical (Before 1945): Nancy Cochran
HistoricalGotcha@gmail.com
Regency Historical/Sweet to Spicy: Rachel Taylor
RegencyGotcha@gmail.com
Series Mystery/Romantic Suspense: Anne Lum
SeriesSuspenseGotcha@gmail.com
Paranormal (Specialty/Time Travel/Fantasy): Linda Hill
ParanormalGotcha@gmail.com
Inspirational: Susan Mitchell
InspirationalGotcha@gmail.com
If you are unsure which category to enter, check out the category definitions.
Judging
Our goal is to make the GOTCHA! Contest a valuable experience for every writer, not just the winners. Entrants will receive feedback on their entry. Judges are encouraged to write comments directly on the entries. Each entry will be read and scored by 4 Judges (At least 1 author published in romance and 3 experienced, trained writers). The lowest score is dropped and the 3 highest determine the final score. All 4 score sheets and comments will be returned in PDF format. The 4 winners in each category have 2 weeks to review the judges’ comments and, if they wish, revise their 15-page entry prior to editorial review.
Have questions about judging that were not answered above? See our FAQ for help!
Winning the Gotcha was a huge positive stroke that helped me keep faith in my book. - Elle James
Official Rules
• You are eligible to enter any category in which you are NOT PUBLISHED. This includes any cross-genre publications (e. g. a time travel historical novel primarily set in the past would disqualify the author for both categories.) Eligibility determinations by coordinators are final. The entry must be original work and unpublished.
• The email entry must consist of the first 15 pages of your manuscript in standard format*:
- Double spaced
- 1-inch margins
- Maximum of 25 lines per page
- Size 12 Courier, Times New Roman or other easily readable font
- Attached to your email in .rtf or .doc format. (Notice for Vista OS/Office 2007 users: If your word processor is the Office 2007 version of MS Word, please save documents in the .doc or .rtf file format compatible with earlier versions, not the newer .rtfx or .docx formats.)
- The title followed by a slash and the category name in the upper left-hand corner of each page
- Page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
- First page of each chapter must begin one third of the way down the page.
*See sample format template or the sample manuscript page at:
http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=598.
• Attach a completed entry form, PayPal receipt (if appropriate) and send to the appropriate category email address (see above).
• The email subject line should include your name and the manuscript title.
• DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT
• THE CONTESTANT’S AGREEMENT SECTION ON THE ENTRY FORM MUST BE COMPLETED FOR YOUR ENTRY TO BE ACCEPTED. Typing your name and emailing the entry are equivalent to signing the form.
• The contestant is responsible for choice of category entered and for emailing the entry to the correct address.
• Please tell us the targeted publisher. If your entry is focused toward a Harlequin or Silhouette “series” line, tell us which one, for example: Intrigue, Nocturne, Blaze, Special Edition, American, Super Romance, Kimani Sepia, Mills & Boon Medical, etc. It will help our judges evaluate your entry accurately.
• You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must be emailed separately and must include the entry fee.
• You may enter more than one manuscript in the same category.
• You may not enter a single manuscript in more than one category.
YOUR ENTRY MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CATEGORY COORDINATOR NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12th, 2008 5:00 p.m. PST.
Winners will be notified no later than Sunday, January 25, 2009.
Note: There must be at least 8 entries in each category. If the minimum number is not received, the category will be eliminated and the entry fees returned.
Each category will be capped at a maximum of 40 entries. Entries received after the first 40 will be moved to the entrant’s alternate category if that category is not closed, or the entry fee will be refunded. Please indicate your preference on your Contestant’s Agreement.
Thanks for your interest in the 2008 Silicon Valley RWA GOTCHA! Contest. We look forward to receiving your entry-and good luck!
Questions
Please read our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). You can find an answer to everything from why the GOTCHA! went electronic to how to format your manuscript.
Questions
Contact the GOTCHA! Coordinators Elizabeth Fischer and Joy Baxter at gotcha@svrwa.com for answers to any questions not found in the FAQ!
Previous GOTCHA! results
GOTCHA! Hall of Fame: See the GOTCHA! results for previous years and what those manuscripts and authors have gone on to accomplish! Listed in pdf format.