HQ/Mills and Boon Looking For New Talent

[brainstorm77]

http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/ HQ/Mills and Boon are looking for new talent starting September 6th!:)

[Becky Black]

I'm not entering this myself, but a friend of mine is, so I'm dead excited on her behalf.

[brainstorm77]

It will be something to watch for, since the entries get voted on by the public. I'm not entering either.

[writeonsandy]

this sounds like a wonderful opportunity for someone! wish it were what i wrote, but i don't think HQ/MB does single title historical (i.e. Avon.)

s.

[brainstorm77]

this sounds like a wonderful opportunity for someone! wish it were what i wrote, but i don't think HQ/MB does single title historical (i.e. Avon.)

s.

They have their regular historical line, plus their Mira and HQN lines include historicals.

[Nightmelody]

I'm entering! I have several chapters done and have been pubbed in novella, not full length novel length so i qualify.

[brainstorm77]

I'm entering! I have several chapters done and have been pubbed in novella, not full length novel length so i qualify.

Good luck with it, and let us know how it goes.:)

[synna]

Anyone who hasn’t been published before (see the Ts & Cs (http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/statics/docs/Harlequin_Mills_and_Boon_New_Voices_Contest.pdf) for more details!) can enter the competition; all you need to do is upload the first chapter of your Mills & Boon novel to this website from 6th September 2010. There’ll be just one entry per person allowed, so make sure that it’s your best! So, get writing!


So my question is... what qualifies as a "Mills & Boon" novel? Does it mean it has to be contemporary?

[brainstorm77]

Well, from that link it could be anything that they publish. So, I guess anything that would fit one of their lines. They do publish historicals.

http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=538&chapter=0 <--- Gives guidelines of every line.

[synna]

Thanks... I'm thinking about whipping up a few chapters of a simple contemporary that has been swimming around in my head for the last few days. Will have to take a break from my new historical, though, and that will be hard!

[Becky Black]

The entries are all classifed the same as their various lines by the look of it. I suppose they want to know if the writer can write the story to fit the guidelines for each line.

[Becky Black]

Been brainstorming titles and summaries for my friend's entry today. She's using a title I suggested. I'm well chuffed! :D

[brainstorm77]

Entries are already listed, if anyone wants to take a look and vote.

[#1,Jennifer]

Please do, I just entered. MEANT TO BE under their contemporary category. Feedback and a rating would be greatly appreciated.

[brainstorm77]

There are some great entries. :)

[Sakura-chan]

Thanks for the info. I actually have something I can enter (if I can gather up the courage to do so). Good luck to everyone.

[brainstorm77]

I'm a bit iffy about the public voting. People can make multiple accounts etc.. I've also seen some pretty great entries with low ratings, while other not so great entries, are high up there.
In the end, I wonder if HQ will override everything, since they have their own panel of judges...

[job]

I'm a bit iffy about the public voting.

I'm afraid I almost assume that public votes like these will be managed by the authors . . .

But,
I think the judges will read the entries. Whatever happens in the contest, if an entry really shines, I think the judges will take note.

[girlyswot]

I'm a bit iffy about the public voting. People can make multiple accounts etc.. I've also seen some pretty great entries with low ratings, while other not so great entries, are high up there.
In the end, I wonder if HQ will override everything, since they have their own panel of judges...

The first round is only decided by the judges - the public ratings are just for fun. In the second round, only ten people will get to post their next chapter. These will be voted on by the judges and by the public, with equal weight to both, though the judges get final say in the event of a tie. I hope that by this stage the voting system will be a bit clearer and also that it will be harder for authors to turn it into a popularity contest. But we'll see.

I'm also crossing my fingers hard because I've entered and my chapter seems to be going down pretty well at the moment!

[AuburnAssassin]

I'm entered...in the Warm and Cosy under Claire Gillian--All's Fair in Love and War, if anyone wants to give it a read and rating.