Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair Launched

Following the great interest and success of the Novel Fair the past three years, we are happy to announce the launch of the 2015 Novel Fair.

The Novel Fair is an initiative by the Irish Writers’ Centre launched in 2011. It aims to introduce up-and-coming writers to top publishers and literary agents, giving novelists the opportunity to bypass the slush pile, pitch their ideas and place their synopsis and sample chapters directly into the hands of publishers and agents.The 2014 Fair was attended by representatives from: Curtis Brown, Diane Banks Literary Agency, Hachette Ireland, Jonathan Williams Literary Agency, Liberties Press, Lilliput Press, Lisa Richards Agency, Marianne Gunne O’Connor Literary Agency, New Island, O’Brien Press, Penguin Ireland, Poolbeg Press, The Book Bureau and Transworld Ireland.

The Prizes -Twelve shortlisted entrants will be anonymously selected by a judging panel to take part in the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair on 21 February, 2015. Each writer will have a stand at the Fair where they will present the synopsis of their novel, the finished novel itself and biographical material. Top Irish publishers and agents will be invited to the Irish Writers’ Centre to meet these writers in person. To fully prepare them for the day, the winners also receive a place on a seminar on ‘How to Pitch Your Novel’, two weeks in advance of the Fair (7 February, 2015).

This year we are extending the prize to those who make the longlist. Twenty-four applicants who are longlisted and who do not proceed to make the shortlist of twelve will have their work evaluated and critiqued by the judging panel.

Entry Details - The entry fee is €45 (€40 for members) and can be paid by PayPal, cheque, postal order, credit or debit card or cash (paid in person) at the Irish Writers’ Centre.The closing date for entries is 24 October, 2014.There is no limitation on style, genre, or target market, the only requirement being that the writer has not published a novel before.To enter, you will need to send a synopsis and up to 10,000 words of a novel.Before you submit your work, you should familiarise yourself with the Terms and Conditions overleaf. If you meet all the conditions you should send us two copies of your sample work along with three copies of a synopsis and an entry form which is available www.writerscentre.ie/novelfair.

Terms and Conditions Applicants are required to send a synopsis of a maximum of 300 words and up to five chapters of their novel, which should be no longer than 10,000 words. Please send two copies of the manuscript and three copies of the synopsis. One copy of the synopsis should be attached to the application form, the other two should be attached to the copies of your manuscript.

• Entries must be accompanied by an application form.

• There is a limit of one entry per applicant.

• Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world, however, in order to be eligible, applicants must be available to attend the whole day of the Fair on Saturday 21 February, 2015.

• Entries must be in English.

• While there is no minimum word count for the final novel, a minimum of 50,000 words is recommended.

• All material should be double spaced in size twelve Times New Roman font. Pages should be numbered and include the final word count of the submitted chapters.

• Material should be bound or stapled together. Bulldog clips will be accepted but paperclips will not.

• The applicant’s name must not appear anywhere on the synopsis or manuscript. It should appear only on the entry form.

• Notification of receipt of entry will be sent by email. Please allow 28 days for a response.

• Entry fee for applications is €45 for non-members and €40 for IWC Members and is non-refundable. This can be paid by PayPal, cheque, or postal order – or by calling in person to the Irish Writers’ Centre with cash, credit or debit card. If paying by PayPal, please attach a printed copy of your PayPal receipt.

E-mail submissions will not be accepted. All submissions should be posted or hand-delivered to: Novel Fair Competition, The Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland.

• The competition is limited to unpublished novelists who have not signed with any agents or publishers. Applicants who have already had work accepted by a publisher, or have previously had a novel published, will not be eligible.

• Writers who attend the Fair and subsequently sign with an agent or publisher must acknowledge the Irish Writers’ Centre in promotional material relating to the acquisition of the book.

• A published novel is defined as one that has an ISBN.

• Applicants who are signed by agents or publishers before the Novel Fair has taken place are required to notify the Irish Writers’ Centre immediately.

• Shortlisted applicants must have the completed novel ready for publication by 26 January, 2015. If not, they will be ineligible. Only shortlisted applicants will be asked for proof of their completed manuscript. At this point, writers will be required to sign a declaration that they have not been signed by a publisher or agent.

• The Irish Writers’ Centre will not return manuscripts entered.

• Applicants must be over 18 years of age.

• Hand-delivered submissions must be received no later than 5pm on Friday 24 October, 2014. Entries received after this date will not be accepted. Entries submitted by post that are postmarked with dates up to and including 24 October, 2014 will be accepted for consideration. Entries postmarked after this date will not be accepted.

• Successful applicants on the shortlist will be contacted by 23 January, 2015 at which time they will be required to submit the entire novel, a CV and photograph and must be able to attend the Fair in person.

 For any other queries, please email novelfair@writerscentre.ie

See www.writerscentre.ie/novelfair for FAQs and you can also download an application form from there.