Pages

Monday 18 May 2015

Written Any Good Page Turners Lately?

By Deb Porter

Hands up everyone with a half-written novel gathering pixel dust on the computer. Or mouldering away in a bottom drawer. Or perhaps still just a glimmer in the eye of your imagination.

Yes, I see those hands, and I come proclaiming that this is the day to dust off that idea, de-moulder your manuscript, and finally give birth to your long overdue publishing dream. (Excuse me while I don my cheerleader outfit and grab some pom-poms.) 

Did you know the Page Turner Contest has been running every year since 2007? It is the biggest annual contest offered by FaithWriters.com and Breath of Fresh Air Press, and it keeps getting better all the time.

For our ninth year, the 2015 prize package includes (along with a cash prize, editing, and plaque) the promise of publication by Breath of Fresh Air Press for the 1st place Page Turner winner, and also consideration for publication for the two runners-up. Three great opportunities to achieve your publishing goal.

The Page Turner Contest was originally created for three reasons:

1. to encourage the members of FaithWriters to unleash their creativity;

2. to provide opportunity for them to pursue the dream of writing a publishable book; and

3. to show our appreciation by rewarding those members who had chosen to provide financial support to FaithWriters.

Almost a decade has passed since that first contest, but the same three purposes remain—encouragement, opportunity, and appreciation.

To be fair to both fiction and non-fiction writers, we alternate the Page Turner focus from year to year. Last year was for unpublished non-fiction manuscripts. This year it’s all about fiction. So if you are writing a novel, don’t miss your chance to enter the 2015 contest. The next fiction Page Turner won’t roll around again until 2017.



Even though the possibility of publication is the main reason to enter, there is another very popular thing about the Page Turner that is available to every entrant, and that’s feedback from Breath of Fresh Air Press (in other words, me). For some people, this is the only reason they enter the Page Turner. Although not as in-depth as once offered (there are only so many hours in the day), the feedback does provide suggestions, guidance, and encouragement. In some cases, I’ve also indicated a desire to see the entire manuscript once finished, so the Page Turner contest is definitely the ideal way to get my attention.

Best of all, you only need a book proposal and first chapter to enter, and you have until October 31 to make your entry shine. The only proviso is that entrants do need to be Platinum members of FaithWriters.com in order to participate.

As for Page Turner Contest tips, the best advice I can give you is to think fresh and make the reader want to turn the page for more at the end of the chapter. Leave us desperate to find out what happens next and you will stand out from the pack. With the 2014 Non-Fiction Page Turner winner, I knew it was a contender the second I read it. So much so that I ran into my husband (who was asleep in bed at the time) and told him all about it (he hid his enthusiasm well).

I can’t wait to see what this year’s Page Turner entries bring. Go ahead … make my day.

For more information about the 2015 FaithWriters/Breath of Fresh Air Press Page Turner Contest, visit http://www.faithwriters.com/page-turner.php


DEB PORTER is a publisher (Breath of Fresh Air Press), writer, editor, and popular public speaker, with a particular gift for communicating in a way that is both enjoyable and easy for readers and listeners to understand. Deb has been the right hand person at FaithWriters.com since 2003, and is a regular speaker at all Conferences, but prefers to spend one-on-one time with authors at these events. As the Coordinator of the FaithWriters Writing Challenge since its inception, Deb has helped shape this weekly contest into arguably the most popular aspect of FaithWriters.com, and now publishes the winning entries in the Mixed Blessings book series. With a number of fresh new American authors set for publication with Breath of Fresh Air Press, Deb is keen to discover new talent in Australia.

7 comments:

  1. Nothing of mine currently collecting digital dust :)
    Good luck to all those looking to refurbish those works!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds wonderful, Deb. October isn't really far away now, and I hope you get many, excellent entries. I might even dust off a stalled project of mine after all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would love to see it, Paula. :-)

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  3. That blog post was a real page-turner Deb :) I do have another idea percolating in the back of my mind. Will see if 'm crazy enough to do something with it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Deb, thanks for visiting ACW :) I learned so much from entering unpublished writing contests and I appreciated the generosity of the judges who provided insightful and helpful feedback.

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.