The 2007 Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition is underway and members have started to ask some great questions. This article addresses questions members have asked regarding the contest. We will be adding to this article as new questions are posed to us.
Q) I want to participate in the First Chapters Contest. Where can I find all of the contest details?
A) There are several articles published to provide you with the details you need to participate in rating the First Chapters Contest. For answers on how to enter your novel into the contest, consult the First Chapters Writing Contest Submission Guidelines. Additional details on prizes and eligibility can be found in the First Chapters Writing Contest Official Rules.
Q) Please define "commercial fiction genre."
A) For the purpose of this competition, commercial fiction is being defined as fiction with broad commercial appeal.
Q) Do I need to submit an entire manuscript to be eligible?
A) Yes. While only the first three chapters will be published for community rating, a completed manuscript must be submitted for an entry to be eligible. See the Submission Guidelines for full details.
Q) Why are there formatting guidelines for the submission?
A) Formatting guidelines are necessary to ensure the competition administrator can publish all entries in a timely manner. Please be sure to follow the guidelines as described in point 3 of the First Chapters Official Rules.
Q) The rules state that you must break out the first three chapters into a separate document. Does this mean that you must submit three additional separate MS Word documents for chapters 1, 2 and 3 beside the original full length manuscript or just one additional document?
A) You should submit four (4) total documents. One (1) complete manuscript, and the other three (3) are each of the first three chapters, respectively. See the Submission Guidelines for additional requirements.
Q) Are there any word count requirements for the overall manuscript beyond the 2,000-10,000 word requirement on the first three chapters?
A) No, the word count requirements for the competition are for the first three chapters only which must be between 2,000-10,000 words each. There is no word count requirement or limitation on the full length manuscript.
Q) Can entrants resubmit their work if it doesn't initially meet our guidelines?
A) Yes, entrants are welcome to resubmit their work as long as it is within the stated contest period.
Q) If an excerpt of the novel was published in a literary magazine, journal, etc., does this disqualify the entire novel?
A) No. As long as a majority of the novel was not previously published, the entry is still eligible.
Q) Are authors who have published non commercial fiction eligible?
A) No. If you have published any novel, excluding self published or vanity press, in any genre you are not eligible for the contest.
Q) Are entries to be judged on content alone, or is grammar/spelling a consideration in the final vote?
A) We encourage entrants to thoroughly check grammar and spelling before submitting their entry. The community will be considering the overall quality of the submission. Entries are expected to be of publishable quality.
Q) Do I need to join the firstchapters.gather.com group to submit an entry?
A) Yes, you do need to join the Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition group at http://firstchapters.gather.com/ if you are submitting an entry.
Q) Do I need to join the firstchapters.gather.com group to vote on the submissions?
A) No. Any Gather member can vote on a First Chapters submission. We encourage all members to support your fellow gatherers by reading and rating on their submissions.
Q) Will the author's name be included on the submission?
A) All entries will be published by the competition administrator; however, the authors name will be included at the end of the entry along with their copyright.
Q) Who will judge the competition?
A) Community members, Gather's editorial team, and a panel of judges all play a role in selecting a winner. Details on the selection process are in point 5 of the First Chapters Official Rules.
Q) How will Gather ensure the integrity of the rating/voting system?
A) To ensure the integrity of contests on Gather we have developed fraud detection systems to monitor rating/voting patterns as well as member account validity. We run the processes periodically throughout the contest and again at the end of the contest, across all entries. If we determine that certain ratings or actions are intended to compromise the outcome of the contest we will take appropriate actions which can include disqualifying the ratings, entrants and submissions. Entrants are eligible to vote in the competition but are expected to do so fairly and in the spirit of the competition.
Q) What was the final rating for my competition submission?
A) To ensure the integrity of the competition, we have developed processes that detect voting fraud and other irregularities. We run the processes periodically throughout the competition and again at the end of the competition, across all entries. If we determine that certain ratings or actions are intended to compromise the outcome of the competition we will take corrective actions. We do not answer specific questions on vote tabulation or fraud prevention because it will provide details that we do not make public to make them more effective over time. The scores shown on Gather do not reflect the full impact of our fraud control system (some steps are applied after the fact) to prevent users from testing various rating strategies in an attempt to reverse engineer our fraud identification algorithms. Therefore, rating averages can change throughout the contest even after a submission is no longer publicly viewable.
Q) Will prizes be awarded if there are less than 200 qualifying entries?
A) Simon & Schuster reserves the right to not award the publishing prize if fewer than 200 qualifying entries are received during the contest period. However, Gather Inc. will award a $5,000 cash prize to the winner regardless publication.
Q) When Borders is listed as the retail sponsor of the competition does this mean the winning commercial fiction novel will only be distributed through Borders?
A) No, while Borders will be distributing and promoting the Grand Prize Winner's published novel, the winning novel will be available wherever books are sold.
Q) Can a submission targeted to a young adult audience be considered?
A) Yes. Novels written for adult and young adult audiences will be considered if they meet all competition requirements.
Q) What is the latest available date to send in a manuscript?
A) The manuscript entry period runs from 9:00 AM EST, Thursday, January 11, 2007 to 11:59 PM EST, Thursday, March 15, 2007. Sponsor's computer clock governs time stamp.
Q) Is there a limit to the number of manuscripts that one author can submit?
A) Yes. Each author can submit 1 eligible manuscript. Any additional manuscripts received will be disregarded.
Q) Where should I ask friends to go to read the entries?
A) You will receive an email from the First Chapters Administrator confirming Gather's receipt of your entry, including a link to the location of your entry on the site. You can share this link with your friends so they can read and vote on the entries.
Q) How do I know you have received my entry?
A) You will receive an email from the First Chapters Administrator confirming Gather's receipt of your entry, including a link to the location of your entry on the site. If your entry is not eligible, you will receive an email from the First Chapters Administrator explaining why it did not meet the competition requirements. Either way, an email will be sent to you within approximately two (2) business days of Gather's receipt of your entry.
Q) Am I eligible to enter this competition if I have submitted a novel to publishers and other contests, but nothing has happened yet?
A) Your novel cannot be submitted to the First Chapters Writing Competition if it is simultaneously submitted to other contests or publishers.
Q) My manuscript is almost complete. Can I submit the first three (3) chapters now and the complete manuscript before the end of the entry period?
A) No. For your entry to be eligible, all required documents must be submitted at once. See Submission Guidelines for a complete list of requirements.
Q) My novel starts with a prologue. Does the prologue count as part of chapter one, or is it considered a separate chapter?
A) If your novel includes a prologue, that will be considered part of chapter one. Please include the prologue and chapter one as one document.
Q) When will the first entries be posted?
A) The first entries will be posted Monday January 15th, 2007.
Q) My manuscript contains adult language and themes. Is it still eligible?
A) Entries may include adult language and themes. However, manuscripts considered "erotica" do not fit in the commercial fiction genre and will be disqualified. Valid entries containing adult language and themes will be posted with the appropriate flag for mature audiences, per Gather's Terms of Service.
Q) I am not a U.S. resident. Am I eligible for this competition?
A) The laws governing content & copyrights vary from country to country. The
First Chapters contest is governed by the contests and sweepstakes laws
specific to the United States. Thus, we are not able to accept international
entries.
In the future, however, Gather does plan on having separate writing
competitions for specific countries with large Gather.com memberships.
Q) I'm interested in entering the First Chapters writing contest do I need to have a copyright on the material?
A) From a legal standpoint, all writers automatically have a copyright on any material they create at the moment they create it. This is often referred to as a "common law" copyright, which covers the writer for her entire lifetime plus 50 years.
Q) If my chapter/s are online and I do not win, are my chapters considered published by other publishing companies?
A) While stipulations may vary from publisher to publisher, since your entire manuscript will not be publicly available at any given time it generally would not be considered "published".
Q) Once the contest is over, what happens to my manuscript files?
A) All non-winning manuscripts will be destroyed when the contest is over. Manuscripts will not be returned to the entrant.
Q) At the end of the competition, for all of those entrants who do not win, will they receive the standing in relation to all other competitors?
A) No. We will only be announcing the winners of each round, in no particular order. Non-winners will not be notified, nor will a complete list of standings be posted.
Q) Could you please clarify the terms around article 11?
A) Article 11 addresses the fact that Simon & Schuster, at any time in the future, may publish a work similar in nature to a manuscript submitted to this competition. This is not requiring anyone to give up the rights to their work. This article merely states that, given the fact that Simon & Schuster publish thousands of works every year, if one of their published works has a similar theme, plot, etc. to a contest entry, the contestant acknowledges this as happenstance and not as a violation of their copyright.
If you have questions that have not been addressed in the articles referenced above, please email them to support@gather.com. We will be adding to this article as new questions are posed to us. We look forward to helping you enter and wish you good luck!
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Tom Kurtz
thomastwick@wowway.com