SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: FRIDAY 6 TH JANUARY 2023 – MIDNIGHT (CENTRAL AFRICAN TIME)
We warmly invite debut novelists from the continent of Africa to submit the opening 3 chapters/10,000 words of a finished novel, along with a short synopsis, for consideration of The Island Prize 2022/23.
Send submissions to contact@hhousebooks.com.
How to enter:
Writers must send the opening 3 chapters/10,000 words of a finished novel, along with a short synopsis to submissions@theislandprize.com.
Rules
* Entrants must be citizens of African countries or officially recognised permanent residents.
Evidence will be required if longlisted.
* Authors cannot have previously published a novel – non-fiction/short stories/poetry are fine.
* Author cannot have an agent.
* Entries over 120,000 words will be automatically disqualified.
* Novels that were entered previously may not be submitted again.
Notes on Submissions
1. It is important to send the very best copy you can – there is no benefit in rushing to enter for the prize, so please take time to polish and work on the manuscript.
2. Please send the first three chapters or 10,000 words. Do not send images or further material.
3. The synopsis is important for the readers in the initial stages of the prize, so take real care with this. Your novel is not judged on the quality of the synopsis, but it helps readers to assess the sample.
A synopsis should be:
a. One page long – please don’t send five page synopses, they should not be necessary.
b. A clear outline of the significant events and developments – the skeleton of the work. Keep descriptive writing to the absolute minimum.
c. Clearly and simply written. Entries are not judged on the literary quality of the synopsis, and there is no value in trying to convince of the excitement or depth of the book. Judges need to have a sense of the book overall, and be able to see if it is essentially coherent.
d. Please don’t tell us how important the book is, nor give a list of themes. At most state the central one or two themes.
a. Entries should be in a simple font, size 12 – Times New Roman, Garamond,
Arial, Calibri are all fine.
b. Please ensure entries are double or 1.5 spaced.
c. All entries should be in Word doc or docx.
If you require further guidance on your entry:
Please send any queries to:
Robert at contact@hhousebooks.com
A reminder of the prizes available, alongside more information can be found here