Start Your New Year and Your Middle Grade or Young Adult Book Right
Rosh Hashonah is practically upon us. That gets The Whole Megillah thinking about the beginning of the year and the beginning of book manuscripts. What better way to celebrate the New Year than with a First Pages Competition!
Submission period: August 1 – September 15
Submit to: barbaradkrasner (at) gmail (dot) com
Genres: Middle grade and young adult fiction or nonfiction – please mark your Jewish-themed manuscript at the top with the genre. Submissions will be forwarded to the judge without author names.
Formatting: Times New Roman 12-point type with one-inch margins all around and double spacing
Judge: Aileen Grossberg, Chair, Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award Committee
Prizes: The top three first pages in each category will win The Jewish Museum Book of Days.
Question for you: Who’s planning on entering?
The Whole Megillah 
Thanks, Barbara, for offering us Whole Megillah-reading writers a new contest. You didn’t say whether we can submit multiple entries, or an entry in each genre. Please clarify.
Also, the book publishing world generally welcomes the Arial font as well as Times New Roman.
Might we be able to submit entries in Arial. Of course it’s easy to change a font, but Times New Roman makes me think I’m reading the New York Times.
Thanks, Andrea. You may submit in both genres and you may submit multiple entries. I do, however, insist on Times New Roman. Studies have proven over the years that a serif face is easier to read. Thanks for understanding.
Barbara
Barbara,
Might we submit a picture book that is geared toward young middle school age children? Also, does the theme need to be overtly Jewish or can it be a reflection of a universal theme like Tikkun Olam? Thank you.
A middle grade book is typically not a picture book. You can try. A theme like Tikkun Olam is fine.
Best,
Barbara
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You don’t mention how MANY pages would comprise a submission. Are you thinking literally one page, several, or an entire first chapter? I assume they are to be emailed, yes?
Sheri,
A first page competition involves only the first page of a manuscript. The rules for the middle grade and young adult competition are already posted – submissions are to be emailed to barbaradkrasner(at)gmail(dot)com. The competition for memoir first pages will be announced later this week. Thanks for the interest!
Best,
Barbara
Barbara,
I would love to tweet this competition, to spread the word, but I don’t see a twitter button?
All best, Jody
Thanks, Jody. Here’s the shortlink you can tweet: http://wp.me/pUBjo-o3
I’m also about to announce a Yom Kippur Challenge – first pages of memoir competition.
Hi Barbara. I almost missed this, but how timely. A great challenge, and always a welcome boost to hear fom you and the Whole Megillah! Sheila Lewis
Should we use standard formatting for manuscripts with the actual story beginning around halfway down the page? Thanks so much.
Hi, Dede,
Because this is a first page competition, you’ll lose too much valuable space that way. You should aim for about 250 words on the page.
Barb