Welcome, aspiring Austenesque fiction writers. Would you like to see your name listed among an august group of best-selling and highly acclaimed authors in the new Jane Austen-inspired short story anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, to be published by Ballantine Books in Fall 2011?
If so, make haste, put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and enter your story in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest. Ten finalists from the entries will be chosen by popular vote right here at The Republic of Pemberley, and one lucky Grand Prize winner will be selected from the Top Ten finalists by the Ballantine Books editorial staff and Laurel Ann Nattress, the editor of the anthology.
Jane Austen Made Me Do It contains more than twenty best-selling and popular authors who have contributed short stories inspired by Jane Austen, her novels and her philosophies of life and love. From historical continuations of her plots and characters to contemporary spinoffs and comedies, the stories encapsulate what we love about our favorite author: romance, social satire and witty humor. Contributing to the line-up are best-selling authors Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club), Adriana Trigiani (Brava, Valentine), Lauren Willig (The Pink Carnation series), Laurie Viera Rigler (The Jane Austen Addict series), Syrie James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen), Stephanie Barron (Being A Jane Austen Mystery series), and the husband and wife writing team of Frank Delaney (Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show) and Diane Meier (The Season of Second Chances). Many Austenesque authors and others from related genres have already contributed to the project. One spot in the anthology remains open for the lucky Grand Prize winner.
"[S]uppose as much as you chuse; give a loose to your fancy, indulge your imagination in every possible flight which the subject will afford," Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, Ch 60
As you ponder which direction to take with your short story, first reflect upon why you are drawn to Jane Austen's novels, which of her characters intrigue you, how her plots engage your imagination or what captivates you about her style and give "loose to your fancy." I welcome all eligible writers to join in the contest and am all anticipation of what will develop.
Contest Highlights
* Eligibility: Previously unpublished U.S. residents over the age of 18
* Entries must be approximately 5,000 words in length
* Manuscript submission January 1 - February 13, 2011
* Voting for the Top Ten finalists February 14 - 28, 2011
* Top Ten finalists announced on March 1, 2011
* Grand Prize winner receives $500.00 and a contract for publication in the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It
* Grand Prize winner announced Fall 2011 in conjunction with the official release by Ballantine Books (Random House, Inc.) of Jane Austen Made Me Do It
Only entries submitted in attachment form, via e-mail addressed to austenshortstory@gmail.com will be accepted. Your attachment must be formatted either as an MS Word document or as a "txt," "plain text," or "ASCII" file. Please put "Austen short story submission" in the subject line of your e-mail. A confirmation message acknowledging receipt of your submission will be sent to the e-mail address from which your submission is made. Unfortunately, we cannot accept printed and mailed manuscripts.
More information here.
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