Kamy and I are very excited to be able to bring the community this offering from Seal Press to win a publishing contract for your nonfiction book project.

This contest is open to She Writers who are writing in the categories that Seal Press publishes. Seal Press publishes books by women for women. Learn more about Seal Press by visiting their site.

Our mission at She Writes is to support the efforts of women who write, and through this contest, we are using our networks, connections, and platform to provide one first-time woman author a publishing contract with Seal Press, for publication in spring 2014.  

The winner will be selected on the basis of the merit of her entry, which consists of a query letter and a full nonfiction book proposal. To help you along, we are including a sample Seal Press nonfiction book proposal (compliments of Cami Ostman, whose book proposal, In the Long Run, went on to become Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents.

Download Cami's proposal by clicking on this link: In%20the%20Long%20Run-Proposal.pdf.

We stress that you must submit a full nonfiction book proposal with all the necessary components. To help you along, we are also including a blank template, which you can download here: Book%20Proposal%20template.docx. (To download these files on a Mac, hold down the Control key when you hit the link and choose "Save as a downloaded file." For PCs, I'll look to the comments for guidance.)

The winner will receive this priceless prize---a book deal from Seal Press---so please take your time and make sure the proposal you’re submitting is not rushed and includes everything an editor would need to make the case for acquiring your book.  

She Writes believes that all too often, writers struggle to have their work discovered for two primary reasons: 1) it is hard to get attention when you don’t have any personal connections or contacts in the publishing industry; and 2) it is hard to know, as an outsider, exactly which agents or publishing houses to query, and how.  Through this contest, we’re thrilled to be leveraging our own relationships to be making this exclusive and very exciting offering. And we thank Seal Press SO MUCH for their support and collaboration, and for valuing the She Writes community so much that they want to join with us to offer a She Writer a publishing contract.

WHAT YOU WIN: A book deal with Seal Press, which will include the offering of an advance, which will be determined at Seal’s discretion.

WHO CAN ENTER: Anyone over the age of eighteen who is a member of She Writes (and if you’re not yet a member, please join---it’s free!!) and who is writing a nonfiction book. You may be agented or unagented to enter this contest. It does not cost any money to enter the contest.

JUDGING PROCESS: She Writes Founder Kamy Wicoff and She Writes Publisher Brooke Warner will be enrolling industry professionals to review and vet the proposals that come through. Our team will narrow down our entries to ten finalists, which we will then forward to Seal’s editorial staff to make their final decision about which book they want to acquire.

TIMELINE:

Announcement of Contest:                      Tuesday, December 10, 2012

Deadline for Submissions:                        March 15, 2013, at midnight Pacific Standard Time.  No exceptions.

Announcement of Winner:                       May 15, 2013

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Please submit your entry to [email protected]

We ask that you paste your query letter into the body of the email and attach your nonfiction book proposal. Please address your query letter to Seal Press. Submit your proposal as a Word document or a PDF file. Please use a standard font, like Times New Roman. Please use the links above to see samples of the nonfiction book proposal that Seal Press would like to see mirrored for its submissions. We ask that you include two to four sample chapters. Do not include your entire manuscript in the proposal. In your query letter, please let us know whether or not your manuscript is complete.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
1) You will be disqualified if you turn in a late entry. If your entry comes in after midnight on March 15, 2013 Pacific Standard Time, it will not be considered.
2) Your project MUST be nonfiction. Dear novelists, poets, and playwrights, we are on the search for other contests geared to you!
3) Rewrites are not accepted. In other words, please be sure you are happy with your submission before you click “send” because we will not accept rewrites, follow-up emails, additional material, etc.
4) Only one entry per person.
5) We only accept material that is unpublished. We will not accept revised or new editions of previously published work.
6) You agree to have your entry (exclusive of your contact information) shared with the SW community, and to let us use it for promotional purposes.
7) You must be eighteen to enter.

By entering the contest, you agree to our terms and conditions.

FAQ SECTION

I live outside of the United States. Can I still enter the contest?
Yes. Please note, however, that all entries must be submitted in English.

How will I know if my entry arrived?
We will respond with a brief notification that we have received your entry.

What about rights?
You will sign a contract with Seal Press and negotiate the terms of your publication with them upon being declared the winner of the contest.

Can I use a pseudonym?
We prefer that all authors publish under their "real name," by which we mean the name they use out in the world. The main issue here has to do with marketing and publicity, and we want to be able to promote the winner in a way that sometimes publishing under a pseudonym prohibits. We do not, however, require that you publish under your "given" or "legal" name.

Do you notify me if I don’t win?
No. You will be able to see the results on www.shewrites.com

Am a book that's been previously self-published eligible for this contest?
Please note that Seal has decided that yes, it will consider previously self-published works for the contest. Yay!

Can I submit an anthology?
No, Seal Press is looking for single-author projects.

What if I have another question that doesn’t appear here?
Feel free to email us your questions at: [email protected] with QUESTION in the subject line.

Thank you and good luck! Again, we’re thrilled to be able to bring the community this very exciting offering.