[CONTEST OVER] JNC Original Light Novel Contest
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@QuixoticHorizon said in [SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!] JNC Original Light Novel Contest:
Will the writer's choice be preserved or will it all have to be altered to US English?
Interesting point. My story is set in the 19th century so I wasn't going to take the risk of someone else "translating" it from British English and adding 20th/21st century American buzzphrases in the process so I wrote it in US English to start with.
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@QuixoticHorizon for our translations we use American English (unless we make an exception for certain series), but if it's an original work I see no reason to force an author to use American English. It might make us harder to find an editor skilled in British English though...
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@admin Would that negatively affect the entry?
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@admin said in [SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!] JNC Original Light Novel Contest:
@Alfaerin any winners will almost certainly undergo a significant amount of editing and reworking before publication.
It would be a case by case basis but if the author wants to flesh things out or add new material, etc, that's all up for discussion with us before publication.I know you guys are all anxious about it and that obviously includes me, but remember that they are looking for interesting stories and a good storyteller that they can publish. The quote above clearly shows that they expect a lot to change in our books if they are elected to be published, so it doesn't need to be perfect.
I would say don't worry too much and write to your heart's content and enjoy the ride. In the end it won't really matter if it is British or American English or if it is a short or long story. I certainly had a lot of fun writing my entry and I am definitely continuing whether they choose me or not. And that comes from someone who used to hate writing and reading when I was young. I may even start the second volume today. -
@GhostMechanic said in [SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!] JNC Original Light Novel Contest:
I certainly had a lot of fun writing my entry and I am definitely continuing whether they choose me or not. And that comes from someone who used to hate writing and reading when I was young. I may even start the second volume today.
Yeah, I'm planning to continue mine as well regardless of the contest outcome, because it's been so good for my mental and physical health. Not to mention, my beta readers are really eager to see what happens next. I have the basic plots for the first five volumes planned, and I've already started writing the second one.
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@Alfaerin said in [SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!] JNC Original Light Novel Contest:
Yeah, I'm planning to continue mine as well regardless of the contest outcome...
I was just sitting there this evening wondering what I was going to do with myself afterward. So yes, volume 2 is beckoning.
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@Angelus - Me too. I started jotting some scenes down for the second book after I submitted. Initially it felt like I was jumping the gun but I have the outline for three books in the series (and maybe more editors, gods and readers willing) if things go well.
While they are linked, each story can be read as a standalone so it can’t hurt to have more ready to go.
My take is to write and leave the rest to fate. Even I don’t go anywhere in this round, I will have another book done for next time.
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I started my second book, too—and I haven’t even turned in book 1–but that is a good thing. I was able to rewrite some small details in book 1 that will make book 2 flow better. (Still hoping someone will proofread my final version—probably will throw in the towel on Thursday and just send it).
And I’ve almost finished my book cover! I might post it here without the title, since the works are supposed to be anonymous (assuming the mods are okay with it).
I know that winning works are supposed to get their own artwork—but it’s good to have a backup plan 😏—besides, it’s fun. Too bad, AI is making that skill sort of obsolete—I’ve gotten better at it. It’s not an anime type cover—though I might try to make a version that my Saint Princess Mia would approve of. -
Since there is apparently no confirmation of receiving entries, should it be okay to include name, pen-name and contact information in the document being uploaded? The non-confirmation of receipt of entries has me worried (paranoid).
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@jazzyjeoff I can see that getting in the way of preserving anonymity when the submissions are given to the judges, if every submission has to be edited to remove private details. Though I guess they might be checking for that anyway, just in case.
Edit: Thinking about it, I guess it's unlikely that they're sending the submissions straight to the judges without checking them.
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@jazzyjeoff I think your best bet would probably be to take a screenshot of your submission before you send it, and then the confirmation screen after you submit it. That way you can reassure yourself that all the info you entered was correct, and that it really was received. I took a screenshot of the confirmation screen, but I didn't think to screenshot my submission... And now I am paranoid I entered something incorrectly, ahaha.
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@Alfaerin I ended up making a draft of all the submission data in a document, to make sure I got everything right, before copy and pasting everything into the submission form. 😅
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@Alfaerin That’s a good idea—I didn't even know there was a confirmation screen.
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@jazzyjeoff Yup, there is! It just says your application was submitted successfully and they'll contact you at the end of March to let you know whether you passed the first round or not.
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I am right now stuck at writing the synopsis.
Since I found nothing specified about it I assume that it should be a complete summary of the whole main story.
Is it bad if it is longer than those 500 words like most pages recommend for it?And how much will grammatical errors count for novels?
English is not my native language, so submitting something here is making me really nervous.And the last question:
The writing program I use automatically creates a title page and a index with the chapters. I am quite dependent on the integrated word counter and I am barely scratching by with 99.992 words right now.
If another counter wouldshow more words since it counts something my program did not, would I get disqualified or will you take another look if the counter is correct?
(Yes, I will test it with other counters before submitting, I just want to be on the safe side) -
@Ade said in [SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!] JNC Original Light Novel Contest:
I am right now stuck at writing the synopsis.
Since I found nothing specified about it I assume that it should be a complete summary of the whole main story.
Is it bad if it is longer than those 500 words like most pages recommend for it?I don't think they've mentioned any strict requirements about the synopsis, I'm still not even quite sure if they're looking for more of a "blurb of the book like you'd find on the series' page" style synopsis or more of an official "we're a publisher and you need to tell us exactly what happens point by point" style synopsis, I'm not even sure if they can really clarify which they're looking for at this point in the competition without influencing the result :P
Clearly they want you to give an idea of what's in your submission so they can get the gist without having to read the entire darn thing, so I'd say just accomplish that however you feel is best. If they wanted something more directed then that, they should have really said as much.
And how much will grammatical errors count for novels?
English is not my native language, so submitting something here is making me really nervous.I'd assume they're not instantly damning, but you should probably try to do a final sweep to make sure everything is okay or find yourself a proofreader who can help find what you might have overlooked.
And the last question:
The writing program I use automatically creates a title page and a index with the chapters. I am quite dependent on the integrated word counter and I am barely scratching by with 99.992 words right now.
If another counter wouldshow more words since it counts something my program did not, would I get disqualified or will you take another look if the counter is correct?
(Yes, I will test it with other counters before submitting, I just want to be on the safe side)I asked about word counts back in October and this was their response
@Hylebos no there isn't [an official, industry accepted definition for word count] without requiring people use a particular software, etc.
It's not a super strict limit... If by some reasonable word count system it's less than 100K then you should be fine.Hope that helps.
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@Hylebos
Yes it does.
I already did many proofreads myself and two other people also were able to read it. But since I do not have that many people that have enough time to read, I fear that I might have overlooked some things or maybe formulated them in a strange way, making them sound weird to a native speaker -
@Ade As long as your meaning is clear, it doesn't matter if there are errors or awkward phrasing. It was said earlier that virtually all winning works are expected to undergo significant editing and reworking before publication.
@admin said in [SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN!] JNC Original Light Novel Contest:
@Alfaerin any winners will almost certainly undergo a significant amount of editing and reworking before publication.
It would be a case by case basis but if the author wants to flesh things out or add new material, etc, that's all up for discussion with us before publication. -
Hi, I had a quick question about the submission form. What do we put in the "Submissions, awards, and publications" box?
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@AuthorMN Any things you've submitted this story or other writings of yours to (like other competitions), any awards you might have won, and any other books you've had published or self-published you think would be useful information for us.
