Authored's Rising Talent Competition
Prize Pool: Minimum $1,000
Authored’s Rising Talent Competition discovers new manuscripts for the industry and helps writers develop their work long-term. This competition was developed to identify high-quality manuscripts written by promising authors.
Prices & Deadlines
Applications open June 30
Early $55 - Deadline July 6
Regular $65 - Deadline July 27
Final $75 - Deadline August 10
About
Authored’s inaugural Rising Talent Competition identifies promising manuscripts through a comprehensive review process, which includes an evaluation of the manuscript’s query letter, synopsis, and first ten pages. Our focus is on securing representation for authors, supporting diverse voices, and championing ambitious storytelling. All reviewers are literary agents or published authors. Each submission will receive a score, which the author can choose to display on their query for agents to see.
Benefits
Authored selects up to 12 finalists, and from that group, one winner.
• 50% of prize pool will go to the grand prize winner*
• Remaining 50% of prize pool will go to finalists*
• Finalists receive detailed feedback on the first 10 pages
• Finalists receive a Q&A session with Mark Tavani, David Black Agency
• Winner and finalists will receive badges, which will be displayed prominently on Authored
• Winner and finalists submissions will be highlighted on Authored
• Every submission will receive a score, which the author can choose to display on their query. This score will be prominently featured in our query database for agents and industry professionals to see.This allows authors to highlight the quality of their query to agents, even if they are not finalists.
• Additionally, we provide authors with a feedback form explaining how the score was derived.This feedback helps applicants improve the weakest parts of their query, enhancing their chances of securing an agent.
*a portion of each submission is allocated towards the prize pool. We will update the prize pool amount periodically as we receive submissions.
Announcement Dates
August 19 Finalists announced
August 26 Grand Prize Winner announced
Rules
Judging is based primarily on the overall quality of the query, including the author’s storytelling ability and fundamental components of the manuscript (e.g. dialogue, plot, structure, and character). Commercial potential, originality, and writing style are also weighed to various degrees.
Judges and Participants
Mark Tavani - David Black Literary Agency (finalist Q&A)
Mark Tavani started his publishing career in 2000 with Ballantine Books and spent over 23 years with Penguin Random House, Bantam, Del Rey, and G.P. Putnam's Sons. He edited bestsellers and award-winners across numerous categories of fiction and nonfiction, including books by Jim Abbott, Steve Berry, C.J. Box, Robert Crais, Justin Cronin, Clive and Dirk Cussler, Jeffery Deaver, George Dohrmann, Lisa Gardner, Jack McCallum, Lisa Scottoline, Bill Simmons, and R.L. Stine. He is now thrilled to have joined the David Black Literary Agency, where he represents both fiction and nonfiction.
Kristina Sutton Lennon - CEO/Co-Founder of Focused Artists (judge)
Kristina Sutton Lennon is a bilingual, Latiné, media executive and the CEO/Co-Founder of Focused Artists, where she serves as a literary agent. Kristina has facilitated book deals with publishers, including HarperCollins, Hachette, and National Geographic. She also pitches content to producers, studios and networks, and has projects in various stages of development with production companies. She previously served as a film/tv agent and as the Director of the Louisiana Division for a talent agency headquartered in Atlanta. Kristina recently served as the Director of Media Rights at Context Literary Agency and currently serves as a Talent Manager managing actors for Citizen Skull. In 2022, Publishers Weekly named her an Honoree in their annual Rising Star Watch List.
Chelsea Hensley - kt literary (judge)
Chelsea Hensley is an agent at kt literary where she represents a varied list of clients writing across ages and genres and a few who are also illustrating. She began her agenting career in 2020 and continues to build a list that reflects her own diverse tastes, from the lushest of fantasies to the tensest thrillers, steamy, hilarious romcoms to smart sci-fi, lyrical picture books to plucky middle grade, and imaginative, innovative horror to intelligent, deeply researched nonfiction. In all areas, Chelsea enjoys bold work from ambitious creators who share her unrelenting drive to succeed in a challenging industry.
Andie Smith - The Booker Albert Literary Agency (judge)
Andie Smith is a Junior Agent at The Booker Albert Literary Agency where she started as a Literary Intern in 2022. She is also a writer and editor of multiple genres. Andie has previously served as a writer and editor for several local newspapers and magazines in Central Florida and is the Founder of Sun & Spines Editorial, where she offers a variety of editing services for authors. When she’s not agenting, she’s spending time with her husband and two kitties or hanging out at Disney World.
Trinica Sampson-Vera - New Leaf Literary and Media (judge)
Trinica Sampson-Vera graduated from Antioch College with a degree in Creative Writing and French. After several editorial internships during college, she moved to Austin and found an unexpected home in social services, where she worked for five years as a case manager to those experiencing chronic homelessness. Prior to beginning at New Leaf, she worked as an independent editor with Salt & Sage Books and Writing Diversely. They are passionate about championing diverse voices and particularly love speculative fiction; adventurous, character-driven stories with largely emotional stakes; stories featuring Caribbean characters/settings; and stories where queer characters find happy endings.
Paula Weiman - ASH Literary (judge)
Paula Weiman joined ASH Literary as an agent after a career in literary scouting and educational publishing. Based in New York and with a background in foreign rights, they bring an international approach to selling their clients’ work. Their goal is to help as many children as possible to see their experiences represented on the page for the first time. They're open to submissions in middle grade, young adult, and speculative adult fiction.
Mindy McGinnis - Edgar Award-winning novelist (judge)
Mindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy. Mindy participated in #PitchWars as a mentor for two years, steering her mentees through multiple drafts and heavy editing. Both of her mentees secured agents, and one even ended up signing at Mindy’s publishing house, Harper Collins.
Guidelines
• Authors submit a default query letter, synopsis, and the first ten pages of their manuscript through Authored. If a manuscript is over 3,000 words, the author will be required to pay $0.05 per word
• Applicants must not be agented at the time of submission
• Co-authors are allowed
• All genres are allowed, including children’s books
• No limit on the number of entries. Each entry is a separate fee
• All rights to the material remain with the entrant, whether they place as a finalist or not
• The manuscript entered must not have been published in any way
• Applicants must be 18 years old at the time of entry
• In order to run a fair contest for all entrants, revisions or missing pages will not be accepted under any circumstances once an entry has been assigned to a judge
• If the submission is rewritten and the original entry has already been assigned to a judge, the author may resubmit the submission as a new entry for consideration in the contest. This is treated as its own entry and requires the full entry fee
• Once an entry has been submitted and payment has been processed no refunds will be issued
• Substitutions of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time (provided the entry has not already been assigned to a judge) with a $8 reentry fee. Please proofread your submission carefully before submitting
• By entering the competition, you represent and affirm that your entry is an original creative work, and does not infringe, misappropriate or violate the copyright, trademark or other intellectual rights of any third party
• Submissions must be in English
• Applicants must reside in the US, Canada, or UK
