Get your book published by Stone Soup!
Stone Soup is thrilled to announce that we are accepting submissions for our annual book contest.
This year we plan to accept two books for publication: one novel or short story collection and one book of poems. However, we do consider all submissions for potential publication.
Contest Details
Genre: Fiction (novel, novella, short story collection) or Poetry
Length: For fiction submissions, the minimum length is 20,000 words. For poetry submissions, the minimum length is 40 pages, with no more than one poem per page. There is no maximum word or page limit.
Age Limit: For this contest, we will accept manuscripts written by those age 14 or under.
Deadline: Sunday, August 21, 2022 11:59 pm (Pacific Time)
Entry fee: $15.00
Submissions of multiple manuscripts by the same author are accepted but you must submit each as an individual entry and pay the fee each time.
Results and Prizes: We will select two winning manuscripts—one in fiction and one in poetry—to be published and distributed by Stone Soup in both print and ebook forms, available for sale on Amazon, in the Stone Soup store, via our distributors, and advertised along with the rest of our books to libraries and other vendors.
We will also name a handful of finalists.
Publication: We will consider all work submitted as part of the contest for potential publication in the magazine or as standalone volumes.
Previous Submissions: If you submitted to last year's contest and have substantially revised your manuscript in the meantime, you are welcome to resubmit it this year.
Submission Fee: The submission fee is important to us; it helps us defray the costs of the contest and of producing and publishing the two winning books. However, if the submission fee represents a financial hardship to your family, please write to editor@stonesoup.com.
If you have questions, please review our FAQ page. If you can't find the answer to your question there, please write to stonesoup@stonesoup.com.
We reserve the right to select no winners in a given year.
Hi,
A quick question, if writer is 14 and a few months old, she should be able to submit for the annual book competition correct? Age limit is 14 and under, sounds like she’s ok. Double checking. Thanks a lot!
Hi Amy,
Yes, as long as the author is 14 at the time of writing/submitting, they are eligible for the contest. Thanks for your question!
Hi!
I just have a quick question.
If you submitted last year and did not win, could you rewrite your book entirely but keep the previous name?
-Thanks!
Hi Lily,
Yes, you could absolutely do that!
Thank you!
Does the manuscript need to by typed, or can it be written by hand?
Hi Delilah,
Yes, the manuscript does need to be typed.
Hi- can a poem be longer than one page long, or can poems be across multiple lives as long as there are no other poems on that page?
Multiple pages- not lives. Autocorrect. Thank you!!
Hi Lisa,
Yes, poems can certainly be more than one page.
Hi!
What font and spacing should we use for our stories/poems?
thanks,
Isla
Hi Isla,
I think either 12 pt Times New Roman or Arial should suffice. And then any spacing 1-2 pt should be fine.
Hi,
I’m not really sure how exactly to submit my story. Could you help me?
Thanks!
Hi Lydia,
Once you are ready to submit a manuscript to the book contest, please do so using this link: https://stonesoup.submittable.com/submit/139445/annual-book-contest-2022
Please also review the FAQ page here: https://stonesoup.com/about-the-childrens-art-foundation-and-stone-soup-magazine/frequently-asked-questions#book-contest
And if you have any other specific questions please email me at caleb@stonesoup.com.
Hi,
Will we have an editor or someone help us if our book or poetry collection is selected, or do we have to complete our final draft on our own before submission?
Just wondering,
Lydia
I was wondering the same thing!
Hi Lily, please read my response to Lydia.
Hi Lydia,
Yes, if your manuscript is accepted for publication you will work with our editor-in-chief Emma Wood on a final draft.