Do you have dreams of being a published author but have no idea how to get your manuscript into the hands of the right people?
Have you toiled over your keyboard, bashing out tens of thousands of words, and now you’re asking yourself what to do with them?
Did you swallow your fear and send that masterpiece to publishers only to be met by radio silence?
If you answered “yes!” to any of these questions, then you need to enter the Dundurn Press / FAN EXPO New Voices Award. The competition has been designed to recognize a Canadian author who has yet to publish their first book — Dundurn Press could be the home for your literary debut!
At Dundurn Press, we are excited to be partnering with FAN EXPO, Canada’s largest pop culture event, to find the next great writing talent, who will be drawn from fandom at large. The award provides emerging authors the chance to publish with Dundurn Press.
Established in 1972, Dundurn Press is one of Canada’s largest and leading independent trade publishers. With over 2,300 books in print, Dundurn Press is recognized for producing high quality, award-winning books across multiple genres. Dundurn Press is a leading independent book publisher based in Toronto, Canada, that seeks to amplify and elevate exceptional Canadian voices to the world, particularly those that have not yet been discovered or have been underrepresented. We publish across numerous genres from literary and genre fiction, to biography and memoir, history, policy, and sports.
We are seeking one English-language book-length manuscript, fiction or nonfiction, to be considered for the Dundurn Press / FAN EXPO New Voices Award. The competition is open to any Canadian resident eighteen years of age or over who has not previously published a book-length work. In addition to publication and promotion of the book by Dundurn Press, the winning manuscript will be published and promoted by Dundurn Press and the winning author will receive a prize of $1000 as well as a VIP pass to FAN EXPO 2024 in Vancouver.
Please send your submission to us by email (submissions@dundurn.com) by May 1, 2023. We will consider fiction and nonfiction aimed at an adult audience. Please no poetry or books for children.
At Dundurn Press, we seek to reflect the diversity of our society through our organization and the books we publish. We welcome your submission and the contribution you can make to Dundurn Press given your culture, ethnicity, race, gender identity, age, disability, sexual preference, and beliefs. If you haven’t seen yourself sufficiently reflected through books in Canada, we strongly encourage you to submit your work so that others can hear your voice!
What to include in your submission email:
- Please include an introductory email introducing yourself and your project; let us know about what writing experience you do have and include your social media handles. Tell us a little about your project, including why you decided to write it and how much work you have left to do.
- Attach your manuscript or proposal to your email. (Word file preferred, but a pdf is okay, too.)
- Include “Fan Expo New Voices Award” in the subject line of your email.
For fiction:
- Send full manuscripts only, please.
- Use 10pt to 12pt type and single or double spaced; include page numbers, title, and your name in the header or footer.
- Include a synopsis of your book of one to two pages.
For nonfiction:
- Send three sample chapters (or a full manuscript)
- Use 10pt to 12pt type and single or double spaced; include page numbers, title, and your name in the header or footer.
- Include a synopsis of your book of one to two pages, or a table of contents and chapter by chapter outline.