Since I've been inundating you with posts, I'm going to keep this one as short and sweet at possible.
The polls are now open for Phase 3 of the Marcher Lord Select contest. This link will take you straight to the polls. If you haven't participated before, that's okay. You'll just be asked to register first.
During this round, you need to vote for three exactly. No more and no less. (If you vote for any other number, your vote won't count.) This time, Jeff is leaving the polls open longer so no readers get left behind. You have from now until midnight Eastern time on Tuesday, December 15th to cast your vote.
Only three entries will advance to the last round of this contest, and one of those will be published by Marcher Lord Press. The rankings have been extremely close, so even if you haven't participated up to this point, I encourage you to check out the entries and cast your votes. Naturally, I hope you'll enjoy my entry enough to make it one of your three :+}
If you haven't read the first 30 pages of my novel, Vinnie's Diner, or the other seven entries and would like to, this blog post tells you everything you need to know.
Thanks again, friends. We've come this far together. I hope I'll have great news for you all on the 16th!
Yes, the polls are closed, the votes have been tallied, and I can let you know that...
drum roll, please...
I made it into Phase 3!
This was an extremely competitive round with very few votes separating the ranks. All the contestants deserve a big round of applause, regardless of the outcome.
Now it's time to move on to Phase 3. This time, you are able to read the first 30 pages of the remaining eight entries. Here's how you find them:
Go to The Anomaly Forums (a free registration is required if you haven't been there before).
The first post is from Jeff Gerke. About halfway down he says, "Download the file here."
Click on the link and it will take you to the Marcher Lord Press site. Go to the bottom of the page and click on this link: Download the Phase 3 document.
That will open a Word file. The entries are listed in random order, but Vinnie's Diner happened to land at the top, so you won't have any trouble finding it.
The official date for the next round of voting hasn't been announced yet, but will probably be around two weeks from now. At that point, you can only vote for three entries: no more and no less. The field will then be cut down to the top three who will move on to the 4th and final phase. At that point, the first 60 pages of each book will be posted.
Jeff has started discussion threads on the forums for all eight of the Phase 3 semifinalists (in the Phase 3--Main Contest sub-board). If you have thoughts you'd like to share on Vinnie's Diner or any of the entries, please jump in and join the conversation. It's encouraging for all the authors when people discuss their stories, even if it's something you didn't like. It helps us fine-tune our work.
Thanks again, friends, for all your support. I wouldn't be here without you. Be blessed!
If all this is new to you, visit this previous blog post. It gives you all the contest details, plus a nifty book trailer of Vinnie's Diner.
I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving day. And if you don't live in the USA and didn't celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, I hope you had a great day otherwise.
I have a lot of things to be thankful for: a great family, wonderful friends, and... wait for it... the opportunity to compete in a great contest!
Yes, friends, it's time to cast your vote in Phase 2 of the Marcher Lord Select competition. Here's how it works this time:
Go to The Anomaly Forums (a free registration is required if you haven't been there before).
Go to the Marcher Lord Select sub-topic.
At the top you'll see four sub-boards. Click on Phase 2--Main Contest (3rd from the top)
Chose the top thread, Phase 2 Poll--The Main Contest
You'll notice that the entries are NOT alphabetical. Vinnie's Diner is about half-way down the list.
Click in the boxes to cast your votes. You must vote for at least 3, but no more than 6.
Voting is open now. The poll closes at midnight Eastern time, Monday, November 30th. On Tuesday, December 1st, Jeff Gerke will reveal the top vote getters. At that point, 8 lucky contestans will move on to Phase 3.
In case you think one vote doesn't count... In Phase 1, only one vote separated the contestant who came in 18th (and advanced to Phase 2) and the one who came in 19th (and sadly was eliminated). See how important you are?
Thanks for experiencing this contest with me. It's kind of like going to Disneyland... fun either way, but much more so when you have friends to share it with!
I'm so excited to be able to tell you that my book made it through to the second round of the Marcher Lord Select contest. Woo hoo!
Thanks so, so much to everyone who went over to the site, checked out the entries, and voted for me. You rock! But our work isn't finished... now it's on to Phase 2.
Now it's your chance to read the first 500 words (a little over two pages) of each of the 18 remaining entries. Here's how you find them:
Go to The Anomaly Forums (a free registration is required if you haven't been there before).
Go to the Marcher Lord Select sub-topic.
At the top you'll see four sub-boards. Click on Phase 2--Main Contest (3rd from the top)
Chose the top thread, The Phase 2 Entries
The first post is from Jeff Gerke. He explains how Phase 2 will work. Over halfway through, you'll see a paragraph that starts like this: "To that end, I have assembled the Phase 2 entries in a Word document and made it available via download only at the following link:"
Sorry, I can't give you the link (Jeff explains why.) But if you click on it, you'll go to a site that will allow you to download a Word document with all the entries in it.
This time, entries are alphabetical by TITLE. So Vinnie's Diner is second-to-last.
It sounds like a lot of steps, but it's really pretty straightforward. The next round of voting is November 28-30. During this phase, you must vote for at least three, but no more than six entries. The field will then be cut down to 10 who will move on to Phase 3. At that point, the first 30 pages of each book will be posted. So if you want to read more, you need to vote.
I hope you'll take a look at all the great entries and consider honoring me with your vote when the time comes around. Be blessed!
If all this is new to you, visit this previous blog post. It gives you all the contest details, plus a nifty book trailer of Vinnie's Diner.
Today's the day... the polls are open on the Marcher Lord Select contest! In order to cut down on the confusion, I thought it would be best to give you all the info you need here.
By now, you've probably already found the forums and have read the first round entries. If not, go to The Anomaly Forums (a free registration is required). Go to the Marcher Lord Select sub-topic. The entries are located in the sub-board titled Phase 1--Main Contest and are organized in groups of ten. In case you’re wondering, my entry, Vinnie’s Diner, is the first one in the second group (Entries 11-20).
At the top of the Phase 1--Main Contest sub-board you'll see two new categories:
Phase 1: Main Contest - Poll 1 of 2
Phase 1: Main Contest - Poll 2 of 2
The polls are where you place your votes. Because all 36 entries wouldn't fit in one poll Jeff Gerke (owner of Marcher Lord Press and head contest honcho) split them into two groups. You must place at least three votes, but they can be split across the boards. The vote limit is 20.
My entry, Vinnie's Diner, is the very last one in the Phase 1: Main Contest - Poll 1 of 2 thread. Might as well make it easy for you to find, right?
I really appreciate everyone who's already signed up on the forums, especially those of you who aren't "forum people." Your support is huge.
Voting is open from November 13 - 15. At that point, the field will be cut down to the top 20. Those entries will move on to the next phase, where you'll get to read the first 500 words of the novels. Exciting stuff!
Now, if you still have no idea what I'm talking about, visit this previous blog post. It gives you all the details, plus a nifty book trailer of Vinnie's Diner.
This is it… the Marcher Lord Select competition has begun!
If you’re not familiar with the contest, you can read all about it (and my entry) on this previous blog post. I really want to encourage all my lovely friends and readers to hop on over and check it out. There’s some amazing Christian speculative fiction in the running. I truly hope you enjoy my offering and find it worthy of a vote, but if nothing else, you’ll have all kinds of fun reading these stories before some publisher scoops them up!
Here’s how you do it: Go to The Anomaly Forums (a free registration is required). Go to the Marcher Lord Select sub-topic. The entries are located in the sub-board titled Phase 1--Main Contest and are organized in groups of ten. In case you’re wondering, my entry, Vinnie’s Diner, is the first one in the second group (Entries 11-20). Don't worry, it will make perfect sense when you get there.
This is the time to read through and savor all the first round entries. For each you will find the title of the book, the genre, the word count, a one sentence premise, a 100 word or less blurb, and a short synopsis.
Voting takes place from November 13 – 15. You must vote for at least three contestants, but no more than 20. This round will cut the field down to 15, who will then move on to the next phase.
If you ever wanted to be instrumental in the life of an author, this is your chance. Make your voice heard and come be a part of the publishing process!
Would you like to check out some cool speculative fiction and at the same time have a voice in choosing who gets their book published? If it sounds good to you, then please be part of Marcher Lord Select. It's kind of like American Idol meets book acquisitions.
What's really exciting for me is that I'm one of a select group of authors who've been invited into the competition. My completed novel, Vinnie's Diner, will be among the manuscripts you get to vote for. Cool, huh? Vinnie's Diner is best described as a supernatural journey of self-discovery. While quite a departure from my previous books, it's probably my favorite to date. In fact, I'm so excited about it that I made a Vinnie's Diner book trailer several months back. You can check it out on YouTube if you really want to get a feel for the story. Or, you can watch it here:
I've pasted the complete press release from Marcher Lord Press below so you can find out exactly what the contest is about. An important piece of information is that all the manuscript viewing and voting takes place on The Anomaly forums under the sub-heading Marcher Lord Select. You need to register there in order to vote, but it's totally free and secure.
Of course, the main idea behind this contest is to pick the best, and that's what I encourage you to do. Vote for THE BEST story, which may or may not be mine. But you won't know that until you check them all out.
I'll keep you posted as the contest progresses. Thanks for your support!
October 17, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marcher Lord Press Announces Marcher Lord Select
(Colorado Springs, CO)--Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.
"Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions," says publisher Jeff Gerke. "We're presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting 'the people' decide which one should be published."
The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.
The first phase will consist of no more than the book's title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.
"We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel," Gerke says. "There are marketing skills to be developed--and you've got to hook the reader with a good premise."
Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.
The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.
No portion of any contestant's mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.
Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.
"We're also running a secondary contest," Gerke says. "The 'premise contest' is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009."
The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.
The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.
"It's a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn't receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest."
Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.
"In order for this to work as we're envisioning," Gerke says, "we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you're not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I'm sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!"
Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; http://www.marcherlordpress.com/.
