Winner of a Golden Press Card Award for Excellence
Does the author retain the copyright for their work?
Yes.
It is not necessary to put a copyright notice on your manuscript. Under U.S. copyright law the writer holds all legal rights to anything he/she produces, until signed away. We acquire first-time North American serial rights only when we accept anything for publication. That means we can use it just once, and the author retains all other rights to the work.
For more information, visit the United States Copyright Office web site.
I'm a semi-finalist who submitted more than one work. Which one won the award?
Unfortunately, as we explained in the letters to semi-finalists, we have no way of knowing which piece made it to the semi-final round. Because of the high volume of submissions received here both for the writing competition and as general submissions, we record names and addresses of all but the finalists and recycle the remaining manuscripts. I wish I could help, but we consider it "going the extra mile" just to let semi-finalists know they made it that far.
I entered your competition. How long will it take to know if I've won?
It typically takes about two months after the deadline to select the winners. There's always a rush of entries near the deadline, and it just takes time to judge each of them fully and fairly. You might want to check the home page periodically after a couple of months: look for the link to Award Winners.
Note that a deadline may be extended after you submit your entry, which will affect when judging is complete. Winners will be posted on this web site as soon as the judging is finished. Runners-up will be posted a few weeks later, about the same time as the new issue is published.
How do I know if my entry was received?
If you want to be sure your entry was received, include a separate SASE or postcard (preferable) with your entry.
SASE stands for Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope. An envelope with postage attached and your postal address on it that we can drop in the mail to send you a reply.
IRC stands for International Reply Coupon. Similiar to a SASE, but for folks outside the U.S.
What different forms of payment are accepted?
Payment using a credit card or e-check is acceptable when entering the writing competition using the online entry form. For offline (postal mail) entries, payment must be with a personal check, money order, cashier's check, or plain cash. Payment must be in U.S. currency.
Is the subject of my piece appropriate for New Millennium Writings?
As the competition rules state, there is no restriction to style or content: virtually any tone, format, length, and subject area is OK, as long as each fiction or non-fiction piece is less than 6,000 words, and that your poetry entries do not exceed 5 pages total. These limits are absolutes.
Should I put my name on each page of my entry, or just on a cover page?
Either way is fine. We've tried it both ways and found that about one-third put that info all over the submission whether we prohibit it or not, so we've adopted a policy of allowing it. We've used the same judges for over 5 years and I know them well. They have a high degree of integrity.
I'm published in New Millennium Writings! How do I order additional copies?
Contributers who get published get two free copies. Additional copies are $5 each, including shipping and handling. Other people must pay $12 for the latest issue (again, including shipping and handling) or $8 for a sample copy, which is normally a previous, over-stocked issue.
My work was previously published in print. Can I still submit it for publication?
No, unless the publication circulation was 5,000 or less (e.g. a college newspaper or other small literary publication.)
My work was previously published on the web. Can I still submit it for publication?
Yes, works published on the web are acceptable for the competition.
Are photocopy entries of previous publications accepted?
Yes, for small publication circulations (see above.)
I live in another country. Can I enter the competition?
Yes, we've had many entries from other countries. The easiest way to enter the writing competition is to use the online form with a credit card to purchase the book in which winners appear and related expenses. You can also send your entry using postal mail: the only catch is the purchase must be in US. dollars. Money-orders drawn on U.S. banks for instance, are fine.
Yes, although all other rules pertain, and they may not exceed the 6,000-word limit.
Do you publish books other than New Millennium Writings?
No, we do not accept books for publication at this time. For a fee, some of our editors/writers will, however provide editing and publishing consultations, and we can put you in touch.