The Nervous Ghost Press
Book Prize
Submission Guidelines
Prose Prize Guidelines:
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Zero Reading Fee
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Single author, original, previously unpublished writing
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Between 50,000 and 100,000 words
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Double-spaced, PDF
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No Artwork
*All genres considered except for work in translation
Poetry Prize Guidelines:
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Zero Reading Fee
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Single author, original, previously unpublished writing.
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48-128 Pages
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Single-spaced, formatting/ stanzas clearly indicated, PDF
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No Artwork
*All genres considered except for work in translation
Book Prize Terms & Conditions:
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Submissions are open from October 28, 2022 – March 31, 2023, by 11:59pm PST. All submissions must be submitted by the deadline to be considered.
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Entries are welcome from anyone, anywhere in the United States of America. If you are currently living outside of the US, but you have a valid address inside the US, you are eligible to enter (PO boxes/ personal mailboxes are not considered valid addresses).
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There is no age limit. However, if you are under the age of 18, you must submit written permission from your parent(s) and/ or legal guardian before submitting any work.
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The prizes are open to new and established writers.
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Anyone related (relatives, former/ current students, employees, coworkers, employers, friends…) personally or professionally to either final judge is ineligible to enter.
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Any intern or employee of Nervous Ghost Press is ineligible to enter.
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Entries must be submitted online via the online submission portal found at www.nervousghostpress.org
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Entries should be submitted in a simple, 12pt font (Times New Roman, Garamond...), justified left, with 1" margins, and double-spaced. Poems with specific formatting are okay.
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Entries should be submitted in PDF format (A Word Doc will be required for the winning manuscript).
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Entrants will receive automatic confirmation email of receipt.
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The submission should start with the title of the manuscript, followed by a table of contents, and then the work. Part titles and epigraphs may be included.
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Dedications, acknowledgments, or any personal information should not be included.
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Stanza breaks must be clearly indicated (poetry).
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Chapter titles must be clearly indicated (prose).
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No revisions will be accepted once the manuscript is uploaded. If selected for publication, revisions will be allowed.
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The author’s name must not appear anywhere in the document or in the name of the digital file (if name is in a poem, please update it to “[author name]”).
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All other identifying information (address, phone number, email address…) should be removed from the document as well. We will be able to retrieve this information after the judging process is completed.
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The file name should follow this format: “NGP_[title of MS]_2023_[Poetry or Prose]
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Ex: “NGP_Collection A_2023_Poetry”
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Failure to follow all guidelines will result in immediate disqualification.
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No submission fee.
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Entries will be deemed ineligible if they are under contract to another publisher or organization.
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Entries will be removed from long or short-lists if we discover they have been published elsewhere.
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Entries must be original works written by an individual author.
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Only one submission per author.
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Entries must not infringe upon anyone’s copyright.
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Entries that are deemed to be works of plagiarism will be disqualified.
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Any work that espouses racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other notions of hate will be immediately disqualified.
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Authors of long-listed and short-listed submissions will be notified as soon as possible and may be considered for publication.
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Previously published, prize-winning, or broadcasted manuscripts will not be accepted. (Previous online appearances constitute prior publication).
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Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, anthologies, and should be credited appropriately.
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Works in translation are not eligible.
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To withdraw entry, please notify the editors as soon as possible.
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Simultaneous submissions are allowed, however, please notify Nervous Ghost Press immediately if your manuscript is accepted somewhere else.
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Previous Nervous Ghost Press Book Prize recipients should wait at least three (3) years of publication of their manuscript before submitting again.
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Authors who have a full-length work currently under consideration by Nervous Ghost Press are ineligible for the 2023 book prizes.
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Due to the uncertain nature of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions, if you are uncomfortable with an in-person reading tour, a virtual tour will be set up in its place.
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The prize recipient will receive a $1000 dollar advance on royalties.
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The prize recipient will receive a Standard publishing contract from Nervous Ghost Press.
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Finalists will be chosen by the Editors.
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All review/ final judging is completely anonymous.
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The final judges are TBA.
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Nervous Ghost Press reserves the right not to award a prize.
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Each prize recipient will be announced via the website and social media accounts in either the third or fourth quarter of 2023.*
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The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into about the judgments or the judging process.
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Nervous Ghost Press is committed to maintaining the utmost integrity of our prizes. The Judges shall recuse themselves from considering any manuscript where they recognize the work. In the event of recusal, a manuscript will be judged by the Nervous Ghost Press Editorial Staff.
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By completing the submission process, you agree to your email being added to our email list (less than three emails a month).
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By submitting your manuscript, you declare that the work entered in the 2023 Nervous Ghost Press Prize for Prose and the 2023 Nervous Ghost Press Prize for Poetry is your own work and has not been previously published, broadcasted, or awarded anywhere at any time. You acknowledge that you have read all the terms and conditions and agree to abide by them.
*If we need to change the timeline, we will make announcements in advance.