The Masters Review believes that every writer has a novel in them, which is why we host a call for novel excerpts every autumn. So dig through those desk drawers, dust off your manuscripts, crack your knuckles, and get revising! For this contest, we’re looking for excerpts that exhibit a sense of style, with a clear grasp on craft: character, setting, and most importantly, story. Your excerpt may come from any place in your novel, but choose wisely—a synopsis should not be required for understanding the excerpt. As always, we have no limitations on genre, though we are primarily interested in literary fiction. Submissions for the Novel Excerpt Contest will open on August 28 and close on October 27.
Tania James will serve as this year’s guest judge! James will select the finalists from a shortlist of ten excerpts provided by The Masters Review’s editorial team.
What Tania James is looking for: “An element of surprise, whether on the level of language or incident or something else entirely. An authority over the story being told. The author’s willingness to take a risk. The sense that this excerpt is but one tantalizing piece in a work that is whole, complex, and inevitable.”
The winning excerpt will be awarded $3,000; online publication; and an hour-long consultation with Marin Takikawa, a literary agent with The Friedrich Agency. Second- and third-place excerpts will be awarded online publication and $300 and $200 respectively, in addition to written feedback from Takikawa.
FAQ
Q: Does it have to have a beginning, middle, and end?
We want an excerpt that stands well on its own, that makes us want to read the full book. We want a sense of conclusion from the excerpt, but we also know that we’re only reading part of a novel and don’t expect all threads to be resolved. You can read last year’s winners at the links below for an example of the kind of novel excerpt we’re interested in.
Q: When should I expect to hear back?
We will try to respond to every submission by the end of March 2025, and hope to have the finalists announced at the end of April or beginning of May 2025. If this timeline changes significantly, we will notify all authors. We appreciate your patience!
Q: Can I submit two chapters if they fall under 6,000 words?
You can submit as many chapters as you’d like, as long as the word count is under 6,000 words.
Q: How firm are you on word count?
We allow for some wiggle room; don’t force your revisions into 6,000 words. We’d rather read a couple hundred extra words than a cramped conclusion!
Q: Can I submit a synopsis/prologue with my excerpt?
We recommend that you don’t; your excerpt will be judged on its merit alone, and the synopsis will not be published alongside your excerpt.
Q: Can I submit with a cowriter?
Sure, but you’ll need to split the prize money.
Q: What if a small portion of the book has already been published?
As long as the excerpt you’re submitting has not been published in any form, and the novel itself has not been published, we’re happy to consider your work!
Q: What’s the deal with my rights if I want to publish my book eventually?
We ask for first publication rights of your excerpt only. All rights also revert back to the author after an exclusive ninety-day publishing window. Specific questions or concerns about publishing rights can be addressed to contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.
Q: If I self-published my novel on my blog but later took it down, can I still submit an excerpt?
Unfortunately, because it’s been published in some form or fashion, the excerpt would no longer be eligible for this contest.
Tania James is the author of four works of fiction, all published by Knopf: Loot, which was longlisted for 2023 National Book Award and the Carol Shields Prize; The Tusk That Did the Damage, which was a finalist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize; Aerogrammes and Other Stories, named a Best Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle; and the novel Atlas of Unknowns, which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a finalist for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Her short stories have appeared in Freeman’s; Granta; The New Yorker; O, The Oprah Magazine; and One Story, among other places, and featured on Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts. Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she teaches in the MFA program at George Mason University and lives in Washington, DC.
If you’re interested in getting feedback on your writing, utilize our editorial letter add-on option. Our response to your submission will be accompanied by a one- to two-page letter from an experienced guest editor, who will offer observations on the strengths of the piece as well as opportunities for revision. Your editor may also offer further submission and reading suggestions, or other comments on craft. A significant portion of the additional fee is paid directly to your feedback editor. See a sample editorial letter.
The Chapbook Open, returning for the fifth year, is a call for submissions of literary prose chapbooks. We’re looking for collections of flash fiction, creative nonfiction essays, short stories, and anything in-between. We encourage you to experiment with style and form and push the boundaries of genre. But be aware: manuscripts are capped at 45 pages. The Masters Review is proud to offer the winner a $3,000 cash prize, along with manuscript publication and 50 contributor copies. Selecting this year’s winning chapbook is Rita Bullwinkel, author of the collection Belly Up and the new novel Headshot. Our chapbooks are distributed internationally and are available through Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Rita Bullwinkel says: “The best chapbooks are like islands—an oasis of thought, an other world that is complete, and compact, and changes, slightly, upon return. My favorite prose transports me to a space, either mental or geographic, that I didn’t know existed.”
Submissions will be accepted between September 1 and December 15, 2024. The Masters Review staff will select a shortlist of five to ten chapbooks to pass along to Rita Bullwinkel, who will pick the winner and write an introduction for the manuscript. The winning chapbook will be published in Spring 2026. Last year’s winner, A Most Natural Thing: An Elemental Memoir by Lisbeth White, will be published next spring. For details on all of our past winners, please visit the links at the bottom of this page.
All submissions must be single-author prose manuscripts of 25 to 45 pages. We are not interested in traditional lineated poetry. All manuscripts must be complete: no excerpts, no chapters of a novel, no works in progress, or any other incomplete work. Individual pieces may be previously published, but submitted manuscripts should contain some unpublished material. If you have questions or concerns about whether your manuscript would qualify, please email us at contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.
Rita Bullwinkel is the author of Headshot and Belly Up, a story collection that won the Believer Book Award. She is a 2022 recipient of a Whiting Award, the editor of McSweeney’s Quarterly, a contributing editor at NOON, and the Picador Guest Professor of Literature at Leipzig University in Germany, where she teaches courses on creative writing, zines, and the uses of invented and foreign languages as tools for world building.
If you’re interested in getting feedback on your writing, utilize our editorial letter add-on option. Editorial letters are available for chapbook submissions on a sliding scale (see below). Our response to your submission will be accompanied by a one- to two-page letter from an experienced guest editor, who will offer observations on the strengths of the piece as well as opportunities for revision. Your editor may also offer further submission and reading suggestions, or other comments on craft. A significant portion of the additional fee is paid directly to your feedback editor. See a sample editorial letter.
Editorial Letter Payment Scale:
A Most Natural Thing: An Elemental Memoir by Lisbeth White, 2023 Winner — Selected by Michael Martone
Coats by Naomi Telushkin, 2022 Winner — Selected by Kim Fu
Love at the End of the World by Lindy Biller, 2021 Winner — Selected by Matt Bell
Masterplans by Nick Almeida, 2020 Winner — Selected by Steve Almond
Our New Voices category is open year-round to any new or emerging author who has not published a novel-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction with a major press. Authors with published short story collections are free to submit. We accept simultaneous and multiple submissions but ask that you inform us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.
The Masters Review pays a flat rate of $100 for flash-length stories (1,000 words or fewer) and $200 for longer stories (up to 7,000 words).
We don’t have any preferences topically or in terms of style. We’re simply looking for the best. We don’t define, nor are we interested in, stories identified by their genre. We do, however, consider ourselves a publication that focuses on literary fiction. Dazzle us, take chances, and be bold. Thanks for supporting our publication, and thank you for your work.
New Voices submissions can be uploaded to Submittable by clicking the button below:
For questions about submissions or to query an existing submission please use the following email: contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.
The Masters Review is now accepting submissions of completed book reviews, interviews, and craft essays for publication on our blog. Please do not send pitches or queries to this category. Submissions must be previously unpublished. We do not consider reprints. At the moment, we are unable to pay for book reviews or interviews, but we can pay $50 for craft essays. If you have a pitch or query, please contact us at contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com.
Genre Guidelines
Book Reviews
Interviews
Craft Essays
Submission questions, concerns, and inquiries can be sent to a staff member at: contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com
Author’s Rights
The Masters Review holds first publication rights for three months after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following The Masters Review’s first publication. For reprints we ask for acknowledgement of its publication in The Masters Review first.