Rules for Operation First Book 2008

Membership Deadline: September 3, 2008; Entry Deadline: September 17, 2008

Learn how to become an annual member: annual member

  • While there is no fee for entering the contest, each entrant must be a current member or student in good standing of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.
  • Entrant may not have had a book (fiction or nonfiction) published or accepted for publication by a royalty publisher prior to the entry deadline.
  • Submitted nonfiction book proposals may not be under consideration or submitted to other contests or publishers while under consideration for Operation First Book.
  • If the submitted nonfiction book is a collaboration, each entrant must be a member or student of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.
  • Proposed books must not have been previously published.
  • Proposals for books of poetry or song lyrics, scripts, or screenplays are not eligible.
  • Submitted nonfiction book proposals must be the original work of the entrant(s).
  • Submitted nonfiction book proposals must be written in English.
  • Submitted nonfiction book proposals must be for a nonfiction book of at least 50,000 words and no more than 100,000 words.
  • Entries are limited to one per person.
  • All rights to submitted nonfiction book proposals remain the property of the entrants. Copyright will be entered in the name of the winning entrant(s).
  • Family members, mentors, officers, employees, contractors, advisers, and representatives of, and other persons affiliated with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, Harvest House Publishers, and their affiliates are not eligible.
  • Contest judges reserve the right not to award a prize if no entries of suitable merit are received.
  • Submitted nonfiction book proposals will be reviewed and judged using a high standard of excellence. The Christian Writers Guild will select the judges. The judges will not know the identity of any entrant prior to deciding the winning entries. Entrants shall not have the right to request reconsideration of a submitted nonfiction book proposal. The judges' decisions will be final and binding on the entrants and not subject to challenge or appeal.
  • Judges or staff of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild or Harvest House Publishers will not offer a critique of non-winning entries or enter into correspondence with entrants.
  • All CWG members are eligible to request and receive assistance of the CWG Critique Service before, during, and after the contest. However, paying for a critique will have no impact on the judging of contest entries.
  • Harvest House Publishers reserves the right to publish the Grand Prize winning entries as per the Harvest House Publishers standard contractual agreement, with a $10,000 advance against royalties.
  • The winner(s) is/are responsible for paying all resulting taxes. All awards shall be paid in full with no deductions for applicable taxes or withholding.

Submission and Format

  • Contest entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format.
  • Entries must be submitted on CD-ROM or 3.5" disk to:
    Operation First Book (nonfiction)      
    Christian Writers Guild                    
    5525 N. Union Blvd., Suite 200                              
    Colorado Springs, CO 80918                 
  • Submissions must include:
    1. a printout cover sheet with the entrant's name, Christian Writers Guild membership number, entrant's mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address, as well as the book title, and anticipated number of pages, and approximate word count.
    2. a CD-ROM or 3.5” disc with the complete text of the proposal in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format. 
    3. a fully developed proposal for a proposed nonfiction book.

    Although there is no universal formula for a nonfiction book proposal, several important elements should be included:

    1. Title Page

    2. Overview (brief synopsis) of the proposed book.

    3. The market (who will buy this book).

    4. Competing titles (what other books have been written on this topic and how this one differs).

    5. Author background (who you are and why you are uniquely qualified to write this book). How are you in a position to promote this book?

    6. Table of contents.

    7. The first three chapters of the proposed book.

    The exact format of the proposal is the entrant's choice. But entrants are advised to consult any of several excellent resources on the creating of book proposals. These include:

    Book Proposals That Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success by W. Terry Whalin (Write Now! Publications)

    Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman (John Wiley and Sons, Inc.)

    How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen (Writer's Digest Books)

    For the winning proposal to be chosen for publication by Harvest House, it should meet the needs of Harvest House Publishers at the time of submission. Harvest House publishes nonfiction books in several subject matters — all of which are consistent with the publisher's mission statement:

    "To glorify God by providing high-quality books and products that affirm biblical values, help people grow spiritually strong, and proclaim Jesus Christ as the answer to every human need."

    To see a sample of the nonfiction books in print by Harvest house Publishers, visit the Harvest House website: http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/

  • Submissions must be received by the Christian Writers Guild on or before the deadline.
  • Entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format, with text in 10-point or larger standard font (such as Times Roman or Arial), using 1.5 or double space, with pages numbered consecutively. (Do not send printouts of the nonfiction book proposal and sample chapters..)
  • Text of sample chapters should contain no extra space between paragraphs, except for scene breaks. The first line of each paragraph should be indented.
  • The entrant’s name, Christian Writers Guild membership number, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address should appear only on the printout cover sheet. Do not put this information on the CD-ROM or disk.
  • The entrant's name must not appear on any of the pages of the nonfiction book proposal.  There must be no language, symbol, or other information in the proposal or sample chapters that indicates the entrant's identity.
  • CDs or 3.5" disks should be labeled with only the book title.
  • Submissions must not contain any content or material which (i) infringes upon or otherwise violates the copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of any person or entity, (ii) is defamatory or constitutes an invasion of privacy, (iii) is unlawful, (iv) would reasonably cause harm or injury of any kind to any person or entity, or (v) discriminates against any person or entity in any manner whatsoever.
  • Each winning entrant is responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for use of excerpts and quotations from third party works. Excerpts and quotations must be properly credited.
  • For acknowledgment of receipt of contest materials, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard (no other acknowledgment will be offered).
  • Submissions not meeting all contest requirements will be disqualified.
  • Judges shall not be responsible for lost, unreadable, or defective disks.
  • Non-winning entries will be destroyed and not returned.
  • The entrant, for himself or herself and any person or entity claiming through or on behalf of the entrant, hereby indemnifies, defends, and holds harmless the released parties from and against any and all damages, claims, causes of action, liabilities, and expenses (including attorneys' fees and costs) incurred by the released parties arising from the entrant's (i) violation of these terms and conditions, (ii) submission of a manuscript for which the entrant does not possess the requisite legal or other proprietary rights (in whole or in part) or necessary permissions from third parties, and (iii) participation, or exclusion or disqualification from participation, in Operation First Book (nonfiction).
  • Operation First Book (nonfiction) is governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, USA. The entrant hereby agrees that all transactions involving Operation First Novel, the Christian Writers Guild, and this website (including performance or nonperformance of these terms and conditions) shall be deemed to have occurred solely in Colorado. The entrant hereby agrees that the appropriate state or federal court in Colorado shall be the exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any kind of dispute or litigation between the entrant and the released parties. The entrant specifically consents to personal jurisdiction in Colorado and waives any right the entrant may have to remove or transfer any case or proceeding to any other jurisdiction, state, or country.
  • Operation First Book (nonfiction) is void where prohibited by applicable law.