Find out about our 2006 Operation First Novel Winner: Tom Pawlik.

Rules for Operation First Novel 2008
Membership Deadline: September 17, 2008; Entry Deadline: October 1, 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 books may not be under consideration or submitted to other contests or publishers while under consideration for Operation First Novel.
  • If the submitted book is a collaboration, each entrant must be a member or student of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.
  • Submitted books must not have been previously published.
  • Poetry, song lyrics, scripts, and screenplays are not eligible.
  • Submitted books must be the original work of the entrant(s).
  • Submitted books must be written in English.
  • Submitted books must be a complete novel of at least 75,000 words and no more than 100,000 words.
  • Entries are limited to one per person.
  • All rights to submitted books remain the property of the entrants. Copyright will be entered in the name of the winning entrant.
  • Family members, mentors, officers, employees, contractors, advisors, and representatives of, and other persons affiliated with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, Tyndale 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 books will be reviewed and judged utilizing a high standard of excellence. The Christian Writers Guild will select the judges to review the submitted books. The judges will not know the identity of any entrant prior to deciding the winning submitted books. Entrants shall not have the right to request reconsideration of a submitted book. 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 Tyndale House Publishers will not offer a critique of non-winning manuscripts 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 whatsoever on the judging of entries for the contest.
  • Tyndale House Publishers reserves the right to publish the Grand Prize winning entries as per the Tyndale House Publishers standard contractual agreement, with a $20,000 advance against royalties.
  • The grand prize winners are responsible for all resulting taxes. All awards shall be paid in full with no deductions for applicable taxes or withholding. Award-winning entrants shall be solely responsible for and shall timely pay all applicable state and federal income and other taxes due as a result of their winning awards, and are strongly encouraged to consult with their individual tax advisors in this regard.

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 Novel      
    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, number of pages, and approximate word count.
    2. a CD-ROM or 3.5” disc with the complete text of the book in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format.  Each chapter should be a separate file within the folder.
    3. a narrative synopsis of no more than three pages (750 words), summarizing the entire novel, including setting, major characters, scenes, and plot points, as well as the conclusion (in a separate file on the same CD-ROM or 3.5” disk).
  • 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 book or synopsis.)
  • Text should contain no extra space between paragraphs, except for scene breaks. The first line of each paragraph should be indented.
  • Each chapter should be formatted as a separate, numbered file. (E.g. Ch01.doc, Ch02.doc, etc ...)
  • 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 book or synopsis.  There must be no language, symbol, or other information in the book or synopsis 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 Novel.
  • Operation First Novel 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 Novel is void where prohibited by applicable law.