Submit your children’s book manuscript

Do you have a great children’s book manuscript that you’d like to share with the world? You can be a part of Southwest Human Development’s second annual First Edition Children’s Book Contest; grab a notebook and let your inner-child run free!

Southwest Human Development is looking for its next winning children’s book writer.  The selected manuscript will be professionally illustrated, published and promoted by Southwest Human Development.

ManuscriptThe winner of the First Edition Children’s Book Contest will receive a $1,000 advance and an eight-percent royalty. The selected book will be distributed to more than 2,500 children and placed for sale online and in retail bookstores. Most importantly, the winning story will ignite a chain reaction of giving back to the community.

“The First Edition Children’s Book Project uses a ‘buy one, give one’ model,” said Jake Adams, chief development officer of Southwest Human Development. “When you buy one of our books, we’re going to give a second book to a child in need.”

Submissions will be accepted with a $50 entry fee through Aug. 31, 2016, a $75 fee through Sept. 30, 2016, and a $100 fee through the contest deadline of Oct. 15, 2016. Proceeds from the First Edition Children’s Book Contest will benefit Southwest Human Development’s early literacy programs, such as Raising A Reader and Reach Out and Read.

The contest and book publication stem from Books for Babies … and Toddlers, Too!, an innovative fundraising program supporting early literacy programs at Southwest Human Development.

“We were overwhelmed by how many entries we received when we launched this contest,” Adams said. “It’s an honor to have such a high-quality children’s book as a result and be able to continue our efforts to help Arizona’s young children develop, learn and prepare to succeed in school.

The inaugural First Edition Children’s Book Contest launched in 2015 and took the public by storm. More than 250 writers and aspiring authors across the country jumped at the opportunity to participate and share their manuscripts. Last year’s winning manuscript   was written by former teacher and librarian Phoebe Fox and illustrated by Michael Hale.

To learn more about the First Edition Children’s Book Contest, including how to enter your manuscript, please visit www.firsteditionproject.com.



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