Authored’s Wicked Whispers Competition
SubscribeAbout
Authored’s Wicked Whispers Competition discovers new horror, thriller, suspense, and mystery manuscripts for the industry. This competition was developed to identify high-quality manuscripts written by promising authors, while providing actionable feedback for authors to develop their work.
See results from previous competitions here: https://www.getauthored.com/blogs/announcing-the-rising-talent-competition-winner
About
Authored’s Wicked Whispers Competition identifies promising horror, thriller, suspense, and mystery manuscripts through a comprehensive review process, which includes an evaluation of the manuscript’s query letter, synopsis, and first ten pages. Our focus is on securing representation for authors, supporting diverse voices, and championing ambitious storytelling. All reviewers are literary agents or published authors. Each submission will receive a score, which the author can choose to display on their query for agents to see.
Benefits
Benefits
Authored selects up to 10 finalists, and from that group, one winner.
• Remaining 50% of prize pool will go to finalists*
• Finalists receive detailed feedback on the first 10 pages
• Finalists receive a Q&A session with Mark Tavani, David Black Agency
• Winner and finalists will receive badges, which will be displayed prominently on Authored
• Winner and finalists submissions will be highlighted on Authored
• Every submission will receive a score, which the author can choose to display on their query. This score will be prominently featured in our query database for agents and industry professionals to see.This allows authors to highlight the quality of their query to agents, even if they are not finalists.
• Additionally, we provide authors with a feedback form explaining how the score was derived.This feedback helps applicants improve the weakest parts of their query, enhancing their chances of securing an agent.
*a portion of each submission is allocated towards the prize pool. We will update the prize pool amount periodically as we receive submissions.
Testimonials from previous competitions
"The feedback that I received from the Rising Talent Competition was excellent. I used the feedback to rewrite my first chapter, which catapulted my book in a great direction. Even if I don't win the contest, the experience has greatly benefited me"
-Brylee Huber / Querying Author
"As part of the Rising Talent Competition, I received actionable feedback that allowed me to identify the part of my query to improve. Feedback like this is invaluable for querying writers."
-Amandine B. / Querying Author
"I love that Authored provides rubric scores and feedback for all query packages entered in its contests; everyone who enters is a winner. Authored's feedback helped me understand both what I'm doing well (which was encouraging!) and what I need to improve (which was helpful!), giving me the confidence to keep moving my dream forward."
-Tracie Renee / 2024 Rising Talent Competition Finalist
"Participating in Authored’s Rising Talent Competition was a phenomenal experience. I was able to learn more about the publishing industry, receive feedback on my work, and connect with other writers. Plus, entering the competition allowed me to network with a few literary agents!"
-Aaliyah Paolucci / 2024 Rising Talent Competition Winner
“Being chosen as a Rising Talent finalist was an honor and a great experience. Not only did I get detailed, helpful feedback on my entire query package, but Authored gave the finalists the invaluable opportunity to speak with a literary agent and ask questions about the industry. The experience also gave me a huge boost of confidence to continue working toward my dream!”
-Avery Timmons / 2024 Rising Talent Competition Finalist
Judges
Andie Smith
Literary Agent
The Booker Albert Literary Agency
Andie Smith is a Junior Agent at The Booker Albert Literary Agency where she started as a Literary Intern in 2022. She is also a writer and editor of multiple genres. Andie has previously served as a writer and editor for several local newspapers and magazines in Central Florida and is the Founder of Sun & Spines Editorial, where she offers a variety of editing services for authors. When she’s not agenting, she’s spending time with her husband and two kitties or hanging out at Disney World.
Kesia Lupo
Freelance Editor
Kesia Lupo is a freelance editor. She grew up in the UK and Germany, studied History at Oxford University and Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, then launched her publishing career at Pan Macmillan, London, as an editorial assistant in 2013. She transitioned from adult books to children’s when she joined Chicken House in 2015—then from a senior editorial role to agenting when she joined The Bindery as a literary agent in 2023 where she represented authors published by Penguin Random House, HarperColiins, Simon & Schuster and Bonnier, among others. While her expertise lies in middle-grade and YA fiction, Kesia reads widely across genres, including adult SFF and horror, historical fiction, romance, and select non-fiction. Kesia is a new U.S. resident and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband. As well as working in publishing, she's the author of three YA novels published by Bloomsbury in the UK.
Mindy McGinnis
Edgar Award-winning novelist
Mindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy. Mindy participated in #PitchWars as a mentor for two years, steering her mentees through multiple drafts and heavy editing. Both of her mentees secured agents, and one even ended up signing at Mindy’s publishing house, Harper Collins.
Announcements
Rules
Guidelines
• Applicants must not be agented at the time of submission
• Co-authors are allowed
• Entries must be horror, thriller, suspense, or mystery
• No limit on the number of entries. Each entry is a separate fee
• All rights to the material remain with the entrant, whether they place as a finalist or not
• The manuscript entered must not have been published in any way
• Applicants must be 18 years old at the time of entry
• In order to run a fair contest for all entrants, revisions or missing pages will not be accepted under any circumstances once an entry has been assigned to a judge
• If the submission is rewritten and the original entry has already been assigned to a judge, the author may resubmit the submission as a new entry for consideration in the contest. This is treated as its own entry and requires the full entry fee
• Once an entry has been submitted and payment has been processed no refunds will be issued
• Substitutions of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time (provided the entry has not already been assigned to a judge) with a $8 reentry fee. Please proofread your submission carefully before submitting
• By entering the competition, you represent and affirm that your entry is an original creative work, and does not infringe, misappropriate or violate the copyright, trademark or other intellectual rights of any third party
• Submissions must be in English
• Applicants must reside in the US, Canada, UK or Australia
