YouWriteOn was launched in January 2006 as an scheme to help new writers get published. It is sponsored by the Arts Council of England.
Members of the site upload the opening chapters of their novels to be peer reviewed and rated based on a variety of criteria: character, plot, pace & structure, use of language, narrative voice, dialogue, setting, theme and ideas.
On the first day of each month the five highest rated chapters receive a free professional critique. The best are then forwarded to the London agencies Curtis Brown (literary agents) and Christopher Little (JK Rowling ’s agent). [1] Due to the success of the YouWriteOn, various other organizations have set up similar sites along the same lines, most notably the publisher HarperCollins which is launching their own version – authonomy.com – in 2008. [2] [3]
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The literary professionals involved with the site include the following:
At the end of each year, YouWriteOn's literary professionals judge the best opening chapters from the previous twelve months and choose six winners: three in the adult fiction category, three in the children's fiction.
Winners
Runners Up
Children's fiction:
Runners Up:
Book of the Year (2007) finalist Douglas Jackson won a six-figure, two-book deal for his novel The Emperor’s Elephant. It will be published by Transworld in 2008. [6]
Third place winner in the children’s category (2007), Bob Burke, secured a deal with The Friday Project for his book The Third Pig Detective Agency.
The Bufflehead Sisters by 2nd place runner-up (2007) Patricia Delois was the #1 recommended novel in Maine Sunday Telegram's '10 must reads for Christmas', and was described as 'the most stunning work of imagination published by a Maine author this year'. [7]