Last Call: Lambda Literary Awards Guidelines 2008 Submission Form

The submission form is available as a PDF. If you would like one faxed or emailed to you, please send a request to awards@lambdaliterary.org or contact us at 323-936-5876.

2008 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR THE 21ST LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS

These guidelines focus on determining a book’s eligibility for the Lambda Literary Awards, the process of submitting a book for consideration by the judges, the parameters of the categories, and an approximate timeline for the awards cycle.

Each year, the Award Guidelines Committee of the Board of Trustees receives feedback from authors, publishers, and others in the literary community and informed with this feedback, the Committee assesses and revises the Guidelines with the goal of making the Lambda Literary Awards the most prestigious, competitive, and comprehensive awards offered to LGBT books and authors.

Changes to this year’s guidelines include the following:

Reprints of previously published paperback, hardcover or electronic books are not eligible. Second (or later) editions of a book are not eligible for consideration. A book that has been republished by a different publisher after its initial publication is not eligible. A book can be submitted in only one category, with two exceptions. Bisexual and Transgender books may be submitted in their respective categories, as well as a second LGBT category. This exception is intended to bring more visibility to the most under-published segments of our LGBT community.
If the Bisexual category receives ten (10) submissions of fiction and ten (10) submissions of nonfiction, the category will be separated into Bisexual Fiction and Bisexual Nonfiction. If the Transgender category receives ten (10) submissions of fiction and ten (10) submissions of nonfiction, the category will be separated into Transgender Fiction and Transgender Nonfiction. The awards committee reserves the right to split a category along sexual orientation or gender if the number of submissions received in a category warrant such a distinction.
Questions may be directed to awards@lambdaliterary.org.

TIMELINE

Submission period for books begins October 1, 2008 and ends December 1, 2008. A shortlist of five finalists for each category will be announced no later than March 15, 2009. Winners will be announced at the 21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony, to be held on Thursday, May 28, 2009, in New York City.

ELIGIBILITY

In determining whether a book should be submitted for consideration, the Lambda Literary Awards are based principally on the LGBT content of the work. The sexual orientation of the author is secondary. The book must be published and distributed (i.e. available in bookstores) in the United States during 2008. Self-published books are eligible. Reprints of previously published paperback, hardcover or electronic books are not eligible. Second (or later) editions of a book are not eligible for consideration. A book that has been republished by a different publisher after its initial publication is not eligible. The book must be published in English. Translations from other languages into English are accepted, as long as the U.S. publication occurs during 2008. E-books are not eligible.

HOW TO SUBMIT A BOOK

Books submitted for consideration will be accepted between October 1, 2008 and December 1, 2008. A book can be submitted only by its author or by its publisher. To submit a book for consideration, please provide a completed submission form, an administrative fee of $20, and four (4) copies of the book. If the book is submitted for two categories (Bisexual or Transgender, plus a second LGBT category), please send eight (8) books instead of four. Only one administration fee ($20) is required. For books being published in late 2008 (especially December), bound galleys or bound manuscripts are accepted in lieu of finished copies of the book. Please note: electronic versions of books (PDFs) are not accepted.

CATEGORIES

Lambda Literary Awards are presented in twenty-two (22) categories (see below). If you have any questions about which category would be most appropriate for a book, please email us at awards@lambdaliterary.org. A book can be submitted in only one category, with two exceptions. Bisexual and Transgender books may be submitted in their respective categories, as well as a second LGBT category. This exception is intended to bring more visibility to the most under-published segments of our LGBT community. If a category receives less than ten (10) submissions, the category will not be active in this awards cycle. The submitted books will be reassigned to another category if appropriate, and the administrative fee will be refunded if the book cannot compete in another category.

If the Bisexual category receives ten (10) submissions of fiction and ten (10) submissions nonfiction, the category will be separated into Bisexual Fiction and Bisexual Nonfiction. If the Transgender category receives ten (10) submissions of fiction and ten (10) submissions of nonfiction, the category will be separated into Transgender Fiction and Transgender Nonfiction.
The awards committee reserves the right to split a category along sexual orientation if the number of submissions received in a category warrant such a distinction.

2008 CATEGORIES

LESBIAN and GAY CATEGORIES (14) LESBIAN: Books eligible for this category are those that feature a lesbian main character. The gender and orientation of the author are not considered in determining the book’s eligibility.

GAY: Books eligible for this category are those that feature a gay main character. The gender and orientation of the author are not considered in determining the book’s eligibility.

Betty Berzon Prize for Debut Fiction—Novels, novellas, or short story collections by authors who have not previously published a book of fiction. Anthologies are not eligible. Authors who have appeared in anthologies are eligible, as long as they have not published a volume identified as theirs alone.

Erotica—Anthologies, novels, memoirs, short story collections whose content is principally of an erotic nature.

General Fiction—Novels, novellas, and short story collections. May include historical novels, graphic novels, cross-genre works of fiction, and other styles of fiction. Anthologies are not eligible.
Memoir/Biography—Posthumously published authors or those with co-authors are eligible. Anthologies are not eligible.

Mystery— Novels, novellas, and short story collections that adhere to the criteria of a “mystery,” as defined by the Mystery Writers of America: “A mystery is considered to be any novel in which a crime, or a series of crimes, are an integral part of the story." Anthologies are not eligible.

Poetry—Single volumes, selected and collected poems are eligible. Chapbooks are not eligible.

Romance— Novels, novellas, and short story collections that adhere to the criteria of a “romance.” As defined by the Romance Writers of America: “A romance is defined as a work of fiction with two critical elements: a central love relationship and a positive ending stating or implying a commitment between the two characters.” Anthologies are not eligible.

ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES (2)

Bisexual—Fiction and nonfiction: novels, short story collections, anthologies, poetry, memoirs, cultural studies, public policy, law, history, spirituality, gender studies, etc.

Transgender—Fiction and nonfiction: novels, short story collections, anthologies, poetry, memoirs, cultural studies, public policy, law, history, spirituality, gender studies, etc.

LGBT CATEGORIES (6)

LGBT Anthology—Collections of fiction, poetry, and/or nonfiction are eligible.

LGBT Children’s/Young Adult—Fiction, nonfiction, picture books, poetry, and anthologies—whose intended audience are young readers—are all eligible.

LGBT Drama—Plays that have been published in book/script form during 2008. Collections of plays and anthologies of plays are eligible.

LGBT Nonfiction—Books and subjects for the general reader, e.g. histories, politics, community organizations, humor, parenting, religion, spirituality, relationships, psychology, travel, etc.

LGBT Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror—Novels, novellas, short story collections, and anthologies are eligible.

LGBT Studies—Scholarly work oriented toward academia, libraries, cultural professionals, and the more academic reader.

PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS FOR SUBMISSIONS:

Lambda Literary Awards
5482 Wilshire Blvd, #1595
Los Angeles, CA 90036