Limited to the First Eight Applicants. It is said that the first 20 pages of your manuscript are its and your calling card. Those pages demonstrate your art of writing, imagination at story, and craft at suspense. Our writers have offered to read, review and comment on your first 20 pages, and to discuss those observations in a 15-minute meeting at Mystery Florida 2011; and to donate the fee of $50.00 to the literacy programs of the two independent libraries supported by Mystery Florida, Inc.

To be eligible, you must be registered for the full conference and have paid in full prior to your manuscript submission.

Interested applicants must contact the Mystery Florida Manuscript Review Liaison at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Upon confirmation that you are among the first eight applicants, prepare to send two copies of your first 20 pages, together with a check for $50.00 made out to Mystery Florida, Inc.   (The manuscript process will require two copies of your first 20 pp., one with a title sheet and the author's name, and the other with a title sheet and no name. The "blind" copy will be sent to one of our talented and generous guest authors from Mystery Florida 2011.)

With your confirmation that you are among the first eight Conference registrants to apply for Manuscript Review, you will receive mailing instructions, and additional contact information for the Mystery Florida Manuscript Review Liaison, who will also schedule your in-person meeting with the author conducting your manuscript review.

Submissions are of the first 20 pages of your manuscript, and must be in proper manuscript format, as follows:

Standard Manuscript Format

Before submitting your first 20 pages make sure they are in the standard manuscript format.

• Typed, in Courier or Times Roman font only. Neither handwritten manuscripts nor ones that use a dozen amazingly nifty fonts are likely to be well received. If you are using a word processor try to select a non-proportional font (one where every character has the same width).
• Do not justify the text.
• Use high quality 8 1/2 x 11 inch white paper.
• Only print on one side of the paper.
• Do not staple the pages together.
• Use wide margins -- at least an inch all around the text.
• Double space the text.
• Show new paragraphs by indenting the first line of the new paragraph by five spaces. Thus:

This is the end of one paragraph.

And this is the start of the next paragraph.

• On the identification copy of your first 20 pages, type your name, address, and telephone number at the top left of the first page. Put the word count  at the top right of the first page. Example:

John Doe                                                                                                                                                 3200 words
41 Main Street
Margueritaville, FL 00500

• The rest of the first page: The story's title and your name should appear a little less than halfway down the first page. Then leave a couple of blank lines, and start the story. The title and your name should be centered:

SUSPENSE UNLIMITED

by

John Doe

• Put the page number, your surname, and a keyword or two from the title on the top right of every page after the first one. Something like this:

Doe/Suspense Unlimited/20