• Were the behaviors of the characters apropriate to the story's time and place?
• Did the story appear to be well-researched?
• Were the historical elements woven into the story in a smooth, seamless way?

Specialized FF&P Questions

• Was the world unique and/or interesting?
• Was the author consistent in following the world's rules?
• Were the paranormal elements believable?

Entry Qualifications and Rules for All Contestants
The contest is open to all romance authors published by a non-vanity, non-subsidy publisher/imprint/line, in both traditional print and electronic publishing.

Entrants may designate a second category for the work in the event the first-choice category does not receive the required number of entries to be judged or the category is full when the author's entry is received.

Entrants must indicate the sensuality level of their book.  The choices are Mild, Hot, or Blazing.  Every effort will be made to match entries with judges who accept works with the indicated sensuality level.

There is no limit to the number of eligible books/manuscripts that may be entered for each author in each category, although each category has an upper limit of 150 entries.  Authors may enter any book in multiple categories if so desired (e.g., a book may be entered in the Paranormal category, the Best First Book category, and the Erotic Romance category.) Except for Best First Book, a separate entry form, fee, and 5 books are required for each category entered.

Published works currently available exclusively in electronic formats shall be printed on standard 8.5” X 11” white paper, bound, and mailed with the entry form and fees to the appropriate coordinator by the contest deadline.  Five printed copies of each work are required to be eligible.  Electronic copies will not be accepted.  The bound work must include the publisher's copyright page.  If the work is available in Print on Demand (POD) format, that is what must be submitted.

NO books/works will be returned except when the category’s minimum entry threshold is not met or the category’s threshold is exceeded (or categories', if the entrant indicated a second choice on the registration form).

If any category has fewer than 20 entries (defined as all copies of required work to be judged, not just the entry form) received by the deadline, the category shall not be judged. At such a time, an entrant will be placed in an alternate category if one was indicated on the registration form. If an alternate category was not indicated, the entry forms and fees shall be returned to the entrant. No entry shall be allowed to change categories except in the case of category cancellation. Each category has a limit of 150 entries.

All contest entries and appropriate fees must be received by Romance Conventions, Inc., no later than 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time, January 31, 2010. Any items received after January 31st will result in disqualification.  No books will be returned and no refunds will be given to entrants who fail to meet the deadline.

If a check is returned or a credit card charge denied, the replacement money, plus a $25 processing fee, must be in the Romance Conventions, Inc., office by February 7, 2010, or the entrant shall be disqualified and books forfeited.

Readers’ Crown™ Contest coordinators will send a confirmation letter or e-mail to all entrants and/or nominators.

Finalists shall be notified by phone, and then by an Official Letter of Notification sent by the RomCon™ Office via 2-day registered mail.

The complete list of finalists will be made public and posted on our website no later than April 30, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.

Neither employees of Romance Conventions, Inc., nor members of their immediate families shall be eligible to enter the Readers’ Crown™ contest.

All deadlines are final.

Readers’ Crown™ non-finalists who so mark their entry forms shall be sent their preliminary-round score totals after the end of the preliminary round.  Finalists will receive their scores after the conclusion of the contest.

Individual scores will not be reported or returned to anyone other than the author(s) of each entry.

If any finalist is disqualified for any reason, no other entrant shall move up to fill a vacant spot.

Decisions of the judges are final.

Finalists may be asked to submit a high-resolution image file.

Five copies of the book are required.  Bound copies of the work being entered will only be accepted for works published only in electronic format.

In the event that duplicate entries for the same book are received, the first nomination shall be the official entry and the subsequent entries and fees will be returned. However, if the author is one of the nominators, the author’s choice of category (and alternate if applicable) will prevail.

A collection of novels/novellas is not one entry; rather, each work must be entered separately and five copies of the book must be submitted for each entry. The appropriate fee shall be paid for each entry.

All Readers’ Crown™ entrants are required to acknowledge and accept these rules via the electronic entry form.

Romance Conventions, Inc., may request 2 additional books from the author if needed for discrepancy judging.