WV Writers Contest F.A.Q.#16

Continuing the series of Frequently Asked Questions about the West Virginia Writers, Inc., Annual Writing Competitions.  To see all of the questions, please click HERE. 


QUESTION:  For Book Length Prose, I know that the cover page must have the title, category and word count on it, but should the narrative also begin on the cover page or on the second page? Should any other "front matter" be included, such as dedications or attributions for quotations from public domain sources? Is the title and other front matter included in the word count? (My first chapter happens to be just under 5,000 words.)
 
ANSWER:  Cover pages are not necessary, though would not count against you either.  Our standard formatting is to just put the category and word count at the top of the first page, leaving the title for just above the beginning of the text.  I would not encourage including dedications or attributions.  They just eat into your word limit and are not necessary to the judging.