Caketrain Journal and Press is proud to announce our 2008 Caketrain Chapbook Competition,
the fourth installment of our annual creative writing contest. This
year, in an effort to further expand the horizons of our book series,
we have decided for the first time ever to look at chapbook manuscripts
in the fiction genre (never fear, poets -- your genre of choice
is slated to make its triumphant return in 2009). We're very excited
about this new development and the fantastic work that is sure to
emerge.

Each year, we bring a special guest into the selection process, a
writer whose work we hold in very high regard, and this year is no
exception: for 2008, we ourselves remain amazed by the news that Brian Evenson
will serve as our final judge. Evenson is the Director of the Literary
Arts Program at Brown University and the author of seven books of
fiction, most recently The Open Curtain (a Time Out New York Best of 2006 selection) and The Wavering Knife
(which won the IHG Award for best story collection). He has translated
work by Chrstian Gailly, Jean Frémon and Jacques Jouet. He has received
an O. Henry Prize as well as an NEA fellowship.

The winner of the competition receives a $250 cash prize and 25
copies of their chapbook. The chapbook will be published in a 200-copy
run on sixty-pound, acid-free text stock bound with a full-color cover.
We hear we've put together some gorgeous books so far -- to see how
they've turned out, please check out our previous winners, Elizabeth
Skurnick's Check-In (2005), Tom Whalen's Dolls (2007), and Claire Hero's afterpastures (2008).

Eligibility and Reading Fee (Print and Electronic Formats):

This competition is open to fiction manuscripts written in
the English language -- this can entail a single work (i.e. a novella)
or a collection of shorter works. While previously-published stories or
excerpts of stories may be included in the manuscript, the manuscript
as a whole must be an unpublished work. Translations and previously
self-published works are ineligible. Simultaneous submissions are
acceptable; please note, however, that reading fees are non-refundable,
and Caketrain is to be notified as soon as possible if your manuscript
is accepted elsewhere. Manuscript revisions will not be considered
during reading period. Please do not include cover artwork or
photographs with your submission. Author must not have a close personal
or professional relationship with Brian Evenson or any Caketrain
Journal and Press staff member; if an author is unsure whether this
policy applies to him or her, Caketrain will gladly address inquiries.

In a change from previous years, the reader may now choose between two reading fee amounts: either $15 for consideration only or $20 for consideration and a copy of the winning chapbook upon its release.

Print Format:

Print entries must be postmarked no later than October 1, 2008.
Please submit 40 to 60 pages of typed fiction. Include page numbers,
table of contents, and, if necessary, an acknowledgments page.
Submissions should include two cover pages: one with the manuscript's
title, the other with the title, author's name, address, telephone
number, and e-mail address. The author's name should not appear
anywhere else in the manuscript. Please do not send original
manuscripts; print manuscripts will be recycled at competition
conclusion. Please submit manuscripts through the United States Postal
Service. A reading fee of either $15 or $20 (entrant's choice,
as detailed above) must accompany each submission, made payable to
Caketrain Journal and Press. Submissions may include an SASE for
notification of competition results. If an SASE is not included,
notification will be sent via e-mail. A list of winner and finalists
will also be announced at www.caketrain.org. Submit print entries to Caketrain Journal and Press, Box 82588, Pittsburgh, PA 15218.

Electronic Format:

Electronic entries must be received no later than October 1, 2008. Please submit 40 to 60 pages of typed fiction as an e-mail attachment in either DOC, PDF, or RTF format.
Include page numbers, table of contents, and, if necessary, an
acknowledgments page. Submissions should include two cover pages as the
first two pages of the attached document: one with the manuscript's
title, the other with the title, author's name, address, telephone
number, and e-mail address. The author's name should not appear
anywhere else in the manuscript. Once the manuscript has been sent, the
reading fee of either $15 or $20 (entrant's choice, as detailed above) can be paid by credit card through Paypal by using this link.
A reply e-mail will be sent once the manuscript is downloaded and
verified as readable and functioning. Notification of contest results
will sent via e-mail, and a list of winner and finalists will be
announced at www.caketrain.org. Submit electronic entries to caketrainjournal@hotmail.com.