Contests Anyone?

>> Friday, October 26, 2007

One of my chapter mates nudged me into entering the Linda Howard Award of Excellence. The first push was their online submissions -- no hassling with postage and return postage and mailing. The kicker was that the romantic suspense editor for finals was Senior Editor of Pocket.

Sure couldn't hurt to get my work in front of a Pocket editor.

Now...I just have to figure out what I'm doing for the Golden Heart. Hmmmm....

What contests are you looking forward to?

4 comments:

Spy Scribbler 10:30 PM  

I got started writing through the inspiration of a little tiny contest, years ago. But I've never entered one since. Something to think about, I suppose.

Edie Ramer 10:26 AM  

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Joan. Like you, I'm in Karin Tabke's contest. And that's it! I entered a few contests when I first started in RWA a few years back. I won three, but I never got a request, and I decided it was a better use of my time to target agents. I'd like to enter the GH, but my wip won't be ready to send anywhere until the end of the year.

Joan Swan 2:29 PM  

Contests are a bit of a double-edged sword for me. I used to do a lot of them. Then I realized how subjective they were and how I was getting such conflicting feedback it was confusing me more than helping. So I stopped entering them all together except for the GH.

At that time, I had an agent, so it didn't seem like I needed to go the contest route. But I started to become antsy with my agent right around the time the Daphne came out. And the agent and editor as final judges were real high-level. I thought, if I could get my work in front of them via the contest...maybe, just maybe...

It was a long shot. But I finalled, and my work got in front of them. The editor didn't ask for any more of that particular story, but the agent did -- she asked for a full.

So, while it may have been a long shot, the goal I had in mind when I submitted was realized.

And as far as contests go now -- my goal is the final agent/editor -- if they aren't my target people, I don't submit.

Round about way to get your work viewed by those top tier professionals, but with everyone bombarded with submissions, it might end up being an even surer way to get your foot in the door.

Elisabeth Naughton 12:21 PM  

Just the GH. I paid my money and now I have to figure out what I'm doing with the entry. LOL When's the deadline again?

Good luck in the Linda Howard contest!

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