I have made no secret of the fact that I love contests. Writing contests that is. When I started entering contests seriously a few years ago I had two criteria – Did I get feedback from trained judges? And was the final judge an editor or agent I was targeting? I did some homework, used a couple of the many websites listing the available contests, and started entering. My first few submissions were disappointing. I failed to final, although I did get some useful feedback. But in January 09 I broke through and won the category series section of the Silicone Valley Gotcha! contest (my absolute favorite). Through this I was asked to submit the full MS by the editor a couple of months later. I entered this contest specifically because the final editor was with Harlequin Special Edition, the line I was aiming for. While I waited for a response I kept entering, kept writing. Around the same time I received a request for revisions, in March 10′ I also won the Chicago North Fire & Ice contest in the series category. Was I happy? Absolutely. The final judge was the one agent I wanted to represent me. A month later I signed with Greyhaus Literary Agency. While my MS was with the Special Edition editor I continued to enter contests where she was the final judge (It’s incredible how much time some editors and agents generously donate to read and judge contests entries) and I managed to come across her desk twice more for different contest finals before I got the Call in November last year.
So, do I believe that contests can lead to contracts . . . I sure do. But, pick your contests, spend your money wisely and do your research. Don’t get bogged down by disappointing results. Learn from them and move on to the next one . . . because the next one might just be the one that gets you over the line.
H 🙂