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Expert Advice from Diane Perkins |
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EXPERT ADVICE ARTICLES BY DIANE PERKINS
Printed in RT BOOK REVIEWS BOOKclub Magazine
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Category: WRITER'S TIPS
NAVIGATING THE CONTEST WATERS: SAIL YOUR CAREER INTO AUTHOR-IZED TERRITORYPlanning to use contests to launch your writing career? They've been known to steer an aspiring writer straight to that first book sale. My debut, with Mills & Boon Historicals, came about when the editor judge of the 2003 Golden Heart contest also bought the book. The Mysterious Miss M (written under the name Diane Gaston) won the Golden Heart and was released July 2004. My new book, The Improper Wife, this month's Warner Forever release,
also captured attention by winning romance-writing contests. So, even though it's not always smooth sailing, if you navigate well, contests just might land you a publishing contract too.
FRIGATE, SLOOP OR CATAMARAN?
Contests run the gamut. There are pub-lisher-sponsored contests that lead directly to a book contract and contests that are outright scams. Before you test the waters, make sure the vessel you select is seaworthy. Verify that the contest is sponsored
by a reputable organization that's offering a legitimate prize.
Prime examples of publisher-sponsored contests with publishing contract prizes are Warner Books' new Sara Ann Freed Memorial Award and St. Martin's Press' annual Malice Domestic contest, both
for a first mystery novel. There's also the American Title contest, sponsored by Dorchester and RT BOOKclub.
But you don't have to win a publisher-sponsored contest to get a contract; you only need to get noticed. Karen Anders, whose latest Harlequin
Blaze, Manhandling, is
out this month, did not win
the 2000 Harlequin Blaze
contest, but her 10-page love scene entry still launched her successful career.
Plenty of seaworthy contests
don't offer a book contract as a
prize, however.
In 2001, Cindy Cruciger won
an RT BOOKClub contest where
the prize was
the chance to become a
columnist
and chronicle her experiences as an aspiring writer
for the magazine. That exposure helped her sell her
first book, Revengegifts.com, which will be released by Tor in July 2005.
Writers' organizations such as the Romance Writers
of America and its affiliate chapters sponsor several romance writing contests. The RWA's Golden Heart contest, with its national and industry-wide prestige, is a flagship example, but smaller contests, in which editors and agents serve as judges, can also get an author a book contract. A nonaffiliated contest open to both published and unpublished writers is New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster's Brava contest. Judged by Brava authors, readers and, ultimately, Kensington editor Kate Duffy,
this user-friendly contest has launched the careers of
at least 10 Brava authors.
FISHING, TROLLING OR CRUISING?
Not all seafaring vessels are bound for a distant port, nor
is a book contract the only advantage a contest can offer. Contest wins and finals also provide aspiring writers with writing credentials that, like a fisherman's bait, give an editor reason to take a nibble at that manuscript. When the long voyage to publication gets tedious, reaching the finals of a contest, or winning, gives the aspiring writer some fun and encouragement along the way. Paradoxically, contests also help prepare aspiring authors for the rejection and discouragement that's so much a part of trying to get published. Like a practice voyage, writing contests help writers prepare for the real trip.
Not all sailors—or writers—are in the water to speed toward that sought-after sale. Contests are also used by writers who are just learning to man the boat. Contests that provide feedback can help beginning writers hone their skills and give them the chance to try out something new before sending it on to an editor.
STORMS, WINDS AND WAVES
In any sea voyage, a ship may sail into rough waters. For all their advantages, writing contests come with disadvantages as well. Sometimes contest judges can be harsh and discouraging in their assessment of a contest entry. It's a good idea to enter several contests and get several opinions before believing one judge's criticism.
And sometimes extreme variations in judges' scores merely indicate that the writer is charting new waters, just as when Columbus sailed and found the New World. Also keep in mind that writers are the captains of their ships, ultimately in charge and more knowledgeable than anyone else of what their vessel can do. No judge's comment should automatically scuttle a manuscript. If a judge's comment makes no sense, relegate those nuggets straight to Davy Jones' locker.
THE "KETCH"
There is always a "ketch." Like a sailor so busy swabbing his deck he never takes the helm, a writer can place too much emphasis on polishing
a contest entry and never complete the book. Or the entrant might allow negative feedback or dismal contest results to discourage her from submitting the work to an editor. It's crucial to remember that reaching the finals in a writing contest is a notable achievement, an endorsement of fine writing and a cause to celebrate, but not a guarantee the writer will sell that book. Many wonderful books have been published even though they never won a writing contest.
So whether you choose to use contests to navigate publication's choppy waters or whether you pilot your voyage some other way, get ready to hoist your canvas, set your sights on the distant star and sail!
The Improper Wife (Warner Forever, Nov. '04) is Golden Heart winner Diane Perkins' U.S. debut. In this dramatic Regency historical, a Waterloo soldier returns from war to discover that a woman whose baby he delivered is now masquerading as his wife.
GOLDEN HEART FINALISTS
10 TIPS FOR CONTEST SUCCESS
1. Select contests specific to your genre or subgenre. Just because there are romantic elements in
your story doesn't mean romance is the best category for it.
2. Choose contests judged by the editors you are targeting. (You mean you haven't been
following who the editors of your genre are?)
3. Ask to see the contest score sheet before entering. Every reputable contest can tell you how your entry will be scored ahead of time. You can then edit your entry accordingly.
4. Choose contests with a high page count and those that require a synopsis.
5. Choose contests that rely on discrepancy judging. If you get a 1 from one judge and all 10s from the rest, discrepancy judging will earn your work another look and
let you lose that erratic low score.
6. Use formatting that allows you the highest word count. Unless specified in contest rules, you can change the font type—within reason—to squeeze in more story.
7. Edit ruthlessly.
8. End every entry with a strong hook. Revising a chapter or paragraph ending for the sake of the
contest will only strengthen your manuscript.
9. Follow contest rules to the letter. It matters more than you realize.
10. Proofread carefully. The pros always enlist more than one pair of eyes for this job.
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