~ Confessions From A Contest Junkie ~

Hello, my name is Sophie Jordan and I'm a contest junkie – or rather I used to be. Only every penny spent on entry fees and postage was well worth the addiction. Yes, I “sold” through a contest, and I firmly believe I would not have sold so quickly -- just under two years -- had I not entered contests.

The “call” may have come quickly but not easily. A year passed before I ever finaled in a contest. Why did I hang in there? Entering contests taught me a lot about the craft of writing, about perseverance, about sniffing back tears when a judge labels your heroine TSTL (too stupid to live). No matter what stage you find yourself in -- the beginning writer still grappling with the formula for GMC or the advanced writer ready to break out from the ranks of unpublished -- contests can work for you.

THE FULL REQUEST:
My historical manuscript won first place in a contest. As mentioned, this didn't happen overnight. I entered ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT in contests for a year before ever finaling and a year and a half before ever winning. Yet this single, solitary win was a real coup. The judging editor, Lucia Macro at Avon, scrawled at the bottom of the score sheet, “Weird, but interesting, bold. Author has creative potential. Send full.” Not terribly heartened by what I read as dubious praise, I sent the full. At this time I was concentrating on my paranormal manuscript anyway and figured I had nothing to lose since -- believe it or not -- I intended to shelve ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT.

THE SECOND FULL REQUEST:
Skip ahead a couple months. My paranormal manuscript, which I diligently entered in contests, not only won first place in a contest but tied for the Best of the Best category, earning a critique of my partial from Maura Kye-Casella of the Denise Marcil Agency. Shortly after Maura requested the full and -- you guessed it -- offered representation.

THE CALL:
Soon after signing with Maura, she checked on the status of ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT at Avon. No one had read it yet -- no big surprise to me. This is the manuscript relegated to the “shelf” after all. With a little persuasion from Maura, Avon agreed to pull it from the slush pile and have a look at it. A week later May Chen called with an offer to buy ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT in a two-book deal.

So, did I “sell” through a contest? You bet. Am I the biggest proponent of contests around? You bet. Do I believe contests are the only way to gain an agent/editor's notice? Of course not, but contests are always a win. Even if you don't final and land your work in front of an agent/editor, you've gained valuable feedback that will help you hone your craft and better prepare your manuscript for editors.

So what are you waiting for? Enter a contest.