Thoughts on Writing Contests

One of the things I do with Greyhaus is to offer my services to writing chapters when they run their contests. The final rounds roll around and I get those manuscripts to judges and hopefully find some great writing along the way. For writers, editors and publishers this can be a great opportunity to get manuscripts, get exposure and get feedback. It can also be a complete let down. 

Let me first say, the biggest reason to enter contests is giving back to your community. Contests are a way for writing chapters to make a little money along the way, other than in dues. That money goes to workshops, flying in editors and agents and running conferences. This alone is why you need to enter contests.

Now, think about what you might get along the way. If the prelim and final judges provide feedback, you get some potential beta readers. In most cases, you won't get this until you reach the finals, but there is still a chance you get some comments back that can guide you along the way. I really do recommend you find those contests out there that give you a little of that feedback.

If you do make it to finals, there is also a great chance an editor or agent is reading your work. If it is great, you now have a foot in the door with your writing. You potentially did something great with that partial and now an editor or agent will come back and request to see more of your writing. I know I have found writers in contests and I know of some other editors and agents who have done the same thing. Who knows, this might be "the call" you have been waiting for!

But let's talk about the reality of contests. These things are real crap shoots. Let me say, this is not a reason to simply skip out on contests, but these are gambles.

First of all, like everything else in publishing, this is all subjective. If the contest does not have a clear and objective judging rubric, or if the judges are people who still have not figured out the writing process yet, who knows what will happen. I will say, even the bigger contests, such as the RWA Vivian is still subjective. (SIDE NOTE: I have been arguing for a clear rubric for years and have offered by services to the RWA to help with this process... but have still not heard. BTW... the offer still stands!) Contests without rubrics simply leave it up to someone to just say they liked it or didn't like it. 

Let's also talk about the scoring. If you have worked with statistics or done any thing in education with grading, you will probably understand this a bit more. 

If you have me judge your writing on a 5 point scale for different categories, if I read something and think it is not quite there, but close, I will give it a 4 out of 5. Sure that sounds good, but remember, this is an 80%. You get a judge who gives you a 3 and that alone is enough to ruin any chance of getting to the finals. Even increasing scores to a range up to 10 can run into this problem, but the damage is not so bad. Still, if you think the writing is OK, the odds are you start giving 7's and 8's and, once again, your chance is ruined. The solution here is simple. Use decimals such as a 9.8 or 8.9 and you get a better reflection of what the reader was thinking. 

I keep talking about those rubrics too. These are SO important and can be used with any type of writing. Look at character development, grammar, narration, dialogue and so forth. By creating a well rounded rubric, the authors get a better chance, and the judges, even those who are still learning will have something to go on. Unfortunately, this is one of those drawbacks. Too often, the only people willing to judge those prelims are the newer authors who are so enthusiastic to help out. The authors who have made it and know their genres are now "too busy" to help out. We're back to crap shoots again.

I know, as an agent, I love judging contests, but there have been far too many times, when I read a final round and ask myself, "are you telling me these really are the best of the best?" Ugh! It is even more frustrating because I feel the pressure to ask for partials of these stories, even if there is no way I would ever want to read the full project.

So, what are my big take-aways?

• Enter those contests to support your local writing chapters. Know that if anything, you are being generous
• Enter contest that have clear rubrics.
• Judge contests for your local chapter to give back
• Contest coordinator, PLEASE!!!!!! Create clear rubrics
• Judges need to score manuscripts based on the quality of the writing and not just if they like the project or they know the authors. Along the same lines, if the story is just different, independently/self-published or has the current social cause in it does not make it better. See the prior comment about clear rubrics.
• Writing chapters and national organizations (PNWA, RWA, RNA, etc.), if you are unclear how to create an objective rubric, reach out to me. Let's create something that is fair for all authors. 

Contest Issues - Judging and Results

The latest round of RITA nominations were announced last week and once again, there is a firestorm of comments and opinions on the results. I want to take the time to talk about this today, but look at it from two levels. The first being how the contest is run and judged, and then focus on how authors are responding to the results. Please note, this is an issue I have been focused on for several years now, including offering my support to RWA to guide this process.

I am someone who does believe in contests such as the Golden Heart and the RITA. I think it is important to recognize the best of the best in our profession. Those people who have one either of these awards have had great pride in the work that they have done. However, one of the biggest issues I have had with this contest is the way that these are judged.

The lack of a clear judging rubric and only asking preliminary judges if "they like it" is not an objective way of looking at a book. If you send, for example, an erotica novel to someone who only writes inspirational romance, the odds are, that person will not get a great score. This is simply not fair.

Contests like this need to have rubrics that focus on character, setting, and plot development. Rubrics should examine the quality of the writing and not focus on a subjective call.

There is another level to this that honestly falls on the shoulders of the judges. When the authors are being "subjective" and looking at other things, beyond an objective criteria, they are not giving authors a fair critique. Consider the following:

• Not reading an entire novel.
• Making a judgement call because they are reading an author they already love and score it higher.
• Giving a score a positive or a negative ranking because it contains traits they find politically driven such as:
• Racial issues
• Gender issues
• Current social or political issues
• Giving a score a positive or a negative ranking because it is self-published, independently published or published by a company they like or do not like.

I know if you ask judges directly, they will say they have not done this, but I have over-heard many authors at contests talk about how they do this. Behavior like this is something that just taints the contest.

Now, let's look at the other side of the coin. If someone does not get into the final rounds, that person cannot just create political drama about how he or she was "excluded" or "not given fair treatment." While this may indeed be the case, authors have to also consider that maybe their writing simply was not that good. For example, if an author creates and African American Female Detective and does not get into the finals, this does not mean that it is being excluded BECAUSE of these issues. It simply means it did not get high enough scores.

I know that it seems like there are a lot of variables to this, and I will fully agree with that. There are a lot of variables, and this is due to not having CLEAR rubrics and criteria to judge the novels. The lack of that criteria truly does allow judges to do what ever they want to do with the scores. But we also have to remember that not being recognized in the finals IS NOT a political or social statement about you personally.

Again, I am offering my support to the RWA Board to create clear guidelines for judging. I am also encouraging authors to quit the complaining and commend those that did get recognized. Doing so might bring that respect back to the romance genre and to the organization we are all part of. 

What Does A Contest Get You?

Contests sponsored by writing chapters can sometimes be a great benefit to authors. However, it should be noted that not all contests are alike.

For many authors, there is this belief that they will not only get some great feedback from other authors on their current work in progress, but they will also get that book in front of an editor or agent. Please note, this is not always the case. Take the time to review the guidelines for the contest.

Many contests simply have other authors reading and ranking your stories. No feedback every shows up. In the case of contests like the Golden Heart and Rita, the comments were taken out of the scoring due to authors getting upset by feedback and taking it out on the judges. Personally, uncool! If the project does make it to a final round, there is also no promise of feedback from that judge. Many of the contests I judge simply ask for ranking of the manuscripts, a rubric for point break down and whether or not I want to request a full or a partial of the project.

I think another thing to always keep in mind is that contests are 100% subjective. This is just the opinion of that reader. This becomes an even bigger factor if the contest doesn't provide an in-depth or quality judging rubric to assess the story. In the case of the RITA and the GOLDEN HEART, the only criteria is if you like the story or not. Please also note that you do not get to judge the category you write, so you are also reading projects that may not be your expertise.

There is also another factor and that is what it takes to get to a final round. We often only see 3 or 5 in that final round of judging. If you have one judge that completely tanks your story, because they don't get it, they don't like it, or really have no clue about writing because they too are a beginner, in simple terms, you are screwed.

Does this mean entering contests is not a good ideas? Absolutely not! If you do win, this is great recognition. I have signed an author from a contest. I know other editors and agents have done so as well. There is also the fact that you are giving back to a writing chapter with that financial contribution to their working fund.

But, if you are looking for that feedback, look to your critique groups. If you want those editors and agents to read your projects. Make the story good and submit through standard routes.

As always, there are no shortcuts in this industry. 

Not Winning A Contest Doesn't Mean Your Writing Sucks

Today is March 26th and for those writers involved with the Romance Writers of America, this is a big day. The nominations for the RITA and the GOLDEN HEART are being announced today. There were a lot of people who entered and only a few make it to the finals. Today there will be a few people who will be amazingly happy. But today, there will be a lot of people who will ask "What is the point? My writing sucks!"

Before you ask this and make this judgmental call, let me remind you of a few things.

When it comes to writing contests, winning or not winning is not necessarily a matter of the writing being good or bad, it all comes down to the judging, especially in the case of the RITA and the GOLDEN HEART. This is where you see the subjectivity of this business at its finest. For you see, your score is all a crap shoot. It all depends on who you got as a judge.

Remember in the Golden Heart judging, the majority of the preliminary judges are just like you. They are still trying to figure out the business. They are still trying to get to that first contract. They too are unpublished. You may have gotten the judges who read your story and really don't know the difference between SERIES and SINGLE TITLE.

Remember also that you judge in genres you did not enter. If you write and understand historicals, you may end up with nothing but New Adult. If you don't know this genre or like this genre, the odds are you are not going to be able to give it a strong score.

On the reverse side, there is nothing that says the person who won really did have the best story out there. That person could have gotten the "Everything is Wonderful" judge. Maximum scores all around!

When it comes to the RITA competition, we have to add in another layer. There is name recognition and covers that play with the judges thinking. Open up the box of books and you are lucky to find "your favorite author" and the odds are we know who wins this. Not that you are stacking the ballot box, but you are already coming in with preconceived ideas.

The same goes for the publisher the book came from. This year, it was a wide open field with the traditional and the self-published books. You have single titles going head to head with Series/Category romances. Again, subjectivity is going to come into play here.

The final thing to remember is that the judging is all based on one score only. On a scale of 1-10, did you like it. Sure, we could include decimals, but even then, "liking" a story is entirely subjective.

If you do get THE CALL today, I want to cheer you on all of the way. The simple fact you can make it through that gauntlet of judges is impressive. If you didn't get the call you wanted, don't let it ruin your day. At least you entered the contest and there are a lot of people who simply didn't have the guts to do so.

And one final note. For those of you who made it to the Golden Heart Finals, you have an open invitation to submit to Greyhaus! In your query to me, make sure to mention this year's awards. Pretty much say that from the start. I will be asking for more material from you!

4th of July Pitch Special

I mentioned this earlier this week!
I know a lot of authors believe that they have to simply sit face-to-face with an editor or agent to pitch their stories. They seem to feel that a standard submission, or query letter simply will not work.

So here is your change.

I will personally call 20 authors and give them exactly 10 minutes to pitch their story to me. We will arrange a time next week to have the chat.

Beginning on July 4th, at 12:00 noon, Pacific Time, you may post the following information here on the blog. Only the first 20 will be chosen through the end of the day. Submit the following in a blog post:

1. Your name
2. Book Title
3. Genre
4. Word Count

Here are the rules:

1. Stories must be complete.
2. Stories must be meeting the requirements for standard submissions at Greyhaus Literary Agency. Please note that if the genre you list is not one I accept at the agency, I will skip your name.
3. Stories must not have been previously published.
4. Stories can not have been previously submitted to Greyhaus Literary Agency.

The official list will be posted no later than Saturday AM with directions on how we move to the phone conversation.

Five Days of Christmas Giveaway - Day 5

In an effort to share some holiday spirit, I will be giving away at the end of this week a gift card for all of you book lovers. To participate, all you have to do is post a comment. You can enter once a day. At the end of the week, I will draw one name for the win! Just tell us what you either A) would do; or B) you did do.

DAY 5

On the fifth day of Scott's Christmas, the publishing world gave to me... My book hits the NY TIMES BEST SELLER LIST!


NOTE: The more people who participate will increase the amount of the gift card!

Disclaimer: Individuals entering more than once per day will be eliminated from the drawing. Individuals using this to post 'SPAM' like messages will also be eliminated from the drawing and their messages will be deleted.

Five Days of Christmas Spirit Giveaway - Day 4

In an effort to share some holiday spirit, I will be giving away at the end of this week a gift card for all of you book lovers. To participate, all you have to do is post a comment. You can enter once a day. At the end of the week, I will draw one name for the win! Just tell us what you either A) would do; or B) you did do.

DAY 4

On the forth day of Scott's Christmas, the publishing world gave to me... My book hits the shelves! It's RELEASE DAY!!!


NOTE: The more people who participate will increase the amount of the gift card!

Disclaimer: Individuals entering more than once per day will be eliminated from the drawing. Individuals using this to post 'SPAM' like messages will also be eliminated from the drawing and their messages will be deleted.

Five Days of Christmas Spirit Giveaway - Day 3

In an effort to share some holiday spirit, I will be giving away at the end of this week a gift card for all of you book lovers. To participate, all you have to do is post a comment. You can enter once a day. At the end of the week, I will draw one name for the win! Just tell us what you either A) would do; or B) you did do.

DAY 3

On the third day of Scott's Christmas, the publishing world gave to me... The check for my advance shows up.

NOTE: The more people who participate will increase the amount of the gift card!

Disclaimer: Individuals entering more than once per day will be eliminated from the drawing. Individuals using this to post 'SPAM' like messages will also be eliminated from the drawing and their messages will be deleted.

Five Days of Christmas Spirit Giveaway - Day 2

In an effort to share some holiday spirit, I will be giving away at the end of this week a gift card for all of you book lovers. To participate, all you have to do is post a comment. You can enter once a day. At the end of the week, I will draw one name for the win! Just tell us what you either A) would do; or B) you did do.

DAY 2

On the second day of Scott's Christmas, the publishing world gave to me... The pages of revisions for my book...

Disclaimer: Individuals entering more than once per day will be eliminated from the drawing. Individuals using this to post 'SPAM' like messages will also be eliminated from the drawing and their messages will be deleted.

5 Days of Christmas Spirit Giveaway - Day 1

In an effort to share some holiday spirit, I will be giving away at the end of this week a gift card for all of you book lovers. To participate, all you have to do is post a comment. You can enter once a day. At the end of the week, I will draw one name for the win! Just tell us what you either A) would do; or B) you did do.

DAY 1

On the first day of Scott's Christmas, the publishing world gave to me... The Call From The Publisher Of My Dreams...

Disclaimer: Individuals entering more than once per day will be eliminated from the drawing. Individuals using this to post 'SPAM' like messages will also be eliminated from the drawing and their messages will be deleted.

After the GOLDEN HEART and RITA Calls

I know that yesterday was a tough day for a lot of writers. You knew the day was coming and every time the phone would ring, there was a hope that "this would be the call" - the one saying you were a finalist for either the Golden Heart or the RITA. But, for many, that call didn't come. It sucks! I totally agree with you.

But, I want you to think of a few things today.

First of all, this is not the end of the world. Making it to the finals is a tough and subjective road to travel. The criteria for high scores in both of the competitions is simply whether or not the reader liked the manuscript or not. This is something that I have been fighting for a long time as an agent. I would personally like to see a stronger criteria. But that is not the point for today's discussion. The point is, making it to the finals does not mean your career is over. It might simply mean that you got stuck with the judges of the world that didn't have a clue what to look for. Who cares!

In the end, the only people that need to love your work are the agents, the editors and, if you are published, your readers.

Secondly, you should applaud yourself for entering. There are a lot of writers out there that simply don't have the guts to put their writing out there for someone to "judge". You took the chance and this is a sign of a winner.

Finally, in the end, there are many editors and agents that really don't obsess over the Golden Heart wins (this one in particular). Why? Because we know that in many ways, a win doesn't necessarily mean the writing is incredible, it simply means it is the best of what was entered, or, a manuscript that bypassed all of those judges I talked about in my first point.

Don't let this get you down. Keep writing. Remember why you started writing in the first place. That should be thing moving you and not making it to the finals or winning the Golden Heart or RITA.

I personally want to applaud all of  you who entered. WAY TO GO!!!!

Now, on to some more information.

ATTENTION GOLDEN HEART FINALISTS:
If you wish to submit to Greyhaus, send me the first three chapters of your manuscript, and a 3-5 page synopsis. In the Subject Line write: REQUESTED MATERIAL - GOLDEN HEART and the TITLE.

ATTENTION RITA FINALISTS:
If you wish to submit (especially those of you in the Series Category w/o an agent) send me a query. In the Subject Line write: REQUESTED MATERIAL - RITA

ATTENTION RWA:
I am again offering my assistance to work with making some revisions to the Golden Heart and RITA competition. I would love to offer to develop a criteria that might be more than simply, "do I like it". The offer still stands!

Scott

Results from the Thanksgiving Break Writing Challenge

I saw several things with the "first line" contest during the Thanksgiving break last week. Let me hightlight a few of the over-all trends I saw.

• Had to be 1 line. I know this sounds picky, but was the rule. I should note, this really goes back to the comments I have made here on the blog about following the guidelines. For an agent or editor, while we might not send you an automatic rejection letter if you don't follow the rules, it does plant a thought in our head as to a whether or not you would be someone who could follow the revision notes should we sign you. Just something to stick with. I will note, I did look at the comments and in all of the cases when there was more than one sentence, I found several of the problems listed below.
• Too wordy and forced. In several of the cases, it was clear the writer was trying too hard to find the right word and phrase. Unfortunately, when we see this, it gives us a feeling of too much wordsmithing. The writing needs to come across as very natural
• Rambling sentences. Packing a lot into a single sentence is tough. It is possible to do, but the fluency of the read still needs to be there, and this goes for all sentences in your story and not simply the first line. The easier the writing is to read, the easier it is to suck the reader in.
• Lack of clarity. There were several I saw that I felt could have had the potential, but I was unclear as to who or what we were talking about. Mentioning plot elements without a reference point, especially in the opening pages creates too much confusion. This is something that happens a lot when an author inserts a prologue from the bad guy in a book but doesn't give us a name or context to attach the scene to.
• Cutsey writing. This is that forced writing I spoke about yesterday. A line that is too cute or is attempting to just be "a great sentence" doesn't come across as a natural read.
• Huh? O.K. I had a couple of these. I simply read the line(s) and had to ask myself what you were thinking. You simply lost me
• Simply description In this case, we return to the telling vs. showing argument. I had a couple of the lines that seemed to be nothing but a description of the scene without giving me a feeling of tone or voice.

So, the final ones that caught my attention were...

Katya said...



She waited until he kissed her before she stole his keys; she didn't count on his best friend seeing.


I liked this one simply because we have action and we have motivation on her part. At some level, I would hope we know why she is stealing the keys and that should happen in the next sentence, although I do think it could have happened here. For example, "...she stole his keys to the National Treasury..."
 
KimberlyFDR said...



In that moment, she thought they would be together forever, but three years later the photograph served as a motivation for murder.

This one is fun. The only issue I had here was the time element. I think I would have re-worded the opening to give us a true sense of when this is taking place.

 
Patti Shenberger said...



Undercover Detective Mack Cortland pulled the woman to him, knowing the 'Grassy Knoll killer' was standing less than twenty feet away surveying his next victim.


Great sense of action here. The only question I had was why the detective wasn't going to catch the killer right there when he was able to do so.
 
Lee Burgess said...



Cameron watched over Portia as his brother took her in his arms and kissed her, the same brother who'd murdered him in a hail of gunfire, turning him into the very worst kind of spirit.

The paranormal element is great here. This tended to be a bit too wordy for me. I would have liked to have seen more of the paranormal brought to the forefront.
 
And the winner is...
 
KimberlyFDR said...


In that moment, she thought they would be together forever, but three years later the photograph served as a motivation for murder.

Send me a synopsis at the agency and make sure to include in the subject line, REQUESTED MATERIAL - TURKEY WEEK CONTEST!

Scott

What Does The First Line Tell Us

I think a lot of authors really miss the point with "the first line" and the "first scene" of a book. Unfortunately, too often, in an attempt to be "really creative" the author simply sends the message that they are likely to use whatever "plot device" they learned at a conference or workshop to make the story sound impressive, instead of really doing what an opening line should do, and that is to hook the reader.

If we think about an introduction in an academic paper or before a speech, the purpose is to do more than what most high school teachers tell us, "to hook the reader". The introduction does do this, but there is a lot more to to that introduction than meets the eye.

An introduction needs to really set the tone for the rest of the piece of writing. If the story is to be dark and gloomy, then the introduction needs to really create that tone and mood. If the writing is to be light and humorous, then the opening needs to do just that.

When it comes to stories, those opening lines also need to give us a sense of one of the characters and who this person is. We really need to really want to know more about this person. Whether it is an attitude or a situation, we need to see this.

I bring this up because I think you can see the really good opening lines compared to those that are really out to "be witty" or "to be cute" from this last Thanksgiving break contest here on the blog. While the lines may be great and certainly worthwhile to put into a book, the question is, "do you really want to start your story with this?

I'll be taking a look at the entries today and let you know the result tomorrow. Until then, please review those opening lines and then, think about your opening lines. Do those words you crafted really head us off in the right direction for the rest of the 55,000-120,00 words of your story? Or, do those words really seem out of place.

Scott

P.S Scott will officially be closing the office until the first of January. While submissions come in, do not expect an immediate answer. Sorry, but yes, agents need breaks too!

I'm Taking A Break - But here is a contest...

During the week of Nov. 21-25, I will be taking a break from blogging. It is time for me to spend some time with my family.

But, with that said, it is time for a little contest.

The winner will receive a critique of a synopsis of a story.

Using the following picture, write the first line of a potential story. Hook me. Show me something special!

Post response here in the comments section. I will select the top entry after Turkey Day! Entries must be posted by Nov. 25th. Anything posted after that will not be counted. Sorry, but rules are rules. (Besides, it is my contest).

Question from a Writer - Contests

My question to you is about entering writing contests. I entered a manuscript to the [insert name of contest] and I received a Certificate is Merit. It states For Outstanding Achievement in Writing the Manuscript. My question is will this help get the manuscript accepted by an agent or is this just what the book company does so that they will get your business and pay them to publish your book. Contest wins are an interesting thing when it comes to agents and there really isn't a yes or no answer to this. Bear with me as this might seem a bit rambling. First of all, it is always important when querying an agent or editor to state the signficant wins you had with a manuscript. Obviously some have a bit more merit than others, but this is due to the number of entries and certainly the level of competition that is normally seen in the contest. Seeing that someone is getting great feedback from outside readers is always important. With that said, we also understand how contests work. Stories that make the finals and win a 1st, 2nd or 3rd simply means...

• This story was the best of what was entered.


• This story escaped getting a preliminary judge that might have tanked something else that was better.

There have been times that I, along with other agents, have judged contests where the final round manuscripts were only earning points no higher than a 70%. As a final round judge, we have to decide who was the best from that group. Honestly, if 70% is the best you have, that doesn't say much.

Contest wins don't necessarily sway us one way or another and it certainly is not going to be a factor for us to buy the project.

The second portion of your question is the one that sort of concerns me

...or is this just what the book company does so that they will get your business and pay them to publish your book. From your description, I would really start to question the merit of the competition. Entering something in a contest run by a publisher that would have a reputation of doing what you describe seems to me as a silly move by an author. Obviously, I would have to know more of the details, but from what you said, it sounds like this is simply a vanity press that is drumming up business. I would hope that after you win a contest such as this, you aren't obligated to publish your story with them. We have to remember several things about contests:

• contests are generally fund raisers for chapters.


• writers enter contests in the hope to get quality feedback.


• writers enter contests in the hope that it will get to an editor or agent that might request the project.


• the quality of a contest is always dependent on the quality of the preliminary judges and their knowledge of the genre.


• the quality of a contest is always dependent on a judging criteria that is clear and very objective while not favoring one genre over another.

Hope this helps!

On Contests and Agents and Editors

"You should enter that contest," I heard one writer tell another. "This will be a great chance for your work to get in the hands of and editor or agent.

Ahh, I love comments like this.

While this is certainly true, the path to that editor or agent is still a tough one because the author has failed to consider the fact that there are now other obstacles to over-come just to get to that prized final location.

Before going any further, I want to say that I love contests for writers. This is a great chance to get outside readers seeing your work and getting some critique you might not have heard before. As an agent, I too love these because we do find some gems out there. In fact, the last author I signed came from a contest. We sold her book to the editor she had been targeting. The funny part is that she still had a story in the contest circulation and her now editor ended up judging the final. Without knowing she was reading her new client, she ended up giving the first place prize to that author and requested a full. But, I digress.

I wanted to take the time to give you some insight from my perspective when it comes to judging contests.

A fellow colleague commented that contests didn't mean that much to her. In her eyes, when she saw that final round, all that said was it was the best of what was entered, not necessarily the best pieces of writing available. When we talked further about this, we both agreed that the gauntlet the writing had to travel didn't mean that the best story rose to the surface. If an author recieved preliminary judges that didn't know what they were looking for, or were especially critical, the best story might not make it.

In this case, I think of the Golden Heart and the Rita's. An author can have scores of 9's and 8's across the board, but if one judge tanks the story with a 5, the story is gone. Wow.

For myself, I do keep my hopes up. The last several contests I judged, I did request more material. I should note that if I don't like it, I don't request it just because it made it to the final round. See there is hope.

As for editors, I think we also have to remember that some editors just are not going to request anything because it is the policy of the publishing house. If that house only takes agented submissions, the story is going to have to be over the top amazing for the editor to want to pursue it.

I think the point I want to make here is simple. Don't make the contests bigger than what they are. These are a CHANCE...

• to get some feedback from other readers
• to add some substance to your bio
• to maybe get a story in the eyes of an editor or agent
• on those rare occasions to begin a dialogue with an editor or agent.

Contests are not a short cut to publishing.

If We're So Busy, Why Do We Judge Contests?

I had a writer ask this a while back and I am finally getting around to answer this one. Now I have to admit, I certainly can't answer for the other agents and editors out there, I can only provide my point of view on this one. I do have to say, I have, like many of you, questioned why some of the agents out there judge contests. From some of these people, they openly say that they never acquire from contests. Makes a person wonder?

Anyway...

I judge contests for several reasons. The first, and really primary reason for doing so comes from one of the missions I created for myself why I opened Greyhaus in 2003 - I believe in education. I want to make sure I can find a way to get out there and really help writers succeed. While I might not sign that author for representation at Greyhaus, I might be able to assist that writer with finding the right hope with another agency and hopefully with a publisher. When I judge, I provide critique for those manuscripts that have made it through the tough gambit of those preliminary rounds. If something doesn't work, I want to make sure I pass on that tidbit of information to that writer. While it is only one person's perspective on the writing, it is feedback. I should note, this is also the same reason that I avoid those form rejections and provide at least a little nugget of information as to why I passed on a project.

The second reason is that I do hope that I will find a great project out there. I will admit that in all of the years of judging, I have only found 2 and only 1 of those signed with me (go Australian authors!) but I still hope. This is what you as writers were hoping for when you entered that contest. You had your sights set on getting a manuscript in front of an agent or editor that you wanted. You get that with me.

Yes, I have to admit that the life of an agent is very busy. Since January, I have received over 1300 romance and women's fiction projects for consideration. I think that is pretty amazing. Remember, this is all I represent so that number doesn;t count projects that simply weren't what I acquire. Regardless, that is a lot of time. But the work I can do for those writing chapters, in my humble opinion is equally important.

So, I continue to judge. I continue to search for that next great author. Who knows? It might be you.

Have a great weekend.

Scott

So What About Contests - Do I Request More When I Judge Finals Rounds?

I am always asked this question.

I love contests. Writers have the chance to get feedback from readers and there is always that chance a story will land in the hands of the right editor or agent at the right time. This is really the key to answering this question. It's all about timing.

Do I request additional material from contests I judge. Yes! But... (and you knew that was coming), the story really does have to be good and there really has to be something there. Have I signed someone after a contest, that one, unfortunately has been a no, or maybe I should say, not yet.

The problem with contests is really the inherent structure of how they work. When I judge a final round, I see the best of what came through the filters of the initial preliminary rounds. There are some potential problems with this. First, the contest might not have gotten a huge draw of stories, so what I am seeing is the best of what came in. This does not mean the things that make it to the final rounds are outstanding, but simply the stories that had the highest amount of points. In other words, if the contest judges on a 100 point scale, I could get final round manuscripts that are only earning 50-60 points. You never know.

The second problem is that we sometimes get stories in the final rounds that just lucked out with the judges. This relates back to that timing issue. Sometimes the really good stories lose out in a final round judging simply because a reader in the preliminary round tanks it with a low score. Remember that some of the preliminary rounds are being judged by writers that might not have ever finished writing a story. Some of these people are just learning so they might not know what they are looking for.

As for requesting more from the contest final rounds,, you can see why I might not get something from a contest. As far as signing a person, this issue stems from having that first chapter so worked over and polished but the rest of the story just sinks. I have mentioned this one before, but too often stories just die out after chapter 3. In most cases, that is what I have seen.

Will I stop judging contests? Absolutely not. It is for the same reason that I do love reading submissions that just come in unsolicited. Sometimes you really do find gems out there and we just have to keep looking.

Scott

This Agent's Perspective on Awards and Contests

To begin with, I am not out to slam all awards and contests. I do believe there is certainly a need and place for these in the area of writing and publishing. With that said though, as an agent, I have a slightly different twist to these. For those of you depressed by the prior posting about the odds of getting published, let's start on the positive side.

I love awards! I love getting awards! I love recongnition! I love when I am honored for something. Heck! Give me an award any time. I even have a list of awards that some day, I would love to be nominated for and eventually win! Why? Because we all need to feel good about what we do. We all need to have someone, every now and then, pat us on the back and say good job. I have to be honest. When I left teaching at the K-12 level, I was able to do so because no one told me I was missed. What is frustrating is that after I "officially" left, the principal (and even my prior adminstrators) told me I was one of the best things that happened to their school. Now, if they had told me that earlier, leaving might have been a different story.

Writing is the same way. We love submitting a story and then someone saying your story was the best. When we get something published, we want to see those 4 and 5 Star Reviews. It makes us feel dang good about what we do and certainly gets us typing even faster to have a repeat performance. But...

We always have to remember that awards and contests are subjective. Some forms of recognition are simply based on sales and that is it. Sell a lot and get recognized. It doesn't mean your book is good, it simply meant people bought it. Let me give you a quick example of this. I have not bought Sarah Palin's book, not sure if I will since it really isn't the type of book I would read, but people have bought it like crazy. But here is the thing I find interesting. I have not heard yet of one critic out there that claimed the book was a block buster. TV, Radio, Internet... all have pretty much said there was nothing amazing about it. And yet people bought it. Get the idea?

Now let's take this from the side of the agent. I will get submissions all of the time from writers that list all of their awards they have received from their writing. This is good to put that in there. It shows what you have accomplished. It shows that you have been eager to get that writing out there for some potential critique. However (wow, I have used that word a lot today), receiving a 1st in a contest simply means you were the best of those that submitted. That's it.

As an agent, I love judging contests for writing chapters. I do request full manuscripts from stories that are REALLY good. I also provide critiques to the writers that make it to the finals. I don't simply give a ranking and call it quits. Writers enter contests for feedback and I want to provide it to them! Yes, Contest Coordinators. Contact me and I will judge! But, with that said, I have sometimes been very frustrated seeing the submissions. I ask, "was this really the best out there?" Still I give a 1st, 2nd and 3rd, even though I have to believe something better might be out there.

As an agent, I also look at many contests out there and see the problems and the flaws:

• Contests with little or no criteria to judge the writing. Did you like it is not enough.
• Contests that allow the subjectivity of the judge to play too big of a role. This happens more published author contests. Sending a judge a stack of books is too subjective. "Hey I got so and so's book. They're really good." or, "Oh, they sent me something from this publisher, they don't produce strong books."
• Contests with people not qualified to judge. We see the same thing on those TV shows with celebrity judges. Do they really know anything about singing? An unpublished author that can't get someone to read his or her manuscript is reading your story?

In other words, I have to take a lot of these awards with a grain of salt. I understand the variables that went into winning the awards. I also understand that it may or may not tell me anything about your writing.

Again, please understand, I am not someone that is anti-contests or anti-awards. Just understand in a query letter, it will not be the deciding factor for me as to whether or not I will buy your story.

Scott.

P.S. And don't forget, I love those awards and being recognized. Nominate me all you want! I promise I won't mind.

P.P.S And contest coordinators, yes, I do judge and love it!

Alien Vampire Bunnies Writing Contest Winners!

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the stories coming in. When Kate Duffy first mentioned this idea, off-handedly, we were laughing about how “stupid” the idea potentially was. And yet, the writers submitting stories this year were able to over-come that barrier.
As promised, the winner of the contest receives a free critique of the first 100 pages of a story. The first place winner may should contact me via email for further information.
Also, this is for you editors out there. If you love a premise of the story, I will arrange to get it to you! I dare you!
Like I said, you all made it tough on me. Some were funny, some were dang serious. In the end, I was looking for the story that exemplified quality writing as well as meeting the criteria of the contest. In other words, the story had to be about Alien Vampire Bunnies.
First of all, I want to thank the following writers for just competing. This was a tough challenge but you still did it. Good for you!

• Deathright by Joely Sue Burkhart

• Untitled by Kelly McClean

• Dissociation by Monica Peters

• Untitled By Marilou Goodwin

• Blood Counts by Jan Mitchell

So, without further adieu…

1st Place…
My Love, the Alien Vampire Bunny by Ellie Nystrom
A paranormal romance about Maggie, a small town substitute teacher with a big secret. Namely, the alien vampire bunny whose space pod crashes into her backyard. Seeing his adorable little cottontail, she names him Peter, but then, after biting the pizza delivery man, he transforms into her dream man.
Coming from a race of blood sucking creatures known only as the Collective, Peter does not understand the value of the individual. Maggie teaches him to respect himself and become his own man. He teaches her to embrace her differences, which are substantial and not entirely human, and follow her heart. In the end, as bunnies in little space suits descend upon Earth to rescue their lost friend, Peter decides that being with someone who loves him for himself is better than rejoining his kind where he's just another nameless part of the whole.

2nd Place…
The Bunny Prophecy by Carolyn Carey
Two weeks ago, Marley Holland was just a super wealthy former English prof who’d won the lottery and had been wondering what to do with herself, other than encouraging her boyfriend in his efforts to translate the medieval writings of an esoteric German who had prophesized the arrival of a spaceship filled with vampire bunnies whose meat could cure any human vampires who consumed it. Connor is especially interested in the prophecy because his sister is a vampire. And unbeknownst to him, so is his girlfriend. Ten days ago, Marley was attacked and turned while perusing the ancient textbooks in the archives of the graduate library at the university where Connor teaches. Now she has a personal reason for seeking out those blasted bunnies.
With help from her chauffeur, Kooper, and an occasional assist from Connor, who’s positive he knows the time and place the spaceship will arrive, Marley engages in a frantic search for the flying rabbit hutch Kooper spotted one dark evening on a mountainous road. Dangers they never anticipated arise. Seems Connor wasn’t the only scholar trying to translate the works of Hasenpfeffer, but where Connor had read “vampire bunnies,” others have seen “golden nuggets.” By the time Marley succeeds in trapping one of the bunnies, Connor has been changed and she must use the precious rabbit stew to return her beloved to a normal life. Then it’s time for her and Kooper to begin their quest again, leaving behind the comforts of normalcy in their continuing search for alien vampire bunnies.

3rd Place
24 Carrot Blood by Candice Gilmer
Just because Gerald was a vampire bunny, didn’t mean he enjoyed his violent ways. When he comes upon an alternative to killing beings for nutrients on the planet Earth, he high-tails it to the small planet. Unfortunately the King and Queen follow, bringing their subjects to find Gerald, as well as explore the delectable beings on Earth.
Gerald enlists the help of Kandi Kayne, immortal Templar Knight, to find this True Blood he seeks. While Kandi and the other Templar Knights search for the blood substitute for Gerald, the King and Queen start their sampling of the blood offered on Earth, creating a string of deaths all over North America. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Kandi and the other Knights have to find a way to get the vampire bunnies off world, and still allow Gerald asylum on Earth. Especially since this blood substitute Gerald seeks may not exist.

Honorable Mention
Untitled by Kimberly Rood
Thad Marshall and Allison Sherry are the executive liaisons for The Interplanetary Peace Office. It is their job, a long with the other members of their team, to keep peace between planet Earth and other extraterrestrial beings. Everything has been going fine until a meteor strikes The Alvampuns’ planet. The Alvampuns, strange creatures possessing mixed features of aliens, vampires, and bunnies are devastated by their planet’s destruction. When the meteor slams into their planet, a chain of natural disasters ensue. A year later, their planet is no longer fit to sustain life. They request refuge from Earth. The United States grants them asylum and allows them to move into designated neighborhoods.
People are outraged that the extraterrestrials are aloud entry into their country. It becomes obvious quickly that human beings and Alvampuns cannot get along. They refuse to except each others’ differences and peacefully coexist. Thad Marshall and Allison Sherry desperately try to bring the two species together but without success. When were-aliens threaten planet Earth, they must choose either to band together and fight or risk losing their precious home forever.