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| image: Miss Snark blog |
This is the contest that led me to working with my agent. It yields results!
Click here for all the details.
The Basics
Submissions:
Starting NEXT WEEK (last week of Oct. - first week of Nov.) submission windows open depending on the genre you write. The contest is open to un-agented writers who have a full, complete manuscript ready to go. The number of accepted entries is capped so you need to watch the time and submit as soon as the window opens. Have it ready to, your finger on the trigger (mouse). Then, it's out of your hands!
The submission is a one line pitch of your story and the first 250 words. Not every entry will make it onto the blog for agent bidding. The Authoress reads the entries to narrow down about 75 finalists across all the categories, with the help of a published author friend. Yes, it is subjective. They are looking for stand out entries. Like any contest, this isn't the only way to have your work seen by an agent (you can always query any agent open to submissions).
Fee:
$10 via Pay Pal. The Authoress blogger organizes all this herself to help new writers break into the business. I also think this cuts down on some "why not?" entries that might not be ready since it requires some monetary investment.
Winning Entries:
Submissions:
Starting NEXT WEEK (last week of Oct. - first week of Nov.) submission windows open depending on the genre you write. The contest is open to un-agented writers who have a full, complete manuscript ready to go. The number of accepted entries is capped so you need to watch the time and submit as soon as the window opens. Have it ready to, your finger on the trigger (mouse). Then, it's out of your hands!
The submission is a one line pitch of your story and the first 250 words. Not every entry will make it onto the blog for agent bidding. The Authoress reads the entries to narrow down about 75 finalists across all the categories, with the help of a published author friend. Yes, it is subjective. They are looking for stand out entries. Like any contest, this isn't the only way to have your work seen by an agent (you can always query any agent open to submissions).
Fee:
$10 via Pay Pal. The Authoress blogger organizes all this herself to help new writers break into the business. I also think this cuts down on some "why not?" entries that might not be ready since it requires some monetary investment.
Winning Entries:
The chosen entries will post to the blog and each will be available for critique from a pre-selected genre-specific editor and author, in addition to the blog community itself (AKA: You). The comments can be tough, and again subjective.
The Auction:
Early December is when the agents bid on pages (you know, like an auction). An agent who bids 25 pages means you send them your first 25 pages. If an agent outbids them up to a full, that agent gets first preference of being sent your work. The best part is, any agent who bids on your work, you can still send pages to and they are already familiar with your pitch because of the contest.
Have any of you entered similar contests, or this contest? Will this be your chance this year? Good luck to everyone! Let me know if you have any questions, or go directly to the link above.
The Auction:
Early December is when the agents bid on pages (you know, like an auction). An agent who bids 25 pages means you send them your first 25 pages. If an agent outbids them up to a full, that agent gets first preference of being sent your work. The best part is, any agent who bids on your work, you can still send pages to and they are already familiar with your pitch because of the contest.
Have any of you entered similar contests, or this contest? Will this be your chance this year? Good luck to everyone! Let me know if you have any questions, or go directly to the link above.
Posts
I haven't been entering as many contests as I used to, just based on my overall track record of not being chosen as a finalist in spite of getting lots of positive comments. None of the contests I've entered have had a fee attached, though I've been tempted in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree, contests can only take you so far. Last year, I received a lot of attention for an engaging premise and a decent first page, but my overall story still needed work, which was feedback I received from agents. For that, it was great to identify, but entering addtional contests based on the first page - first 30 pages wasn't going to help me much.
DeleteSo the contest will become live in December? How interesting. I'll have to look into this more. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe posts go live I think at the end of November, and then the agent bids are the first week in December. The submission windows start next week.
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