Welcome to this week’s Marketing for Romance Writer’s #MFRW 52-week Blog Challenge entitled, “My contest experiences.” Since this is blog hop of writers, I’m assuming you’re more interested in writing contests and not my lack of luck in the few times I’ve played the lottery or entered other games of chance. Although as those who love to try their luck (many of whom are in my family) like to say, “You have to play to win.”
Therefore, the odds may not be in my favor, but I have entered a few contests, and avoid some, for different reasons.
My Contest Disclaimer
Before I share my contest experience, I must share a little backstory. I seem to be the only member of my family that doesn’t
succumb to the lure of winning the lottery, other games or…the Publisher’s Clearinghouse. Yes, it’s still around.
My grandfather lived well into his 90’s still hoping to win and seemed to pass this desire to my Dad.
He buys random doo-dads from those catalogs, hoping to increase his chances of winning.
My Dad has informed us for years just how he will divvy out his winnings when they show up at his door with the giant cardboard check and a bunch of balloons.
Perhaps after two generations of men patiently waiting to win this contest, I’ve become a little cynical about contests, or doubtful of my luck.
My Contest Experience Then—There Might Be Something in the Water
Initially, I entered a lot of contests as an easy way to gain feedback on the beginning of a new novel. With my mind set on this goal, I didn’t always invest the necessary time to review key details about the judges etc. This produced mixed results—and significantly increased the thickness of my skin.
Most writing contests rely on volunteers to review the initial entries. This is good because it can give the perspective of your reader, and often some great feedback, but it can be bad if the person is not very good at critiquing.
Now and then you run across a shark or two in those contest pools. I.e: “Let me tell you how I really think…” which often includes individual opinions which don’t always have anything to do with the story.
Take #contest results with a grain of salt—or the whole shaker. #MFRW #author Click To TweetMy Contest Experience—Now
Those experiences, years of writing, and the enjoyment I take in critiquing and proofreading have led me to frequently volunteer to be a contest judge. I’ve also made sure to never forget a few of my unpleasant experiences and keep them in mind as I write up my critique.
I Avoid Some Writing/Author Contests Because
- They rely on the endless solicitation of votes
- Getting results takes forever
- They’re expensive
- They don’t provide feedback
A Few Contest Wins
Now and then I still enter a contest, because they are kind of fun and who can deny the joy of bragging rights?
Speaking of Contests
You don’t always know what you’re going to get when you enter a contest, but if you’re a reader, you can rest assured that you might get something awesome from author contests. Authors love readers and love giving them stuff to show appreciation for all your awesomeness. Here are a few contests going on right now if you want to try your luck
Hop Along to the Next Blog
Find out about the contest experiences of the other authors as you follow the blog hop.
I’ve not yet braved the contest waters. I’ve been giving more thought to it, but haven’t taken the plunge. I will be dipping my toe in as a first round judge soon for 2 different contests. Members of my CP group are head coordinators for their chapter contests. That should be an interesting experience.
I’ve always enjoyed judging, it’s just finding the time to do it.
Winning does encourage you to enter another contest. Congrats on yours.
Thanks, Helen! I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
As I reader, I live contests. They’re fun, and prizes are usually cool. As a writer, I won’t enter or judge.
In 2016, I served as the fantasy editor for a brand new literary magazine that published horror, fantasy, and science fiction. The flood of manuscripts we received ranged from awesome to gag-worthy. The editor-in-chief decided to run a contest. Perhaps we didn’t publicize it sufficiently, be we only received three entries–and none of them was anything we’d accept to publish in the magazine. Staff also decided to offer a paid option for fast review, instead of the usual 3-month waiting period. The paid option guaranteed a review within X many days and a written critique. No one opted for that option either.
Congratulations on your contest win. I haven’t taken the plunge yet, but I have taken a workshop to be a first-round judge.