Contests
There's nothing like
getting The Mini Call to tell you that your entry has made the finals
or even won a contest. What a rush, what a thrill! You are now the
proud recipient of a certificate or plaque, some prize money, a piece
of jewelry, or (my personal favorite) an actual star registered in
your name.
The only thing
better is getting THE CALL telling you that a publisher wants to buy
your manuscript. And that, my friends, is the real reason for entering
contests.
The average wait for
an editor's response is anywhere from six to eighteen months.
Publishers get thousands of queries each year and for every fifty
partial submissions received, only one will be requested in full. I've
heard stories that the slush piles at Harlequin are literally leaning
up against the walls to support their vast height.
So how can you possibly beat these odds? You can't. But maybe
you can shorten them by first writing the best work that you can and
then by entering contests.
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