Entering your work in contests is a great way to get noticed, not to mention all the cool prizes. There are plenty of bigger contests out there, but many blogs are offering smaller contests for free with a critique from an agent as the prize — always invaluable. Andrea Brown Literary Agency‘s Mary Kole has had a few contests like these, as has Curtis Brown agent Nathan Bransford.
The great thing about these contests is that even if you don’t get one of the prizes, you can still make a name for yourself with the agent. That happened with me last year. I entered a contest and got a lovely email back from the agent giving the contest saying that although I wasn’t a winner, the agent wanted to see my manuscript for representation consideration.
Jump on these contests as opportunities, always following the rules, of course, and making sure your work is in the best shape it can be before you submit. Everything helps to get your work out there.
The latest such contest is from the Guide to Literary Agents blog. Chuck Sambuchino is running his second Dear Lucky Agent contest, this time for writers of young adult and middle-grade books.
To enter, writers must have a completed manuscript and send in their first 150-200 words by end of day Feb. 21. Jennifer Laughran of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency is judging and will give the prize winners critiques.
Good luck to all!
Also, check in tomorrow when Laura Cross will be here answering your questions about ghostwriting. Laura also will reveal the winner of a PDF copy of her book, Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent: Everything You Need to Know to Become Successfully Published.
Know of any other contests? Or have a good story from a contest? Tell us about them in the comments.
Write On!
