Tips for Submitting Written Work to Contests

Award winners Richard Gartee, Roz Miller, and Darlene Marshall shared with WAG members and guests their experiences in submitting their works to contests. The panelists focused first on the benefits.

Gartee, whose third novel, Ragtime Dudes in a Thin Place, won the first place 2016 Royal Palm Literary Award (RPLA) for unpublished, book-length fiction, stated that the benefit of entering a contest depends on what you’re writing. If you are writing poems or short stories, having your work published in a journal can bring recognition. For writers of novels, winning a contest can help you build a platform to boost sales.

The RPLA contest, sponsored by the Florida Writers Association (FWA) is judged blindly. According to FWA’s website, each judge receives a rubric designed for a particular genre. Judges for book-length fiction, for example, look at:

• characters
• setting
• plot
• story flow
• dialogue
• creativity
• mechanics
• appropriate genre
• overall impression

An added benefit of some contests, such as the RPLA, is that the judges provide comments to authors when the contest is over. This feedback is more objective than you might receive from someone you know in a critique pod or from a beta reader you know.

Marshall, who has won nine awards for her seven romance novels, said, “The feedback, the acclaim, and the award on a shelf are all good reasons to enter contests. Winning a contest helps separate you from the herd. And don’t be modest. Contest winners should use the phrase ‘award-winning-author’ when they market their books.”

“Winning or even just being a finalist translates into sales,” Gartee said. He noticed that some of the authors at the recent Amelia Island Book Festival had award stickers on their books. “I bought the book of a person who won an RPLA contest I entered,” he said.

Miller said that some contests will provide stickers to award winners for them to place on the front covers of their books. “One of WAG’s recent speakers, author M. W. Gordon, who won the 2014 RPLA Award for Published Book of the Year, even changed his cover design to incorporate the award sticker. Now, potential customers shopping on Amazon see that his book won an award.”

The RPLA and many other contests accept unpublished works, Gartee reminded the audience. So, if you enter a manuscript and learn that you’re a finalist, notify your agent immediately. Being a finalist boosts your chances of getting published, even if you don’t win. And if you win, notify the agent again.

The three panelists also offered suggestions for making sure a contest is legitimate.

“The RPLA is a prestigious award,” Marshall said, “especially in the state of Florida.” But recognize that not all contests and awards are created equal. Before entering, learn how the contest is conducted. Read the rules and ask yourself what’s the purpose of the contest.

“I once entered a contest,” Gartee said, “thinking I would win a place in an anthology—and I won! But then I quickly realized the catch. To be published, I would have to fork over $60 for the published anthology.”

Keep in mind that there are many scam contests out there. Read the guidelines and fine print. Be suspicious of the legitimacy of the contest:

• If entry fees seem unreasonable ($100 is unreasonable even if cash awards are offered)
• If the guidelines state that all entries will be published
• If a publishing contract is guaranteed
• If the contract says the publisher owns all rights to the work
• If you are asked to grant exclusivity, which takes your work off the market for a time
• If there are lots of winners, because that dilutes the win

Pay attention and look for contests that are talked about. You’ll learn which ones will do you the most good. Also keep in mind that not all contests give you feedback, which can be extremely valuable. Miller noted that author Rebecca Heflin said, “If not for a contest, I would not be published; the feedback I received made me a better writer.”

“Look at the timing of contests,” Gartee said. “Some stagger their fees based on when you submit, so If you submit early, you save money. Staggered submissions help the judges—gives them more time to read all entries.”

Marshall, who serves as a judge for several competitions, said it’s helpful to know who the judges are; the Hugo Award, for example, is judged by readers, not other authors. Most contests have certain qualities the judges are looking for in the work. Judges are usually asked to rate the work on a scale of one to ten.

“I’ve been judging books about six years,” she said, “and in one of the contests, I’m to judge five qualities: structure, voice, accuracy, originality, and craft. Some contests even ask me to break the score down further—5.5, for example. In the Romance Writers of American contest, I must judge for competency, story, whether it is believable, and if the book has a happy ending (romance novels must end with the protagonists together).

Miller reminded the audience to keep submitting—that who wins a contest can be subjective, since it all depends on the judge’s perspective. “We artists sometimes bite our tongues when we see which painting won a prize.” She also promised a list of 2018 Writing Contests (and here it is!).

Marshall writes award winning historical romance, mostly about pirates, privateers, smugglers, and the occasional possum. Her book, The Bride and the Buccaneer, won the First Coast Romance Writers Award for historical romance, and The Pirate’s Secret Baby received the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence.

Gartee is a novelist, poet, and author of seven college textbooks. In addition to his novels, he has had five collections of his poetry published as well as numerous chap books. His third novel, Ragtime Dudes In a Thin Place won the first place 2016 Royal Palm Literary Award for unpublished book-length fiction.

Miller is an artist, speaker, freelance writer, short story writer and playwright. Her nomination for the Spirit of Gainesville Award commended her commitment to helping others promote their work and grow in their development.