Welcome Guest Blogger Trish Milburn

In Praise of Contests



Throughout the more than 11 years I wrote seriously before I sold, I heard writing contests called crapshoots too many times to count. And in some ways they can be because they are largely subjective. However, I don’t think writing contests can be dismissed as a legitimate way to get your work in front of agents and editors. If you’ve worked hard on a manuscript and believe it is publishable, by all means enter contests. What do you have to lose other than your entry fee?

I’m a living, breathing example that contests can help pave a writer’s way to success. Have I gotten bad scores and hurtful comments? Sure. Have I placed in the bottom quarter of Golden Heart entries in my category. Again, yes. But those aren’t the contest facts that stand out to me now.

My first big contest bright spot came in 2003 when I finaled in the Golden Heart for the first time. I still remember having to sit down before I fell over when the woman who called me (I was so stunned, I still don’t remember who it was) told me I was a double finalist. Those finals didn’t garner me a win, but it did help my self-confidence, earned me a fabulous set of GH friends (the famed Wet Noodle Posse), and led to my first trip to New York City. Not bad, I say.

The next year, when I finaled again, I felt like it was lightning striking twice. When I actually won the Romantic Suspense category, I cried so much I’m surprised anyone could understand my acceptance speech. I remember shaking and being in a daze. That win didn’t get me a first sale, but having it on my writing resume didn’t hurt when I talked to editors.

I still can’t believe it when I type that I’ve finaled in the Golden Heart eight times and won twice. When I started writing seriously and submitting back in 1996, I couldn’t have even dreamed such a scenario.

Yet another contest eventually led to my first sale. In December 2006, I sent off an entry to Harlequin American’s Great American Novel contest just before the deadline. I then promptly forgot about it until Editor Kathleen Scheibling called to tell me I’d placed third. This, of course, didn’t guarantee a sale, but it did give me a nice little foot in the door if nothing else. Long story short, I went through three sets of revisions on that book and sold it to American in October 2007. It wasn’t my first sale (I’d sold two YA novels in July), but it was my first sale to a romance publisher. I was ecstatic! The second book on that American contract also won the prestigious Maggie Award of Excellence only weeks before being contracted.

And one more contest story to show that you should take advantage of every good opportunity that comes your way. Last spring, Dorchester and Romantic Times announced their latest American Title contest was going to focus on paranormal. I went through my huge stack of unsold manuscripts to see what I had that would fit. I pulled out a manuscript called Out of Sight that I loved and sent it in with a “what the heck, let’s try it” attitude. It became one of the 10 finalists and my last contest as an uncontracted author since the entry deadline was before I sold. The contest is still under way with the fourth round (the final four finalists) having just ended on Sunday, Feb. 3. We’ll find out soon who the final two finalists will be, and voting will begin again for those two contestants Feb. 18. The eventual winner will have her book published by Dorchester.

So you could say I’m a firm believer in contests, no matter that they are subjective. If you work hard to make your work the best it can be, those subjective opinions may very well swing your way and propel you to the next level on your journey toward publication. Or if you’re published, they could introduce you to new audiences and show your publishing house that you stack up well against your competition in the marketplace.

Go forth and contest! And good luck.

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Visit Trish at : http://www.trishmilburn.com/ and watch stores in September for her first Harlequin American release, A Firefighter in the Family.




Trish grew up in Kentucky and got her degree in print journalism. After college, she worked as a newspaper reporter, a marketing assistant, and finally a magazine managing editor before quitting to freelance write and copy edit. By taking the leap into freelancer-land, she also had more time to devote to writing fiction and chasing her dream of being a published novelist.

While working toward her first sale, she finaled in the prestigious Golden Heart contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America eight times, winning twice. She was also a finalist in Harlequin American’s Great American Novel contest,which led to her first sale to American.


She has served her local RWA chapter, Music City Romance Writers, in virtually every position, and is currently serving on RWA’s National Board of Directors.

In addition to romances for Harlequin American, Trish writes young adult novels under the name Tricia Mills, for Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.