A Contest Success Story by Jody Hedlund

When I first entered the blogging world last year, I was completely ignorant of writing contests. It wasn’t until I started reading the Seekerville blog that I became aware of all of the writing contests, especially for unpublished writers.

The Seekerville contest lists were easy to read, well-organized, and extremely motivating! (Great job, ladies! Keep up the good work!)

Finally, in January of this year, when the Genesis contest for unpublished authors through ACFW showed up in the list of contests, I began an internal debate: was my writing ready to enter the Genesis or should I wait one more year and polish up my books even more?

At that point I had one completed manuscript and another book about half done. I decided to wait. What was the rush? I would finish my second book, and then take time to edit both of them and get them ready for the round of contests the following year.

However, my dear, sweet mother paused when she heard my decision, and then so very gently asked, “What do you have to lose by entering this year?”

That one question needled me night and day, until finally I decided I had nothing to lose if I entered this year. In fact I had everything to gain. For a very reasonable cost I would get critiqued feedback on my manuscripts and would possibly be able to gauge where I was at in comparison with other writers.

As I started preparing the first 15 pages of my manuscripts for the Genesis contest, I came across a couple of author/editor blogs that offered “contest specials.” I decided the more feedback I could get, the better I would be as a writer. So I paid for a critique, tweaked my contest entries, and then sent them off with more confidence.

I determined to forget about the contest and put my energy into completing my second book. But as the day for the announcement of the finalists loomed closer, my mind raged with the “what ifs.” As much as I tried, I couldn’t forget about those manuscripts under the scrutiny of three judges. How would my ego survive if they didn’t like my writing?

One day in mid-May I arrived home to the blinking light of my answering machine. As I listened to the message I started screaming. Both of my entries had finaled in the contest. It was a huge boost to my moral, and I was honored to final alongside so many other talented writers.

But that’s NOT the end of the story. It’s actually only the beginning. After the final, I contacted the agent who had my manuscript in her slush pile. She took a look at both books and within a day offered me representation. A month after that, she sent a proposal to Bethany House for a thirty day exclusive. Approximately a month later, after several committee meetings, Bethany House offered me a three book deal. In early September I signed the contract, and just recently finished rewrites on my first book of the deal, The Preacher’s Bride, due to release October 2010.

So, what are the lessons in my contest success story?

1. Enter contests. As my mother said: What do you have to lose?
2. Find a contest critique special. Take a little extra effort to polish up your entry.
3. Make the most of the judge’s feedback. Scrutinize every comment and let it carry over to the rest of the story.
4. Make sure you finish your book. I personally don’t think it’s essential to have your entire book completed before entering the contest. BUT make sure it’s done by the time of the awards. I met too many finalists who came to the conference with incomplete manuscripts. Big mistake. Why? Because. . .
5. Remember, a contest final is only the beginning of the success story. We need to be ready to take advantage of the spotlight while we’re in it. If your manuscript isn’t complete or ready for agents and editors, you won’t be able to take full advantage of the opportunity the contest final gives.

If you haven’t visited my blog yet, I invite you to swing by. It’s a gathering for the writing community—a place where we have open discussion about many of the various aspects of the writing life and publication, both the joys and difficulties. Author, Jody Hedlund .

Today I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you entered any contests? And if so, what lessons have you learned as a result?