As I’m fine tuning my book this week I’m also getting the first 15 pages ready to enter in the Genesis Contest hosted by American Christian Fiction Writers of which I am a member. Here’s the promo for the contest:
The Genesis Contest is the ACFW contest for unpublished Christian writers. The contest has a number of categories/genres to enter, the opportunity for unbiased feedback on writers’ work by published authors and experienced judges, and the chance for the Category Finalists to have their work read by Christian publishing house editors and literary agents. ACFW has been pleased to see previous Category Winners and Finalists move further in their writing careers to become published authors.
It costs $35 to enter the first 15 pages and a one-page synopsis. ONE PAGE! It almost took me longer to write my four-page synopsis than it did the entire book. Eek!
The first place entry in each category will receive a winner’s plaque, a gold Genesis lapel pin, and first choice for editor/agent appointments at the 2012 ACFW National Conference, plus one hour of telephone mentoring time with a published author. The winners will be announced at the 2011 ACFW Conference. The finalists in each category will receive a certificate and silver Genesis lapel pin. Finalists will be announced by May 13, 2011.
I know–it’s not exactly a million dollars is it? But then, that’s not what it’s about. This contest is about stepping out there, getting read and networking. Plus, one of the readers for finalists in my category is an agent I’ve been following for a while. I didn’t know that until five minutes ago, so it counts as one of those wonderful, serendipitous things that always crop up when I need a little shot of optimism. And even if my entry fails out in the first round, I still get a copy of my score sheet which will be an invaluable tool for pinpointing weaknesses in my story. Win-win!