Golden Heart 2007
Sorry for the late post...this week got completely away from me!
I was reminded of the entry deadline for the Golden Heart (and Rita) in this month's RWR, and I've been trying to decide whether or not I'm going to go for it again this year.
Hiding in Plain Sight finaled in the 2006 Romantic Suspense category, which was exciting.
But looking ahead to 2007, it's a little daunting, a little scary. It feels a little like I got an A on the first test of the year and now there's no place to go but down. (What a pesimist, huh?)
What if I don't final this year? Does that make last year a fluke? Does that make Hiding in Plain Sight a better novel than Safe in Enemy Arms (the manuscript I will enter *if* I enter)?
Then again, what if I did final again? What if I won first place this year? Does that mean I'll sell? Does that mean...?
What exactly does that mean? Either way?
Does it mean anything?
And if it doesn't mean anything...why enter?
How many of you will enter the Golden Heart in 2007? How many of you have entered in the past? How do you feel about the contest? How do you feel it's different from other contests?
I was reminded of the entry deadline for the Golden Heart (and Rita) in this month's RWR, and I've been trying to decide whether or not I'm going to go for it again this year.
Hiding in Plain Sight finaled in the 2006 Romantic Suspense category, which was exciting.
But looking ahead to 2007, it's a little daunting, a little scary. It feels a little like I got an A on the first test of the year and now there's no place to go but down. (What a pesimist, huh?)What if I don't final this year? Does that make last year a fluke? Does that make Hiding in Plain Sight a better novel than Safe in Enemy Arms (the manuscript I will enter *if* I enter)?
Then again, what if I did final again? What if I won first place this year? Does that mean I'll sell? Does that mean...?
What exactly does that mean? Either way?
Does it mean anything?
And if it doesn't mean anything...why enter?
How many of you will enter the Golden Heart in 2007? How many of you have entered in the past? How do you feel about the contest? How do you feel it's different from other contests?
posted by Joan Swan at 2:00 PM
3Comments:
I'm still undecided.
My biggest hangup is the first round judges for the GH are other un-published judges. And I'm not wild about the way the GH is scored anyway. I know they're changing it, but not this year. The ms I want to enter has done really well in contests with published judges, only mediocre in the few I entered with unpublished judges. So I'm not sure it would do so well in the GH.
The benefits for entering the GH are name recognition and getting your ms in front of a possible editor. I do know of some people who have sold that way. However, you have an agent who's doing that for you. Self-promotion would be your biggest asset here.
Hmmm, good point about the self promotion.
I have several issues with this contest such as the peer group first round judges, no feedback from judges, final judges/editors never named, no feedback there either.
But, as you say, it's got some pluses too. I think name recognition among RWA members would be a big plus.
Considering that the winner of 2006 RS category started with a murderous villain, very dark and heavy, and that the finalists also tended toward that style, I'm thinking SAFE won't do very well. It's suspenseful in a different way than the murder/mystery recipe that seems so prevelent now-a-days.
I've got a little less than a month to decide.
Whine.
I'm entering. I feel like you, though. I finalled my first time out of the box. The next year, I entered a new ms, and my formerly finalling one as a "safety." The formerly finalling one finalled again. Then the next year I entered the non-finalling one and a different one and didn't final. This year I finalled again.
But the one I want to enter hasn't finalled twice....I don't know if the changes I made will help!
But dang, I loved being a finalist.
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