Today I brought the kids to the library for their summer kick-off book reading event (theme for this summer: Catch the Reading Bug), and while they were variously immersed in decorating a paper butterfly (Ella) or reading (Madison), I dove into Literary Marketplace to do some research about publishers to whom I might submit my book.
I've been reading Erika Dreifus's Practicing Writer blog, and she recently recommended entering contests as a good strategy for getting your writing done. And when I was looking at the publisher's entry for Knopf Delacorte Dell today, I noticed that they have an annual contest for their Yearling imprint: For a First Middle-Grade Novel. See the rules online, the notice said.
So when I got home, I read the rules. Wow, entries have to be postmarked between April 1, 2008 and... Monday, June 30. That's THIS Monday. I'd already planned to finish the book this weekend in a marathon session. Could I get it done in time to postmark on Monday? Probably, yes. That would be a real fire lit under me, that's for sure. Maybe this would be a heck of an opportunity...
Oh, shoot. The rules say: Manuscripts sent to Delacorte Press may not be submitted to other publishers or literary agents while under consideration for the prize.
That wouldn't be so bad if the editor-judges hadn't given themselves the luxury of waiting until October to respond to you. OCTOBER!
So, I think that's out. I have momentum here, there's no way I'm twiddling my thumbs until OCTOBER. That only leaves me 7 months until I turn 40, for pete's sake. And...it's a FIRST NOVEL contest. Doesn't that mean that everyone who might enter it is in the same position as I?
Maybe I'm kidding myself, thinking that someone will accept this for publication before then. Anyway, I'm just not willing to take the risk of delaying my submissions for 4 months.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment