Of contests and agents

[midwife]

I admit I am a worrier. And that the scenario I am currently worrying about might never come to pass. But I want to post the question anyway.

I am in the final stages of polishing my submission to a contest. The prize is a contract and advance and if I win (unlikely) then I will email my top choices of agents immediately for help with the contract (although the contract may not be open to negotiation much). I should hear about the contest in November.

Part of me thinks I should wait to query this novel until I hear back that I did not win the contest. Because even if I send out queries now, and manage to interest an agent, would he or she be delayed in sending out the MS to editors until I hear back from the contest? Should I just wait until I know I lost and then query (not mentioning that I lost the contest of course. Miss Snark would never approve).

To query now or to not query now?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
midwife

[Sandy J]

To query now or to not query now?

If the manuscript is ready, polished, and suitable for publishing, I wouldn't wait on the contest. I'd send out queries now. But, then again, patience is not one of my virtues. ;)

[Momento Mori]

Is your novel ready for submission?

If it is ready, then query it and query widely. Re the contest, check the rules to see whether you can withdraw if you have representation/a publishing contract in place for the manuscript before November. If you can withdraw, then personally I don't think there's any harm in applying for it (depending of course, on who the publisher is with, whether they've shown you their contract before entry and what type of advance they're offering), but your best bet is the query slog if you're serious about publication.

If it's not ready, then don't do anything until you've banged it into a shape where you do feel that you can submit it. Don't even think about querying agents or entering contests because it's just a distraction and it will encourage you to think about cutting corners on the polishing process (that last bit's my own experience but I think it's a pretty common one).

Hope that's some help.

MM

[apmom]

I would query now. Regardless of how you get there, the goal is a contract. If you wait (and I think 5-6 months is a long time to hold off) you will be waiting on one shot, as opposed to the many agents you could have intrigued in the meantime.

I wish you luck, either way.

[justpat]

November is a long time off, and since you are so convinced you won't win anyway (what a negative thought by the way:cry:) you shouldn't wait.

If you win you could query the agent again, since winning the contest will change things dramatically in the eyes of the agent.

[midwife]

;)
Thanks for the replies.

The prize is a contract but if the book is already under contract somewhere else, then I would obviously be disqualified.

I do tend to be a little self-deprecating, JustPat. I am impressed with my book (I am as easily impressed as I am amused), but I do know how tough the competition can be. I would like to win and I am putting forth the best MS I can by the contest date. This push to have the work complete by a certain date has been really good for me, cause it made me stop screwing around and put the muscle into it that it needed.

I think I could tinker forever, but that doesn't do anyone any good.

I think I will make it as perfect as I can and send it off to the contest. Then I will pull in a couple more betas, tinker for another month or so and then start querying. If and when an agent asks where it has been seen, I will tell them about the contest.

Thanks again for your thoughts, guys.

[Mr. Fix]

This is a story I once heard from Isaac Asimov...

When he was young he saw an ad in one of his favorite SF magazine for a contest. The winner would recieve a $25 prize and get published in the magazine. So young little Isaac wrote a short story. When he finished his story he thought a little more about the contest. He realized that everybody and their ghostwriter would be submitting a story. So on a lark, he sent his story off to another SF magazine for their review. They liked the story so much that they paid him $50 and published his story.

($50 was a lot of money to a 15-year-old back in those days!)

Just some food for thought...

Good luck on either choice.

[Soccer Mom]

Depends on the contest. Some (Like the Delacorte) specifically state that you are disqualified if you sub it elsewhere during the contest period. Read the rules. If your contest doesn't prohibit it, then sub away. If it does, then you have to choose.

[midwife]

Hi Soccer Mom,
The rules do not prohibit it. I think I will start sending queries in August.
Thanks for the feedback, ya'll!!