2016 RITA Winners

I remember agent Laura Bradford openly tweeting about impatiently waiting to talk to one of the GH finalists a few years ago. The writer was already conversing with 2 or 3 other agents. So there's that.

I am really enthusiastic about this year's RITAs. I've read two of the winners -- FORGET TOMORROW by Pintip Dunn, which one Best First Book, and Alexis Hall's FOR REAL -- which is just a delight of a m/m erotica. Really really a delight. The voices, characterisation etc. are so wonderfully spot on.

Captcha said:

I'm wondering what the strategy is, there - do people submit manuscripts as a way to get publisher attention, or...?

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In a word... yes.

My local chapter had two GH finalists this year. There is a special reception for GH and RITA finalists and they receive special designation on their badges. I know one of my chaptermates had spoken to a half dozen agents and editors by Saturday morning alone and it's likely that number increased during the course of the final day.

Many agents also suggest once the finalists are announced in March they begin querying and put GH or RITA Finalist in the subject line because it certainly is a line jumper in the slush pile.

Angi Morgan, who is with Harlequin Intrigue, won the GH and her debut title was released at midnight following her win. So she'd obviously sold that title between entering the contest and winning it.

One of my chaptermates was a GH finalist last year and her book came out last month.

Harlequin. Sorry, meant to say that in the post.

Priscilla Oliveras was also a 2015 GH finalist in contemporary romance. She's now agented and recently announced a three-book deal with Kensington. Not sure if her GH entry is part of that three-book deal or not.

Hi everyone! So, I was actually a Golden Heart finalist in 2012 and can speak to my experience a bit. It can be a huge boost to an unpublished writer. Agents actively pursue GH finalists, in the wake of the announcement, and the finals are judged by editors in your genre. Almost everyone from that GH class is now published or has inked a deal, four years later, and some of those sales came directly from editor requests in the contest. We have people published with Avon, Harlequin, Montlake, Entangled, Carina, and a ton of other imprints. Not everyone sold their Golden Heart book, but they've sold a book.

It probably helps even more with agents, though. Mentioning that you're a Golden Heart finalist in a query is practically a guaranteed partial request, even if your query isn't terribly thrilling. Most unagented writers in our class were signed in the months after the finalist announcement, as a result. If someone is having trouble getting his/her foot in the door and does well in this contest, it's a definite lift.

Now that indie publishing is such a successful enterprise, I'm not sure the GH will hold the same value going forward, honestly. Why consign yourself to staying unpublished (the book you enter can't be released before the awards, so that's a six month hold on your career), when you can start building a backlist and self-publishing right away? In the last year or two, I've known many newer writers who would've entered the contest before, but decided to go ahead and self-publish instead. However, if someone does want to traditionally publish, it's a good stepping stone in that direction.