Can u enter a contest AND submit to lit agents simultaneously?

If you've got an interested agent I wouldn't enter the competition. An agent will do more for you then a competition will.

Probably a conflict of interest and if the agent accepts your ms. and you win the contest, then you definitely have a problem. I'd say wait for the contest to be over, and then submit to the agent, or if you're already submitting, don't enter the contest. I would actually expect that to be in the contest guidelines: no simultaneous submission.

You probably should have asked in the romance forum, but YES, you can and should do BOTH at the same time.

The Golden Heart is a fabulous "cred" for an unpublished writer. (I've got a final in the Golden Heart myself.) So, you can still submit the thing even if it's entered in the contest. You just can't have sold it before the entry.

Besides, you don't grant rights to the agent. You only grant rights to a publisher. So basically what they're saying is, you can't have sold this ms before the entry deadline.

Even if you get an agent before the contest is over, if you final in the GH, that's still a good solid cred an agent can use to push your work.

Plus, there have been sales because of Golden Heart finaling. We have a new Super author who was bought a couple of months ago because one of the Super editors read her ms in the final round of GH judging, and bought it. (She didn't WIN the GH, but finaling got her SOLD. )

So, go for it!

Susan G., Golden Heart Finalist Class of 2002.

PS - I sold a different ms between the entry deadling and announcement of GH finalists. My editors bought my GH ms the day before the GH/Rita ceremony -- which happens a few times a year, that a finalist sells their GH finalist ms at the conference.

Great advice, Susan!

Go gettum, Mollyluna!

maestrowork said:

Probably a conflict of interest and if the agent accepts your ms. and you win the contest, then you definitely have a problem. I'd say wait for the contest to be over, and then submit to the agent, or if you're already submitting, don't enter the contest. I would actually expect that to be in the contest guidelines: no simultaneous submission.

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Generally, contests that might result in publication don't want you submitting to other contests or to publishers, but there's no conflict in submitting to agents.

Go with Susan Gable on this (and check the fine print, see if you can withdraw if you want to).

Go for it, mollyluna! You can enter the contest and have an agent because an agent doesn't take away your rights.

I actually sent this question back in July to my agent on behalf of a friend, and she said there's no problem, but that you should mention it in the query letters.

DeadlyAccurate said:

...and she said there's no problem, but that you should mention it in the query letters.

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I wouldn't, just as I wouldn't mention that I've sent it to to a handful of publishers. When they ask you'll have to tell them, or when you sign up, but not before. Once you make it to the semi-finals or finals, however, then it might make sense to mention it in the query.

DeadlyAccurate said:

I actually sent this question back in July to my agent on behalf of a friend, and she said there's no problem, but that you should mention it in the query letters.

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Entering the GH is sort of... not news in the romance field. It's certainly not worth mentioning in a query letter that the ms is entered in the contest. Because it doesn't MATTER. The fact that it's entered in this particular contest has no bearing whatsoever on an agent or an editor who's reading it/considering it.

If it FINALS, then that's worth mentioning in every query letter from now until doomsday. Trust me, I still include my GH final status in any query letters that I send out now, be they to agents or new editors. (Making the finals means that much in the romance community. It's a very nice kudo.)

If it WINS, then that's even better!

Susan G.