Killer Nashville's Claymore Award competition for unpublished crime novels offers each entrant the option of having his or her 50-page entry critiqued by an "industry professional." In 2016, this optional critique cost $20 (on top of the entry fee). That was a heck of a deal; though, many entrants didn't receive their critiques until eight months after the entry deadline and four months after the winner was announced.
This year, Killer Nashville raised the critique fee to $100 but promised, "Critiques are guaranteed to writer within 60 days of receipt by Killer Nashville." As the entry deadline grew near, that 60-day guarantee was changed to a 90-day guarantee.
It has now been 129 days since I submitted my entry (along with the $40 entry fee and $100 critique fee), and I still haven't received a critique.
Is anybody else in the same situation? I've emailed the two addresses I have for Killer Nashville, but I haven't received a response.
When the critique fee was $20 ($0.40/page), I was willing to forgive delays, because the critique was an almost-free perk of entering the contest. Now, having paid $2/page (the same rate I would have paid for a critique from Writer's Digest or a number of other sources), I'm quite miffed that Killer Nashville has failed to meet their guaranteed delivery date. That guarantee was the only reason I didn't balk at the significantly increased critique fee.
This year, Killer Nashville raised the critique fee to $100 but promised, "Critiques are guaranteed to writer within 60 days of receipt by Killer Nashville." As the entry deadline grew near, that 60-day guarantee was changed to a 90-day guarantee.
It has now been 129 days since I submitted my entry (along with the $40 entry fee and $100 critique fee), and I still haven't received a critique.
Is anybody else in the same situation? I've emailed the two addresses I have for Killer Nashville, but I haven't received a response.
When the critique fee was $20 ($0.40/page), I was willing to forgive delays, because the critique was an almost-free perk of entering the contest. Now, having paid $2/page (the same rate I would have paid for a critique from Writer's Digest or a number of other sources), I'm quite miffed that Killer Nashville has failed to meet their guaranteed delivery date. That guarantee was the only reason I didn't balk at the significantly increased critique fee.