Authors Who Got Their Break Through Gold

If you’re a writer—pre-published, you want a book deal. And if you haven’t discovered this already, you’ll learn that strictly querying agents and editors typically takes longer to achieve results. They’re inundated. So, the consensus agrees that a pre-published scribe must seek additional paths like: networking, conferences, and contests.

The Colorado Gold Writing Contest can accelerate your success.

New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award winning author C.J. Box launched his career with G.P. Putnam’s Sons and St. Martins Press through Gold...

Jessica Wulf sold her first three books to Kensington as result of winning the contest...

Peggy Waide landed her first deal with Leisure Books through the Gold…

Urban fantasy author Julie Kazimer wowed Editor Peter Senftleben of Kensington last year through Gold and signed a two-book deal…

Joy Meredith won the contest in the category she entered and gained agent represenatation…

And not to mention that some of the RMFW alumni who scored deals as members include, Diane Mott Davidson, Mario Acevedo, Jeanne Stein, Carol Berg, Margaret Coel, and more!

The list goes on.

Entries to the Gold contest are limited to 200. It works in your favor! This is one of the huge reasons Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers can connect pre-published writers with book deals. An agent gets between 400 and 800 queries in just a week! The stack sent to publishing companies that accept submissions climbs even higher. Cut past the pile and put your manuscript in one of the best focused chances to get it to an editor or agent.

Enter early! Contest starts April 1st 2011. The registration will fill up fast!

Veteran Contest Chair Terry Wright has insider tips for our Chiseled in Rock readers!

#1. Get the hook in as quickly as possible. Set the stakes early. Conflict. Tension. Suspense. One, two, or all on every page. Keep the story moving forward. #2. Keep back story and exposition to a minimum. Resist the urge to explain. #3. Understand your story’s structure and character arcs and get that information into the synopsis. Contests are often won or lost on the synopsis points. “The Secret Ingredients of a Winning Synopsis,” a PDF available for download can be found at http://www.rmfwcontest.com/.

Terry further says, “The biggest mistake I have seen over and over again throughout my years is the tendency writers have to write down the movie that is playing in their minds, step by step, scene by scene, without getting into a character’s POV and revealing to the reader that person’s inner self, his/her response to stimuli, internalizations, visceral feelings, the hopes, dreams, and fears that drive your characters through the story and drag the reader along until the sun comes up.”

Terry will also be hosting a contest preparation workshop Saturday March 19th from 1-3pm at Belmar Library, 555 S Allison Parkway in Arvada CO. Free to the public.

Best of luck to all who enter! We look forward to seeing your book in the stores!