Contest Update by Terry Wright

As of this writing, there are only two weeks remaining until the Colorado Gold closes for submissions in the 2012 contest. Like last year and the year before that, I expect eighty percent of the entries to flood in during the final week. And that final hour before midnight is almost comical, the number of emails that pile up in my inbox as writers from across the country try to get in at the last minute.

So in hopes of spurring all pre-published (politically correct term for un-published) authors to action, I’ll remind you now that this contest is the best way to get your work into the hands of editors and agents. Not just any editor or agent, mind you, but those you will have the opportunity to meet with at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference in September.

This is unique to writing contests, as most final round judges are nowhere to be found afterwards. You’ll not only be able to book a ten-minute pitch session with our final judges, you may also speak with them in the halls, at the meals, during the hospitality suite get-togethers, or even catch one for an elevator pitch.

Getting this access to perhaps an agent or editor you’ve wanted to approach is invaluable to a writer’s career. The final judges are listed on the Contest page of the RMFW Web site. Also, other attending agents and editors are highlighted in the conference brochure, which is also available as a PDF download from the Web site.

This is the time to polish up the first twenty pages of your manuscript, write an eight-page synopsis (or less), and copy/paste them into a Word .doc or .docx file named the title of your book. Format your entry as per the Rules and Entry Instructions PDF available for download on the Contest Web page. Fill in the entry form on the Web site (on the Contest page, “Enter the 2012 Contest” link) with your contact information, your book title, select the category and subgenre you are entering, and agree to the contest terms. Then submit the form, pay online with your credit card, and send in your entry file attached to an email to contest@rmfw.org.

It’s never been easier to enter the Colorado Gold Writing Contest. Please do it sooner than later.

Note: If you are submitting more than one entry, and all are with or without critiques, you should pay for them at the same time by entering the quantity on the payment form.  Otherwise contact contest@rmfw.org to pay for additional entries, as the Web site programming at this time will only allow you to pay once.  This is something our Webmasters will fix for next year.