So I'm thinking about entering my manuscript into a contest run through Amazon Publishing. They started accepting submissions today and will stop accepting them on January 27th (a few days before I wanted to finish my first edits of my manuscript, so I'll obviously have to pick up the pace a little if I want to get my submission up to my own standards in time). From the looks of it, I can submit my entry as soon as I want and then continue to make edits until January 27th...which would ensure I at least have a spot in the contest...it closes after 10,000 submissions are made (so it could close next week*).
So I guess I'll weigh pros and cons here...since they've just been floating around in my head since I read about this contest 45 minutes ago...
PROS:
There's a $50,000 advance awarded to the grand-prize winner with a publishing contract through Amazon Publishing...this all happens this summer, which brings me to my next pro...
The speed with which they run this contest is impressive. The announcement of all submissions that will make it to the second round is in the middle of February. If I lose, I have my book back and can just go about my business as usual. If I make it to the next round, hell yea!
For all the First Place finalists, you get a $15,000 advance and a trip to the awards ceremony, which is in June. Plus the book gets published.
Even if you don't win, Amazon Publishing might want to buy your book, so it's exciting to have that potential.
CONS:
I feel like people should do cons first, because I'm now in the mindset of 'really, what could be bad about this' after listing the pros....
I have to refrain from shopping the manuscript around while it's in the contest. That doesn't stop me from searching for an agent, in which case I could probably pull my submission.
If I only get the $15,000 advance it's really not the kind of success I was hoping for (duh, I'm sure I'd be just thrilled if I really did become a published author, so this is a pro too, since it's a foot in the door).
I wouldn't be able to negotiate at all (which really is a con, considering one of the major reasons I've found for getting an agent is to have someone's help in negotiating a book contract).
5. GRANT OF RIGHTS. By submitting an Entry and if you are selected as a Quarter-Finalist or Semi-Finalist, you grant Amazon Publishing the exclusive first publication rights to your Entry in all formats. If you are selected as a Quarter Finalist, Amazon Publishing’s exclusive first publication rights to your Entry terminate when you are eliminated from the Contest (unless you are selected as a Semi-Finalist); and if you are selected as a Semi-Finalist, Amazon Publishing’s exclusive first publishing Rights to your Entry terminate after June 30, 2013. If you are not a Winner and Amazon Publishing notifies you that it wishes to publish your Entry, you agree to negotiate the terms and conditions of a publishing agreement exclusively with Amazon Publishing for a period of 30 days after you receive notification from Amazon Publishing. If you and Amazon Publishing have not reached agreement after 30 days, you may offer the work to other publishers on the condition that before you enter into an agreement with another publisher, you will afford Amazon Publishing the last right to publish your Entry on the same terms and conditions offered by any other publisher, plus an advance against royalties 10% greater than the other offer. Amazon Publishing must communicate its decision to you within 5 business days after you have provided written notice of the other publisher’s terms and conditions. If Amazon Publishing declines or fails to act within that period, you will not have any further obligation to Amazon Publishing, and you may publish the Entry with another publisher. By submitting an Entry, you grant us and our respective affiliates and agents permission to use, without charge, portions of your Manuscript, Pitch, or Excerpt, along with your name and stated reason for writing the submitted Entry (if provided) for any purpose in connection with this Contest until June 30, 2013.
After writing out my pros and cons here, and continuing to look over the contest rules and regulations, I've decided to enter. So my submission, entitled 'The Earths Project: First Earth', will now officially be considered for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
First writing contest I've ever entered! Holy crap!
If you've somehow stumbled upon my blog and are thinking 'Yes, sign me up, I'd like to enter the contest too' go to this link:
*upon further research, I've discovered that if my genre reaches 10,000 submissions, the contest closes new submissions AND edits on current submissions...and since writing this, I've already submitted my partially edited first draft...hopefully this genre doesn't fill up too soon or I'll have no hope of winning this!!
No comments:
Post a Comment