Charles Dance To Direct 'The Inn'

Certain contest have more crbtieilidy than others, but in general, I don't put much store in any of them except for 2 or 3. I know some authors just don't have the time/money/inclination to enter contests. Plus, winning a contest does not have any effect on how much I like the book. Taking on a new author is very personal for me I only take projects I love. No amount of accolades can make me like a manuscript more. Have you ever picked up a book that said NYT bestselling author, read it, and thought, I guess it worked for some people but I won't be buying this author again. Same thing.There are two instances I think contests are helpful. One: if you are trying to reach an editor at a house that only accepts agented manuscripts, and you are unagented. If you see they are judging a contest, that can be a good way to get your work in front of them. But I accept unagented and unsolicited manuscripts, and almost all agents are the same.Two: contests can give you a chance to get professional feedback for revision. However, I often see what I call contest syndrome : the first 3 chapters are great because the author has gotten a lot of feedback and done some good revising, but the rest of the manuscript hasn't had that benefit and is a disaster. Be careful.I've bought exactly one author from a contest. I judge about 5 a year, sometimes more. Assuming 3-5 entries per contest, that's somewhere around 100 contest entries I've seen since I've been at Kensington. For perspective, I buy 4-5 authors every year out of roughly 300 regular submissions. By those odds, you have a much better chance with me by just submitting.