Entering contests is a no-brainer for me. I can directly attribute my entry into the realm of traditional publishing (albeit a small press) to winning a contest. Many authors could say the same.

In 2012, I entered my unpublished manuscript, working title Probable Cause, in the Public Safety Writers Contest (PSWA). I won third place in the unpublished novel category. Re-named, By Force or Fear, I self-published it on Smashwords as an ebook, hoping to work up to a print version. Meanwhile, I mapped out the second book of the Nick and Meredith Mysteries (I’m a compulsive plotter).

After months of writing, querying, submitting, and all-around frustration, I entered my novel in a contest at Oak Tree Publishing (OTP). Oak Tree had recently published an anthology for the PSWA. I was stunned when I won. First prize was publication of the winning book. I’d entered my second mystery, Intent to Hold, which had just won second place in unpublished novel category in the PSWA’s 2014 Writers’ Contest. My new publisher also agreed to publish the first novel.

Why Enter Contests?

They can provide a publishing contract or the cash to enable your dream indie publishing. (We all know editors don’t edit our work for free, and the graphic artist who designs your cover needs to eat.)

Contests can help with goal setting, both short-term and long-term. C. Hope Clark didn’t submit to agents and publishers until she won or placed in several contests, using competitions as a barometer to determine when her work was ready for pitches.

Sometimes contest judges offer critiques that can help with structure, story arc, or even provide a quotable blurb for marketing. Those critiques would cost you hundreds of dollars in other realms.

Contests also introduce you to folks in the business. A judge in one contest might be the editor at a publishing house. Because you didn’t win doesn’t mean you cannot pitch them, reminding them you learned of them via the contest.

Winning often means promotion, too. They may splash your name, title, and accomplishments goodness-knows-where, increasing your platform.

How to Find Contests

Start with a Google search. I use “mystery contests” to search within my genre.

Look to your writers’ clubs for submissions. The California Writers Club branch I belong to, Redwood Writers, publishes anthologies each year. Look at local, state and national clubs.

Genre searches are helpful. In my mystery world, the biggies are the Leftys (Left Coast Crime), the Edgars (Mystery Writers of America), Agatha Award (Malice Domestic Conference). You can find more listed at http://stopyourekillingme.com/Awards/.

Contests aren’t just for books, either. You can find contests for first chapters, first pages, last pages, opening lines, and so on.

Look at the rules and follow them to the letter. Some contests are international while others are regional. Some require adherence to a theme. Some have age, gender, sexual, and ethnicity requirements. Some disallow students while others prefer them.

Be professional. Having been a judge in the past, I culled the rule-breakers first, finding it simple to pass on a manuscript that was single-spaced instead of double-spaced or had the author name on the page (contests usually use blind submissions).

Contests count. Winning or placing gives the author standing and bulks up a resume, adding credibility publishers and readers seek. An award win is a terrific marketing tactic to have. Imagine “Winner of the Agatha Award” on your book cover.

For me, a contest win is a wonderful confidence booster. Winning motivates me to work harder for the next entry, and therefore, pumps my goal setting. Having a first draft by May 1st, the usual deadline for PSWA’s contest, is a typical goal. This year, I’ll enter Felony Murder Rule, my fourth book in the published category.

BIO: Thonie Hevron is a law enforcement veteran and author of four award-winning thrillers/police procedurals. She lives with her husband in historic Petaluma, California and is active in local, state, and national literary clubs such as California Writers Club (Redwood Chapter), Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers and the Public Safety Writers Association. For fun she likes to travel and ride horses.  www.thoniehevron.com.