I've been focusing on category romance for so long I haven't kept up with the single title houses. After listening to the Spotlights from the RWA Conference CD's I wondered how important the publishing house is when you send out your proposal or enter a contest? Do you target particular editors?
I'm hoping to focus more on romantic suspense in the New Year. I've put all those ideas and WIP's on hold to focus on Desire this year. The KOD's Daphne du Maurier contest is coming up early in the year. It's the only contest I've ever entered and that was with a RS MS that is still languishing at the bottom of a drawer waiting for me to revise and send it to Intrigue.
As a chapter member the fee is very inexpensive and this year it's accepting electronic entries. Each category has an editor AND an agent as the final judge. Rose Hilliard from SMP is the final judge in the mainstream category. My dream publisher. I know nothing about the agent. A quick perusal of the Waxman Agency website indicates they have a nice author list but nothing like the romantic mystery I'm writing. I'm not even sure if my book belongs in this category or the Single Title category.
Does is it even make sense to send a submission in for a MS that I've barely started? Or is this the kick in the pants I need to get me motivated to finish it?
Here's the judging info:
CATEGORY (SERIES) ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSEAllison Lyons, Harlequin Intrigue & Kevan Lyon Sandra Dykstra LiteraryAgency
HISTORICAL ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE May Chen, Harper Collins/Avon & Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency
INSPIRATIONAL ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSESusan Downs, Barbour Publishing & Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Agency
PARANORMAL (PTTF) ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSECindy Hwang, Berkley Publishing, Cherry Weiner, Cherry Weiner LiteraryAgency
SINGLE TITLE ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSEAbby Zidle, Pocket Books & Kimberly Whalen, Trident Media Group
MAINSTREAM MYSTERY/SUSPENSE (Romance Optional)Rose Hilliard, St. Martin's Press & Holly Root, Waxman Literary Agency
3 comments:
Good for you, Anne. You'd be entering Shattered, right?
Shattered has a strong romance so I think that would have to go in the Single Title category.
The mystery series I'm working on is what I planned on entering. I just have to start it...
If there's a particular publisher you're dying to write for then read what they're publishing and know what they're interested in. Otherwise, write what works for you and let an agent find you a home.
Of course, that's ST. Not category. That's a whole 'nother blog post.
Good luck with the mystery series (or your Desire rewrite or whatever it is that you're dying to write).
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