Much like a new mother, I have sufficiently forgotten the pain of birthing the past few blog contests and am ready for another. So….. contest next week! Who can stop me? No one! (Remind me of my bravado next week when I’m nursing a drink and a shot of good old-fashioned remorse).
But since this is your blog and you have been kind enough to let me write here for a while, I’m wondering: what kind of a contest should it be? A hook contest? Another title contest? A worst contest? Book covers? Short fiction? Random lottery?
And, for that matter, short of an outright offer of representation (which I can’t do) or money (which I don’t have), what should the winner receive?
It’s going to be fun! I think!
Adaora A. says
We should have a ‘worst agent pick up line contest.’ That is, worst line you’ve ever heard at a conference when an author had to pitch you on the fly.
You could do a worst novel title contest? One winner for every category.
Cam says
How about these ideas?
– a “short short” fiction contest (1,000 words or less) with a prompt provided by you, much in the way that Writer’s Digest runs the 24-hr. fiction contest
– a worst query letter contest; writers come up with horrid queries; you choose the winner based on who was most off the mark.
The prize? Winner gets to be a guest blogger on this space for one day and winning entry to be posted on the blog. Recommend providing a disclaimer that you can edit the winner’s guest-blog as deemed necessary/appropriate!
I’m sure someone out there can come up with something even more clever than these. Ideas anyone?
Cameron Sullivan
Sophie W. says
I think a title contest sounds ridiculously awesome. Titles are hard to think up, and when someone comes up with the perfect title, they should be rewarded! 😀
Maybe each title should come with an explanation as to why it’s appropriate for the book?
And as to prizes, free books are always exciting for us bibliophiles…
Adaora A. says
Cam I like the worst query letter idea, it sounds awesome.
Time for spicy food and gin and tonic. Who is buying?
Hélène Boudreau says
I think a ‘Design your own book cover’contest would be cool, but I’m not sure how those could be submitted. PDF to e-mail maybe?
I’m thinking it would include cover design, title and back cover copy.
Prize as guest blogger sounds great!
sylvia says
Short fiction would be fun. 🙂
I like the idea of a title contest but it might be nice to have everyone trying to title the same story/synopsis to have something to really compare.
Steve Axelrod says
gHow about a dialogue contest? No context — just a fly-on-the wall eavesdropping glimpse at a page of talk … part of a scene or a whole scene, whatever. You can tell a lot about a writer by their dialogue. In MFA programs you constantly read student writing starving from ‘scene deprivation’ — confrontations alluded to, remembered, summarized … but never shown. The reader is left to fill in the gaps and do the primary work himself: a game of narrative karaoke that gets old fast. So let’s see some of that dreaded dialogue! For a prize … fittingly: a ten minute phone call with you!
Heidi says
Are you insane???? I had three kids and at the beginning of the third pregnancy I said, “This has got to stop! Let the insanity end now!”
Take my advice: words to live by!
But as you are offering, bring it on! I’ll tune in for the fun!
I’ve been browsing the website A Book A Minute, which condenses real books to a few sentences. This might be fun to do as a contest – the best (and funniest) concise summary of a well-known book… or not. You be the judge. The website is here:
http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml
Anne-Marie says
I like the idea of a title contest.
Scott says
I like the worst query idea. I’ve been thinking of writing one anyway.
Ozal says
I like the worst query idea, or suggesting a title for a book, blurb supplied so we are all naming the same book.
I have no desire to be a guest blogger, though.
I’m pretty sure most people would kill for feedback from you – how about on their query letter?
Jess says
title contest or pitch contest, what you know best 🙂
I don’t suppose a first-page critique or anything like that could be the prize?
calendula says
Worst query-opening rhetorical question! 🙂
Will says
I’d like a fix this line contest. Give us a really, really terrible line or paragraph describing a scene and see who can rewrite it well.
Other than that title contest.
Steph Leite says
Dude, I love the horrid query idea! And also the guest blog thing sounds cool, though to be honest, I think writers would benefit a lot more if they could get some sort of critique from you, Nathan. Unless the winner gets to put ‘guest blogger on Nathan Bransford’s blog’ as a writing credential in their queries 😛
Contest: Worst Query
Prize: Real query letter critique + some few chapters, like three or so. And if you’re feeling really, über generous, a guest blogger spot 😛
– Steph
David says
Worst Last Sentence contest.
Why is it always the best first something? Worst last would be an interesting change. Maybe.
Anonymous says
Forget? I’m with Heidi, Nathan. Oh dear God, I’ll never forget the torture of giving birth to a 10.6 pound baby.
AM
Nathan Bransford says
Heidi and Anon-
As a man, let me tell you how it looks from my perspective — complete and utter amnesia seems to be the only rational explanation. I mean, I cringe just pulling off a band-aid because I REMEMBER how that stings. I don’t know how you women do it.
Emily says
I have to vote for the hook contest. Let us send in our ideas and you can judge them!
As for a prize… um… you tell everyone what’s good about the hook and what’s bad? And then the winner gets a guest blog.
John says
I already wrote a mock-query with as many cliches as I could muster.
My votes: title contest (“Changes in the Lithuanian Tax Code”)
In the discussion boards on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (amazon.com/abna … I’m in the semis–such agony and ecstasy!), someone proposed the most self-deprecating review. There were some really funny ones.
Josephine Damian says
Well, how about a back cover synopsis contest? 🙂 We could post our back cover copy to our blogs so as to not bog down your blog with lengthy posts, and our entry could be a link back to our blog.
That way we’d all be stopping by each other’s blogs (and making friends) plus stopping by your blog to click on the links posted here.
Karen Duvall says
I absolutely LOVE the dialog idea. How original! And how fun! Maybe Nathan can set the scene and we provide the characters and dialog. That would be awesome. I even like the prize. A ten minute phone call with Nathan.
Dare to be different! 8^)
Adaora A. says
Agreed Nathan. I’ve reasoned with myself that the only way I will be able to give birth is with an epidural. Did you use one ladies? Pain is not my friend
My mom wants 10 grand children from my twin sister and I. Is she nutters? Come again mom.
Heidi you did it naturally? WOW.
Anonymous says
I like Josephine’s idea about the back cover, afterall, books are often bought by what is written there.
Tom
Val L says
Contest: Query letter as Will Shakespeare would have written it in an attempt to coax Nathan to represent one of his plays (Nathan chooses which one).
Prize: Nathan critiques query or 1st page or (my preference) 1st chapter. (Well, yes, my 1st chapters are often 3 to 4 hundred pages long. Aren’t yours?;)
Val L
Heather Wardell says
I vote for a title contest. Either our own titles, or creating titles for a given pitch.
As for a prize, if you’re willing, a critique is always useful. First five pages, perhaps? More useful to agented writers than a query letter critique but still useful to the unagented.
The ‘guest blogger’ prize doesn’t really interest me. I prefer to read your brilliant insights as opposed to someone else’s ramblings. 🙂
Heather
CarBeyond says
I love the idea of a writing contest, like a short story.
One of the funnest exercises is to have a starter line or paragraph
(“It was a dark and stormy night..” I know, ugh, but fun too.)
and then maybe, if not a whole short story, the first 2-4 paragraphs and see which ones you wish you could read more of. We could even vote?
The prize? Well, I think it would be great if you could critique someone’s short work (privately) or say what you thought it needed.
Josephine Damian says
Nathan, while you’re mulling this over, I’m attending a day-long workshop with Donald Maass on Saturday…
Do you have any pointers on how I can stand out in the crowd and get his attention (besides wearing my new red suit and push up bra)?
A group of us are taking him out for dinner afterwards. Would it be appropriate for me to slip a copy of my synopsis in his brief case when he goes to the men’s room? Or should I just try to get him good and liquored up so he’ll love my pitch?
Signed,
Anxious and Eager in Florida
Nathan Bransford says
josephine-
The best way to stand out is by not trying to stand out.
Polenth says
I like the short fiction idea, but you could go shorter than the ‘short short’ limits. 100 word stories, one paragraph stories, that sort of thing.
Whatever happens, I’d put a vote in for a basic theme for whatever it is. It’s always fun to see how people interpret the theme.
Josephine Damian says
Bummer. I’ve already cut the tags off my red suit……
Seriously, Nathan – it’s his “writing the breakout novel” interactive workshop, and my goal (along with the 75 other people attending) is to dazzle him with my story idea, since we’ll be brainstorming our WIP’s with him all day – kinda like a writer’s boot camp. If I don’t participate, then it’s nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Nathan Bransford says
josephine-
By all means participate, but my advice stands — don’t try too hard. Agents can smell desperation across seven states.
Josephine Damian says
Ok, but I’m bringing a print out of my synopsis just is case there’s a snowball’s chance in hell he’s interested. I’d kick myself if I had nothing tangible to give him to take home and read on the plane should he express interest.
“Come prepared, or not at all,” that’s my motto (I’ll give a prize to the first person who stops by my blog and guesses what novel that phrase/motto comes from).
Tammie says
I like the title and pitch idea. And I like the winner gets to guest blog here on how they came up with their idea.
Josephine – Good luck with Donald Maass and have fun with or without the push up bra :o)
Adaora A. says
He josie good luck. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
midnight oil says
I would love to see a best pitch contest or something to that effect. I already know I can write a bad query. As for the prize? A Mulligan for those of us who have tried and failed but remain faithful. Or, for those of us who haven’t tried yet, a free shot at a query, possibly allowing a Mulligan in the future.
And yes you are insane. But we like it!
Anonymous says
Y’all are wimps!
I was laughing when both of my kids were born… no, not drug related
at home no drugs!!!
And I think Nathan reads enough bad queries per day
Let’s not slam him with a zillion bad query letters!
We need strength
How about: The best line you’ve ever written
Strongest line contest
?????
I’ll admit to being a major weanie because I’m posting anonymous after calling you wimps!!!
In case you want to guess my initials are . . .
-not!
John Arkwright says
The prize should be something that money can’t buy.
A full critique of the query letter and the first 10 pages of the manuscript.
Dave Wood says
Josephine,
I met Donald Maass at a conference in th Fall and I think Nathan is spot on.
Donald is a really nice guy and very easy to talk to — and he’ll be listening to you, your ideas, and your writing throughout the workshop. So you’ll have lots of opportunity to stand out just by contributing. He also does many public appearances, so you can bet he’s already been “dazzled” in every way anyone could think of. Just relax, enjoy the workshop, and he’ll remember when you reference it in your query letter (not that I’ve queried him yet). Oh, and do have something ready to give him if he says he’s interested, but I don’t recall him encouraging people to slip him their work at the conference.
Good luck!
Sam Hranac says
I’ll stand in the dialogue contest line. But I suggest it be from something the writer is working on. Other stipulations could be 2 speakers only, and 250 words or less.
Prizes? I’ll add one more to the free book line.
Aimless Writer says
First paragraph? (Opening) If we win you give us a read? Request a full?
🙂
Other Lisa says
I don’t know about the contest, but I don’t think you can beat a partial read as a prize.
Aimless Writer says
Josephine: I hear it works best if you just crawl under the bathroom stall. That way you give him something to read while he’s in there. It’s more intimate that way.
😉
Seriously, I don’t think an agent would want to carry it home but he might request you send it to his office. Good luck!
Anonymous says
nbnkgubn- BEST OF:
– Talking names in your book
– The funniest sentence
– A hook with brutal word count restrictions
– A hook without using the following words: parents, intergalactic, alcohol, midlife, murder, supermarket, decision, war, housewife, money, weight loss, snow tires and Katie Couric.
– Rhyming hook
I must remind you, be careful of many contests. Miss Snark kicked the bucket right after one of hers.
Lovingly, Larisa
Hope Clark says
I adore a great hook. Can’t get enough of them.
Prize? Amazon gift card – in any amount. I can always find an excuse to read a good mystery.
pjd says
I would argue against any contest involving “the best line” kind of thing. Usually what makes a single line spectacular is the buildup or context in which it lives. I mean, what contest would “You had me at hello” win? Or “Do you feel lucky, punk?” Or “It was a half-shaved weasel, lady”?
I think the best contest would be one where everyone reads my WIP, and the best critique wins. The winner would be allowed to type up the revision.
Otherwise, I’d probably vote for a best hook or opening, or best 500 word short story (fiction or nonfiction, doesn’t matter, but a complete story).
Allen B. Ogey says
I like the Shakespeare idea.
One or two paragraph pitch of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the play of Nathan’s choosing.
Best pitch (why try to write a bad one?) wins a query letter/first 50 pages review.
Elyssa Papa says
I really like the dialogue idea because I do agree that you can tell a lot about a writer, especially if they’re “good” or “bad.”
We can kind of also do a parody contest… where you give us a bunch of genres or even little paragraphs and then we snark on them.
Ummm… prizes? Well, whatever you want to do is fine with me or the winner. I mean, if it included a ten-day all expense trip to Bora Bora, I don’t think any of us would complain.
But… books would always be good (maybe even an ARC) or even… a critique, although that’s probably not fun for you.
And Nathan… I know this is a totally stupid question and not even related to your blog, but question: if an agent doesn’t represent romances, but you think that you and the agent would “click” because his blogs are funny and informative, should you take a chance and query? Or is that a rhetorical question that deserves to be shot down?
Ernest says
I like David’s idea for a “last-line” contest, though last paragraph might work better. Give us the title and one-sentence hook, we’ll imagine the first 85,000 words and then provide the last 25 or so.
Best prize would be a short read — first chapters, query letter, synopsis, whatever, up to a dozen pages. But don’t make it a stunt, make it a real read — if Nathan likes it and wants to request whatever’s next, that’s what happens.
cc says
Title contest with a one sentence tag line so it’s clear that the book matches the title.
** Free books are good prizes.
(I’d vote for dialogue, but dang, that’s a lotta dialogue from books we don’t know anything about pitch-wise…
— CC