tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8305840768563223437.post7351546866206527770..comments2023-10-20T02:24:18.793-07:00Comments on Gristle and Smoke: Jeremy D Brooks: Miss AlainiJeremy D Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16014827537536982326noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8305840768563223437.post-25704674555386553172009-02-05T14:06:00.000-08:002009-02-05T14:06:00.000-08:00I have the same problem with wandering off to othe...I have the same problem with wandering off to other stories when I'm trying to concentrate on my novel.Danielle Birchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11796467053451208102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8305840768563223437.post-62410655624449980032009-02-05T07:27:00.000-08:002009-02-05T07:27:00.000-08:00Robert: that was my first thought, too. Anyone who...Robert: that was my first thought, too. Anyone who cares enough about the outcome of a contest to bash it probably had his little feelings hurt at some point.<BR/><BR/>K.C.: about this time last year was when I really started digging in to figure out how to get published, and I read a couple of the finalist stories too. One wasn't bad, one I didn't like. I figured just being a finalist would probably help with publicity. And I'd take a public pummeling and $25k over a private pummeling and $0 any day of the week. I think someone said on Nathan's blog that 4 of the top 10 ended up getting deals anyway. So...that rocks.<BR/><BR/>Aaron: I thumbed through his blog...does come off as slightly bitter. It almost reads like shtick.Jeremy D Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16014827537536982326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8305840768563223437.post-36500969048010950932009-02-05T07:05:00.000-08:002009-02-05T07:05:00.000-08:00Um, the comment was from Cliff Burns. He's full o...Um, the comment was from Cliff Burns. He's full of piss and vinegar, so to speak. Read his blog for a hoot. http://cliffjburns.wordpress.com/ <BR/><BR/>I'd take $25K for a book. More than most first novelists receive for an advance.Aaron Polsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15173267932358617304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8305840768563223437.post-28525332560264911012009-02-05T05:21:00.000-08:002009-02-05T05:21:00.000-08:00Apparently last year's contest winner didn't do to...Apparently last year's contest winner didn't do too badly, sold about 5k copies in hardback. That's what I read somewhere yesterday, anyway.<BR/><BR/>I entered last year and made the semi-finals, which sounds a lot cooler than it was. I very not impressed with the way the contest was run, although I'm sure they're doing better this year. I hope they redo their "Publishers Weekly" "reviews," which were so very badly written (some of them were barely literate) that PW should have been embarrassed to have their name attached.<BR/><BR/>One thing I noticed, the manuscripts that made the semi-finals were not necessarily any good. Very few would ever be publishable even after major revisions. But I know one very good writer whose book didn't even make the semi-finals cut. I don't know what criteria they looked at to narrow the field, but it wasn't writing quality.<BR/><BR/>Hmm, I hope I don't come across as bitter that I didn't win. I'm really not, I swear. (I'm bitter about lots of stuff, but not winning contests does not rank up there as important.)K.C. Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12467201304235217944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8305840768563223437.post-29655413652930222992009-02-04T22:55:00.000-08:002009-02-04T22:55:00.000-08:00That commenters sounds like a sore loser (i.e., hi...That commenters sounds like a sore loser (i.e., his phrase "this stupid contest"). Besides, what happens to many first novelists? Everyone expects novels to be instant bestsellers, which is sad because that is just too unrealistic. I mean, look at the writers that dominate today's bestseller lists -- it took them years to rise to the top. As for the contest itself, I don't see any harm -- the winner gets published by Penguin with an advance of twenty-five grand, which is more than many writers can ask for. In other words, it's a start.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com