After over a month of the First Chapters Romance contest, a lot of people are probably sick of hearing about it. A lot of people are sick of getting e-mails about it. Hey, I'm getting sick of the e-mails and my novel <i>Bear Country</i> is in the semi-finals. Before you write off the contest though, here are some things you might consider:
1) Many (though not all) of the contestants are going out and reading and commenting on your stuff as well as asking you to read theirs. For example, the current top vote getter Judi Fennell, has 89 pages of comments. When she asks you to read In Over Her Head she isn't just sitting back and spamming. She's also out there reading and commenting a lot. She isn't alone, and doesn't even hold the record for the most pages of comments among the contestants. The current number five in terms of comments received is Jamie Chapman with her Wolf Huntress. She has 174 pages of comments. There are at least a couple of others with over a hundred pages worth of comments. My Bear Country is currently in 9th or 10th place in the contest. I have a comparatively anemic 51 pages of comments. We're asking you to read our stuff, but we are also giving back. A lot.
2) If the Romance contest succeeds there will be other contests in other genres. If most Gatherites sit on their hands this time there is probably no guarantee that there will be a next time. Got a mystery or science fiction or mainstream novel you would like to see published? This is an avenue that will stay open only as long as the publisher is happy with the five finalists. If the popular vote process chooses people based on how many friends they can bring in, then the First Chapters process may not get to your genre.
The First Chapters contests may be a cattle show, but they are a major step up compared to the traditional process. Traditonally you spend thousands of hours of your life writing a novel. You send it in to a publisher or agent. It sits there for months until some intern opens the envelope, pulls the manuscript out enough to read the first paragraph, and then usually drops it back in with a rejection slip because he or she has hundred of manuscripts to go through. This is an opportunity for one or two hard-working people to by-pass that process. If you are a writer now or think you may be, you want to keep that channel open.
3) Romance has changed a lot in recent years, and a lot of the semi-finalists push the envelope. There are historical romances, fantasy romances, suspense/adventure romances, just to name a few. My entry, Bear Country, is a science fiction romance, where the fictional town of Rockport Illinois goes into an alternate dimension which one character describes as "Ice Age North America on steroids." You may not like all of the semi-finalists, but I'm pretty sure you'll find at least a couple you like.
In any case, the popular vote part of the contest will be over in about a week and a half. I hope you stop by and look at a chapter or two. If someone sends you a polite, personal e-mail asking you to look at a chapter, do understand that the person involved has worked hard for months or years to write the novel they are asking you to take a look at. In many cases, authors are giving back to the Gather community. That doesn't give us the right to spam you again and again with mass e-mails, but I hope you'll bear with us if we send you one or two personalized request to read
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Comments: 26
Yours is one of the stories that is bookmarked for me to look at this weekend (once I get my own work done) ....already was before I saw this, though - but if it hadn't been, I would have added it :)
Would really appreciate it if you would stop by and vote for French Fries if you haven't yet..... voting ends on Monday and only the top ten continue to the judging round.
You failed to address one concern that I have (as I am not affiliated with the First Chapters competitions, NOR the Romance Chapters): Why must we, non-affiliated members who really don't care, be subjected to the endless email requests to read these first chapters - not only from connections but people we've never seen before?!?!?!
I believe everyone can live harmoniously on Gather - but the emails begging for votes from people you don't even know is not fair in the competition and not fair to those of us who do not care!
I must say, I only read some of the Romance First Chapters because people I was connected with had entries. I was more than pleasantly surprised; Bear Country being one of those.
Of the forty or fifty I read in the first round, only two fit my prior image of what a romance novel was. This genre's come a long way.
Good luck to everyone.
Usually I reply with links to my online stores before blocking the sender. A spam for a spam...
Too late now - I blocked them all
Just a note on the spam - I don't mind getting personalized requests for me to read chapter entries, but I don't much care for the notes that have so many addressees in the 'To' box that I have to scroll down for five minutes to read a message that says, "Please vote 10 on my chapter!"
(And this is coming from a former FCR contestant that knows just how much time it takes to address personalized messages...)
I haven't found the level of email on this contest bad at all. Almost all of the requests I've received have been personal, either from contacts or from people who've read things that I've written.
Far cry from FC1, where I really did get spammed.
The other thing Dale doesn't mention here is just how stressful these contests are. Having done the first one, I'd be hard-pressed to do it again. I think all things considering that the vast majority of Romance contestants have behaved really well, and I give them kudos for their hard work, both in the writing and in the necessary promotion.
Fate and Destiny - Chapter 2
Jeez, I had no idea I talked so much! Do I really have 173 pages of comments? Holy cow. I wonder how long some of those comments are. I know I tend to ramble. I'll add to that in saying I don't play games on gather. So all that jabbering is hopefully contributing something more than points to people on gather. I have supported a lot of neophyte writers on this site. I'm one myself. I've made some great supportive people on this site who have helped me improve my writing. I've had my day brightened by fantastic photos. I'm not much into the video yet - not my thing.
That said, if someone asked me to read something that might change their life for the better, sign me up. I'm there. It's hard for me in the contest. I so want to offer helpful advice to the authors, but I'm afraid they'll take my words the wrong way, so I'm kind of hedging a bit. And sorry if I've bugged anyone with an email who was not receptive. Just pop me an email back and say "I refuse to contribute to your success. Quit pestering me." Will do! Or change your screen name to "Don't send me emails, you freaking cow!" I can handle that. But how are we supposed to know you don't like to help dreams come true? You all SEEM like nice, approachable people.
So what's this contest you are in, Flit? I'll go check it out. I've been sort of preoccupied for the past couple of weeks. Anyone who's had a dream for decades, has workd their ass off to get where they are and see the opportunity to make that dream finally come true, would feel the same way. And they might ask a perfect stranger for a simple ten stars in the process.
Marketing is part of the publishing industry. It's part of any industry. Do I roll my eyes when I get those phone calls at dinner? You bet. I used to be really nice, let people finish their pitch then tell them, "No thank you," because it's got to be a really tough job. My husband, who is in sales, gave me a different perspective. His take was, these folks have to make quota and by you giving them the time to make the pitch, you're taking the time from their chance to find someone who will be receptive to the pitch. Instead of letting them talk, just say "No thanks" and hang up. It seemed brutal, but is, in the end, the kindest way.
Now I'm in the marketing of my "product." Becoming a published author has been my goal for, well, ever. I'm not in sales, not in my "real life." But for this contest, my career, you better believe I am. Heck, if I sell my story the "traditional" route through NY, I'm still going to have to sell my book. There are only so many promotional dollars and PR folks around and ultimately the onus will fall on me if the sales don't meet projections. I consider this training ground.
Gather members have the right NOT to open their mail. They have the right to block senders and to delete their mail. I urge those who don't want to participate to do so. But Dale makes many great points. Isn't Gather a forum for aspiring to publication authors as well as those already published or those who just want to dabble? Isn't it a forum for people to put their work, games, photos, ideas, etc. out there for feedback?
The First Chapters contest has already produced two debut authors. Two people, who six months ago, were in the same boat as the rest of us, now have published novels. They're doing book tours and signings. Interviews. They've stepped into that career path they've strived for. By the end of October someone else will as well, and you, the Gather community, has the opportunity to help select that person. That's a lot of power. And by contributing to the success of this contest, you can ensure that it will continue. At the back of Terry and Jeff's books they mention mystery as the next category. I can hear the mystery writers booting up their laptops as I type. Yes, I am sure I will be besieged with requests to read chapters - and you better believe I will do my best to comply. Because Gather isn't all about what I can *get* from it - it's about what I can contribute. I've made friends here with people I wouldn't necessarily interact with in real life, for the simple fact of location. Or time constraints. But I'm better for knowing these people. My writing has been affected by what I've learned from others on this site. It's a great forum and by NOT participating, NOT contributing to such an amazing opportunity, you're short-changing not only yourself, but also every writer who had the fortitude to put their "baby" out there in hopes of fulfilling their dream.
I read 110 of the first chapters in Round 1 as well as garnering votes on my entry. I am almost finished reading the 25 finalists - including the first chapters of those I didn't get to in Round 1. My eyes are tired and my house is a mess. My kids have forgotten what I look like. That's the nature of the contest. It's almost over. October 8 is not that far off. Yes, I will continue to send out emails. I'm keeping a list of everyone I send them to so I don't duplicate. I probably will duplicate, however. I'm not perfect. I'm human. With a dream.
All 25 of us would appreciate your support with our dreams. What if it were yours? If we keep these Gather contests going, it might one day be yours.
-Judi In Over Her Head
I just wanted to commend you for writing such a well-thought-out and thought-provoking article. The Romance genre in itself has been trashed by other genres for a good many years and hasn't really gotten its due yet. It is not the bodice-ripper of your mother's time; there are some really great books out there - and potential books here on Gather - that might be overlooked just because they happen to fall under the romance category. This is a shame, not just for the authors who pour their life's blood into their work and onto the page, but also for the potential reader who will be missing a great read just because it falls into a category they don't generally read. Personally, if I had shied away from fantasy just because it's not a genre I usually read in, I would have missed two wonderful stories, both of which are mentioned in your article, and that would have been a shame for me because I really got hooked into these stories of mer people and wolf hunters and cannot wait to find out what happens to them. Not only that, I have discovered a new genre that I will be more open to reading the next time I go to the bookstore for reading material. That is the magic of writing and the women who accomplished it aren't even published yet! What I find sad is, just because some people are mass-emailing, others aren't getting read because their authors are not as aggressive at seeking attention, namely Trust Me, Kick Start and Fate and Destiny. I have read all three - I even competed against them in the first round - and it is a shame that they're not getting the attention they deserve. I'm sure there are others just like them that are suffering the same fate for the same reasons. I, for one, am going to try to read as many of the entries as I can, to give these authors their due.
One last note: For all of you who complained about the mass emaiks, here is some questions for you. If you don't like getting requests from people you don't know asking you to read something of theirs, then how do you feel about the movie studios that clutter up the tv screen with mass advertisements of their movies, asking you to go see something that you have no interest in? Is that spam? Would you write to those studios complaining about the mass "mailings" and tell them not to bother you with it? Or the tv station that allowed them to air it? How else would you find out about movies that you thought you might not want to see, but then decided to because the promo was so intriguing? How different is that from this? How different is it from you taking the time to complain about it on this thread, to someone who is trying to defend the genre? I have received a few articles from people I don't know complaining about something I cared about (the contest), and although it was irritating at the time, I did something we can all exercise in this instance: I deleted it without making a comment. I only comment now because I understand how difficult it is to try to promote yourself - something no writer is confortable doing - and how disheartening it can be when people come down harshly on them for doing it. I understand how you feel about mass emails, I really do, but I also understand how the authors feel about their work. And to be fair, I have received far more emails from unknown people just looking for points here that are not in the contest than I have from people who are in the contest. Again, I just hit delete because who am I to stomp on their ambitions by denegrating them publicly for doing it? I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers but it I did, I apoligize up front for it. It's not my intention; my intention is only to present both sides of the situation so perhaps we can look at it in a different light. We will never know what we are missing if we only stick to one side - our own - of the story.
Again, Dale, this was a wonderful article. And as someone who's right there in the trenches with you, trying to carve out my own niche in the market, I thank you. Well done.
Great article.
Please read and rate my entry:
A Scandalous Overture
First, Gather has already announced the next First Chapter contest, so get ready for yet another influx of new would be authors, and yes, probably a bunch more e-mail requests to read. Fresh blood, and potential new friends and people to read our stuff on the one hand. More spam in our mailboxes on the other.
I think there is a very different attitude toward asking people to read your stuff between members who have been here since the early days and the big influx of people who joined as a result of the original first chapters competition. A lot of the early adopters like "Frightening" don't feel it's justified under any circumstances. I'm part of the group that came in as a result of original First Chapters and like a lot of people in that group, I'm a little more ambiguous about it. I do send out requests to read, but only if there is a very good chance that the person will really be interested in what I have to say, and only during the First Chapters contests. I try very hard to avoid asking the same person to read one of my contest entries more than once, though I've screwed up on that several times this contest.
In terms of getting e-mail requests, I'll usually look at one article or picture from a person as a result of a request, if the request has my name in the body of the message, and the request is well-written. If I like what I see I may respond to more such requests as long as there are only one or two a month. I don't respond to mass e-mails as a matter of principle, unless they are from a group where people have agreed that mass e-mails to members are ok. If I get repeat mass e-mails I send a polite message asking the person to stop sending. If they don't, I block them.
That seems like a reasonable compromise to me. I see no point to 'counter-spamming' someone or blocking them without explanation. It just cuts you off from a potential friend without explaining to them why they should change their behavior.
As to the contest itself: this has been a much more pleasant experience than the original First Chapters competition. It seems to be well-run, well organized, and there are several good entries in the top 25. There were, unfortunately, several good ones that didn't make the top 25, and I hope those people stick around. I would like to read more of their stuff.
De M: Ah, the romance contest: it's everywhere you want to be. You'll be revealing your age if that makes sense to you. Actually, I included several of the science fiction groups in this posting because all three of the First Chapters I mention specifically in the article have strong science fiction or fantasy elements.
I have 93 pages of comments for a month and a half of work. Nice thing...I just might get that cruise yet.
Why should non-contestants care. I believe the community started to give writers and artists a place to show off their work. So if you don't show your support for sponser related contests then why should they pay to keep the site going.
My sisters Romance Entry. Come Meet Shadow.
Great article! I found it to be very thoughtful and well-written.
Oh, and good luck. Maybe they'll pick more than one again.