 Admittedly, I’ve grappled with this one. The value of a book should never be determined by a single judge or a small panel of judges. Authors have no idea what life experiences have influenced the opinions of the judge(s), or how many manuscripts the judge(s) had to read in a pressured timeframe.
Did they read your submission on a day that everything else was going wrong in their life, so nothing they read that day landed quite right in their psyche? Did your protagonist have the same name as their awful ex? Do YOU have the same name as their ex—or the kid who bullied them in grade school? There are just too many subtleties influencing the spectrum of emotions in the human mind to define one’s worth as an author by a single contest.
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Microsoft Word - Free Online version Poets & Writers - Arguably the most comprehensive resource on the web for writers to find publishers, agents, etc., including opportunities and advice on craft. Query Tracker - Literary agent database that helps authors manage their submissions and offers insight into agent acceptance rates, response times, and preferences. Scribophile - A great place to swap work with fellow writers for feedback (i.e., excellent way to find beta-readers). The Authors Guild - Professional writing career resources, including comprehensive guides on legal topics and contract negotiation. The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) - A popular resource for insights and inspiration on writing and creativity. The Rumpus - A literary website featuring essays, interviews, and book reviews. 
 
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