Hard Truths: Book Writing Competitions
Writing contests provide an opportunity for writers to get recognition for their work, win monetary prizes, and even have their work pitched to literary agents.
Understanding how contests actually work and what types of projects typically resonate is essential to any writer looking to compete—the story idea, the quality of the writing sample, the voice of the author, etc.
Our Book Pipeline execs, Matthew J. Misetich, Ciara Duggan and Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, join contest-winning writer Laura Picklesimer to offer insider tips on writing competitions.
[Recorded August 20, 2024]
Kill for Love by Laura Picklesimer
Laura Picklesimer on IG: @lauragreenpickle
Matthew J. Misetich on X: @SPMJM
Ciara Duggan on X: @CDuganBooks
Jeanne Veillette Bowerman on X: @jeannevb
Laura Picklesimer’s debut novel KILL FOR LOVE (Unnamed Press, 2023) won the Book Pipeline Grand Prize for Best Thriller/Mystery. CrimeReads called the novel a "feminist American Psycho thriller," and Kirkus Reviews declared the book "neatly flips the formula of the male serial killer on its bashed-in head." Laura’s writing has appeared in the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Writer's Digest, and the Santa Ana River Review, among other publications. Laura earned a B.A. in Creative Writing from UCLA and an MFA in Fiction from Cal State Long Beach. She teaches English and creative writing at Chaffey College.
Currently a Senior Executive and Partner at Pipeline Media Group, Matthew J. Misetich oversees all divisions, including Script, Book, and Film, as well as the management of Pipeline Artists and the implementation of future Pipeline entities. He began his tenure with Pipeline in 2006, working as a reader until early 2008 when he took over as manager. In that time, he’s helped launch the careers of several Pipeline writers, including Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman), Tripper Clancy (Stuber), Crosby Selander (Bring Me Back), and others who have turned to Pipeline for guidance in their creative aspirations. It’s estimated he’s reviewed over 30,000 pitches, screenplays, pilots, books, and short films over the last two decades. Which he believes has to be a meaningless record of some sort.
He’s based in Los Angeles, writes fiction sometimes, and is a partner at independent publisher Fringe Press.
Ciara Duggan is an author and screenwriter, born and raised in a small town in Northwestern Connecticut. She received her MFA from Boston University where she later taught undergraduate writing courses. Her debut YA Fantasy novel, Awakened, was published in Fall 2021, and her debut poem, Of the Night, was included in Phantom House Press’s Exquisite Poison Anthology. Also being published by Phantom House Press is Ciara’s debut adult novel, a romantic thriller entitled A Fragile Woman, in April 2023. After placing as a finalist in Book Pipeline’s 2020 Unpublished Contest in the young adult category, Ciara joined the team as an editor for Book Pipeline’s Workshop services. She now acts as Creative Executive for Book Pipeline, is a contributor to Pipeline Artists, and is thrilled to be co-host for the Pipeline Artists Original Podcast, "The Story Will Save You." Ciara currently resides in Middletown, CT with her husband, brand new baby boy, and their pup, Briar. When she's not writing, reading, or watching movies, she loves to travel, indulge her sweet tooth, go hiking, and daydream.
Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, co-host of the Pipeline Artists original podcasts, "Reckless Creatives" and "The Story Will Save You," former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest. Her Script column "Balls of Steel" was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program. A compilation of her articles is now available—Balls of Steel: The Screenwriter's Mindset. She is also a partner at Fringe Press and Co-Founder and moderator of the weekly Twitter screenwriters’ chat, #Scriptchat. She wrote the narrative adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, with its author, Douglas A. Blackmon, former senior national correspondent of The Wall Street Journal and has now ventured into writing historical fiction.
If you want a free Pipeline mug, you have to ask Matt. She doesn't have that much power.