Why enter our contest when there are so many to choose from?

Because we:

Welcome electronic entries and PayPal payments for those who like to be green and/or save postage;
Don’t require a synopsis for the initial round (yay!);
Give finalists a chance to incorporate judge comments (including optional comments from our resident Grammar Wench) before mailing the manuscripts to the editors and agents;
Accept a limited number of entries so judges can focus on each manuscript;
Allow contestants to specify alternate subcategories such as erotic, inspirational, or romantic elements for precise judge assignment;
Constantly improve our score sheet and rules from year to year based on judge and entrant feedback;
Have a high ratio of published to unpublished authors who help with the contest;
Use almost all in-chapter judges who are personally known to the contest coordinator;
Employ experienced discrepancy judges when needed;
Have a lot of experience handling contests — this is the Melody of Love’s 13th year; and…
Get our entrants noticed! Many finalists’ manuscripts have been requested by editors or published since they entered our contest.
- Laura Navarre, the 2008 winner in the Historical Catagory with THE DEVIL’S VIRTUE, sold the manuscript to Dorchester as THE DEVIL’S TEMPTRESS. This title was released in August 2011.
- Lisa Cooke, author of TEXAS HOLD HIM, a 2006 finalist, was purchased by Dorchester publishing and released in 2008. Lisa said, “Thank you for the great feedback from your judges and the exposure your contest provided!”
- Catherine Kean, author of DANCE OF DESIRE, from Medallion Press had what she called a “great experience with the Melody of Love Contest. Winning second place was a tremendous thrill. Not only did I receive solid feedback from the contest judges and the opportunity to have an editor read [DANCE OF DESIRE], but the much-needed encouragement to keep writing. Thirty contest finals and nine first-place wins later, I clinched my first sale!”
- Said Robin T. Popp, author of TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN and MCRW’s 3rd place Paranormal category winner in 2000: “I’m a big proponent of contests because I think they’re a great source of feedback while you’re learning your craft and a terrific opportunity to get noticed. I sold my first book, TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN, as the result of finaling in a contest. The Melody of Love will always be one of my favorite contests because it is the first one I ever finaled in.”Robin also finaled in the 2003 Golden Hearts and her novel won the the RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee for Best Futuristic.
- From that same year, another of the paranormal finalists, Patti O’Shea, published her winning manuscript RAVYN’S FLIGHT. That was a good year for paranormals!

More About Our Contest