Congratulations to Author Accelerator certified book coach Leanne Phillips! Her short story Trees was the grand prize winner of ScreenCraft’s 2023 Cinematic Short Story Competition!

Leanne shares more about her success in the interview below.

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"Trees" is a chapter from my unpublished novel, which recently won Launch Pad's 6th Annual Prose Writing Competition. This is the third contest I’ve entered.

What did you do to celebrate this achievement?

I took my family out to brunch at a favorite local restaurant, and I’m using the prize money to buy the camera I’ve been wanting for a long time.

What’s next for the book?

As a result of the contest wins, 7 agents requested my full manuscript, which was a great win for me, so hopefully what's next for the book is that I find an agent. 2 agents have passed, and 3 of the others reached out to me directly and seem particularly interested, so fingers crossed!

How does this writing award change your mindset in terms of your career, or the particular project you are working on?

My entering my book and some chapters as short stories in these cinematic contests was an outside-the-box attempt to establish my novel's commercial potential, to give me a boost when eventually querying agents. What I didn't expect was that it would also help me with my imposter syndrome as a writer.

What advice do you have for writers when it comes to entering writing contests?

Being a finalist or better in a contest is a form of vetting that you can include in your query letter alongside any publications. My advice is to enter contests that will help you achieve your writing and career goals and to always read the fine print to make sure you aren't giving away any rights to your work by entering the contest.

What are the next steps in your career?

I'm working with a book coach to develop a pitch plan for my first book, and I'm working with another book coach on my second novel.

Why would you recommend book coaching to get to this point in the writing journey?

I was coached all along the way in writing my debut novel. I struggled with it alone for 6 years, but once I started working with professional writers and mentors, things started to click. My writing grew by leaps and bounds, and my book became something that is now attracting the attention of some great agents. I'm a book coach myself, but I don't have the objectivity with respect to my own work to see the things that a book coach will see. And the accountability and encouragement are really helpful to me.

Congratulations, Leanne!

Connect with Leanne by following her on Instagram, Goodreads, and Twitter! You can also learn more about her book coaching services by visiting her website.