Book Contest?

One way for a writer to gain recognition is to enter writer contests. My view is that the more notable contests charge a fee which is how they fund the prizes.  In my experience fees range from $25-$200.  There are free contests and you can get guidebooks on the variety of free contests.  I question whether the time needed to enter a slew of free contests is worth it.

I decided that 2019 would be my year to enter writing contests.  To date, I have entered six and will add one more.  I submitted my third novel – Dead Reckoning  to:  Eric Hoffer Award, American Book Fest, Wisco Council, National Book Award, Chicago Writers Association, Reader‘s Favorite and my publisher will submit to the Midwest Independent Publishers Award when it opens.

I have never won an award.  It may be a numbers game, maybe I need to submit to 50 contests.  So far I’ve spent $XX for zero return.  I feel like my money is sucked into a literary blackhole never to be seen again.
The Readers Favorite did send me comments from three judges and a graphic artist who reviewed the book cover.  All three judges gave me 8 or 9 out of ten for the writing.  However, each judge had some other problem.  I submitted the book in the historical fiction category and one judge would not accept that.  The judge thought political fiction would be a better genre.  A second judge thought the book cover lead to expect a nautical theme.  The judge did not understand how I used “dead reckon- ing” as a theme.  The judge didn’t know the definition of dead reckoning.  I guess that judge doesn’t have Google.  On page 256 I write:

1. “Yes, dead reckoning, was an old nautical term that navigators used to describe how to calculate their correct position by knowing where they had been.  But for me, it was much more.  This evening I watched my past unfold in front of me, and I understood how I came to this point in my life and where I needed to go.  The stage play was my dead reckoning and my compass home.”

Could I have been more clear?  I’m convinced the judge making such a comment did not read until “The End”.  The comment is simply ignorant.
The third judge noticed a misspelling in the back of the book blurb.  An unfortunate error but it happens. 
​
Of course, had I achieved some success in one of these contests my view would be radically different – I’m only human after all.