What’s your take on contests?

I entered a few contests lately. The Maggies, sponsored by Georgia Romance Writers and another contest sponsored by Romance Junkies. I think they can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you can see how perfect strangers view your work. Sometimes they can catch problems you missed, or pinpoint what’s wrong with a manuscript. On the other hand, you sometimes get Nazi contest judges who take off points if your margins are wrong by 0.15 inches. You never know who you’re going to get. I always pray for those judges who love your work no matter what. The ones who award 9’s at the drop of a hat for the Golden Heart. I love those people. :headspin:

In some ways, I think contests are good preparation for the day when we have readers. You never know who will love your book and who will hate it. Everyone gets a bad review at some point, and they’re painful no matter what. Your book is your baby, and who wants their baby being called ugly? And yet, sometimes we look back at those old manuscripts and we think–My God? Why did I ever send that in? The phone book is more interesting to read! :blahblah:

I’ve found that six weeks is a good length of time for me to be more objective about my work. I can’t wait until one day, I’ll have an editor to point these things out to me. I get so immersed in my work, so close to it, that I really can’t see the flaws. If I could, I’d probably quit on page three.

What’s your take? Are contests valuable or are you better off submitting your book to an editor?