A good start would be to follow them, their projects, and use the forum to learn from the masters! You can bring anyone into a conversation by using their name in a comment (for example, @Thaddeus Woodman ).

Best of luck!

Matt

I’m Joseph Terzieva one of the survivors of the first Inkshares contest along with @G. Derek Adams @JF Dubeau @Jim McDoniel @Nick Scott and Noa Gavin @Paul Inman 

You can ask me questions by slapping and "at" symbol in here and typing my name. You don’t even need to be in a dark room, facing a mirror.

The secret to winning is just to be aggressive as hell. Sure, you’ll annoy everyone around you for a month or so, but listen. You’ve been a good friend to them, and they owe you. Plus, it’s your dream, and if the only thing standing between you and your dream is aggressive queries, you’re in good shape.

Also, don’t put in your description that we should read your book because you’ve wanted this since you were a kid. Sound advice from someone who’s been there. I did that. So did everyone else. Give us a reason to care about the story. Pull us in. Let us sup upon your delicious words.