https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/marketing/contests-and-endorsements/w/contests/2904/writing-competitions-choosing-a-good-one---articleen-USTelligent Community 10https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/marketing/contests-and-endorsements/w/contests/2904/writing-competitions-choosing-a-good-one---articleSat, 04 Mar 2017 09:22:27 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:08343524-1e3e-4841-8764-afc8feacdefeMichael Esserhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/marketing/contests-and-endorsements/w/contests/2904/writing-competitions-choosing-a-good-one---article#commentsCurrent Revision posted to Contests by Michael Esser on 3/4/2017 9:22:27 AM<br /> <p>Writing competitions are not only a great way to earn money from your writing but also an excellent way of building credibility as a professional writer. Not all writing competitions are created equally so it&rsquo;s important to investigate a contest thoroughly before you submit. This article covers some of the things you can do to prevent making common mistakes.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">First things first: &ldquo;What&#39;s the prize?&rdquo;</p> <p>There is no point in continuing if the reward isn&#39;t sufficient. If the prize is being published on some obscure site or as part of a book for which you are offered royalties, watch out. These writing competitions may be more money-making schemes and less legitimate platforms to help launch your career.</p> <p><strong>How much, if anything, does it cost to enter the contest? </strong></p> <p>Free is still a no-brainer as long as you retain your rights. There is no cost to you and, if nothing else, the competition will give a writing deadline. If the entry fee is under $20 for works up to 10,000 words, it&#39;s probably reasonable. The only instances where it&#39;s advisable to pay more to enter the competition is if there is a large cash prize or if the contest is being judged by someone of notoriety. For example if you&rsquo;re entering a fantasy writing contest that&#39;s being judged by George R.R. Martin, it&#39;s probably a safe bet that the contest is legitimate. This brings us to the next major question:</p> <p><strong>Who is doing the judging? </strong></p> <p>A judge should be an established writer or publisher, someone you can Google easily for more information. This element is important because you don&#39;t want to enter a contest that&#39;s set up just to make a quick buck. A reputable judge usually means a reputable contest.</p> <p><strong>Are you giving up any of your rights? </strong></p> <p>This question is very important. You never want to lose your right to the material just because you submit it to a contest. Even if you win the competition, you should still retain your rights. It is possible to allow the organization to license it for publication on their website or in a published collection as part of the conditions for entering a work.</p> <p>If you&#39;re asked to forfeit your rights for any reason, this is a red flag.</p> <p><strong>How long has this contest been running and who won it in the past? </strong></p> <p>Unless this is the first year of the contest, you should have access to information about the competition and its past winners. This will give you a good idea of the competitions reputation and potential. Just like checking up on the judges, check on the winning authors. Ideally, you will be joining them.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> <div style="font-size: 90%;">Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction</div> https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/marketing/contests-and-endorsements/w/contests/2904/writing-competitions-choosing-a-good-one---article/revision/1Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:08343524-1e3e-4841-8764-afc8feacdefeMichael Esserhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/marketing/contests-and-endorsements/w/contests/2904/writing-competitions-choosing-a-good-one---article#commentsRevision 1 posted to Contests by Michael Esser on 12/14/2016 12:00:00 AM<br /> <p>Writing competitions are not only a great way to earn money from your writing but also an excellent way of building credibility as a professional writer. Not all writing competitions are created equally so it’s important to investigate a contest thoroughly before you submit. This article covers some of the things you can do to prevent making common mistakes.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">First things first: “What's the prize?”</p> <p>There is no point in continuing if the reward isn't sufficient. If the prize is being published on some obscure site or as part of a book for which you are offered royalties, watch out. These writing competitions may be more money-making schemes and less legitimate platforms to help launch your career. </p> <p><strong>How much, if anything, does it cost to enter the contest? </strong> </p><p>Free is still a no-brainer as long as you retain your rights. There is no cost to you and, if nothing else, the competition will give a writing deadline. If the entry fee is under $20 for works up to 10,000 words, it's probably reasonable. The only instances where it's advisable to pay more to enter the competition is if there is a large cash prize or if the contest is being judged by someone of notoriety. For example if you’re entering a fantasy writing contest that's being judged by George R.R. Martin, it's probably a safe bet that the contest is legitimate. This brings us to the next major question: </p> <p><strong>Who is doing the judging? </strong> </p><p>A judge should be an established writer or publisher, someone you can Google easily for more information. This element is important because you don't want to enter a contest that's set up just to make a quick buck. A reputable judge usually means a reputable contest. </p> <p><strong>Are you giving up any of your rights? </strong> </p><p>This question is very important. You never want to lose your right to the material just because you submit it to a contest. Even if you win the competition, you should still retain your rights. It is possible to allow the organization to license it for publication on their website or in a published collection as part of the conditions for entering a work. </p> <p>If you're asked to forfeit your rights for any reason, this is a red flag. </p> <p><strong>How long has this contest been running and who won it in the past? </strong> </p><p>Unless this is the first year of the contest, you should have access to information about the competition and its past winners. This will give you a good idea of the competitions reputation and potential. Just like checking up on the judges, check on the winning authors. Ideally, you will be joining them.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> <div style="font-size: 90%;">Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction</div>