Placing Short Fiction, Part Two: Contests and Red Flags

By José Pablo Iriarte, @LabyrinthRat

Part of the Focus on Short Fiction Series

JH: Contests can be a great way to get your writing out there, but be wary of those who take advantage of writers. José Pablo Iriarte shares some red flags that a publisher doesn't have your best interests in mind.

In my last guest post, I talked in general terms about selling short fiction, focusing on considerations such as how to find a market, how much pay rate might matter to you, how to format manuscripts, print versus online markets, and magazines versus anthologies. In my mind, the theme was You've finished you story . . . now what? As I said in July, though, there was really too much I wanted to say to be able to fit in one post, so now I'm back with more thoughts on what to do—or what not to do—with your short work. Today the focus is less on selling and more on adjacent questions, such as . . .

How to Win Short Story Contests: Insights from A Writing Competition Judge

By Rayne Hall, @RayneHall

Part of the Focus on Short Fiction Series

JH: Thinking about entering a short story contest? Rayne Hall shares tips on how to improve your chances at winning.

Contests are great for short story writers, because they motivate you to create more stories and to revise them until they sparkle like diamonds. If your story wins, you'll gain recognition, validation that your writing is good, a boost for your credentials. You may also reap a cash prize, and perhaps a certificate, trophy or plaque to display.

So how do you make your story stand out in the eyes of the contest judges?

Of course, you need to write a really good story. All the usual guidelines for story writing apply: character, goal, motivation, conflict, structure, dialogue, hook, satisfying ending and more. Unless you've mastered the craft of short story writing, your chances of success are small, and no insider tricks will help.

But here are several steps you can take to draw the judges' attention to your good story and win their favor.

The 5 Most Common Misconceptions About Writing Contests — Debunked

By Savannah Cordova

Part of The Writer’s Life Series

JH: Writing contests can be a great way to get your writing out into the world, rack up some credentials, or just get some good feedback on your work. Savannah Cordova visits the lecture hall today to share some insights from a regular contest participant and judge.

Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories.

Take it away Savannah...

The Value of Critiques and Writing Contests

By George A Bernstein, @GeorgeBernstein

Part of The Writer's Life Series

I saw a recent blog post by a writer unhappy about the critique she received from someone she was using, who “didn’t get” what she was trying to do.

One of the problems we writers can have IS getting our readers to “get it.” And if they don’t, whose fault is that? Yours, clearly.

It seems pretty obvious it’s the author’s responsibility to see that readers understand what he or she is trying to do or say. If your critic doesn’t get it, surely your audience won’t either. Many authors have a problem with criticism. “How dare you challenge my work, that I slaved over and love.” That’s a prescription to failure.

Writing Contests: How to Write to Win

By Nancy Sakaduski, @localbeachreads

Part of the Indie Authors Column

JH: Please help me welcome Nancy Sakaduski to the lecture hall today, to share some tips, tricks, and insights on how indie authors (and anyone else for that matter), can use short story contests to gain credit, get visibility, and promote their work.

Nancy Sakaduski is the award-winning writer and editor who owns Cat & Mouse Press and runs the Rehoboth Beach Short Story Contest. She helps writers perfect their short stories and prepare them for publication, and offers writing tips and advice through her blog and online newspaper Writing is a Shore Thing.

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Take it away Nancy...

Revision First Page Final Round: Vote for Your Favorite!

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

There were so many good entries to the "revise this opening page" contest, but three tied for the most votes. It's only fair to toss it back for a final round of voting! Voting is open until 6am EST on Friday morning. I'll post the final winner shortly thereafter. If there's still no clear winner, I'll break the tie.

To vote for your favorite, just leave a comment with entry name or number. If the comments are being finicky (which they have been lately, apologies for that) you can either email me directly at janice (at) janicehardy (dot) com, or tweet me @Janice_Hardy.

And the finalists are...

Self-Published Book Awards: Are They Right for You?

By Marcy Kennedy, @MarcyKennedy

Part of the Indie Author Series

Even though the stigma of self-publishing has decreased over the last few years, it can still be difficult for indie authors to find ways to gain recognition and respect for their books.

Book awards are one way to help overcome that hurdle. Some of the best awards give the winners media exposure (leading to more book sales), cash prizes, and opportunities to speak with agents/editors from traditional publishing (if that’s a path the winner wants to consider). Beyond that, having an award win, or even an honorable mention, adds credibility to you and your book.

Are Writing Contests and Book Reviews Worth It?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Today's question covers more than just writing contests, but the industry professionals I contacted had very similar thoughts on the book review aspect. Reviews are pretty much an after-the-sale issue, not something that would help you land an agent:

Q: Talking to established writers, or those within a specific genre, the common wisdom seems to be: enter lots of contests hosted by your genre association, plunking down bucks; cross your fingers that you'll win something to at least catch an agent's attention; use that win to promote yourself to established review channels; catch a wave of sales through an established channel, either through a book distributor or web site that uses this filter to sort through all the new books; use that bona fide to leverage your next book, ad infinitum.

Are these really all they're cracked up to me, especially now that self-publishing and eBooks have unleashed a torrent of new books and writers? Is the Amazon model of peer reviews the only way to go? Does that work for new, lesser known authors? Are contests really worth the bucks? I'd be interested in hearing from an agent, a book reviewer, a book buyer, and/or a new author who used this technique. Also, hearing from your readers how many this DIDN'T work for.

A: Let's tackle the book contests first. I've never entered a contest, and never felt the need to do so. I don't think any writer needs to in order to get an agent or get published. Unless the prize is a publishing contract, a contest win does not equal a book contract. I always felt it was smarter to submit to agents and editors, who can help achieve the goal of selling a book.