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Contests: Beware of Scams

© Regina Avalos

Just like with anything in the world these days, there are people out there that like to prey on beginning writers and in fact all writers with scams. Whether it be an agent that wants up front fees, a book doctor, or a contest that charges unusual fees to contest entrants. In this week's article, I will focus on the latter.

Contests are great for the beginning writer. Getting your work out there is your goal as a writer and entering contests can help you obtain that goal. There are several types of contests available for all types of writing from nonfiction to poetry and fiction. There are both no fee contests and fee contests. When evaluating a contest to enter, look at the guidelines, the prize, and the fee. Always be leary if the prize is low compared to amount of the enty fee. Also look at who is holding the contest. If it is a well-respected publication, the fee will be small and the prize will be bigger. If it is not and you see a $10 entry fee for only a $100 prize then something is up. All the contest needs to do is have ten entries and they will have their prize. Of course more than ten people will enter, so they gain to profit of the writer.

Another thing to be aware of is contests that say you won then expect you to buy the book your award winning entry will be published in. Sometimes these anthologies will cost the writer up to $50, so a no fee contest suddenly turns into one that cost the writer $50. A writer should be given at least one contributor copy of this book or at least be able to purchase the book at a much lower price.

As with anything else you do in life, beware. Look at all the available information, then make an informed decision. As a beginning writer, you might want to start with one of the many no fee contests available. You can find them online at the sites listed on this site.

This week's market and contest of the week are:
Market of the Week
Editor:Bill Glose
Website: http://members.nbci.com/hroads/adversari...
Email: empirepub@hotmail.com
Address: Virginia Adversaria PO Box 2349 Poquoson, VA 23662
What do they publish: accepts submissions of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Fiction and poetry are open to any genre, as long as the piece is tasteful (ie. not sexually graphic or extremely profane). Non-fiction themes vary from anecdotes and true stories related to life in Virginia to any subject of interest to Virginian residents.