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- Short form contests do have their share of scammers, like the venerable poetry anthology scam, but a good percentage of short form contests are likely to be legit. On the other hand, the contests for book length fiction or memoir—especially self-published books that are already in print—present juicy opportunities for scams.
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May 5, 2019 · Contests are especially good for short form writing: short stories, creative essays, and poems. Short form contests do have their share of scammers, like the venerable poetry anthology scam, but a good percentage of short form contests are likely to be legit.
Most are real; some are prestigious. But some are fake. While fake contests don’t make up a huge proportion of the total, there are enough of them to warrant caution. And even if a contest is legitimate, winning may not do anything to build your writing resume.
Contests and Services to Avoid. More Scam-Fighting Resources. Warning signs of a bad literary contest. Sites that warn against scams. We suggest you avoid the following contests and organizations. Many appear to be disguised vanity publishers, whose goal is to sell you expensive personalized products and attract you to conferences.
- Are the sponsors on the up-and-up? Look for contests sponsored by nonprofit literary groups, established publications, reputable publishing houses, colleges, and universities.
- Have you read the rules carefully? Make sure the contest rules state the following: deadlines, eligibility, format, fees, prizes, circumstances in which prizes will or won't be awarded, judging, and what rights, if any, you're granting.
- Is the entry fee reasonable? Most contests charge fees, usually ranging from $5 to $25. For one thing, it's time-consuming to administer a contest, but sponsors may also want to make a profit.
- Who's doing the judging? Judges should be published writers, past contest winners, editors at publishing houses, or representatives from known literary organizations.
What you've just described is a scam. Even if the winner is guaranteed to get a lot of exposure, the losing entrants, of which you're very likely to be in, were all scammed out of their money. Short stories are submitted to sci-fi/fantasy/spec-fiction magazines. It costs nothing to submit.
Warning Signs of a Bad Literary Contest. Web resources that flag and fight scams against poets and writers, plus hilarious parodies sent to expose the scamsters. The typical goal of a bad literary contest is to extract money from authors rather than honor excellence.
Feb 16, 2017 · There’s some excellent info on Winning Writers about scam writing competitions. That said, most comps are legitimate, and most have genuine prizes. I know—I’ve won them!
