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Writing Contests as a Path to Publication

neodoering

Minstrel
Every year I read 4 or 5 "Best of" anthologies of speculative fiction short stories, and last year I noticed that several writers had won regional writing contests and used that credential as a means to breaking into the pros. In particular I saw a woman had won the New Mexico Book Awards with a work of speculative fiction, and another writer won the San Diego Book Awards. These are both regional contests, with limited numbers of writers entering the contests and reasonable entry fees. A win sends the message that you are a pro-quality writer who should be taken seriously by the publishing professionals.

Anyone else noticed this?
 

Russ

Istar
It is kind of a chicken and the egg argument. You could say that the win sends a message that someone might recognize that you are a pro-quality writer, or you could say that the writer is simply produces work of such quality that he has the ability to both win contests and write work an anthology will buy.

Some contests have some value. If people are interested in them I encourage people to enter them for many developmental reasons.

Agents and Editors have certain contests they think have value, and they are not a large group. My wife won a boatload of contests all over the freaking place before she sold her first book, but when putting her package together her agent trimmed that list and I think only listed the one contest she had one (multiple times) in her bio. So if you view contests as a path to publication you need to target your submissions to the two types that are useful. The first are contests open to non-pros that have a lot of credibility. The second are contests with either prizes or judges who are editors or agents that you want to review your work.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
I would agree with Russ, and I'm sure he knows more than I do.

Publishing might be a little different than the screenwriting world... but in screenwriting, contests (at least when I was in that world) were always promoted as useful, but reality is much more brutal. Of course, screenwriting is even more of a crapshoot than selling a novel. Entering can't hurt, it might help... so hey! Why not.

Oddly enough, in screenwriting, contests were even more of an oddity because while "artsy" deep meaning screenplays tend to do well in contests, they of course don't sell as well in the real world as a rousing high concept horror flick, LOL. It's possible you'd see some of that on the novel writer side too, but I've never paid enough attention to contests to know that.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
>used that credential as a means to breaking into the pros.

I'm wondering how this works and how we would even know. I can see it as Russ describes it--that agents and editors use the awards as a kind of filter. Anything to focus their reading time. But I cannot quite see how the author could use a credential to "break in" to anything.
 

oenanthe

Minstrel
I suppose you could enter contests, but why not submit short stories to SFF magazines? they don't charge fees...
 
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