The Contest Conundrum
During the years that I’ve been writing ~ well before I forged and donned the crown as Queen Mother to AlienSkin Magazine, I’ve often wondered if it was really worth my time as a writer to enter writing contests. Prize money a side, does the acclaim of being a contest winner, runner up, or one worthy enough for an honorable mention truly make a difference to editors ~ primarily editors of fiction magazines? Would such a notation, included among my other publication credits, really impress anyone in the writing world beyond the contest coordinators themselves?
As a writer who has only entered 3 contests in 20 years of writing short fiction, and having only been a 3rd place winner in one of them, I can only honestly tell you I don’t know.
But was an editor of two online magazines AlienSkin and Nocturnal Ooze ~ I tell you no.
Having a writer list such among their publication credits might cause me to raise an eyebrow now and then, depending on how prestigious the contest is ~ especially it the contest you’ve won or received an honorable mention in was the L Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. Most editors, including me, let the stories sell themselves. If the tale entertains me, follows standard writing formats and story structure, and it contains the basic components of storytelling, we’ll generally publish it.
However, the downside to listing such award credits in your cover letter, is that I am now expecting to be wowed by your story, more than I would any other story that flows into my virtual in-bin. It would also make me wonder why you were slumming it with only the pocket change we can offer you when you’re obviously marketable to the pro magazine.
Most of us editors only look to see if you’ve made a sale or two before. Many of us tend to be a little more sympathetic to fledgling writers, offering a word or two of writing advice on a rejection letter in the event we have to write one. We also have to keep tallies of how many ‘new writers’ we publish in a year for the questionnaire Writer’s Digest sends to all markets listed in their Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market book.
Do I poo-poo contests? Heck no. They can nab you some prestige among fellow writers and snag you some cash or an nifty award too. So enter away. Me, I have hard time waiting 3 months for a reply to a submission let alone 6-8 months.
Just don’t get sucked into entering contest after contest, spending more of your money on entry fees than you are bringing in with fiction sales!
By the way, AlienSkin is featuring a Horror in Science Fiction Contest this month!
No Entry Fee. Prize is a Pro-Rate of $50.00 and an AlienSkin T-shirt to a single winner. Stories are to be 500-1,000 words in length and they must blend horror with science fiction. See our Contest Page for details.
