Ever wanted a tested way to win short story contests - with less effort? Simply regard about these three simple - to - forward ideas to win short story contests. Appraisal them in your own ingenious way and adjust them to your own needs. All will do their undertaking very efficiently to win story contests - and more profitably than anyone might ever dream.
Disposed the capacious digit of story writing contests in the world - at least 2200 are listed annually on the web alone - what ' s the best tramp to contests that will produce you the most profit? A great tip is to inspect the account of entry fees to prize value.
Just analyze a lot of short story competitions and you ' ll devise there ' s typically a ratio of about 61: 1. That ' s the difference between the total value of the prizes being awarded and the entry cost. Unquestionably, the bill gets skewed by contests that offer big prizes and minimal entry fees, but they ' re a rarity.
So if a competition promises a prize total of $600 you ' ll find the entry fee to be around $10. Often you can submit two stories for that fee.
It ' s a fair offer. You don ' t run much risk and your reward is worth having. Moreover, it ' s your expertise not luck that brings you a reward. So when you win, you get a big ego - glow!
Yet you ' ll often find contests with very different ratios. Here are some typical cases:
1. You ' re not offered any cash prizes - or the prizes are of negligible value.
That may be okay, even though there ' s an entry fee, if the other rewards are still worth having.
For instance, some universities offer a major prize of a course or a study bursary. A conference promoter once promised a free place for the top ten winners at a week - long symposium, all expenses paid. Plus the stars got their prizes awarded at the platform.
Frequently, a contest offers no cash prizes at all. Maybe the winners will get their stories published on the web or in some arcane little magazine. Those contests can still be rewarding to enter if they cost zilch to enter. For a new writer, it ' s a great ego boost to realize that thousands of people may be reading their tale.
Problem is, these contests earn you no cash.
Moreover, most of these publishers are just trying to attract free content for their publications. No harm in that, but it doesn ' t pay the writer ' s bills.
2. The contest offers big prizes - but you have to pay a big fee to enter.
If the organizer is bona fide, these events can still be worth the trouble of firing up your writing contest engine. They ' ll attract few entries with a big entry fee so your chances of winning should be high - if your story ' s good.
However, if they pull few entries, the organizers will lose their shirts.
If they ' re a legitimate promoter like a college or big publisher, they may be content to make a loss. They ' re running the contest as a public relations event. But beware of other organizers. Will they even give out the prizes, if the event doesn ' t attract enough entries?
Be sure to check the contest regulations. These may state that prizes will be given only if the contest pulls enough entries. Or they ' ll say that the prize totals are a theoretical value. In reality, the prizes will be taken out of the total monies received in entry fees - and the organizer will subtract a hefty charge first for admin costs.
That way, the organizers will certainly profit - but the entrants will not.
3. The prizes are tiny but entry is free.
Local radio stations sometimes run contests like that. They seem like a no - risk bet. But what do you earn? Just a trivial bit of local coverage. Fame is nice, and a great encouragement to a start - up writer. But it doesn ' t buy you food.
Have you ever considered why bona fide organizers often ask a small entry fee, even though they ' re presumably not seeking to make a profit? They want to be kind to their judges. If the event is entirely free, the judges will be overwhelmed with dross. A tiny entry fee acts as a quality filter.
Don ' t trouble to enter the free - entry contest, if the prizes are trivial. Why? You could use the same effort and postage money in entering a well established writing contest, and be in line for a really major prize!
