A whopping 72 percent of people prefer video over text when learning about a product or service. Video captures a higher degree of attention and more engagement than other forms of content, so it’s no surprise that book trailers are the hot new marketing tool for authors. Here are the top reasons publishers are investing […]
Insights from Judging a Short Story Contest
/ 2021-07-16I just wrapped up serving as one of the judges in the Hemingway Shorts contest sponsored by the Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, and I thought I’d share some of the insights I came away with: Don’t start your story with a weather report unless the weather is the main topic. This is my number […]
And the Winner Is…
/ 2021-05-15Entering contests is a no-brainer for me. I can directly attribute my entry into the realm of traditional publishing (albeit a small press) to winning a contest. Many authors could say the same. In 2012, I entered my unpublished manuscript, working title Probable Cause, in the Public Safety Writers Contest (PSWA). I won third place in […]
How to Run a Short Story Competition
/ 2020-08-21Writers love competitions. There’s the creative stimulus of an interesting prompt, the promise of kudos, validation if you do well, and, of course, publication and prizes. Running your own competition is fun, too. It can develop your network and author brand, and may lead to other offers of work such as reviewing or webinars. Best […]
Ten Lessons from Entering Hundreds of Short Story Competitions
/ 2020-03-28Do the Obvious Stuff Follow the submission guidelines. Get the formatting right. Make sure the story is anonymised if it has to be. Check you haven’t left any details in the doc from a previous contest requirement. Don’t send a 500-word bio when they want 75 words max. Look for Author-Competition Fit Contests typically change […]
Why They Extend Contest Deadlines
/ 2017-07-01I have a writing friend who gets downright angry when a contest extends the deadline. He considers it an insult, or that the editors are looking for specific people who didn’t make the deadline. In reality, contests are run by people and they make mistakes or misjudge or simply didn’t plan well enough ahead. Here’s […]
Why Pay Contest Entry Fees?
/ 2017-05-12I received this email from a reader this week: “I see an entry that might work for me, but then the publication requests $10, $20, and sometimes more to enter the contest. Many times I just pass. Why should we pay to present our work? To date, I have paid a few, but generally I […]