Someone recently emailed me, upset that a book contest charged a $70 entry fee. The first prize was a strong four figures, and I knew the credibility of the sponsor. Therefore, I had no problem posting the contest. The complainer called the contest predatory and told me not to respond to their complaint. Apparently they just wanted to vent to me, but I could not let this generalization go. Of course, I replied.

Generalizations like this hurt the industry, I said, and went on to state the following.

As I teach at conferences and to anyone who will listen, contests that do not charge entry fees are more likely to: not pay out, pay less, attract less quality writing, and be less reliable. Unless there is a deep-pocket sponsor, someone has to come up with the prize money, cost of advertising, and payment to the finalist judges.

Having judged many contests, sometimes being paid and sometimes not, I know what it takes to judge a contest that allows book-length submissions. A judge can receive 100+ books in the mail/email to judge in six weeks, and there are often multiple judges. If anyone says there is one judge, that judge is only reviewing the finalists deemed by, goodness knows, however many others on the side charged with culling the number down. The simple handling of entries is mind-boggling.

But to have an $8,000 prize on top of handling the logistics of this size contest? That’s a lot of money for someone to just be gracious enough to donate. And frankly, a contest fee is often a good tool to cull those who do not take contests seriously.

For nine years, I ran an essay contest with two categories. One required an entry fee and paid out $500. The other had no entry fee and paid out $50. Overwhelmingly, year after year, the best material was submitted under the entry fee category. People do not edit as well when it costs nothing to enter.

Therefore, I am pretty adamant about this logic, having proven the point and watched it proven elsewhere over and over. While you have the occasional scam, an entry fee is not the measure.