Writing Competition Scams

We would all love to enter a writing competition and win, especially if there is a great cash prize at the end or even better...a contract with a literary agent!


However, with so many wannabe writers out there, it was only a matter of time for people to start cashing in on other's desperation and exploit this.

There are ten rules I live by before I think about entering any writing contests and these rules have been devised by past experiences with these competitions and researching other writers experiences.

My top ten rules before entering a writing competition are:

1. Who is hosting the competition?
2. Do they charge a fee?
3. Does this fee include a subscription?
4. What is the prize? (is there more than one?)
5. Have you heard any complaints about the judging process?
6. What about residencies, Grants and Fellowships?
7. Does everyone get published?
8. Is the contest a ploy to get writers to use a service?
9. Are there any typos in their promotional material?
10. Final Thoughts?

Who is Hosting the Competition?
Many of these competitions charge a fee, however they are usually quite evasive about where the money is going?

Do they charge a fee?

We all love free contests, however there are not many of them around! Usually, all free contests gets a thumbs up for myself, unless something about the competition or the competition website is unsuitable for younger readers.

Does this fee include a subscription?

If I was entering a free contest I wouldn't expect a huge prize at the end as for a free competition, you should be using it for a little publicity as this will be ample award. But if you are paying to enter, some of that money should go to the winner in the form of an advance or monetary prize. 

With regard to book contests especially, authors will have spent years of their lives on their manuscripts: they deserve some monetary compensation.

What is the prize? (is there more than one?)

If I was entering a free contest I wouldn’t expect a huge prize at the end as for a free competition, you should be using it for a little publicity as this will be ample award. But if you are paying to enter, some of that money should go to the winner in the form of an advance or monetary prize. 

With regard to book contests especially, authors will have spent years of their lives on their manuscripts: they deserve some monetary compensation.

Have you heard any complaints about the judging process?

Do your own research of the contest providers to see if they have done any contests in the past and what the feedback is from those who have entered. Do not look at reviews on their website as they will obviously favour the provider. Look on independent websites to see the truth.

What about residencies, Grants and Fellowships?

It's easy to check to see whether or not the contest is affiliated with a non-profit organization. Again, check on there websites to see if they mention or have other organisations logo’s on their pages and if they do, take note and look into this association.

Does everyone get published?

This is a funny one as some people think if they read that, ‘everyone gets published’ they should enter as it’s a win – win situation, however this is just a marketing strategy to get you interested and to pay the fee. 

Also, if that was the case, what would be the point of entering a contest as you would not be published based on your talent as everyone would be getting published anyway. Also, what would the quality of contract be like? What would the quality of your books be like when there published?

Is the contest a ploy to get writers to use a service?

Some contests offer writers criticism and then when they have completely ripped your work apart they work on these negative points to pitch opportunities to receive more for a price. Also, never pay a literary agent to read your work, through a contest or otherwise.

Are there any typos in their promotional material?

When you are researching a good writing contest to enter, read all the materials, including the website, carefully. If they're in the business of publishing writers, they should have impeccable English. 

Misspelled words, grammatical mistakes, and sloppy design can signal scams, as it shows how quick they have set up the organisation for quick money. These sloppy mistakes are also a good indication of how your own work will be treated. Even if the organization is perfectly legitimate, you can still feel embarrassed, rather than proud, when you see your work in print. 

Do you trust this association to care for your work? Do you like how they've presented themselves? If not, then think twice about being represented by them!

Final Thoughts?

Remember it is not just your money you are parting with, but also your work so think carefully before parting with your money. Consider how the organization might be manipulating your desire to see your work recognized. 

Do some research and post queries in forums to see if others have experience with a contest. A little time spent with questions like these will save you disappointment later.

So you've published your first book...how do you get people to buy it?

In one of my Facebook groups, this question came up and although I answered it with a brief answer, I was a little shocked at her following comments.


She had spent all her time and effort into creating this fantastic novel, however, that's all she did!

If she was going to give the book away for free I could understand her relaxed approach to advertising the book but she actually expected to sell it without doing any marketing along the way.


I explained that before she even published the book, she needed to have people interested and eager for the release of the book by making sure she had done the following:

• created a great website which didn't overload the visitor but was eye catching, informative (without giving too much away) and the navigation would be easy to get round the website, even for the most novice computer user,

• take advantage of all the popular social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and make sure your profile picture advertises your book and directs people to your website,

• use different types of media to make people aware of your work (e.g. video's, audio of chapter one, give chapter one away as a 'freebie' on your website to entice readers to come back for the rest of the book),

• be known in a few writers forums not to spam users with your work but to get involved in discussions, and;

• have a blog which does not just advertise your work but to keep people updated with your highs and lows and link with other popular blogs to, again, make yourself known and to learn more about the self publishing world.

After she has published the book, all she needs to do is:

• inform her followers that the book is ready for purchase, 

• make sure your website is updated on where people can buy the book from,

• occasionally mention her new book in the forums if others ask to be recommended some books in that particular genre and; 

• continue to promote yourself in the social networking sites and on your blog to attract new customers.

Unfortunately, I think it was information overload and although she thanked everyone for there advice, I think she still expected people to find the book by chance and it would be an over night success, however, there is a great quote I love when thinking about self publishing, which is, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” Thomas Edison 

LinkedIn Continued...

Well, after being told numerous times to persist with this networking site, I agreed and realised my initial thoughts seemed to be wrong.


At first, I didn't really see the point of LinkedIn, mainly due to the user format not being to my liking but after I updated my profile, created a group for 'Authors of Women's Fiction' only and started to get connections, I could see it was the more professional version to 'Facebook's Branchout' app.

Like Twitter, it felt great to get my first view connections and after that it felt especially rewarding as they were all people with the same passion as myself and with their hints, tips and experiences, were able to help me with problems I didn't even think about occurring.


What I also like about this site is that it can link all messages with your Twitter account automatically and although other social networking sites do this, LinkedIn seems to do this easier because as soon as you put your Twitter username on your profile, it doesn't need to keep asking you for your details and at the moment it seems to link all your messages and not leave some out (like Facebook has been doing on my fan page which is very annoying!).


All - in -all, if you are on Branchout or want to connect to more influential people in the writing world, I would recommend this website as it is (now) easy to use, gives you many ways to promote yourself and your work and it's reputation proceeds the others at the moment.

How to find a good Proofreading Service?

As a self publisher, who wants to be taken seriously, I have realised that in order to get positive reviews, I need to not only have a good storyline and allow my readers to bond with the characters but I also need to make sure the spelling, grammar and layout is near enough perfect, otherwise these little things can build into major problems, which will irritate the reader and put them off from reading further.


After looking at a few self published authors's books and read the reviews, it was clear some didn't value this as high on their priority and many of the negative reviews came back to them needing a proofreader as it spoiled the readers experience when they kept being confronted with basic grammar mistakes.

In one of my previous posts, I talked about the range of prices a proofreader can charge, however, I didn't go into detail about choosing a service.


When I first completed my novel, I was put off from getting a proofreader, due to the prices, but when I thought about it, I realised, I invested all this time writing the book so to cut corners at the final stages on something so important would not be doing myself or the book any justice.


I don't want my books to seem like I am just churning them out like a robot just for a profit, I want the reader to come into the world of my characters so they will invest their time and money in the sequels.


Like a holiday, when I started to research proofreading services, I looked at the following:

• Where in the world these companies were based? (e.g. if I had a problem with the service, I wouldn't have a problem calling them as they would be a UK based company with a UK telephone number and address)

• How much they charged? (Everyone has a budget!)

• What type of experience the staff had? (If my book is being proofread by anyone who is not a native English speaker and does not have more than 3 years proofreading experience then I would be wasting my money. However, what they tell you and the actually truth you may never know!)

• How long would it take? (If it's more than a week for a novel less than 100k words then look somewhere else as it shows that they either don't have enough people for the amount of work they are getting in or the staff are inexperienced and need extra time)

• What the reviews were like from people who had used their services? (type in the name of the proofreading service into Google and look for reviews from independent websites to get a better idea of what you could expect)

Even with all these checks, I only managed to find three and after doing the final check (the independent reviews), it was very easy to short list the favour three to one company.

I have yet to send my work to them but when I do, I will be either recommending them on this blog to encourage more authors to use them or I will be telling you to steer clear!

Making the most of your Facebook Groups

Anything you do, which relates to your book should be done professionally, constantly updated and you should try to interact with those who have taken the time to look at your work or join your ventures as this will only enhance your followers and increase your networking chances.

As a self publisher, if you are like me, everyday you are constantly thinking about what you need to do for your book!


Whether it's finishing a chapter, trying to keep up with your Tweets, updating your Facebook account or thinking of new ways to improve your marketing chances, it can get overwhelming.


I always wondered how people, who made these Facebook groups, got so many members and unlike Twitter (where it has been known that some individuals will go to the extend of buying people to ensure the 'Trends' they have created succeed!) it's quite simple:

• You need to post messages everyday, 

• Be interested in your group members and there work, 

• Make it slightly more personal by posting pictures and telling them about your highs and lows about your writing experiences, 

• Post helpful hints and tips you have come across, 

• If a member is posting something which offends or is going against the tone of your group then removed them, then post a message to ensure your group members understand what will not be acceptable in your group and;

• Make your group look professional by taking a few minutes to create a 'Cover Picture'. This picture should be in tone with the theme of your group, be eye catching and attract potential new group members and make the name of the group clear.

I created some cover photo's for my Facebook groups and although I will probably update them every few months, it shows that you are taking the effort to make your group succeed.

In Macromedia Fireworks, I created my cover picture by getting a nice background image and using a good font generator to create the title and this is the finished product:

This is my first group I started on Facebook. It allows authors to discuss there experiences of self publishing and offers the members a place to offer advice and helpful hints and tips based on there own experiences.


The Self Publish or Wait in Hope Group - http://www.facebook.com/groups/219185778188759/

This is the second group I created on Facebook. This group allows authors to have their say on how they have found these groups and give hints and tips on how to successfully use these websites to enhance your chances of success with the work you are publishing.


The CreateSpace? Lulu? Kindle? Group - http://www.facebook.com/groups/333302013385928/

This is the last group I created on Facebook and is probably the most dearest to me as it allows the members to discuss all things 'Chick Lit' and all there women's fiction experiences. This group has recently been revamped as I found myself spending more time on the other two groups as more members began to join.


The Chick Lit Group - http://www.facebook.com/groups/156066371136923/


All groups also allow authors to promote their own work as well as speaking to other members who maybe in the same genre as themselves.

It does take time out of your day to compete with similar groups as you are constantly updating the groups, replying to messages and doing the general up keep but just like most self publishing tasks, you have to put in the work yourself at first as you don't have an agent to do it all for you just yet!

Good luck xoxo

Twitter Hashtags

As I am now an official Twitter addict, I have researched a few of the techniques that will help me not only have fun on the social networking site but also, how will it help me promote my books?


Along with my battle of getting followers (the right followers), I have also had a battle of what to write and where to write it?


Of course, I could just write messages and post them but then they would just be going to my current followers and I want more.

So, I recently learnt about 'hashtags' and I must admit, they have helped me steadily get more followers from similar literary backgrounds.


The whole point in using Twitter (along with the other social networking sites) is to promote my work.


Now that doesn't mean my every post is about a book I have just written (as I don't want to use my account to spam my followers) but my profile picture is promoting my work and the 'hashtags' I use, in my messages, make sure my posts are being seen in the right circles and by the people I need to see them.


Twitter 'hashtags' are symbols you put before a word to make sure your message is seen in a certain message group.


For example, if you are a budding artist and you are using Twitter to promote your work, you would look for people who are interest in the type of art you produce.


Once you have found these people, you would research where they post there messages and follow their lead, e.g. you may have a particular piece of art you would like people to few on your website so you may post the following message, '#artlovers I love Damien Hurst's recent piece of work and have taken inspiration from this for my own design'.


Now without spam or over publising your work, you have made yourself known in the right circle, you are discussing a topic they are already talking about and you have spoken about your work without shoving it down there throats.


For my fellow self publishers, I would urge you to research essential Twitter 'hashtags' for writers and start posting some messages, such as your progress with your current written piece, the highs, the lows, ask questions in these circles, discuss books you are reading at the moment and reply to other tweets in the circles, as this will surely get you noticed.


Here are a few 'hashtags' I am using at the moment, which have not only helped me gain new followers but answered some questions about self publishing which really baffled me:

• #selfpub
• #indiepub
• #authors
• #amwriting
• #editing

Hope this helps and keep checking this blog for more helpful information on all aspects of Twitter, other social networking sites and self publishing.

How important Twitter is to your book?

I was never a fan of Twitter (mainly because I didn't understand the point of it and...I didn't really understand how to use it effectively!), however, I am now addicted.


Any social networking medium is going to be beneficial to anyone wanting to market themselves but what I have found out is, the way you fail is not understanding how to use it to it's maximum potential.

I used to dabble with Twitter but never really knew what to write and always wonder why some people had over 5k followers and some only had 50?


Then I started to do my research.


I was happy and comfortable marketing my books through YouTube and Facebook but realised I needed to 'up my game' and get on board with Twitter so I started following fellow authors and looked at how they conducted there accounts.


Without overloading their followers with information about their work, instead, they posted quotes, got involved in trends and set up automated messages, which would allow new followers to feel special as it sent them a personal message thanking them for taking the time to follow the individual.


Feeling confident with my first stage of research, I amended my account, started following some fellow authors, published messages in the trends which were primarily about writing and authors and took full advantage of the trends in influential countries (e.g. UK, USA, India, etc).


Now my followers are rising steadily but I'm also (finally) having fun with my messages as I'm not bombarding anyone with my work or trying to sell myself constantly, I am building up a contact base to learn from my fellow authors and to get my name out there by taking an interest in my followers and what they have to say, instead of forcing my marketing down there throats!


More to come about my Twitter experiences!