5. Be aware of rightsSome fiction competitions want to grab all rights, includingcopyright. Check the terms and conditionscarefully before entering. There are ones that statethat they automatically hold all copyright to all entries.Simply put, the organisers can use or sell submittedstories any way they like without your permission, becauseby entering, you have effectively given yourwork to them.And if there is an entry fee, you've paid for the privilegetoo. That means that your story is not yours anymore,even if it's got your name on it. You'd be forcedto ask the organisers for permission (written probably)if you want to submit your story elsewhere.<strong>Writers</strong> often don't mind giving away just one story.Yet what if you're entering two, three or fourpieces of work?It's your call.6. AnthologiesThe prize for these fiction competitions is publicationin an anthology. Some of these printed books are soldto raise money for charity. Some, however, aren't. Theones I'm talking about are competitions run by privateself- publishing companies.If your story is picked for publication, the publishersmay expect you to buy a copy of the anthology thatcontains your story. The price of this can end upcosting you more than the entry fee!7. The cost of entry feesThe cost of entry fees can quickly mount up, so makesure you keep an eye on your spending. Set up aspreadsheet to track your outgoings.Comping can be very addictive, especially afterachieving short- list status, runner-up success or anactual win!Competition entry fees for novels and plays canexceed £10. The general rule is, the higher fee, thehigher the cash prize on offer.Bear in mind that the organisers need to cover thecost of advertising the competition, plus there's websitecosts, and often there is admin staff to pay as well.Usually, the entry fees cover the cash prize (or prizes).The organisers will often pay a high profile writerjudge (or a panel of judges) a fee too.However, there are several free to enter competitionsaround. The downside to free ones are that theyattract quite a lot of entries.8. E- magazines, small paper press competitions andonline fiction projectsThere are literally hundreds of e-zines, e-magazinesand small paper presses that offer ongoing, open genreshort story competitions. The prizes are small, yetthis is reflected in the entry fee, so it's worth giving it ago.They usually publish more than one issue per year,and late entries are automatically considered for thenext edition. This means that the closing date is notpreying on your mind, and with an open genre, youcan pick and choose your subject.Pro writers tend to not bother with these much, sofor amateur writers, it's more of a level playing field.The editors are often the judges.As for online fiction projects – sometimes the prizeis simply publication on their website.9. Where to find competitionsA Google search will bring up plenty of opportunities,plus links to hundreds of websites that list fiction competitions.I have a network of writer friends who tell meabout interesting competitions that are posted ontheir blogs or FB pages.Please return the favour – I also let them know if Istumble across anything that may interest them, too.The two UK writing magazines – <strong>Writers</strong>' Forum andWriting magazine – also contain plenty of comp detailsand there are some listed at the back of this magazine.10. Carry on comping!I love entering fiction competitions. My entries havebeen long-listed and short-listed, they've been runnerupstoo, and I've even won first place for a short storycompetition run by a UK national monthly women'smagazine.It's an incredible feeling of elation and achievementto see your name up there on a website with the results!The prizes I've received range from a plant (Yes,that's right – a plant) a book of short stories, a year'sfree magazine subscription to a kobo e-reader – pluscash and publication too, of course.I relish the challenge, and I try my best to make myentry entertaining, engaging, different and original.Another writer friend of mine was lucky enough tohit the jackpot. Within the space of a few months,she'd scooped an incredible £900 from winning severalfiction competitions! She told me that she'd treatedherself to a beautiful antique desk with the winnings.It was very well deserved.So work hard and carry on comping, but pleasemake sure you have fun too!www.kishboo.co.uk36
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