How to Spot Writing Scams - Writing Competitions
Freelance Writers Can Be Easy Targets for Fraudsters
Feb 20, 2009
Offers of editorial advice; the chance to be represented by an agent; competitions with prizes which promise publication; manuscript submission services: all of these may seem like a way to get a foot in the door and start your writing career, but in fact they might be nothing more than a easy way for scammers and fraudsters to part you from your hard-earned cash.
Writing Competitions
Winning a competition can be an excellent way of drawing attention to your writing, but only if winning brings with it publicity, prestige, or the chance for your writing to come before a wider audience.
The fact that writers are attracted to competitions means that they are a popular method of operating an easy confidence trick. How do you separate genuine competitions from the fake ones?
Entry Fees
Competitions with high entry fees should be avoided. Fees of $5 - $15 are common. In legitimate competitions, they are used to pay the expenses of readers and judges. But if you see entry fees of $30 dollars and above, it’s time to check for more details.
Prizes
Look at the prizes offered – and check the small print. If a cash prize is offered, is it guaranteed, or is there a get-out clause saying that prizes might be substituted? You might also discover that the prize will be paid pro-rata to correspond with the number of entrants (i.e. fewer entrants means lower prize money). Also remember that cash prizes are not worth very much if the competition does not have a good reputation. Competitions are only worthwhile if winning brings a prize that has some sort of prestige or publication attached.
Promise or Offer of Publication
If you enter a competition which promises publication to the winner, it’s important to be on guard. You may receive a letter telling you that you are not the first prize winner, but your work has been deemed good enough to be selected to appear in an anthology. But there’s usually a catch… you may be asked to promise to buy a certain number of copies of the books. You might even be offered the books at a special, bargain price! Avoid this at all costs. It is simply a means to cover the costs of a small print run of books, and to make a profit for the organisers.
If a competition offers publication as a prize, make sure that it is being run by a reputable, traditional publisher.
Winner or Loser?
Be on your guard if you enter a competition and receive a letter telling you that although you haven't won, your work is so good that it has been forwarded to a literary agency. It will probably turn out that the agency is one which charges fees.
Contests Run by Literary Agencies
A contest might actually be run by a literary agency, with the prize being representation by the agent. In fact, all the people who enter will probably be told they have won, and offered representation. They will then discover that fees are demanded for reading or editing services or simple representation. Remember, real agents take a percentage of your earnings, they never ask for money up front.
Contests Run By “Editors”
People offering editing services may also run competitions with the sole purpose of gathering a mailing list of potential clients. There may be a winner who may actually win a cash prize, or services, but everyone else is offered the chance of editing services – perhaps even at a specially “discounted” rate.
Contests Run by Vanity Publishers
Again, competitions are an easy method for businesses to get an instant mailing list of potential customers or clients for their services. Be very wary if you are approached with special offers or deals for self-publishing after entering a competition.
Quick Tips
A few quick checks could save you wasting time, effort, and money.
- What does it cost to enter, and what do you win? Give careful thought to the fees and prizes, taking into consideration the examples above.
- Who is running the competition? Is it a reputable organisation?
- Who is judging the competition? Are they well known, or do they belong to an educational of professional establishment?
- How often does the competition take place? Is it the first year, or has it been running ever year for 20 years? Is there one every month?
Finally – Always Check the Small Print.
Be careful that you don’t sign away rights to your work by entering a competition. You could find that by entering the competition you are giving the organisers the right to publish your work online or elsewhere without paying you. Or you could find that you have given them the right to be your publisher or agent.
Find Out More About Scams Aimed at Writers:
Writer Beware
The site Writer Beware, run by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has excellent advice about scams, and an information resource about agents, editors and publishers to avoid.
Click here for more information about Freelance Writing
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