New (No-Cost) Story Contest from Writer's Digest

In case you haven't yet heard, changes are afoot at Writer's Digest. For one thing, the magazine is now published bimonthly, rather than each month. (Keep that in mind when querying.)

For another, there's a new contest (it appears to be replacing the "Your Assignment" challenge in each magazine/published each month on the Web site). It's called "Your Story," and like the new magazine schedule, it will offer a new challenge every other month (publicized both in the magazine and on the Web site).

Here's the deal: "We'll provide a short, open-ended prompt. In turn, you'll submit a short story of 750 words or fewer based on that prompt. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. The winner will receive $100 and publication in an upcoming issue of Writer's Digest."

There is NO ENTRY FEE. One entry per person. Writer's Digest obtains first-time rights to the winning and runner-up stories. Submit via the online submission form at the Web site (that's also where you'll find the current prompt).

The deadline for this first contest is July 10; winners will be announced in the December 2006 issue and on the Your Story winners page at WritersDigest.com.

A Bloomsday Blog Post

As you may know, today, June 16, is the anniversary (the 102nd anniversary, to be precise) of Bloomsday. As D.T. Max's article in the current New Yorker explains, Bloomsday is "the date on which the events in James Joyce's 'Ulysses' take place. There will be the customary commemorative celebrations surrounding Leopold Bloom's famous walk through Dublin: public readings and festivals in cities around the world, including Dublin, New York, Berlin, Paris, St. Petersburg, and Melbourne. In Budapest, two hundred or so academics will convene a Joyce symposium--the twentieth to be held on Bloomsday."

Alas, all is not golden and celebratory. Read the New Yorker article to find out why.

Book Contest Updates

If you're a novelist or short story writer looking for contests that lead to publication and other prizes (including cash) you'll want to streamline your search with our e-book directory of literary contests for book-length fiction. It's just been updated, with much more detail to each listing. Download your free preview with sample listings--and tips for contest entrants--here.

I hadn't updated this e-book since December, so several links had changed and some contests had to be removed, too. Notably, two contests previously run by Lewis-Clark Press had to be taken out.

When I checked in with the editor at Lewis-Clark (LC) Press (I had to e-mail her because the press does not appear to have a Web site--sometimes a bad sign in itself if only because it signals an antiquated approach to marketing) about the Lewis-Clark Discovery Award and the Lewis-Clark Expedition Award, I was surprised to hear back that the press is no longer running any contests. I was even more surprised to discover that the Press will now read submissions year-round--for a $10 fee.

The press calls this a "no-risk fee," because they promise to refund the fee if they select your manuscript for publication, and they'll send you one of their past titles if they don't. But somehow, I don't think this is going to sit well with many members of the literary community, however honest the intent behind it.

I have to admit I'm leery about it myself, especially now that I've done a little more research and discovered an article that reveals how unhappy one LC contest winner was with her published book. Apparently Billie Travalini's work was published with a number of typographical flaws. Only 500 copies were issued, and the book was not available on Amazon.com.

So, of course, I've removed the LC Contests from our e-book. And I can't see myself submitting my own work to that press, especially for a fee....

By the way, the e-book also includes a list of additional resources to consult for contest guidance. What I've learned about Billie Travalini's experience makes me especially glad I've included a link to Laura Backes's article on "How to Tell if a New or Small Press is Legitimate." Though the article is targeted to children's writing/publishing, its wisdom transfers easily to the market for grown-ups, too.

Introducing the New Poet Laureate: Donald Hall

According to today's New York Times, the Librarian of Congress is to name New Englander Donald Hall the nation's 14th Poet Laureate today. I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more about this very soon. (Hall will succeed Ted Kooser.)

For New York-based Writers

Also found this part-time writing opportunity--an internship in New York paying a "small monthly fee and out-of-pocket expenses"--over at craigslist:

We are a non-governmental independent media company working on issues of poverty, disease and hunger in poor and least developed countries. We are looking for writers with experience in covering meetings, conferences, press briefings and conducting interviews. This is an internship position at the United Nations. Please respond with a detailed resume and bylined stories. This internship position calls for considerable time spent at the Secretariat covering a wide range of events, conducting interviews, making presentations and interacting with Ambassadors at Permanent Missions to the UN. Please own a laptop and digital camera. Ability to upload stories onto the Web and perform layout functions on the company website will be considered an added asset.

See the announcement for yourself (with contact information) here.

Publishers Weekly Seeks Reviewers

Publishers Weekly--yes, that Publishers Weekly--is looking for reviewers with expertise in the following fiction categories:

--Historical Romance
--Romantic Suspense
--African-American Commercial Fiction
--Street Lit
--Chick Lit
--Family Sagas

If you're interested, they want to see a short e-mail query including your qualifications and relevant publication credits. You should also e-mail your resume (paste it within the message).

You can find contact information at the craigslist announcement.

Regional/Local History Authors Sought

Just caught this interesting announcement:

The History Press is searching for historians and archivists who are interested in publishing regional and local history books about Massachusetts and Connecticut.

History Press books focus on a particular town or region. We have developed a variety of series that 1)provide authors with guidance on how to present their work and 2)attract readers and encourage sales. We also accept books for publication on history subjects not captured by the series we have established.

The History Press is a traditional trade publisher, meaning that we handle all stages of publishing including financing, sales, marketing, and distribution and compensate in the form of royalties. We are not a vanity press. For more information and to view our catalogue, see historypress.net or e-mail the New England Commissioning editor, Maureen Benes.

For more information, read the full announcement at H-Net and/or visit the publisher's Web site.

And Speaking of Ethics

And speaking of ethics, this is just a friendly reminder to other writing newsletter editors/publishers that the contest and submission call information I post both in the newsletter and on this blog is the product of my own research and writing.

When I quote directly from a listing, I use quotation marks; when I don't, it's my own writing, and I'd appreciate it if you did not republish it without my permission. Or, at the very least, attribution.

Just look through this blog (or recent issues of our newsletter) for examples. You'll see that whenever I locate a writing or publishing opportunity from another blog/announcement list/Web site/newsletter rather than discovering it on my own I list (and link) the source. It helps us all to know about good resources for locating these opportunities, even if some of them may be "competitors."

I believe attribution is the polite and ethical way to go, and I'm always happy to find others practicing a similar code of writerly/editorial conduct. So I send warm thanks to those of you who already do link to this blog whenever you pass along information you find here, and I hope one day we'll all be doing the right thing as far as this is concerned.