If you are an Indie author or novice author like I am, having your writing and name promoted is a boost we don’t want to overlook. There are many ways to gain personal exposure. Having a blog website and posting regularly is one way. Reading and commenting on peer blog sites gains recognition and reader following. Promoting another Indie author on your website often leads to reciprocation. The professionals have a ton of suggestions, advice, and techniques to meet our objectives.
I have often seen promotions for a writing contest. There seems to be a proliferation of them covering every genre of writing. Daily, when I’m scanning the many blog post that I follow, I see their announcements. I frequently wish I had the time needed to write something original or unique to submit. But I’ve learned if you will invest the time in a contest that fits your style, you can get the recognition you seek. The ones that catch my attention aren’t the ones that offer only cash prizes; although, I wouldn’t refuse the money. I notice the ones that provide their anthology to include my writing.
If you win a cash prize only contest, after they make the announcement on the host site, and you spend the cash prize, that ends the acclamation. What does an anthology offer? An anthology doesn’t stop at the communique. Every time a reader sees and hopefully purchases the book, you get the desired effect.
Most writers have stories and manuscripts they have put on the back-shelve waiting for the right time to return to them. In contrast, others have the talent to create unique pieces given the time. There is your source. Take those writings, change them to meet the guidelines, and submit them. You’ll be as equally surprised as I was, that contest host accepts your work and includes them with the publication.
In the summer of 2018 on Dan Alatorre’s blog site, he made the announcement he was seeking short stories for his second series of the Box Under the Bed Horror Anthology. I remembered I had started a short story about a vampire. I found the piece, made several changes, and submitted it. It was three months later when I had forgotten I had sent it; Dan notified me he accepted my story. In October, Dan published Dark Vision, and I’m listed with 26 other authors.
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About a year ago, a member of my critique writing group told me of a writing contest where they specifically were looking for ‘Military Stories.’ They wanted Veterans to share actual experiences. At the time, I was rewriting my first book, One Month, 20 Days, and a Wake Up. I remembered when I released the first edition in 2016, as a promotional, I had written a short story extracted from the manuscript. I updated the writing and submitted it. When six months went by without hearing from them, I thought they rejected my piece. Then I got an email stating they didn’t have enough submission to move forward with the contest. They also said they liked my submission and requested that I submit it for their Stories Through The Ages Baby Boomers Plus 2020 contest. I agreed.
https://livingspringspublishers.com/index.php/stories-through-the-ages-baby-boomers-plus-2020/
Two weeks ago, their email stated I wasn’t a monetary winner, but with my permission they wanted to include my story with their anthology Stories through the Ages–Baby Boomers Plus 2020. I join 16 other authors with my short story “Welcome to Vietnam” published. I plan on sharing this piece at a later time.
With this anthology publication, I’ll get recognition as an author, but I also get free marketing of my newly released 2nd Edition of One Month, 20 Days, and a Wake Up.
The next time you are looking through the blog post, and you see one advertising a short story contest, investigate it. If the contest host includes your piece in a future anthology, try it. It is a small investment of time that might lead to some invaluable free promotion of your writing.
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