O'Abby here.
This week I have a question for you rather than attempting to answer one from a reader. I'd really like it if you could leave your thoughts in the comments.
This week DL Hammons' Write Club was forced to abandon the contest for 2022 because there were not enough entries. And we have been noticing a downturn in numbers entering our own Pass or Pages contests too. And these are free contests. You don't have to pay to play!
I want to know why writers are not entering these free contests. Especially since there seem to be far fewer of them now than there were ten or fifteen years ago when I started searching for opportunities for my work. Back then blogging was huge and there were any number of blogs that held regular writing contests with agents and publisher reading queries and excerpts and making requests. Almost all of these contests have gone - apart from our own Pass or Pages.
Are agents fatigued by contests and it has become too difficult to get them to commit to judging? Are writers choosing to self-publish rather than going the agent to traditional publisher route? Are writers happier condensing their query to 40 characters for Twitter pitch contests, which do still seem to exist? Are more people entering pay to play contests?
I want your thoughts. I want your opinions. I genuinely want to know why writers wouldn't leap toward free contests that, even if they don't get picked by an agent, generate valuable, honest feedback for your work from readers.
X O'Abby
I'm noticing a downturn as well. I think fewer people visit blogs anymore, which is a real shame, because there are such good opportunities on blogs.
ReplyDeleteTik-tok is the culprit!!
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm just bitter because I'm not cool enough to use it.
I'm actually just getting back into the writer's contest scene and I'm very disappointed by the lack of contests. Yours and an annual one on Krista VanDolzer's site were the only ones I could find that are still going. (Do you know of any more?? Please dish.) Maybe it has something to do with Covid, or the decline of blogs? Is that a thing?
The reason I took such a long hiatus was because I'd not experienced much success in the contests (or in finding an agent) so I started the self-publishing slog and maybe it was too painful to read about other people who belong to the world I felt shut out of. Also I have five kids.
I've recently started a new book and have worked hard on my query. Rather than going to social media for advice I figured I'd try to get some semi-professional advice via blog contests before diving headfirst into the query trenches.
So, that's my story. I'm sure (free) writing contests will make a comeback. But maybe they'll all transfer to social media since that's where all the young whippersnappers are these days.