The Great Novel Contest / Columbus Creative Cooperative / Columbus Press

Well, no "children's books," so I'm out of it.

They also spelled "achievement" and "resurrection" wrong.

BenPanced said:

The prize is an offer from a publisher. That's it. No other terms are described and the publisher isn't mentioned.

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It's worth noting that the entity running the contest are themselves a publisher (primarily of anthologies of short stories it seems). Unless they clarify otherwise, I'll assume that the publishing offer will come from them (since they can't promise ahead of time that any other publisher will want the winning manuscript.)

My advice would be to avoid relatively unknown writing contests with an entry fee.

LindaJeanne said:

Unless they clarify otherwise, I'll assume that the publishing offer will come from them (since they can't promise ahead of time that any other publisher will want the winning manuscript.)

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That would be my guess too. However, no matter who was conducting the contest, I'd never want to enter a contest where publication was the prize and the publisher wasn't named.

There's also way too little in the way of guidelines--such as, is the contest submission exclusive or non-exclusive? Who are the judges? Who will be supplying the "publishing consultation" to the runner up worth (cough, cough) a whole $125? Maybe these details will be supplied once the contest goes live--but if they're going to put the contest out there now, they should have all the info in place.

- Victoria

New Info Available

Hey. My name is Brad, I'm the director over at Columbus Creative Cooperative. I found this thread on a search for our novel contest.

I'm not here to sell you on participating, but I did want to let you know that we've published a lot more information to the web page: http://www.columbuscoop.org/novel_contest.php

It sounds like this thread was started when we were still in the preliminary stages of setting things up.

It is a legitimate opportunity with a new publisher that's looking to invest $5-$10k into the winning project, and distribute it on a national market. The fee covers the cost of running the contest, the judge, etc.

I'll try to be available to answer any questions, or you can contact us via the website. Thanks!

Questions:

What are the conditions of contest submission? Exclusive? Non-exclusive?

What's the timeline of the judging? When will winners be announced?

Concerns:

Brand-new publisher that hasn't yet issued any titles. Well-intentioned, but there's a very high attrition rate for new small presses. The winner of this contest should definitely take that into account.

- Victoria

Good questions

Hi Victoria,

The contest submissions are non-exclusive. We'll turn around our list of finalists within 8 weeks, so we recommend that you wait and see to shop your manuscript elsewhere, but it's your call.

We believe we'll announce winners within 12 weeks, but guarantee notification within 24 weeks (just in case).

You're right about new publishers. You should definitely read more about Columbus Press before you make a publishing agreement there, should you win. But as new publishers go, this one is staffed with veteran industry professionals and they're devoting a real cash budget to their projects (which is a great question to ask any potential publisher).

To help assuage fears of being obligated to a new publisher, we've offered the $1,000 cash prize which the winner may choose in lieu of the publishing agreement if you decide that Columbus Press just isn't for you. You'll be able to talk with Columbus Press and negotiate your agreement before you decide whether to take the publishing agreement or the check.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

-Brad

Brad,

Thanks for clarifying--much appreciated. May I suggest that you include the info about non-exclusivity, plus the timeline, on your website? It would be really helpful for people who are thinking of entering.

- Victoria

Great suggestion

Great suggestion, Victoria. We've incorporated that information into our Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of the page.