Short story competition vs submitting to a magazine

I would recommend trying to get it published. Unless it's a very well-known contest, it's harder for editors to know whether or not winning one means anything. They'd probably rather see, "Published in blah blah blah," as opposed to, "Won some contest you've never heard of." Of course, there are always outliers.

There are contests worth entering, but not very many. Most mean nothing, even if you win. And you probably won't win, even if your story is great. There's a lot of incest in the average short story contest.

The really good contests are much harder to win than selling a story to a magazine because the contest usually has just as many top writers submitting stories, but there's only one winner. A magazine usually buys more than one story for each issue. Some mags buy up to six or seven for each issue, and they're always needing good stories.

And if a magazine doesn't buy your story, there are many more magazines that might.

When possible, I would enter it into contests like Boulevard's Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers (where publication in a respected and well-known mag is part of the reward) before moving on to regular magazine submissions.

I would definitely go for a magazine. There are too many contests and wins no longer mean alot. A magazine shows that an editor chose your story over many and was willing to stake his/her reputation on it, plus you can send your mom a copy.

Lucie
a mom

In general, I'd go for the publishing credits.

I'd personally go with magazines, but if contests are your thing:

https://www.pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest

http://www.zoetrope.com/contests_allstory/index.cgi?show=faq

http://www.glimmertrain.com/pages/writing_guidelines.php

Are some of the more prestigious contests I can think of. (Warning: competitive!)

Many contests ask for a reading fee. I'd go with submitting to a magazine (start with the pro rates magazines).

MikaelS said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what's a pro rates magazine?

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It means they pay at the pro rate per word. ie, 8 cents per word (or more). I start there, then work my way down to the semi-pro (less than 6 cents, but more than a token 1 cent), then go through the token markets, then on down to the non-paying.

Check out the Submissions Grinder to find links and stats to the various markets: http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/Default.aspx

I don't think contests are a bad thing at all. Someone has to win and usually prize money and publication go along with that. I haven't really entered many contests, but it's something I'm looking into more. There is no reason not to try both contests and regular submissions. Yes, contests usually cost money to enter, but what seems to be the norm is a $1,000 prize. I say give both roads to possible publication if you feel like you can swing it. And good luck with whatever you decide.

It is exiting to enter a contest, but your odds of getting your work published are better with general submissions (and adhering to their guidelines) than a contest. But, to each his own.
My best to you!

Magazines, for me.

gettingby said:

I don't think contests are a bad thing at all. Someone has to win and usually prize money and publication go along with that. I haven't really entered many contests, but it's something I'm looking into more. There is no reason not to try both contests and regular submissions. Yes, contests usually cost money to enter, but what seems to be the norm is a $1,000 prize. I say give both roads to possible publication if you feel like you can swing it. And good luck with whatever you decide.

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Well, first, no, someone does not have to win. Contests often end without a winner, when there are no entries the judges think are good enough.

A thousand dollar prize is most definitely NOT the norm. The norm is nowhere close to this, but it wouldn't matter if the contest winner received ten million dollars, you are not going to win. You simply aren't. The contests that you do stand a chance of winning are completely worthless.

Very few even offer real publication. Being published in the Nantucket Monthly Newsletter is not publication.

Not only are very few contests credit worthy, winning one of the bad ones can harm you with magazine publishers, and rightfully so.

The only thing entering the great majority of contests does is take money out of your pocket, all for an infinitely less chance of getting a penny of it back.

There are a tiny few worthwhile contests out there, but they're few and far between. Very few and very far between. I've seen writers waste years on contests, only to realize there is no reward in doing so. Worse, they finally win one or two of the worthless contests, and only then learn that winning harmed their careers more than losing.

The simple fact is that the sole purpose of the great majority of contests is to make someone money, and that someone is not the writer who enters, or the writers who "wins".