Of Contests & Trust Issues

What I’ve learned so far from entering my book in a few contests:

1. You have to be brave and put yourself out there.

2. It will cost money. (Getting some money back for winning would be nice. There are some free ones, but not enough.)

3. You have to let go of your work.

That last item has been the biggest hurtle for me—and a totally unexpected one as well.

I’ve known artists, visual artists and crafters, who had kitchens and bedrooms full of amazingly complex artwork that rarely saw the light of day. Selling their work, getting it out into the world, was like cutting off a limb. It was a shame and I didn’t think I’d be like that. I made an effort NOT to be like that back when I was making my jewelry. I sold my wares at craft shows before moving to Bishop Hill and opening a shop.

That was before I transitioned to the written word.

Writing’s easier to share in some respects. I’ve read pieces out loud for workshops, critique groups, and at the occasional open mic night. I thought I was doing OK.

The issue of copyrights comes up often in discussions and at workshops. The topic always makes writers nervous. I think some of the unease comes from that age-old issue of losing control of your baby, the work it’s taken you so long to create and dress for success. Again, I thought I was doing OK.

Then I had the misfortune of being exposed to writers who thought their work had been stolen, pirated, and they were quite upset and vocal. And I didn’t blame them. I saw what the copycats displayed online.

Also, I’ve listened to computer types explain how easy it is to lift files and change files and have things disappear. It all left more of a mark than I had realized. It made me too leery to trust the people who were really there to help me: reviewers and contest organizers.

I recently had to face the issue of trust head on when I was asked to submit a PDF file for a contest application. I waffled and wavered. I didn’t want to commit.

The difference this time—I asked for advice from my publisher and from a professional writer I respected, C. Hope Clark of Funds for Writers.com. They gave me the same sound advice: no one really steals books, and trust in the copyright.

Here’s Clark’s response to my nervous inquiry:

A PDF? That's unusual. I would think they'd want a mobi or epub before a pdf. But you have to trust people with contests. Nobody steals books, and your publisher should've already copyrighted it. It's published, so there should not be an issue. I just sent the published book without ARC or any other mention on it. Your publisher ought to easily convert the file. 

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C. Hope Clark

My thanks go to her and the others who helped me grow a little more on this issue.