The past couple years I've periodically submitted about a half dozen stories to a number of writing contests, paying submission fees that range from $2-20. And each time I wonder: what a great scheme! All these writers desperate for exposure, hoping to at least land on the Honorable Mention list, or even get a cash prize. Many of these contests also end up extending their deadlines, convincing more writers to submit their work - for a slightly raised fee.
Not that I think it's a scam. They do pay out the prizes, as far as I know. These fledgling literary journals or magazines need the cash flow - not lot of people paying for thick books of short stories, poems, and essays these days. While there are more websites presenting magazines and journals in a more well-designed manner, like Issuu.com (looking through Writer's Market's list of publications, there's a lot of publications out there who haven't even updated their websites since the 1990's), but it's not certain that the Internet won't eventually destroy literary journals willing to pay writers for their work. The only ones that really provide exposure are the university-subsidized ones put out by the Creative Writing Department staff and students.Would-be writers have always been suckers, though. Just desperate to get their name out there, they fork over a lot of money for books and seminars and webinars promising to make them good enough at the craft to be published the next day. Scroll through Writer's Market's website and look at the prices for some of these products - hundreds of dollars, many charging over $500, for something that could be learned in a library book.
I could probably run a contest, send each of the winners one of the ten copies I printed just for them and pocket the rest of the submission fees.
Steps
1) Create a slick literary website with a bunch of my own work under pseudonyms.
2) Hire a printer to produce a few copies for those who actually request one (and pay for it).
3) Start advertising a contest in Writer's Market or any of the other Writer's-whatever publications. Charge a modest fee a promise a cash prize for first and second place winners.
4) Wait for the submissions to roll in. Enjoy perusing peoples' work and select my favorites.
5) Announce the winners and send them a check along with a hard-copy of the publication. Although, it's not really necessary to send a hard-copy; this just adds to the legitimacy factor.
Enthusiasm: None. I actually don't care to do this. Sure I could, but it would probably only be a little less work than running and actual literary journal, with the added guilt of suckering would be writers like myself.
Practicality: As practical as creating a website and advertising on key writer's advice websites.
Difficulty: Technically speaking, not that difficult. Morally speaking - that depends on you.
