I wanted to speak out about some “opportunities,” which, if not scams, are certainly scammish, in the writing industry: publications for no money–just an e-prize meant to look nifty on your Website–or contests with hefty fees. There are obviously a lot of writers just wanting exposure, and those are the ones that’ll write for for-the-love publishers, and will pay big fees, like $50 for the 3-Day Novel Contest, or even the $20 Writer’s Digest contests. The people giving these contests are making a lot of money from you, and you’re not being given that back. Those are too hard to win, period. Let’s face it, very few of us will win a WD contests like Dean Koontz did way-back-when. And I’m not saying those that aren’t too hard to win are fake . . . as long as they pay you.

Here’s my point: writers have a right to be paid for their hard work. That’s how they go from writers to authors. That’s one of the biggest motivators to bust your ass on these tales. And giving your stories away for exposure probably isn’t going to get your name out there enough to make a difference as far as making a living at your work. Therefore, you’ll end up working for a small press that won’t pay you enough; or self-publishing, where, if you’re not already established, will probably pay you hardly anything.

You might want to participate in some for-the-loves as a beginning writer to get some confidence, but when you’re getting published regularly, you have a right to evolve into the paying markets. And if you’re not getting paid after the newbie status ends, perhaps you might want to question whether it’s worth all your time, blood, sweat, and tears. There are authors like me who’ll never give up, but there’s nothing wrong with leaving a failed venture after two years of no monetary publications.

That’s just being smart.