I received an email newsletter today, one of many I get on a fairly regular basis. The bulk of the newsletter wasn’t of interest to me, so I scrolled to the bottom, where a contest announcement sat.
The contest is for “beginning” writers, and it specifies who qualifies for entry with the following:
“Please note that it is for beginner’s only. If you have been fortunate enough to sell a short story or a book – congratulations – but you don’t qualify for this contest. If, on the other hand, you have only self-published, you do qualify.”
If you have only self-published?
I assume the writer of that little gem didn’t intend to sound condescending, but he/she/they/it succeeded in doing so anyway. Most English speaking people know that the use of “only” as it appears here gives the connotation of downplaying whatever it’s modifying. As in: “Oh, this? It’s only a vial of anthrax. Nothing to worry about…”
People who choose to offer their work to the world without benefit of an agent or publisher do not “only” self publish. There is a mountain of work that goes into self publishing if you do it correctly, and for most of us it is a second career that, at least at the start, pays about as well as volunteer work.
If it weren’t for the former journalism career, I apparently would qualify for this contest since I’ve “only” self published Chantal’s Call. However, even if I were beginner enough to qualify, I wouldn’t pony up the $6 for the entry fee. I think having sold somewhere between 50 and 100 copies of my “only” self-published novel in the four months following its launch would give me an unfair advantage.
When are certain people going to get it into their heads that self publishing is not only here to stay, but is in fact a viable and reputable way to get your work into the marketplace?
One last comment about that annoying announcement: we self-published writers (most of us, at least) know that the plural of “beginner” does not contain an apostrophe and “self-published” should be hyphenated only if it is being used as an adjective. If you’re going to be condescending, do it correctly.
So true, Traci. As only a beginning self publisher I suppose I’d qualify for the contest, but I think I’ll pass.
Thanks for the comment, Sophie. It was around midnight my time when I wrote this post, so I was sleepy and cranky. I considered not publishing my rant, but I’m tired of people continuing to look down their literary noses at the self-publishing indies in the room.
Granted, there are a lot of self-published books out there that would benefit greatly from extensive editing and proofing, but then again, so would that contest announcement…
So glad you got that off your chest, Traci. The publishing world is a-changing.
It is indeed, Carol, and I’m glad I’m here to see it happening.
This is a quote from rwa.org in the eligibility for novels for the RITA awards. ” The work must not be exclusively promoted and/or sold by the author or have distribution that is primarily directed toward sales to the author, his/her relatives and/or associates. The work must not be self-published.”
They will have an ever shrinking pool of authors to pick from. Since Trad publishers hardly ever take a new author… Better chance of winning that way I guess.
Wow. Their prerogative, of course, but it’s a pity they’re cutting out so many of us with that regulation.
Just saw this post and like you Traci made my blood boil. I may never qualify for Sophie’s pointed out contest as I can’t see giving my hard earned writing dollars to someone to just help me do what I am already doing. Get it through your head traditional Press advocates Indie’s and Self Publishing isn’t going to disappear. We are only going to get bigger.
Thanks for the comment, George. Glad to know I’m not alone in my annoyance.
Don’t get me wrong; if an organization wants to limit its potential contestants to those who are traditionally published, it’s the organization’s right and I have no problem with that. My gripe was the unfortunate use of “only” in the contest announcement.
For whatever reason, many still see self publishing as the vanity press industry of years past. While that does go on far more than any of us want to see, the reputable self publishing companies are redefining what it means to bring a book to market without the middlemen and gatekeepers. It’s about time the naysayers recognize that.