[garyreynolds900]

http://www.conceptscifi.com//images/Writer_sml.png
Welcome to the Concept Sci-fi 2009 short story competition - your chance to win £100 and some signed goodies.

This year Sean Williams, author of the Astropolis series and numerous Star Wars books, will be judging the competition. He's also responsible for setting the theme!

The competition costs £3.50 (GBP) to enter and all short-listed entries will be published in a special edition of the Concept Sci-fi ezine. The winning entry will be decided by Sean and announced on the Concept Sci-fi website. So, what are you waiting for? Check out the details here (http://www.conceptscifi.com/competition.htm).

[Gernsback]

I have to say I am a little nervous about having to pay an entry fee for a writing competition, especially an e-zine

[garyreynolds900]

I have to say I am a little nervous about having to pay an entry fee for a writing competition, especially an e-zine

That's a fair point - although I'm not quite sure what kind of assurances I can make to you over a forum. Perhaps the following will help:


I've chosen to use PayPal, which means I've verified my bank account details with them and that my bank account details have been linked to a UK residential address.
The Concept Sci-fi website has over 150 pages of author interviews, author profiles and writing articles. If I was going to scam you, I've put a hell of a lot of effort into a good 'front' of a website.
Sean Williams, a most respected sci-fi author, will be posting something on his live journal over the next week or so to mention that he's judging the competition. You can visit his journal at http://ladnews.livejournal.com


I'm, honestly not sure what other assurances I can make. Needless to say, without the entrance fee I could not afford to stump up the cash prize. And without the cash incentive, the competition may not attract the calibre of stories I'm aiming for. But if you don't feel comfortable with a competition that has an entrance fee, then of course you can choose not to enter.

If you wish to ask me anything else to help clarify any point, then please do feel free to ask, either over this forum or by emailing me at gary@conceptscifi.com

Kindest regards,

Gary Reynolds.
Editor.

[Rob B]

I don't think it's common practice to charge people to submit stories. It seems very strange to me, as well. More often than not, writers should be paid for what they write, not the reverse.

[garyreynolds900]

I don't think it's common practice to charge people to submit stories. It seems very strange to me, as well. More often than not, writers should be paid for what they write, not the reverse.

Sorry Rob, but I think you misunderstand what is being said. Normally, an author would submit their story to an ezine, or other 'print' magazine, for considered inclusion in an issue. They might get paid for this (if it's a paying market) or they might not (if it's an exposure only publication). Concept Sci-fi runs an 'exposure only' ezine at the current time. This is separate to the competition I'm running now. The two are not related at all.

What I'm advertising here is a writing competition - a chance for one writer to prove he or she is better than all the other entrants and to walk away with £100 and signed copies of books from Sean Williams. To cover the prize money, I'm simply charging an entry fee. The British Science Fiction Assoiation ran a similar competition last year, where they charged £10 to enter and had a £500 prize.

I am just one person, and cannot afford to run the website and offer £100 as a prize without charging an entry fee. Many competitions both over the web and in real life have entry fees.

The choice is absolutely yours as to whether you think I'm on the level, or am running a scam.

Kindest regards,

Gary.

[Gernsback]

That's a fair point - although I'm not quite sure what kind of assurances I can make to you over a forum. Perhaps the following will help:

I am not trying to cast doubt on your honestly :) I knew Sean Williams back when he was a nobody in Melbourne submitting stories to Mentor, so for him to be involved is a positive in my eyes.

But be aware, people have run this sort of thing as a scam in the past, so people are going to be naturally hesitant

[garyreynolds900]

I am not trying to cast doubt on your honestly :) I knew Sean Williams back when he was a nobody in Melbourne submitting stories to Mentor, so for him to be involved is a positive in my eyes.

But be aware, people have run this sort of thing as a scam in the past, so people are going to be naturally hesitant

Thanks for making yourself clear. If someone is unsure as to whether to submit to a paying competition, I would encourage them to wait until the second half of the year when I'll be running a free-to-enter flash fiction competition. This will, however, have a much smaller prize fund.

[Ropie]

I have no qualms about entering - if it's a scam I'll come round and ask you for my £3.50 back :D Good on you for setting up a competition like this. If I want to enter an architecture competition the average fee is around £100!