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Tips for success and Pitfalls to Avoid (cont.)

5) Some contests are scams! The biggest scam out there is the Poetry scam. You send in your poetry and they will judge it. Then, they will offer you a huge chance to go to a big convention where you can network with other poetry writers. Also, they offer your poem to you in a book for a price - more than what Lulu charges! You can also pay even more money to get your poem framed. Winners? After you have paid the entrance fees to the convention, paid for the book, and paid for the frame. They have made a lovely mint off of you and your poem isn't even sellable in its current state. They've won - $$$ millions in profit. Forget writing contest that promise you a deal. Too many of them are scams.


6) Know your audience. Writing for children? Hang out with children and find out what makes them tick. Using 60's slang in a book that takes place in modern times won't cut it for children and shouldn't cut it for you either. Every generation has their own slang words, make sure your usage is acurate for the generation and time period you are writing for. 7) Know your source before you believe the source. The best way to find out all about getting your works published, is to go to writers who have successfully published their works. Anyone can give you advice about how to publish. But, unless they have actually published or have done intense and exhausting research, their advice really isn't going to be worth much. It will be worth as much as hearsay is or less. 8) Check to see what books the company has published and how available they are at PROMINENT bookstores.