If you don't blow your own horn...

The other day I received a note about a contest especially for books published by small independent presses, POD in particular. "Great!" I thought. Maybe it would be worth submitting." Second thoughts have now cropped up as I begin to research Premier Book Awards. The entry fee is steep--so much so that if I were not to win a prize, I'd be sorry to have spent the money. Preditors and Editors decrees one shouldn't pay entry fees, and doesn't list the Premier Book Awards.

However, all contests, including those run by Writers Digest, and others I know of sponsored by literary magazines or publishers, require entry fees. I assumed that's where the prize money comes from. I'd like to hear from any who have entered contests and felt "ripped off."

Promotion has become a kind of manager of my attempts at a writing life these days, and it isn't something at which I'll ever excel, or with which I ever expect to feel comfortable. Still, if there's a way to legitimize my efforts, about the only universally accepted way will be through sales.

So here goes again: I'll have an article on the Senior Women website about once a month from now on. On the home page, click on What's New.