Byline magazine contests - Writers Forum

robbiejayfan · 03-30-2006, 04:57 PM

I don't know if anyone is aware of this magazine. They feature monthly contests specifically for new writers. It's a great place to get recognition for your work, and there are a variety of subjects you can contribute to. They also pay: a big plus.

I'm pretty excited about it because I joined a children's picturebook story a couple months ago and today I received notice from them that I won 1st place. Needless to say I'm pretty stoked and wanted to share not only my success, but the opportunity for the rest of you looking for good contests to join.

The mag is called Byline magazine. Here is the link: http://www.bylinemag.com

April's contests are: flash fiction, spring poetry, pet or wildlife article and general poetry.

Anyway, just stoked that I won a contest and wanted to share with everyone.

RussellN · 03-30-2006, 07:04 PM

Congratulations on the win. I can understand you being stoked - I would be too.

Well done.

K-P · 03-30-2006, 09:26 PM

How much money did you win?

robbiejayfan · 03-31-2006, 12:58 PM

Hey K-P:

Not a whole lot of money involved, $60. The amount they pay for contest winners varies depending on the contest. They do have several different contest categories each month. You can check it out at their website.

Even though the money was not great, I think it will give me a leg-up when trying to market the picture book to publishers, especially with the picture book field being so competitive.

To me, competitions are good in that regard. Editors and publishers see a lot of good writing. By winning a contest it makes your work stand out in a sea of submissions. An editor or publisher just might give it a little extra attention if they know it's a contest winner. Anyway, that's what I'm banking on.

Here's the link again if you want to check the contests out: http://www.bylinemag.com

K-P · 03-31-2006, 07:26 PM

Wow, congrats. I've yet to receive a cent for my work. In fact, I believe I'm about $400 in the hole.

Can I borrow a ten spot? I mean, you've got five more.

Blackhawk_t · 04-04-2006, 10:07 AM

That's awesome that you won......the only thing that sucks is they all have entry fee's. Not so much the entry fee, but if you suck, they don't tell you, and you keep pouring out more money. I think I'll just bypass the middle man, and donate my money to political parties. Because you know....they use the money honestly, and it's for a good cause...

mammamaia · 04-04-2006, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Even though the money was not great, I think it will give me a leg-up when trying to market the picture book to publishers, especially with the picture book field being so competitive

congrats on winning... but i'm wondering if you'll be able to sell that particular piece since it'll be considered already 'published' by being on a public site... and book publishers usually only want first rights and won't be interested in investing money in material that people can read on the web for free...

plus, the rules and regs of the contest may state that the rights to the work now belong to them for a period of time... and other roadblocks to your being able to submit to print publishers... it's always best to check these things before submitting work to a contest, that you hope to sell later...

in any case, you did win a prize and made a bit of money... that's nothing to sneeze at... you have my best wishes for continued success...
love and hugs, maia

Brasstwister · 04-09-2006, 06:18 AM

are a few chapters ok to post for a little feedback?

mammamaia · 04-09-2006, 07:10 PM

a chapter or two is ok, but i wouldn't post more than that, if you want to be able to sell it later... i see no reason why you'd need to, since one or two chapters will be representative of your writing in general, so the feedback will be valid for the work as a whole...

asking for more feedback than that, would border on wanting others to edit your work for you... you can take the best advice you get [or a consensus] and apply it to the rest of the work, so don't need to post further chapters...

Brasstwister · 04-10-2006, 12:00 AM

Thank you

robbiejayfan · 05-06-2006, 11:54 AM

Hey Maia:

I know this post is over a month old, but I just read the last few replies. The Byline magazine contest is good because they don't publish the winning stories. They just print a list of the contest winners in their monthly magazine. It states in their contest rules that they don't publish the author's work so the author can market it elsewhere and make a sale. That's why I think it is a great contest for writers to join.

I did reference the contest in a cover letter to Viking Children's Publisher and received positive feedback. They are interested in the story, but did ask for a slight revision.

I hope I don't screw up the revision and cost myself a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Best wishes!!!

mammamaia · 05-06-2006, 07:21 PM

Quote:

The Byline magazine contest is good because they don't publish the winning stories. They just print a list of the contest winners in their monthly magazine. It states in their contest rules that they don't publish the author's work so the author can market it elsewhere and make a sale.

that's quite unusual... may even be unique!...

good luck with the revision... and congrats for getting that far!

love and hugs, maia