Short Story Contest vs Short Story Anthology

[Hope_0615]

An anthology would be more beneficial for those of us that would love to have our work out there for others to read!

[levina]

Great Article, Really good to sharing........
Anthology, not only is there the likelihood of royalties, which could even add up to the quantity of the unique brief tale competitors prize, but you have the opportunity to be acknowledged. and Even if its just another little writer or founder who either wants your help or you never know provide you something.


Thanks & Regards
Levi84

[nachwaal3ab]

Nice article.

[Mazza WA]

Nice article. I like the idea of the anthology. I actually read anthologies. I like them because of the variety of ideas from different authors.

[hmetheridge]

Why not both? Why not try a contest in which the prize is to be published in the anthology? There could be five winners. This way you secure the best stories for the book and participants will have “won” [the recognition of contest winner] whether or not the book flops. It would be extra work, though. It’s just an idea.

[vaibhav01]

Good .......

[M Strand]

Greatly depends on the individual – personally I prefer the idea of having more exposure for my work. Yes, winning a contest is a good thing, but being part of an e-book would get your work and name further out there then the contest alone. Most would think that being part of the group would dull or diminish your work, but in some cases it can show case the talent and effort you put in–by shiningg brighter than the rest.

Clearly my vote is... Short Story Anthology

[Katy Isodo]

I like the idea of the anthology - in the long run it seems to have much more promise for writers than the contest, and while it won't make anyone rich it's always possible however slim that it could add up to as much as the single prize and possibly even more over time. Plus for authors who are not currently published at all it might very well be that motivation to get going in that direction!

[simplore]

anthology

[Anandi Iyer Ghosh]

Why not both? Why not try a contest in which the prize is to be published in the anthology? There could be five winners. This way you secure the best stories for the book and participants will have “won” [the recognition of contest winner] whether or not the book flops. It would be extra work, though. It’s just an idea.

This seems to be a good idea. A short story contest and the best stories are published in the anthology.

[Megha Nayar]

Hi Scott,

I've been writing for both for a while now, and I think they both have their merits. Ideally, an anthology should carry at least 10-12 stories. Why don't we try it once? Since there are so many members out here, I don't think selling it should be a problem.

[casper]

I see this discussion has been going on for a while now and most writers prefer the idea of an anthology. Is this happening somewhere on the site? I would be really interested to read other people's short stories.

[Megha Nayar]

We certainly should give it a try. Reading stories by other writers is both an eye-opening as well as humbling experience. I have usually learnt things from others' writing that would not strike me otherwise.

[Smitha Nayak]

Two redhead educators and a horror publisher walk into a bar . . . during a zombie apocalypse. Armed with only their wits and a fully-charged-laptop battery, they hammered out the world's darkest writing manual amidst the flurry and chaos of gnashing teeth and rotting cadavers. Each chapter of the handbook is devoted to a different genre of writing--everything from academic writing (complete with MLA and APA sample essays), business writing, and even poetry and fiction--all of it with a dark and undead twist.

[Craigable]

I agree with hmetheridge -- that is, being selected for the anthology can be the prize itself. Though there could be a modest monetary reward as well. I myself would prefer to be in anthology than to win a prize (assuming the prize isn't so well known that it obviously trumps being anthologized).

It's difficult to judge the value to a writer of either option. Being a contest winner looks good on a resume, yes, but writing contents proliferate these days (just as online literary magazines do). So being the winner of a little-known writing contest may have no more career value than having a poetry chapbook published by an obscure small press. On the face of it, being included in an anthology just naturally sounds/feels impressive. But e-book publishing is already a runaway train, with every Tom, Dick, and Harry publishing or self-publishing. Having one's work anthologized is ultimately only as helpful to one's career as the reputation of publisher will allow.

Craig