This week, a call for submissions in a SFWA-sponsored contest was posted on Craigslist and FLiXER, promising large cash prizes and publication.
Writers take warning: this contest is a fake.
Here's the pitch:
The
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. is currently
accepting science fiction story submissions of no more than 3000 words.
All genres of science fiction accepted. Winners will get published in a
Random House book titled "Asimovs of the Future." The cash prizes for
winners are as follows:
1st Place: $10,000
2nd Place: $5,000
3rd Place: $2,000
10 Honorary Mentions: $1000
All
winners and honorary mentions will get published. A percentage of the
royalties for the book will also be included as part of the prize. The
exact percentage has yet to be determined.
A check for
$10 must accompany each entry, made out to "Science Fiction Writers of
America." The mailing address is a "submissions center" in San Diego.
I
can only imagine the number of hopeful writers who will be enticed by
the SFWA name, not to mention the promise of enormous prizes plus a
commercial publishing credit. Once again, however: this contest is a fake.
I've confirmed this with SFWA's president, Michael Capobianco, but to
anyone who's familiar with SFWA, the bogusness is obvious. SFWA does
not conduct writing contests (and if it did, why would it advertise
them on Craigslist, rather than on its own website?). It has no San
Diego address. Its publisher is Penguin, not Random House.
Presumably,
the contest is an entry fee scam--though for a scam, $10 seems a little
unambitious. One also wonders how whoever is behind the scam plans to
cash checks made out to SFWA.
SFWA is investigating. In the meantime, if you've entered this contest, please contact Writer Beware immediately.
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2008/06/victoria-strauss-fake-contest-alert.html
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Just commenting so that this
Just commenting so that this will stay up in the list.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Fake Writing Contest???
Well! I never imagined anyone pulling a fake writing contest for money but I guess it's as good a way as any if you're into scamming and robbery.
Thanks for the info.
www.anitamaedraper.blogspot.com
www.newsfromthepews.blogspot.com
Spreading the word
I personally had not seen this but then I'm not 'looking' for contests as some writers might be. Thanks for spreading the word!
Cole
Nicole Reising
www.nicolereising.com
www.nicolereising.com/blog
Imagination... the magical whispers from within.
No problem, ladies.
No problem, ladies.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Thanks for the warning, not that I have any ambitions of being
the NEXT Asimov, I didn't even want to be the last one
Hugs
Sadhbh
Dream Team 2008 Challenge blogs
Well, you can be the next
Well, you can be the next Stephanie Laurens if you like.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Thanks,
FF thanks for alerting would be writers about a fake contest. I use craigslist for job hunting & have searched a few other categories but I usually am careful about responding to any posting. I suppose you could rake in a few dollars from those $10 entry fees!!
They need a devil icon!!!
Take care, happy reading,
Donna M, Dream Team member
Sure, they could rake in money....
If only a thousand people across the US, and beyond, mailed in their $10 that's a total of 10,000 smackeroos. Imagine if 10,000 mailing in $10. Or 100,000 people.... We're talking about one heck of a fat pocketbook.
The scams out there are pretty scarry. And it's not just idiots that are falling for them either! Anybody can be duped once. Heck, some people more than once. This particular scam sounds authentic enough on the surface. Makes me truly wary. Actually a lot of contests do. Thanks for being the torch-runner, FF!
Oh, and, Donna, I agree... eHarl needs to add a little devil smiley to the tray. It would be the most-used one, I bet! I'd be peppering my blogs with the little rascals! LOL
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain