If you’ve spent some time entering writing contests, you know they are an investment. Whether it’s poetry, short stories, essays, or chapbooks, most contests charge reading fees. Plus, there’s the “cost” of your time. And when you don’t win, you start to think, “Well, that was twenty bucks down the drain!”

But writing contests CAN help your career if you play your cards right. Having diverse writing credentials is important if you’re trying to establish a reputation. A mix of publications, awards, nominations, and even a few contest wins can go a long way.

We at Writer’s Relief recommend that our clients (and all writers) enter contests. But how does a writer know when the entry fee and time spent are worth it?

Once you’ve read this article, you’ll know how to evaluate a contest to see if it’s worth your time. Then, check out our free list of writing contests!

Here are the questions you’ll need to ask yourself before you fork over your entry fee.

After the hardships we faced due to Hurricane Sandy—at work and in our personal lives—we are grateful for the strides we’ve made to get back on track. So today, we wanted to show our thanks for writers (because Writer’s Relief wouldn’t exist without you, and sometimes, writing can feel like a thankless job). And we wanted to offer our readers a chance to express their thanks too! So we’ve put together a Thanksgiving mini contest. Read on!

After the hardships we faced due to Hurricane Sandy—at work and in our personal lives—we are grateful for the strides we’ve made to get back on track. So today, we wanted to show our thanks for writers (because Writer’s Relief wouldn’t exist without you, and sometimes, writing can feel like a thankless job). And we wanted to offer our readers a chance to express their thanks too! So we’ve put together a Thanksgiving mini contest. Read on!

After the hardships we faced due to Hurricane Sandy—at work and in our personal lives—we are grateful for the strides we’ve made to get back on track. So today, we wanted to show our thanks for writers (because Writer’s Relief wouldn’t exist without you, and sometimes, writing can feel like a thankless job). And we wanted to offer our readers a chance to express their thanks too! So we’ve put together a Thanksgiving mini contest. Read on!

You could win $50 just by including the words “Halloween” and “Writer’s Relief” in a poem or short prose comment under 250 words. Share your favorite/funniest/most memorable Halloween moment in our comments section below by Tuesday, October 30, and you could be the lucky winner of $50!

PLUS: Tweets For Treats!

Want an additional chance to win $50?

Tweet a picture of your favorite literary Halloween costume that you made by October 30. You must use the hashtag #LitCostumeContest to win!

Tweet now!

We’ll announce the Twitter contest winner on our blog on Halloween!

Writing contests and awards are an important factor in any author’s pursuit of a serious writing career. The fame and recognition that come along with winning awards for writing (not to mention the prize money) can be a serious boost to not only a writer’s career, but his or her self-esteem as well. Entering legitimate writing contests, big or small, is a great way to get your name out to the writing community and earn a few publication credits along the way.

Writer’s Relief has scoured the Internet to compile a list of the most prestigious prizes and awards for writing that you can earn by entering the nation’s—and the world’s—top writing competitions.

If you’re a writer whose dream is to land a publishing contract with Random House and see your book in stores nationwide, consider creating a strong writing bio first. Building publication credits before querying a literary agent is a strategy that gets your foot in the door, and based on our years of experience preparing submissions, writers who can boast publication of shorter works tend to have an easier time getting an agent’s interest.

Build your publication credits by submitting short stories, poems, or essays to literary journals and magazines. Some folks believe it’s not important to have published any short works before approaching an agent. With a fantastic novel that can stand on its own, you may well be able to find an agent without any publication credentials at all, but there are a number of reasons publishing your shorter work can help you get ahead.

Do you know where to submit poetry for money? Believe it or not, there ARE literary journals that are willing to pay their writers for poems. They are few and far between, but they do exist. Some literary journals receive grants or are university funded, so they are able to pay their poets a relatively small amount of money to publish their work. But most literary journals are unable to pay anything to writers who submit poetry.