Why Enter Writing Competitions? An Interview with Writer Sophie Neville

Sophie Neville recently heard she won the 2022 Eyelands Prize for an Unpublished Novel. She is off to Athens soon to pick up her prize.

Here are some pointers to how she conducts her PR strategy of entering competitions.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ENTERING WRITING COMPETITIONS?

• Competition judges are often literary agents and/or publishers. This can give you a direct ‘in’.

• They make you practice writing a synopsis to a specified length and meeting a deadline. which is good discipline for any writer.
• Feedback can be invaluable, highlighting issues with your work and how to address them.
• Prizes can be lucrative, sometimes including publication.
• Success gives your confidence a great boost.
• Winners have the right to call themselves award-winning writers.

DOWNSIDES

• Entering can be exacting and time consuming, particularly if you enter 57 competitions a year, as Sophie did in 2022!
• Entry fees can mount up. But, as Sophie says, it’s like any other competition you want to enter. There is an entry fee because it has to be funded.  

TOP TIPS

• Read the rules carefully to make sure you qualify.
• Follow the entry requirements to the letter.
• Ensure your synopsis and/or blurb is to the required length.
• Your layout and punctuation must be impeccable.

COMPETITIONS MENTONED BY SOPHIE

• Eyelands Book Awards
• Lakeland Book of the Year – only for books about the British Lake District
• Athenatos Christian Writing–
• A Woman’s Write – submit 1^st 40 pages and you get feedback.
• The Grindstone competition has helped Sophie extend and enrich her work.

OTHER COMPETITIONS FOR UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS

• The Bridport Prize – international
• The Bath Novel Award
• The First Novel Prize
• The Impress Prize for New Writers
• The Caledonia Novel Award
• William Saroyan International Prize for Writing (fiction and non)
• The Fish Publishing Competitions
• The William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing

RESOURCES

• Association of Christian Writers book WRITE WELL A Handbook for Christian Writers. Sophie’s chapter tells you how to make your work immaculate.
• Association of Christian Fiction Writers in the USA is a great resource. “It’s fun and uplifting,” Sophie says.
• Sophieneville.net – is Sophie’s blog and details of her awards.

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