Getting Published a Different Way

[Peg Herring]

Several people I've met in the writing business got their start not by the traditional write-a-letter-get-an-agent-who-will-find-a-publisher method, but by entering a contest. Contests are a good way to get noticed, to see if your work is noteworthy, and to achieve publication.

Sometimes you win, and that's great. Winning the better contests in any given genre usually means publication, and that's great. But some I've met didn't win the contest but still caught the attention of an editor, which led to publication anyway.

So check out contests if you're a writer. Some give feedback, which is free, constructive criticism from people who know the genre. And there's always that chance the the judge will, like a good agent, send your work to an editor with a note that says, "Hey, take a look at this one!"