Yes, there are many free writing competitions that offer opportunities for book promotion. These competitions are usually organized by literary magazines, publishing houses, writing organizations or online book communities.
Winning or even entering writing competitions can be a great way to gain exposure for your work. Many competitions offer publication opportunities in literary magazines or anthologies, which can help get your writing noticed by potential readers.
Here are some free writing competitions that you may want to consider:
The Bridport Prize: This competition offers awards for short stories, poetry, and novels. The shortlisted and winning entries will be published in an anthology.
The Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers: This competition is open to emerging writers, and the winning entry will be published in Glimmer Train. The winner will also receive a cash prize.
The James Jones Fellowship Contest: This is a competition for unpublished novelists. The winner will receive a fellowship to attend a writing residency and a cash prize.
The Sunday Times Short Story Award: This competition is open to authors around the world, and the winning author will receive a cash prize.
The Missouri Review Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize: This competition offers awards for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The winning entries will be published in The Missouri Review, and the winners will receive a cash prize.
The Bath Flash Fiction Award: This competition offers awards for flash fiction. The winning entries will be published in an anthology.
The Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards: This competition is open to self-published authors. The winners will receive promotion in Writer's Digest and on their website.
It’s important to note that while entering a writing competition can be an excellent promotional tool, it’s not a guarantee of success. It’s still up to the author to continue promoting their work through other channels, such as social media, word of mouth and online book clubs.
Overall, entering free writing competitions is a great way to get your work published, gain exposure, and build your reputation as an author. So why not give it a try? Good luck!
