FirstOne Publishing. Also known as @FirstOneDigital on Twitter. It’s running a writing competition. I will not be entering this competition.
If you read the contest’s terms and conditions you’ll come across this little gem, otherwise known as Clause 13:
By submitting an entry, all entrants grant Sponsor the absolute and unconditional right and authority to copy, edit, publish, promote, broadcast, or otherwise use, in whole or in part, their entries, in perpetuity, in any manner without further permission, notice or compensation.
What that means is that simply by entering your work in this competition you’re giving it to FirstOne Publishing for ever and always. FirstOne can use that work in just about any way it wants to, for ever, without ever paying you anything, or even letting you know it’s doing so.
What makes that worse is that FirstOne Publishing is charging a ridiculously steep entry fee of $149. So all entrants will be paying $149 FirstOne Publishing to take away the rights to their work for ever and always. Insult and injury, anyone?
I first heard about this over at AbsoluteWrite. On first glance it seemed like another literary competition run by clueless amateurs but no! Karen Hunter, who seems to be the person behind FirstOne, used to run a small imprint for Simon & Schuster. That doesn’t seem to have helped her writing and editing skills, though, as in her first comment on the AW thread Ms Hunter wrote,
The fee: $149, is to eliminate anyone who thinks they want to be published from entering.
Excuse me one moment: I just have to…
*BOGGLE!*
Sorry about that. No, I can’t get out of the infinity-loop that that sentence creates either.
LOL…to most of the responses. Here’s the deal: If you want to be a part of something bigger than what you’re currently doing, join us. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the naysaying and the problem. It’s very easy to sit on the sidelines and poke holes at everything. It is far more difficult to get out there and do something different. That’s what we’re doing.
Again, we’re grateful for the feedback because it certainly forces us to do a better job, which we will. But it seems as if the comments and the criticisms are not edifying. If your goal is to be a boo-bird. Good job. If you’re goal is to help change publishing, get in the game and let’s play.
Ms Hunter has provided all sorts of other goodies which I could analyse all the way from here to Barnsley but I think I’ve already made my point: and the definitive blog post about this has already been written by the wondrous Evil Wylie. Magnificent.
,
Plenty of other people have written about this too.
Janet Reid (literary agent of many years, and of excellent repute) says Don’t Enter This Contest! and while I wouldn’t make this up even if I were a whole bottle down, Ms Hunter replies:
Janet,
While I appreciate your comments. And I understand your vested interest in this business because if we’re successful, we eliminate the need for literary agents, the contest hasn’t launched yet. So to post our rules and a link telling people that this is a contest to avoid is both self-serving and misleading. Are there issues with the rules, yes. But I think you should wait until the contest officially launches on Feb. 11, 2011, before you tell people to not join it. That’s the fair thing to do.
Could I, a 20-year veteran in publishing as a writer and publisher, afford to put out a contest that rips people off? I’m not desperate. The goal is to truly find the next great author, something not too many people are actually looking for. What’s been your success track record?
Blessings,
Karen Hunter
PS: I sleep extremely well every night because I operate in truth.
And then, moments later, comments again with this little gem:
Janet,
If my response doesn’t appear on your blog, I’ll know what your true motives are. Thanks again.
Brilliant.
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books: FirstOne Publishing Has The Last Word In Bad PR Responses:
The correct response is not, ‘You’re wrong. You have to trust me because I am made of awesome and also experience.’ No amount of sports rheotic and cliche will move that response from its current location in the Far Reaches of the Land of Crap.
Some bloke called Dr Phil, who I’ve never heard of but quite like right now, has posted a pretty good summary of events, and why he’s not going to be entering this competition any time soon in a post titled Yikes! Another Vile Writing Contest!
Writer Laura Anne Gillman made some pertinent comments.
John Scalzi is his usual succinct self.
There’s a lovely analysis of the contest’s rules here, written by a real-life lawyer!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jane Smith, nicolamorgan, Emma Darwin, Sven Hesse and others. Sven Hesse said: FirstOne Publishing is holding a very shitty writing competition: http://howpublishingreallyworks.com/?p=3975 [...]
I gave the terms and conditions to an eleven year old of my acquaintance and asked her to “read it carefully and then tell me what you think”. Her response was “I don’t understand most of it but the bits I did understand I don’t like because if it was a real competition you would not have to pay money.” After a bit more thought she said “And it sounds like you are giving them everything and they are not giving you anything back.”
Absolutely right.
Dear Jane,
We were burgled yesterday. Thus laughter is not easily drawn from me today.
I just split my sides. Thank you.
Jane, I am so glad there are people like you out there, and the others whose blogs you’ve linked to here, helping spread the word about these dodgy scammy competitions. Keep up the good work!
I read this over on the other site too, and all I can add is that I want to roost with you and the Boo-birds as well!
Oh and to sympathise with Catherine about her burglary.
@ Mary Hoffman:
Mary, thank you. It wasn’t too bad – they only got into our garage and our vehicles before my daughter woke and disturbed them. We’ve suffered some uninsured losses, true, but it could have been so much worse. I only meant that I am in a dour mood today but Jane’s way of putting these things across has drawn genuine laughter from me nevertheless.
Not only does she keep us all informed but she does it with humour, wit and verve.
BTW, am I stupid or is this person saying that anyone who SUBMITS a story to that ‘competition’ even if they get nowhere hands it over to First One to do what they want with it and can’t ever use it again? Huh?
I’m a big fat Boo-bird and proud to be one.
I am a speechless Boo-bird after reading this!
Good grief. Once again, Jane, you do a great service by flagging this stuff up.
What an arrogant piece of blatant ripoffery and nonsense. I can’t quite believe it’s being run by someone with a track record in serious publishing!
It’s really quite dangerous to give some people computers and electricity, isn’t it?
Excellent idea. I have nothing else to do for X months so I’ve got plenty of time to write 60k words of decent prose. I’ll then hand it over and of course I’ll pay money as well, cos we all know there’s no ‘something for nothing’ these days and why should writing contests be any different. It’s only fair.
Then it’s win/win all round! I’ll probably get to see my work in print somewhere even if I don’t get a prize, as the organisers have kindly advised they’ll take control of it and shape and enhance it any way they like (good move – I won’t be arguing with any pesky editors) so I can be assured it’ll fit the intended audience. Hopefully they’ll even spice it up a bit with some embedded advertising (sorry – product placeement), as advised by their ‘about us’ page.
And of course I won’t publicly express any adverse opinions or enter into any robust discussions, for I would not want to “undermine the legitimate operation of the contest” as this would be “a violation of criminal ad [sic] civil laws” (re clause 12) and I wouldn’t want any of that, not at all.
Tell you what, why don’t I just leave 150 bucks and my work on a train. This way I can also avoid filling in any entry forms and all that stress about future publicity, and just cut straight to looking out for my work in print.
Off now, to make a start.
Don’t forget how they don’t even have to pick a winner if they don’t want, Jane!
I’m totally going to pop over to Picnik or Photoshop and create a “Professional Boo-bird” business card for myself. That is just too much fun.
Let’s see if this works:
Okay, it didn’t. So here’s the link:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y153/sidgirl/boobird.jpg
[...] read a few articles in the past couple of days about this absurd writing contest, which has rules that state unequivocally that all contest [...]
I am SO going to call you Boo Bird from now on, Ms Kane!
Yes, Sally, you got it right: what the rules state is that by entering, hand your work over on a plate with a nice little $149 garnish. Owie.
And Carey, I think your plan might well be just as good a way to establish yourself as a writer as entering this competition is. Only I bet you could get away with leaving 52p instead of the tonne and a half, thereby saving yourself enough money to pay for your train ticket. Wins all round!
[...] read a few articles in the past couple of days about this absurd writing contest, which has rules that state unequivocally that all contest [...]
I’m speechless. This doesn’t happen often, but hell… If the purpose of the competition is to weed out people who want to publish, and the rights are tied in perpetuity, then the real agenda of the “competition” is utterly beyond my grasp. If there were elements presented which were attractive enough for people to chase after, that would assuage some of the feeling that this is an elaborate joke, but it seems as if it is being portrayed by those involved as a serious alternative to traditional publishing. Mastery of doublethink isn’t something I want in someone who is running a competition for authors.
It’s an elaborate joke, then. Right? I’m not laughing at the prospect someone might get screwed out of their rights, but it has to be a joke…
Now I know where the line Vin Diesel line, “Let’s play.”, in The Chronicles of Riddick came from.
I think I’m going to be a boo bird too.
I’m still googling to find out what \rheotic\ might be. A sports rheotic at that – sounds like some nasty happening to the rotator cuff. I guess I’ll have to bow to the verbal expertise of someone with so much experience of the word industry.