We get letters... Some spam, but some just downright irritating. For example, this one:
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One Prize: $1,000* and publication on XXXXXXXXXXX.com
Contest Rules:
Contest Begins: January 8, 2003
Postmark Deadline: February 14, 2004
Winner will be announced by or on: April 20, 2004
Entry Fee: $20 <--- Note THIS!
And the footnote at the bottom reads:
*In the event that enough entries are not received to cover the $1000 prize amount, the winner will receive 20% of the fees brought in as their winning prize amount instead of the $1000.*
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As our esteemed founder says, "Right... Why not just call it a lottery and be done with it? One prize... sheesh. What if only one person sends in a story, rather than 50?"
On the other hand, there ARE some worthwhile contests. I saw a site called Preditors and Editors linked to Critters.Org as well as SFWA.ORG, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
They have had a yearly contest called Preditors & Editors Readers' Poll where you can vote for your favorite author, magazine, e-zine, story, and what-not. Oddly, Bewildering Stories is there under fiction AND poetry. Also, not so oddly Eric S. Brown and his BWS story "The Five Thieves" is also in the running. So, hey, vote. The poll is available at:
http://critters.critique.org/predpoll
On a totally different something or other, our own Don Webb, who by day is an unassuming (it says here) Professor of French, is translating The Other World or States and Empires Of The Moon. This is especially cool as there are evidently NO English translations available. And you are reading it here first in Bewildering Stories!!!
Copyright © 2002 by Bewildering Stories