There seems to be a new trend in literary contests--reading fees. Certainly, some contests have been charging fees for years, but it's becoming more and more common.
On the one hand, the company running the contest usually pays manuscript readers and needs income for that purpose. If the contest offers a cash prize, that money must come from somewhere, too.
On the other hand, charging a fee for a manuscript submission turns the literary contest into a money-making enterprise instead of a contest for the sake of discovering and enhancing literature. If the reading fee is $10 and the cash prize is $250, only 25 people need to submit before the prize is paid for. After 25 submissions, each reading fee counts as profit.
What are your thoughts? Are reading fees justified? Post a comment or e-mail us!
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