These two things recently showed up in my inbox.

NextBigWriter.com: “Running its annual Strongest Start Novel Competition where writers submit the first three chapters of their novel for consideration. This is not a typical contest in that the novel does not have to be complete for it to be submitted. One of the goals of the competition is to provide writers with the feedback they need to perfect their opening. Writers can also edit their entry after they have submitted it based on the feedback they receive.

1st Place Winner Receives $500 and a $2,400 Publishing Package from BookSurge.

Enter a writing competition to see who can craft the most compelling start to a novel. Whether you write Romance, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Non-fiction, or some other genre, the only criteria is that you write a story that will keep us reading.”

The Next Big Writer tagline needs a rewrite.  “Helping Make it You”?

IndieBooksellers.com: “IB will be similar to Amazon.com, but it will be exclusively for self-published and POD books. The reasoning? There are many great books that don’t make it into the traditional publishing system. IB will be a place for self-published/ POD books to essentially “come out of the closet”…to shed the stigma that–up till recently–clung to that category. As Sundance has done for Indie films, IB’s mission will be to promote and legitimize independent books and authors. And with more and more Indie books finding mainstream success (think Lisa Genova’s Still Alice, currently #9 on The New York Times bestseller list), the change has already begun.

In addition to visibility and a sales platform, the site will offer authors a website page with their own URL, which can be used to post reviews, promote their books, etc. The fee to the author for inclusion on IB is $149 per year but prior to going live (in about 7 weeks) we will be offering a discounted rate of $99 per year. All books on IB will be vetted prior to acceptance.”

Looks like a good concept, if a bit pricey. It’s similar to AuthorsBookshop, which charges only $20 a book – closer to a service like CD Baby.

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