If they already have a big fan base and are being paid then whats the point for them to steal the opportunity from new authors? Im curious to know what the other side thinks and open to new perspectives.
I think itās understandable they like to compete themselves and that they want to boost up their reads as well since as you mentioned, they get paid. To be honest there are two things that usually bother me about this:
- When a popular author enters every single contest - I mean come on, you just canāt be good at everything! Also how do you have so much free time??
- When an average cliche story of a big author gets selected over some amazing entries from unknown writers - and in my opinion this is not their fault, but Episodeāsā¦
17 Likes
I think for some people itās actually not about winning the contest or about gaining more followers, itās about the challenge of the contest itself, like trying to write a story in such a short timeframe and trying or being challenged by the themeā¦ Or maybe theyāre actually just inspired by the theme?
22 Likes
i have a few things to say for this so bear with me 
i donāt see the point of ANYONE joining ALL of the contests throughout the year. like damn, are able to write in all genres???
people need to look at themselves. i dont want to see a romance story if the contest is about fantasy. how hard is it to grasp??? another thing is joining a contest when you have 4+ uncompleted storiesā¦ pLEASE FINISH YOUR STORIES, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF READERS. there are people waiting for your stories!
in conclusion, thereās NOTHING wrong with famous authors joining contests, but if its every single one contest and they leave all of āem uncompletedā¦ yikes.
i agree with what others said too. 
i already know people are gonna post this on ig and say āwhat the fUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE!!!ā but yeah, you canāt change their closeted mind 
9 Likes
smoll thing, by āfinish your stories first!!ā I do not say that its ok for people to harass authors or its a reason for them to not join. Its sad when they cant cooperate their episode stories with their job and school. So many beautiful ideas go to waste.
5 Likes
You made a good point though. If you look at past shelves, so many of them still only have the first three episodes - and since winners are showcased on a shelf, it means theyāve gotten an even bigger audience now who are waiting a year for episode 4 lol
8 Likes
yep, thats just ridiculous for me. if i won i would give all the attention to it unless my favorite theme came for the next contest. it also gives episode a bad look 
6 Likes
Itās a contest for everyone and thatās just how contests work 
The most popular authors compete against each other while the others just join for fun or to improve their writing if theyāre getting any feedback. It also gives some small authors a bit more recognition since people are more likely to check out their story and support it if itās a contest entry.
I donāt think anyoneās āstealingā anything 
11 Likes
I like to think this too, I just wish Episode would give more chance to these small authors when selecting the winners. Looking at the previous contests, I was happy to see some progress on this, but Iām still far from being satisfied 
5 Likes
Definitely 
I think Episode should maybe start creating contests for creators with under 10k reads or something like that. Put some limits for small authors to get their moment of glory and rise from the ashes, you know? That doesnāt mean that they should stop creating contests for everyone, but I wouldnāt mind seeing a shelf dedicated to smaller authors and gems that are actually hidden.
8 Likes
There was actually a feature request for this, which turned into some drama in a very short time, so weād better not talk about this 
4 Likes
Oh, whoops 
Well, we shall remain secretive about it then. I suggest we sneak into Episodeās HQ and make that feature request a reality on our own, away from the drama. No one will see it coming. My code nameās Mexican Rooster and the operation starts at dawn, you and anyone else who supports this are welcome to join.
8 Likes
YES! And now that everyone saw your fake code name, PM me the real one 
5 Likes
Huh, it seems I underestimated you. You saw right through my fake code name and passed the test. Iāll PM you right away and we shall get this operation on the road before anyone has time to say āoff-topicā.
Haha, to not get flagged though, Iāll say this: Itās unfortunate to see the amount of contest winners who donāt ever continue their stories. Iāve been waiting for someone to continue their story which was featured in the Fantastical contest winnersā shelf but Iām wondering if theyāre still alive at this point.
7 Likes
Iām still waiting for some of the Star Power ones 
4 Likes
Oh wowā¦ Everyone, listen! -taps spoon on champagne glass- I want to propose a toast to @amberose for not giving up on those stories yet 
What an example of patience, I canāt believe it.
6 Likes
(they just sit at the bottom of my favourites list. I continue to wait)
Thatās why I kind of liked the thriller contest in that it had to be completed. And the Episode Knitters also did a contest where the requirement was that it had to be completed.
4 Likes
Maybe there should be a contest where only small authors (less than 100k or so reads) can enter. Iād actually really enjoy that.
4 Likes
Ooh! I didnāt know they added that condition, thatās great. Will contest entries for the new contest also have to be completed? I hope it stays that way for all future contests.
2 Likes
Thereās been a lot of discussion and requests about this in the pastā¦ See below if youāre interestedā¦
But it would be incredibly hard to implement and keep everyone happy at the same time. Too difficult to define what is a big author and what is a small author. If you read the thread, youāll see everyoneās points on it
7 Likes