Does entering in these help or go against your chances of getting it published? As in, will it be considered self published once entered in the competition?
I don't know the answer to your question, but could you provide some specific examples of the kind of contests/competitions you are talking about? (competition website/URL)
I did give a specific example, it is a novel-in-progress competition. But here is the website if you want to see them say the exact same thing. It is lumped into the novel category. http://www.pw.org/writing_contests/literary_competition
each competition has it's own rules 'n regs in re what can and cannot be done with the work after you submit it to them... so this question can only be answered by reading the fine print of each one... generally, i don't consider it helpful for new writers to enter their work in any contest... and if you must, i would advise not entering any but the top-level ones that have been proven to be 'safe'...
Yeah, I decided not to enter with my novel. If I enter any contests it will be for fun with a short story. But that probably wont happen anytime soon, as I am focused on completing my novel.
