TOP SPONSOR 

Emerald Theatre Company's 6^th Annual 10-minute Play Festival.

This year's theme is The 7 Deadly Sins. Playwrights choose one and get creative! (where are the Gluttony, Sloth and Wrath writers?!)

CONTEST RU:LES:  No more than 10 minutes in length, 10 pages maximum, no more than 3 characters and relates to the theme.

Absurd, Comedic, Dark, Dramatic, Farce, Tragedy...literal or figurative, that is up to you!

Work must be original and unproduced.

These are black box productions so minimal sets required.

SUBMISSION RULES:
Send 2 printed copies. Cover page should only have the plays title and what SIN is represented. On a separate page include playwrights name, address, phone and email. These do not count as one of the 10 pages.

ENTRY FEE:
$10.00 money order or check payable to Emerald Theatre Company. Submissions deadline is May 31, 2023. Winners contacted and announced July 1, 2023 and the play festival is September 1-3, 2023

Prizes                                                                                                                                                               
1^st - $100.00 plus a medal plus stage performance
2^nd $ 50.00 plus a medal plus stage performance                                                                        
3^rd a medal plus stage performance
A total of 7 plays will be performed.


Direct questions to hharmon299@aol.com and also check out our website at etcmemphistheater.com

MAIL TO:
Hal Harmon, c/o ETC
1402 Linden Ave., Memphis, TN 38104
 

EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

FIND THE BALANCE

I received an email from a frustrated reader this week. This excerpt pretty much sums it up:

"I'm still doing medical and legal transcription (keystrokes for pennies) which leaves me unfulfilled and often angry about writing.  I think this is what prompted me to reach out - your writing prompted by anger (see last week's newsletter). Heck, I could likely write The Art of War if I could channel the anger into writing."

They asked me how much time I spent doing copywriting/freelancing. Instead of answering just that, I replied giving a more overall viewpoint of my income. 

Basically my writing time is broken into these areas:

Novel writing (and its marketing)
Copywriting/magazines/freelancing in general (and its marketing/pitching)
Writing/researching for FundsforWriters (which generates advertising income)

Now, there's a difference in writing time and writing income. 

I know of few writers who write in one area (at least for very long). Of course, in the beginning the copywriting/freelance writing makes more income because novel/book writing has a long tail approach to making money. Having as many novels as I do now has allowed that balance to catch up. . . when it comes to money. Right now I earn a third of my income from each of the above, but that was not the balance two years ago and will probably change next year. It's ever a moving target. 

In the early years I still wrote novels. I just made no money at it. It took up half my time, but I knew I had to pay my dues. Yes, I could have just done freelance work and FundsforWriters, but I had to fill that void in me that wanted to write mysteries. That wasn't just a year, either. It was more like ten. 

You can play it safe with writing that earns immediate income. Start pitching to many publications. Establish a website. Start putting in for copywriting gigs on Indeed, Freelance.com, and Linkedin Jobs. Pitch magazines, print and online. Start studying the freelancers who do it for a living. Sign up for their newsletters and YouTube channels. It's not hard. It's not easy, either. Nothing worth succeeding at should be easy. 

But do you have a drive to write something more creative? If so, instead of thinking you only need to be doing one thing, fill your days with a balance of what is easy, what earns you a better income, and what you enjoy. This helps keep you from getting frustrated. 

In terms of time, I spend half my time on novels and half my time on everything else. In my earlier days, I wrote for income-producing venues, then once my tasks were done for the day, I would write my novels into the night. They were my reward. 

Be frank and identify what your goals are. What makes you happy about writing? If the income from your creativity is your driving force, if that's your measure for success, then go at it like gangbusters and focus on those opportunities that generate dollars. If you feel unrewarded doing that, if doing gigs makes you feel like a workhorse, then divide your time up between what you love and what you need to do. 

But don't write until you are too frustrated with it to enjoy it. You have to want to show up at that keyboard. It's easy to be jealous of the best-seller novelists and the six-figure copywriters, but at the end of the day, you have to lie down in your bed and be glad at what you accomplished for the day.

14425219 © Anyunoff | Dreamstime.com

SUPER SPONSOR 

Telling Our Life Stories – A FREE Webinar

Stories are all around us. We hear them. We read them. We tell them.

You're invited to "Telling Our Life Stories," a free webinar hosted by published creative nonfiction author and writing coach Kate Meadows. Explore the power of story, learn how to preserve and share memories of the past and think critically about why your stories matter. We tell stories for many reasons. From this webinar, you'll walk away with the tools and the game plan you need to bring your story to life.

Sign up at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/27/ygg27sq5

Kate Meadows is a published writer, proven editor and passionate writing coach with an MFA in Professional Writing. Learn more at www.katemeadows.com.


 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Featured article

Inside an Independent Bookstore: What Writers Should Know

By David Perez

I’m a writer and author working at Op Cit (https://johndunnshops.com/project/op-cit-books/ ), a locally-owned, independent bookstore in Taos, New Mexico. They’re also in Santa Fe. Formerly called Moby Dickens, the Taos shop has been open almost four decades. My fifteen years of employment there has provided me with insights worth sharing.

First, the sheer volume of books published every year. Numbers range from 500,000 to one million for traditionally published books, which averages from 9,615 to 19,230 new releases every week.

When you add self-publishing, the annual numbers soar to four million. Add the zillions of already existing books and you get an inkling of the challenges facing bookstores—and libraries as well. And writers. 

Generally, bookstores buy what they can afford; what fits on the shelves. Of course, every shop is different: in size, aesthetics, specialties, and so on. Op Cit is mid-size, with thousands of books occupying two floors. To keep informed, we review catalogues, trade publications like Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus, bestseller lists, and customer recommendations. We order mainly from Ingram, sometimes directly from publishers. If Amazon is the only place to get a special customer order, we do that too.

Shoppers come in all shades. Some look for new releases, others for specific authors or specific genres. Some seek only bargain books. Many browse for everything and anything (“I’ll know it when I see it.”). Our bestselling sections are Children and Young Adult. Local and regional Southwest titles are also popular.

Do customers judge a book by its cover? Absolutely! And not just its artwork, but blurbs and who writes them; how the synopsis reads; who the publisher is; the author’s bio. Many examine the interior design: font type, margin size, chapter headings; anything affecting readability.

Then there’s the all-important title. Is it catchy and compelling? Does it make someone want to pick up the book? Tip to writers: spend oodles of time on your cover and title! It can make all the difference in the world. 

Choosing your genre can be equally important. Usually, it’s self-evident: children, cookbook, mystery, poetry, etc. But many books are multi-genre, either by design or topic. At Op Cit, we often have to choose where to shelve a book. For instance, a biography of Nicholas Tesla could go in either Science or Biography, and plenty of customers only shop particular sections. But if we can only afford ordering one copy, where does it go? 

Which raises the question: how would you categorize your book? Where would you want it to be shelved? What’s the marketing focus?

Then, there’s the book price, a tough nut for authors and publishers to navigate, especially because of Amazon discounts and the thousands of publisher overstocks, typically called remainders. From my experience, however, if a customer really wants a book, they’ll find a way to buy it.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and rules can vary widely. There are plenty of topics I didn’t cover: the effectiveness or not of Advance Reading Copies, making a book returnable, the complexities of consignments, and what’s involved in book signings, which are always worth pursuing, as long as you know that you never know. Even small turnouts can turn to gold. One local author read to a room of four people, but one of them hosted a radio show who asked her to appear on his show. 

So, again, you just never know.

All-in-all, working at a bookstore has led to a wealth of knowledge and income-generating ideas. Meeting book lovers of every type is a networking opportunity par excellence. I’ve gotten editing jobs, learned of publishing opportunities, discovered cool MFA programs, angles of writings I never knew existed, and the always fascinating comment: “I wish someone would write (fill in the blank).”

Maybe that someone will be you.

BIO - David Perez is a writer, journalist, editor, actor, radio host, teacher, and author of two memoirs: WOW! (2011) and WOW! 2 (2016). His "Speak Your Writing to Life" and "Theatre Games" workshops have attracted people from all walks of life. David's acting roles range from Othello to Santa Claus. He lives in Taos, NM.

https://www.instagram.com/opcitbooks/
https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/taos-is-for-book-lovers/
 

COmpetitions

THE JENNY BROWN ASSOCIATES OVER 50 AWARD - UK
https://jennybrownassociates.com/news
Deadline May 31, 2023. Our inaugural award for unpublished and unrepresented debut novelists aged 50 and above who reside in the UK has just been announced .The prize will include £1000, a week’s residency at Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre, and for the runners-up, one-to-one mentorship with experienced writers and industry professionals. Submit the first 5000 words of your debut novel together with a one-page synopsis and brief information about yourself (including date of birth) and what inspired this work. Please note we will not be considering science fiction, horror or fantasy.

SUNSPOT CONTEST FOR WRITERS AND ARTISTS - RIGEL
https://sunspotlit.com/contests
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2023. Rigel offers $500 plus publication to the winner, and offers publication to select finalists. No restrictions on theme or category. The length for prose is restricted to a maximum of 5,000 words for short stories, or ten pages for poetry, scripts, and graphic novels. Excerpts from longer works are eligible, should start with the beginning of the manuscript, and must include a synopsis. Feedback is available for fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels for an additional fee. 

BLACK VOICES IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE WRITING CONTEST
https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/free-spirit-publishing/black-voices-childrens-literature-writing-contest/
NO ENTRY FEE. Open June 19, 2023 to July 24, 2023. The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. As always, the contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Black people. Eligible entries will include original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious messages (outside of the representation of religious practices) and fantasy themes will not be considered. Only one entry per person. First Place: $1,000 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, a tote bag from Free Spirit, and a meeting with Mary Taris, founder of Strive, and an editor from Free Spirit to discuss the winner’s project. The winning submission will be seriously considered for publication by Free Spirit, cobranded with Strive; however, publication is not guaranteed. Second Place: $500 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, and a tote bag from Free Spirit. Third Place: $250 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, and a tote bag from Free Spirit. Sponsored by Free Spirit Publishing and Strive Publishing.

BARDSY ANTHOLOGY CONTEST
https://bardsy.com/contest
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 20, 2023. Grand prize: $1000 and anthology publication. All finalists will receive $50 and anthology publication. PROMPT: This time it's simple: your first chapter. We’re looking for first chapters that grab our attention and leave us wanting more. Your chapter should set the stage for the story to come, establishing key elements like character, world and conflict. Original, previously unpublished stories between 2,000 and 3,000 words. English only.

THE HENSHAW SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.henshawpress.co.uk/
£6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2023. First prize £200, second prize £100, third prize £50. Entries must be a fictional short story of up to 2,000 words on any theme. 

STRONGER TOGETHER CONTEST
https://neovel.io/contest/stronger-together-contest
NO ENTRY FEE NOTED. The theme of the contest is "Love makes us stronger". Write the story of characters who must face incredible struggles to be together. Together, they learn that love can be the source of their strength and courage. This romance should begin in late Spring or early Summer. The most important struggle must appear in the story before the end of the 4th chapter and must be mentioned in your synopsis. At the end of the voting session, the 7 most voted books and the three first places of the fortnights will be submitted to our jury of specialists. Voting starts May 5, 2023 and submissions close June 17, 2023, and voting ends July 1, 2023. For the three winning finalists, among the 10 books the prizes are €500 plus a Neocast interview, Premium integration, Neovel editorial and communication support, second is €250, Neovel editorial and communication support, and third is €100, Neovel editorial and communication support. 

PPP POETRY COMPETITION
https://www.pandemonialists.co.uk/ppp-poetry-competition-2023/
£3 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2023. First prize for this competition is £300. Second prize, £100. Third prize £50. Poems must be in English, and no more than 40 lines long. The competition is open to anyone aged sixteen and over.

THE WELLS FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE COMPETITIONS
https://www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk/
£6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2023. 

POETRY - First Prize £1000. Second and third prizes – £500 and £250 respectively. Plus £100 for a local poet. Poems must not exceed 35 lines of text in length.  

CHILDREN'S BOOK - First Prize £750. Second and third prizes – £300 and £200 respectively. Plus £100 for a local author. The competition will judge writing for children, age 7 and up. This includes writing for young adults. 

SHORT STORY - First Prize £750. Second and third prizes – £300 and £200 respectively. Plus £100 for a local author. Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.

YOUNG POETS - First Prize £150. Second and third prizes – £75 and £50 respectively. Plus a year's membership to The Poetry Society. Poems must not exceed 35 lines of text in length. £3 ENTRY FEE. Competitors may submit only one entry and must be aged 16 to 22 inclusive, at the closing submission date on 30 June 2023.

THE WRITING DISTRICT PRIZE
https://thewritingdistrict.com/the-writing-district-prize-2023/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2023. Short stories can be on any subject, theme or genre. First prize $1,000 and publication. Two runners=up receive $100. Story must be written in English. A maximum of 3,000 words. No minimum. 

LIMP WRIST GLITTER BOMB AWARD
https://www.limpwristmagazine.com/glitterbombaward
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 12, 2023. The award is for one outstanding poem by a poet of any stage of her/his/their career.  The GBA is a contest with no entry fee that is open to LGBTQIA+/non-binary poets and their allies. The winner will receive a cash prize of $600, publication of his/her/their winning poem in an issue of Limp Wrist, and a feature spot in the Wild & Precious Life Series. Each honorable mention will be awarded a cash prize of $50 and have their poems published in Limp Wrist. One entry only. A submission may include three poems with each poem being a max of two pages and a submission being a max of six pages.  (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com)

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

RECKONING
https://reckoning.press/submit/
Deadline September 22, 2023. The fiction we publish is mostly, but not exclusively, speculative; the nonfiction is more creative than journalistic, the poetry tends towards the narrative, preferably with some thematic heft, the visual art leans away from the pulpy towards the surreal, subversive, political.  The heart of what we want is your personal, visceral, idiosyncratic understanding of the world and the people in it as it has been, as it is, as it will be, as it could be, as a consequence of humanity’s relationship with the earth. Payment as of 2023 is ten cents per word (US) for prose, $50/page for poetry, interior art negotiable, minimum $50 per piece. 
 
ORION'S BELT
https://www.orions-belt.net/submissions
Deadline September 1, 2023. Stories should be submitted to orionsbelt.submissions@gmail.com. All stories must be under 1200 words (not including the title and byline). Orion’s Belt began as a prose magazine, but it expanded into poetry. All forms and styles of poetry are welcome. We encourage boundary-pushing, experimental poetry. What we care about is subject matter. Speculative elements must be significant. We pay a flat eight cents per word. This is the industry-standard, SFWA-approved professional rate.

OLD MOON QUARTERLY
https://www.oldmoonpublishing.com/
Deadline June 1, 2023. Old Moon Quarterly is a small, independent online magazine devoted to publishing weird sword-and-sorcery fiction set in a historical paranormal setting or a secondary-world, with a focus on well-rounded characters driving strange action. Length 1,000-6,000 words. We pay eight cents per word per short story. 

HABITATS MAGAZINE
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samuelcooke/habitats-magazine-optimistic-science-fiction/posts/3701085
Submissions to Habitats Magazine are now open. We are looking for optimistic and uplifting short science-fiction stories on any subject, and strongly encourage writers from all backgrounds to submit.
Stories should range from 1,000 to 6,000 words and are paid at ten cents per word upon publication.

SAMOVAR
http://samovar.strangehorizons.com/submit/
Samovar is a triannual magazine of and about speculative fiction in translation, published by Strange Horizons. We want excellent speculative fiction stories, and strong poems, in translation! For newly translated stories, accompanied by the original-language version, we pay 8 US cents per word to the author, and 8 US cents per word to the translator, up to a maximum word count of 3,750 words. We cap payment at $300 to the translator and $300 to the author. For reprints of translated stories, accompanied by the original-language version, we pay a flat US$100 to the author and US$100 to the translator. For poetry we pay US$40 to the author and US$40 to the translator. For review-essays, we pay US$40 regardless of final wordcount. For interview/conversations, we pay each participant US$40 regardless of final wordcount. 

SOLARPUNK MAGAZINE
https://solarpunkmagazine.com/submissions/
The submission window is May 1-14 for general solarpunk, but we’ll also be looking for work September’s ‘Solarpunk Myth’ themed issue. Fiction: 1500-7500 words ($.08 per word, $100 minimum). Poetry: up to 5 poems or 5 pages of poems, whichever is shorter. ($40 per poem). Nonfiction: 1000-2000 words ($75 per essay or article). 

BLACK GIRL TIMES
https://www.loveblackgirls.org/pitch
Black Girl Times (BGX) is always looking for thought-provoking stories and content for Black women, girls, and the people who love them. We are Black, Southern girls, women, gender non-conforming, and we are resisters. Our pay rate– $0.25 to $1.00 per word–for writers depends on your level of experience, skill, and other factors. 

THE FANCY COMMAS
https://fancycomma.com/write-for-us/
Every once in a while, Fancy Comma, LLC accepts pitched guest posts to be published on our blog. At the present moment, we are happy to pay $75 per published 800-1200 word article, though we do not accept all pitched submissions. We’re most interested in the intersections of science, politics, and society; ways to improve Science Communication or #SciComm; and essays and articles that shine a light on new or previously unilluminated perspectives. We are especially interested in publishing the work of people who are experts in a given field, and have something to add to the discourse on a given topic, but who may not consider themselves to be the best writers. We’re happy to work with you to refine your ideas and make them suitable for publication. 

STUDY HALL
https://airtable.com/shr3jN5uRPN0sRvZc
We publish stories about media work and journalism, specifically ones that center workers, rather than treating them as an afterthought. The Digest focuses on major news stories in the media world and should feel something like reading the opening few pages of a magazine — fun, informative, quick-reading, and of-the-moment without being too overtly news-y. The ideal newsletter will be anchored by a timely lede essay, nothing robust enough to be a report — think in the 500- to 1000-word range — and is followed by an assortment of four to six rubrics of varying lengths and formats that staffers also contribute to. Pay is $759 per digest. 

STILL ALIVE MAGAZINE
https://stillalivemag.com/
Deadline June 30, 2023. Pitch Erin Somers, Editor at stillalivemag@gmail.com for issue 2, an all music issue. Open to cocktail party anecdotes, weird obsessions, etc. Pays $600 for essays up to 1200 words. 

AARP
https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/info-05-2010/writers-guidelines-aarp-magazine.html
Story idea letters for specific features and departments should be one page in length and accompanied by recent writing samples. The letter should explain the idea for the piece, tell how you would approach it as a writer, give some sense of your writing style, and mention the section of the magazine for which the piece is intended. Your samples should not include the actual story that you are proposing, except in the case of personal essays, which should be submitted in full. Pays up to a dollar per word. 

DECELERATION
https://deceleration.news/submissions/
Deceleration welcomes submissions from freelance journalists, writers, and media producers whose interests fall within the scope of our mission. We welcome proposals for short- and long-form news articles, community op-eds, personal or creative nonfiction essays, theoretical/political analysis, calls to action, multimedia content, and hybrid concepts (documentary poetry, photo essay), and more. You can introduce yourself via the online Google form and email your specific proposal to editor@deceleration.news. Pay is negotiable, but generally ranges from $250 for shorter explanatory stories, videos, or photo essays, to $0.50/word for longer-form investigative and time-intensive features. Currently needing experienced freelance climate journalists/reporters and future community advisors for our growing bioregional journal of environmental justice news, thought, and action.

 

Publishers/agents

TK EDITING

Do you write with purpose? With love? With fervor? If so, then you're my kind of author. Like any editor, I have my favorite genres and story types. Adventure stories with dragons will always have a special place in my heart. But after editing everything from fiction to educational material, I've found that a manuscript's place in the author's heart is much more important. So if you've got a story that you absolutely have to tell or knowledge that must be shared, I would be delighted to help you on that journey.

In thanks to the wonderful resources that Hope continues to provide for us week after week, I'm extending a special offer to each of her readers: 10% off any editing project. Just let me know how you found me.

TK Editing - Editing with passion what has been written with passion.
Email tkeditingservice@gmail.com


- - - 


GANDOLFO HELIN AND FOUNTAIN LITERARY MANAGEMENT
https://ghliterary.com/
Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management is a full-service literary and dramatic rights agency with a presence in Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville. We manage the development, publishing, producing, and licensing of client property including commercial fiction, nonfiction, personal memoirs, original teleplays, and screenplays. With our background in both publishing and Film/TV, we support client projects in a wide array of media possibilities from books to film. Our published authors have produced bestselling books and are recipients of multiple awards. We look to develop and manage projects with strong potential to make an impact in not only the international publishing marketplace but in the film and television industries.

COMCAT BOOKS
https://camcatbooks.com/For-Our-Authors
We’re looking for quality fiction: from fantasy to mystery to romance, with a little of everything in between. We publish adult (over 18) and YA (9th-12th grades), novel-length genre fiction. We’ll look at any good tale, but what we want to see most urgently revolves around these genres: Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance, Historical, Paranormal, Horror, Adventure. We’ll even look at Westerns. 

KEN SHERMAN & ASSOCIATES
https://www.kenshermanassociates.com/
We’re a Los Angeles based, full-service literary agency working with film, television and book writers (fiction and non-fiction).  We also extensively handle film and television rights to books plus life rights. Several of our clients are Pulitzer Prize winners.


.

FUNDSFORWRITERS CONTACT INFO

FINE PRINT

Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.

C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2023, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

**Note that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter, ALL ads being related to writers and the business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. But the mailing list is not sold to third parties. You will not receive this newsletter without your permission. It's physically impossible since recipients must opt-in, giving us permission to send the newsletter. If at any time you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, click the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each newsletter. We want you to enjoy this newsletter at your pleasure, not be forced to read anything you do not wish to receive. The website is not advertised using unsolicited messages by Aweber, affiliates or other third parties. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com. We are an anti-spam site.