VOLUME 23, ISSUE 49 | DECEMBER 15, 2023 |
THE
IN-BETWEEN I just turned in a manuscript and am not quite ready to start another. It's that time of my writing year that I take stock of what I have accomplished and what I still hope to complete in the time I have left. My mind is emptied of a story that consumed it for four months. There's room to bat ideas around. There's space to figure out how and what
will fill it back up for the next four months. . . and for months and years after. My stories fill up a lot of my mind. I feel empty when there isn't one alive and kicking, but that emptiness is necessary to take measure of what I want to do with my stories and myself. Sometimes I believe we get too busy with the busy-ness of existence to slow down and ponder
quality of existence. With the sudden dump of a story out of my brain, I'm left with a void that becomes a very in-your-face time to ponder. So I set goals and I dream dreams. I enjoy being empty and I look forward to filling things back up again. It's when I realize that I do love to write, and I relish having a career from which I hope to never retire. |
C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
Email Hope | Visit Website | Sign up for Newsletter
Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326
FFW
has proudly been on the Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers list every year since 2000
Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. Use information listed at your own risk. FundsforWriters gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the markets, contests, and grants although research is done to the best of our ability. FundsforWriters finds open submission calls, contests, and markets from a wide variety of sources, including Erika Dreifus' Practicing Writer newsletter, Erica Verrillo's blog, Authors Publish, Poets & Writers, Duotrope, Winning Writers, Write Jobs Plus, LinkedIn Jobs, Emily Stoddard, and other newsletters and
online sites. Many announcements are submitted directly to FundsforWriters from active contests, journals, magazines, publishers, residencies, and grant providers. All must be paying opportunities. Contests must pay a minimum of $200 first place. Submit potential listings to hope@chopeclark.com
TWITTER
- http://twitter.com/hopeclark
AUTHOR SITE - http://www.chopeclark.com
FACEBOOK
- http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
GOODREADS - http://www.goodreads.com/hopeclark
BOOKBUB - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-hope-clark Read the FFW Archive Ready to set your 2024 writing goals? Join me, Kate Meadows, for a FREE workshop in January to hammer out your writing goals for the new year and walk away with a personalized 2024 writing road map! In this workshop, you will: - Name 2 or 3 writing goals you want to accomplish in 2024
- Identify potential hurdles that stand between you and those
goals
- Brainstorm ways to overcome those hurdles
- Walk away with a step-by-step plan for how to accomplish your writing goals for 2024
3 LIVE workshop times to choose from: Saturday, 1/13/24 @ 10:00 AM MT Sunday, 1/14/24 @ 3:00 PM MT Monday, 1/22/24 @ 12:00 PM MT Register at
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/28/2nn65im2 Questions? Email kate@katemeadows.com.
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SLOW AND STEADY
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For at least six years, I've been signing my latest release at a local coffee shop. It's not large. The books range from Take 1 Leave 1 to brand new local authors (like me). You can buy a relatively new book (sometimes brand new ones) of all genres, then bring it back and get half price refunded. Atop it all, you get fantastic coffee from simple plain morning brew to the Catcher in the Rye English Toffee and Almond. The pastries are to die for (my favorite is the heavily
iced cinnamon roll). The past week I sold 52 books just standing around with local friends, family, and visitors. I have sold as few as ten. The deal is that I keep my books stocked there. I replenish the titles as needed, never letting a title go lacking. When I speak, I tell people The Coffee Shelf is the Midlands headquarters for buying my books, just like the Edisto Bookstore is the Lowcountry headquarters. By signing there twice a year, and putting my books front and
center, they continually sell, and they continue to increase in sales. I cannot emphasize enough that slow and steady wins the race. Be reliable. Always be writing. Always be available. Always be in the local public's eye. By having my favorite bookstores, they have my back as well. While people used to ask, "What have you written?" now they ask, "You wrote all these?" The respect level jumps through the roof when they realize this isn't a hobby. It's difficult to write
through the lean times, the down times, the sad times, and the losing-money times, but you don't come out on the other end as a success without enduring them. Write regularly. Publish regularly. Take your writing seriously so that others will as well. When others want to be like you, you know you've done something right, and often it takes little more than being slow and steady.
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Don't miss out on your chance to join our dynamic community of writers! The preferred deadline for MFA Creative Writing applications at The New School is January 15th. Apply now and take your writing to the next level https://www.newschool.edu/writing/ - December 23, 2023 - Signing Edisto Bookstore, Edisto Island, SC - 1-3 PM -January 13, 2024 - BFF of the Midlands Book Club, Steve's Classic
Burgers, Irmo, SC - 10:30 AM-12:30 PM -January 27, 2024 - Honea Path Library, 318 N Shirley Ave, Honea Path, SC - 10-noon
-June 1-8, 2024 - The Gutsy Great Novelist Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine - writer-in-residence - July 9, 2024 - South Congaree-Pine Ridge Branch Library, 200 Sunset Dr, West
Columbia, SC 29172 - 5:30-7:00 PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise. There's
starting to be life out there! Get it down. Take chances.
It may be bad, but it’s the only way
you can do anything really good. ~William Faulkner Dear Hope, As a FFW subscriber for many years I know that all my publishing successes have been at least partially due to the tips, examples, and encouragement I've found in this newsletter. Straight talk about the hard work and the message "Keep going!" has kept me inspired, even in hard times. My most recent successes (yes, plural!) are connected to my latest book project. Over 25 years ago I fell in love with the book George Washington Carver: An American Biography. It had been out-of-print for decades; I wanted to get it back into circulation. Through many roadblocks I stuck with this quest and finally met with success! (You can read about it here.) I was also successful in obtaining
pre-publication reviews from all the Carver scholars I contacted and from one of my heroes in the agricultural sustainability field, author Joel Salatin! But the cherry on top was recognition in one of my favorite print publications, MaryJanesFarm Magazine. While publisher/author MaryJane Butters' schedule did not allow time to review the book herself, I was told that because
they liked the story about my quest they would mention the book in their Dec./Jan. '24 issue. Due to sage advice (from FFW), I made that easy for them—I sent them a ready-to-print article. To my astonishment, the article was used almost word-for-word and filled an entire page of the magazine! Tears of gratitude! Thank you, Hope. FFW creates
the means for ripples of success that spread in ways we cannot even imagine.
Sandra Knauf
Greenwoman Publishing
New Release for 2023: Rackham Holt's George Washington Carver: An American Biography
Greenwoman on Substack
<<If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com >>
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The Importance of Following Editors on Social Media
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By Rachel Carrington Have you got your eye on a publication, one that would be a great achievement if you could just break into it? You’ve submitted and submitted, but you’ve been rejected as many times. So many times, in fact, that you decided to put it on the back burner or even walk away altogether. because you sense you’re wasting your time. You can’t seem to click with an editor, or maybe they’ve purchased one of your pieces but haven’t accepted anything
else. We all know that tastes are subjective, and that’s why it’s so important for you to follow online the editors of any publication you want a byline in. By paying attention to editors on social media, you’ll see if they’ve moved on to other avenues, thus giving you an open door to make your pitch again. With that editor gone, you have another shot with a different one who may have a different view of your work. Fortunately, I speak from personal experience, multiple times. I sold two
essays to one editor at Startrek.com, but, after that, she wouldn’t accept anything else. I tried for over a year. Thankfully, I followed her on Twitter, and one day I checked her bio to discover she’d moved to another publication. I immediately submitted a pitch to the new editor who replaced her, and the proposal was accepted within two months. I submitted another pitch right after that one, and it was accepted within three days. I have another pitch under consideration as I’m writing this
article. Check the masthead, About Us, or Meet the Team section of a publication to find an editor to follow on social media as the magazine itself is usually listed separately on Twitter. For example, the literary journal, Chestnut Review has its own separate Twitter handle @chestnutreview, but if you review its masthead (https://chestnutreview.com/masthead/), you can find a list of its editors, many of whom have their own handle to follow. But what if you choose not
to use social media? Or, if you do, Twitter just isn’t your thing. Even though a lot of editors are active on Twitter, you can still work around your aversion to the micro-blogging site. You can use Google calendar or any online calendar to keep track of your favorite publications and their editors. Set a reminder every three months to check the publication’s masthead. Though I am active on Twitter, I still use this reminder method for those editors I haven’t been able to find on Twitter
plus to remind myself to check Twitter. I use something simple like: Check Bailey Marsh (fictitious name) as editor for MORE Magazine. That way, when I check in three months, and I don’t see Bailey Marsh’s name, I know I’m good to submit again. Recently, I discovered another publication that changed editors so I took a chance and submitted the exact same pitch I’d sent to her predecessor and had had rejected. The new editor was excited about the topic and immediately accepted it. That’s
proof that tastes are subjective, and different editors steer their ships different ways. Though it seems like a lot of work, it pays off when you see how often editors change jobs. Many do not stay in the same place for very long, which, if you’re paying attention, gives you second, third, and even more chances to get that byline you’ve been chasing. A rejection (or several) doesn’t mean you give up. It may instead mean you wait a little while longer until a different editor is
onboard. That editor could very well like your work. BIO:
As well as being a published author of fiction, Rachel Carrington is also a nonfiction writer and has written for the New York Times, Startrek.com, The Writer, and many others. She is also the site expert for Red Shirts Always Die, a site devoted to Star Trek. You can visit her on the web at www.rachelcarrington.com and on
Instagram @rcarrington2004.
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You have a book idea, but you don’t know where to begin. You’ve started your book but stalled in the muddy middle. You’ve rewritten the first couple of chapters over and over but have gotten no further. Does any of this sound like you? Or, do you wonder… Is it worth my time to write a book? Will anyone want to read what I have to say?
Will I be able to figure out how to get it published even if I can write it? These are all excellent (albeit somewhat discouraging) questions. And guess what? We have the answers for you. Sign up for our FREE virtual conference happening January 1-5, 2024 (and tell your writerly friends to sign up too)! Delivered straight to your inbox, you’ll get two videos a day that week focused on supporting and encouraging your writing journey. THEN, we’ll be also playing the videos during LIVE watch parties in a private Facebook group so the coaches at THE NARRATIVE PROJECT can be with you to answer your questions and cheer you on in your commitment to…Write That Book Already! Throughout the week, we'll give you inspiration,
instruction, and a roadmap to your next steps. You won't want to miss this year's interviewees! Register today at https://writethatbookalready.thenarrativeproject.net BAKWIN AWARD FOR FULL-LENGTH PROSE
https://blairpub.com/submissions
FREE to $25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2024 (or until 300 entries received). This award is for an unpublished full-length literary prose work of
fiction or nonfiction, prioritizing manuscripts by authors that fit Blair's mission of publishing new and historically neglected voices. Entries should be literary in nature. Novels, short story collections by a single author, memoirs, essay collections, and biographies are all acceptable. No poetry. The winner will receive publication and a $1,000 advance against royalties. THE JOURNAL NONFICTION COLLECTION PRIZE
http://thejournalmag.org/book-prizes/prose-prize
$23 ENTRY FEE. SUBMIT February 1 - March 15, 2024. The Non/Fiction Collection Prize is awarded annually to a book-length collection of short stories, essays, or a combination of the two. The prize carries a cash award of $1500 and publication with The Ohio State University Press under its standard contract. The award is open to writers of
fiction and creative nonfiction, whether or not they have previously published a book. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 350 typed double-spaced pages, 12-point font. DOGBERRY BOOKS WRITING PRIZE
https://www.memoirist.org/prizewinners
£25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 1, 2024. Inviting submissions of
memoir or literary fiction or autobiographical novel of 70,000 - 90,000 words. Prize £500 and offer of publication. BEST CHAPTER BOOK COMPETITION
https://www.searchlightawards.co.uk/competitions/best-chapter-book-for-5-8-year-olds-2024/
£12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31,
2024. Best Chapter Book for 5-8-year-old readers. It can be a stand-alone story or part of a series. All you need to submit is the first chapter and a short pitch that tells us what the book is about. First prize is £350 cash prize and a one-to-one call with our agent judge. Ten shortlisted writers are included in Searchlight’s Pitch Book of winning stories, which is sent to literary agents and publishers to help your work get noticed. Your entry and biography included in our Winners’
Gallery on the Searchlight Awards’ website, which agents, publishers, friends and family can access. THE NOT QUITE RIGHT FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
https://notquitewritepodcast.com/prize/
AUD $25 ENTRY FEE. The January 2024 Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction will challenge writers to create an original piece of flash fiction based
on two typical writing prompts plus one anti-prompt. What’s an anti-prompt? It’s a call to break a specific rule of writing. You know, those things you must never do if you hope to be a successful writer? Eight prizes with a total prize pool of AUD $2,000, including an AUD $1,000 first prize! You will have 60 hours to produce 500 words. The competition will commence at midday 12.00pm AEDT Friday 19 January 2024 (Sydney, Australia time). Entrants will have until midnight AEDT on Sunday 21
January 2024 to submit a 500-word piece of original fiction in response to the given criteria. The competition is open to all ages and levels of ability all over the world. THE GLENCAIRN GLASS CRIME SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://whiskyglass.com/crime-short-story-competition
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline
December 31, 2023. Glencairn Crystal, the maker of the world’s favourite whisky glass – the Glencairn Glass, and sponsor of the McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime writing awards, is seeking crime short stories in collaboration with Bloody Scotland and Scottish Field Magazine. This year’s theme is ‘A Crime Set In Scotland.’ Short stories must be 2,000 words or less. The competition is open to all writers worldwide, published and unpublished, who are over 16 years old.
First prize – £1000. Runner Up – £500. NORTHERN DEBUT AWARDS: FICTION, NARRATIVE NONFICTION, and YOUNG ADULT
https://newwritingnorth.submittable.com/submit/280148/northern-debut-awards-fiction-narrative-non-fiction-and-young-adult-2024
Deadline
February 12, 2024. This programme will offer a package of support to two writers of fiction or narrative non-fiction and one writer of young adult fiction who are yet to publish a full-length novel or collection of short stories. This award is made possible through New Writing North's partnership with our lead partner Northumbria University. Each winner will receive £2000, mentoring and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network. To enter writers should submit a sample of
3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words. BETHLEHEM WRITERS ROUNDTABLE SHORT STORY AWARD
https://bwgwritersroundtable.com/short-story-award-2/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. We are seeking never-published (including online or blog posts) short stories of 2,000 words or fewer on the
theme: Holiday Tales. We define holiday stories as those that involve any holiday from US Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, or stories that reference those holidays. First Place: $250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales. Second Place: $100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Third Place: $50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING ARTIST INC
https://artistinc.art/
Led by a team of five trained peer facilitators, and designed for up to 25 participants, Artist INC employs an innovative and rigorous 8-week class design, artists learn and grow together through artist facilitator mentoring, small group application activities, large group
discussions and multi-media lectures. Participating artists learn business skills relevant to their art practice and apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Applications for ARTIST INC LIVE are at Little Rock, AR, Houston, TX, and Wichita, KS and are open through January 16, 2024. ARTIST INC EXPRESS is a slimmed down, yet still highly active, version of the popular eight-week Artist INC Live program. If you sign on for Artist INC Express, you are asked to commit to the entire
ten-hour workshop, as exercises build on one another and as participants develop deep relationships with their fellow artists over the three sessions. Multiple dates and places online. CATALYZE GRANTS - ARKANSAS
https://www.maaa.org/artists-grants-fellowships/catalyze/
Deadline January 22, 2024.
Catalyze fellowships of $10,000 are awarded annually to twenty-five artists, who may choose how best to use the funding in support of their creative practices. Grantees actively work under the guidance of Peer Artist Facilitators to formulate their self-determined ideals of success and strategically plan how best to utilize the grant funding to achieve their goals in an amplifying professional development retreat weekend. Must be a full-time resident of the State of Arkansas and have established
a minimum of one-year residency in one of the following central Arkansas counties: Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Jefferson, Lonoke, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Van Buren, White, and Yell. GEORGIA WRITERS ASSOCIATION LGBTQIA+ LITERARY SUCCESS GRANTS
https://www.georgiawriters.org/
Deadline January
12, 2024. Designed to encourage and amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth (18 - 24) in Georgia. The four LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants will be awarded annually, one each in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and screenwriting. Winners receive $500, scholarship to present at the Red Clay Writers Conference, and local and national promotion. INDIAN ARTS RESEARCH CENTER
https://sarweb.org/iarc/native-american-artist-fellowships/
Deadline: January 15, 2024. The IARC invites applications for its artist-in-residence program, which annually awards three fellowships, including a monthly stipend, housing, studio space, a supplies allowance, full access to the IARC collections, and travel reimbursement to and from SAR. Fellowships are intended to give artists time to
explore new avenues of creativity, grapple with new ideas that can advance their work, and strengthen their existing talents. The fellowships support diverse creative disciplines, including sculpture, performance, basketry, painting, printmaking, digital art, mixed media, photography, pottery, writing, and film and video. GEIST
https://www.geist.com/writers/submit
Geist is always seeking short non-fiction (around 800-1500 words, flexible), typically personal narrative, for the Notes & Dispatches section. Pay is commensurate with length, usually $300-500. Longer non-fiction pieces (up to 5000 words) are
published as Features. We pay up to $1000. We are especially reading for non-fiction at this time. We’re interested in comics that are weird, funny, unexpected or experimental. We pay $100 per page. We publish short stories (up to 5000 words) in the Features section. We usually publish one story per issue, so please send only your best work. We pay up to $1000. Send a maximum of 5 poems. We pay $100 per page. INSIDE FREELANCER
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSwjMSqt63ftM9Q1VyITTzZrLqlEl8VUVIysU3obvX7k-mAg/viewform
We're looking for Aldi, Trader Joe's, and/or Costco shoppers to write posts like this for our grocery diaries: I'm a dietitian who used to work at Trader Joe's. Here are 10 easy meal ideas using products from the chain.
https://www.insider.com/things-to-get-at-trader-joes-for-easy-meals-from-dietitian-2022 - OR -
I'm a mom of 10 who's shopped at Costco for almost 20 years. Here are 20 things I always buy in bulk.
https://www.insider.com/costco-best-things-for-moms-to-buy-for-a-big-family. You MUST be able to visit the store and snap horizontal photos of each item you're speaking about during your next trip! Sometimes it's easier to snap photos first and write second. I'd love to hear about why you
like them and why you always come back to them. We also love to differentiate our diaries. If you're a mom of six, a dietitian, work at one of the stores, follow Weight Watchers, have dietary restrictions, a tight budget, etc. — it's also worth noting! Rates for stories like these begin at $175 per piece. BROADVIEW MAGAZINE
https://broadview.org/submission-guidelines/
Seeking crisp perspectives on topics related to faith, ethics and justice. Columns run between 450 and 550 words. Pays 75 cents/word). Your pitch should present a clear question and answer. Commissioning for spring and summer 2024, so ideas should be topical, but have a decent shelf life. Pitch to Nicole Schmidt, Associate Editor at n.schmidt@broadview.org. Broadview exists to serve a niche
audience of progressive Christians, as well as those who share similar core values. Our three editorial pillars are: spirituality, justice and ethical living. PLOUGH
https://www.plough.com/en/about-us/magazine-submissions
For Plough’s website and print magazine, we accept submissions of nonfiction articles, reviews,
art, and letters to the editor. Topics frequently covered are religion, culture, society, education, nature, technology, and international. The essays we accept are generally narrative-driven, built around a real-life story rather than around an argued thesis; all the same, we may take an idea-driven piece if the subject is urgent and compelling. We publish both short articles (1000–2000 words) and longer features (2000–5000+ words). Noted for paying $300 and up for articles. FINDABLE
https://www.findabledigitalmarketing.com/careers/
We're looking for freelance writers to work with our design-build clients. This is a freelance and remote position. We hire year-round as client projects come up. Pay $500 to $750 CAD per assignment. Two to five writing assignments a month. Familiar with SEO. You know what
keywords are and how to use them in your writing without coming off as stuffy. Skillfully navigate search engines, databases and publications to conduct in-depth research on any given topic. Content writing entails turning dry and boring information into personable and educational stories such as blog posts, whitepapers, social media posts and case studies. CHICKEN SOUP
https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics/
Cat stories - deadline March 31, 2024.
Dog stories - deadline March 31, 2024.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, New Year's stories - deadline April 30, 2024.
Funny stories - deadline December 31, 2023.
Miracles, messages from heaven, angels -
deadline February 28, 2024.
The power of thinking positive - deadline February 28, 2024.
Keep your story to 1200 words or less. First person only. No fiction. Payment is $250 and ten copies. HOMEBOUND PUBLICATIONS
https://homeboundpublications.com/
Homebound Publications is a Trans/Queer Owned publishing house based in the Berkshire Mountains. We publish full-length introspective works of creative non-fiction and poetry. THE
STORY PLANT
https://www.thestoryplant.com/about-us
Interested in most commercial fiction with some notable publishing in a wide range of genres. Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com for permission. Do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish out of ours.
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 are related to writers and the
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