VOLUME 23, ISSUE 43 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023 |
WRITING TO
LIVE You see the best and the worst of people on social media. People are highly critical, for one. On the other side, people in the midst of strife often bare all. I can be a bit of an empath, and too much of either just sinks me into doldrums or make me feel way too entitled to be happy. So I write. When I write, when I drop back into Edisto Island, or Craven County, or Slade's crazy messed up world, and I return to the minds of those characters, the nastiness of the real world slides away. I've a pretty decent habit of writing 1,000 words per day. Some days it's a burden, but other days, it's an excuse to escape. Most days, I'm simply enjoying myself while righting the ship. That is just one reason to write daily. There are many, but the one I just described can matter to you not only as a writer
but as a human being. I've weathered death, family squabbles, and self-doubt so many times by running to the keyboard. I regularly hear people say they'll wait until they retire, they go on vacation, or they finish a project
before they take writing seriously. (Some say that about reading books, too.) Either writing doesn't really work for them, or they are letting life slip away without pursuing something they love. Not that you don't learn from the world. You just don't let it rob you of your wishes. "So it comes first: the world. Then, literature. And then, what one pencil moving over a thousand miles of paper can do." ~Mary Oliver |
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
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BOOKBUB - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-hope-clark Read the FFW
Archive WOMEN READING ALOUD will host its 12th Writer's Retreat on the magical island of Alonnisos in Greece. June 13 - 22, 2024. Take time for daily writing workshops, reading, swimming in turquoise waters, napping, and beautiful dinners on the beach. Stunning private accommodations for each writer includes a private balcony facing the Aegean Sea. Registration open:
www.womenreadingaloud.org. Contact: julie@womenreadingaloud.org
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WHAT DOES BEING FINDABLE MEAN?
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We put a lot of attention into being very visible through logos, brands, websites, and book covers. Rightfully so, to a point, because a bad first impression is pretty permanent, especially with all the competition out there. Introductions are important. We might want someone to be attracted to our bright lights and spin, but that isn't what makes you a success. What is even more important is
reputation. Do you deliver? How high is your repeat factor? Can you repeat that quality someone appreciated in your first book, that first article, that first gig? That's where your stick factor comes from. That's where you gain traction and create a name. When do you get to the point someone looks for you, by name, by title, by reputation? Seth Godin, American author
and a former dot com business executive, says you want readers to focus not on the SEO search in finding someone like you (i.e., mystery author), but on the more precise human search (i.e., C. Hope Clark). Your goal is to have people looking for you, not something like you or looking for something like what you do. First and foremost, be the quality resource that people would seek. You need to be credible, reliable, and dependable in what you write so
that people search for you. Be someone such that when a reader reads your words, they keenly remember you. Be memorable in your quality of work, and they'll come hunting you by name. That's your goal.
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Spend 6-weeks with Ignite Your Write's committed community of writers and set your writing ablaze. Learn more about what makes your story tick in Fire Works. Spark your creativity in Tending the Fire. Register for both live Zoom workshops and save $50.00 using coupon code: COMBO - December 2, 2023 - Tinsel Town Holiday Market - Lake Murray Presbyterian Church, 2721 Dutch Fork Road, Chapin, SC 29036 - 9-1:00 - C. Hope Clark selling books and speaking to fans. - December 9, 2023 - Signing, The Coffee Shelf, 130 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC - 8-12 AM
- December 9, 2023 - Triangle Sisters in Crime Zoom - Gary W. Clark, Sr talks about crime solving and Hope's books - 1:30-2:30 PM - December 23, 2023 - Signing Edisto Bookstore, Edisto Island, SC - 1-3 PM
- 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! You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.
~Octavia E.
Butler
<<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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How to Book Hollywood Talent for Interviews
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By Orrin Konheim Considering I’ve devoted a significant portion of my life to writing about entertainment, I’m especially agog at the prospect of getting to meet a celebrity face-to-face (or on zoom or the telephone or whatever) and pepper them with questions. Even if I didn’t care about the cult of celebrity, interviewing a famous person pays off in numerous ways. The ability to get an article
greenlit, to get page views on an article, or to up your profile are all enhanced with a famous name. Still. as a sensible reporter with a finite bandwidth to pursue my writing goals, I have to be pragmatic. If I see an actor like Nicholas Cage in a film and think “gee, I really want to interview him,” I think twice. Hollywood personalities are extremely busy with very narrow time windows. While high level celebrities give hundreds of
interviews as part of their contractual obligations, they rarely have the desire to do more. Aim within your range and specialties. What dictates whether to invest the effort is my level of enthusiasm for the material and the demand for the interview. If you are enthusiastic enough about the subject, you might be able to make an up-and-coming sketch comic from the Upright Citizens Brigade seem as worthy as an SNL cast
member. In my running of a series of Zoom Q and A sessions with figures of the entertainment industry, I’ve targeted members of the Upright Citizens Brigade series Characters Welcome as well as the BYU-run sketch show Studio C which has 2.6 million subscribers and actors with national credits and a decent amount of press. Same goes for certain TV shows: I might request the show’s directors, writers, or historical consultants rather than the
actors. I tend to seek people with whom I can claim a connection, which often means I maintain activity with certain journalistic outlets. I write a column at an outlet that writes about TV so that I am more apt to line up TV interviews. I’ve written a few articles about Judaism which recently enabled me to book a guest from the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel recently. Aside from your area of
specialization in your writings, geography is also humongous. When I learn that a Hollywood talent has a tie to markets I’ve written like Savannah, Georgia, Richmond, Virginia, or the DC area, I spring into action. As for how to get the stars’ attention, there are three methods. They generally have an agent listed on IMDB pro. Alternatively, you can contact the show’s own communication team. Another option is the talent themselves. Many
working actors often have their own web pages with which to promote themselves. Some stars are Twitter-friendly in which they’ll respond to and message fans. Nowadays, that social media interplay might expand to Facebook, Instagram, or Tik Tok. Occasionally, I’ll have a star message me out of the blue, or engage with me on Twitter if I’m tweeting or posting a review about their show or film. If that’s the case, I’ll try to develop rapport
and, after a while, spring a question about interviewing them. Since I review TV shows, I might post a favorable review of their show. Be prepared with clips of your interviews or your specialization on a topic. If it’s a video interview, have samples. Mention the specific purpose of your interview, what you will cover, the audience, and how you think it might enhance the publicity for their projects. I normally state that I’m a big
fan, being specific about the way I admire their work. This doesn’t mean that I plan to do a softball interview, but because I have above-average knowledge of film and TV, I want them to know that they will be engaging with someone who’s intelligent about what will be discussed. Be prepared to nail down time expected for an interview. I learned in one of my first celebrity interviews to take time seriously. Stars and their PR people do not
have extraneous time. But don’t jump the gun. I once had an interview cancelled for prematurely announcing on Twitter how excited I was to land an interview with a certain Hollywood talent. Play by their rules. Things get easier. I’ve had interviews materialize after a good job with one client, then the agent pitching me an interview with another client. Be prepared and vigilant: The
hoops involved in interviewing celebrities are never easy. Orrin's interviews includes: The most recent thing and the biggest thing is Caroline Aaron of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXKWbUqUTY&t=443s I interviewed Aisha Tyler of Archer, Friends, and Whose Line Is It Anyway.
https://www.tvfanatic.com/2015/02/archer-q-and-a-aisha-tyler-on-meeting-lanas-parents-workaholic-t/ Oren Brimer became a writer and producer for the Pete Holmes show as well as the show Crashing. I interviewed him a little earlier in his career when he had one of the hottest comedic videos on the web.
https://www.independent.com/2012/07/20/ucsb-grads-batman-webisodes-go-viral/ Greg Garcia was the creator of My Name is Earl and Raising Hope:
https://northernvirginiamag.com/culture/news/2014/10/27/comedy-man/ I interviewed Blair Tindall who was the inspiration for Mozart in the Jungle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWoyvYYNtBc&t=472s Others
include Elaine Carroll (YouTube star), Ben Relles (creator of Obama Girl on YouTube), Frank Calliendo (Mad TV, The Frank Show), Amber Nash and Lucky Yates (Archer), Ron Funches (Curb Your Enthusiasm, AP Bio, The Trolls). BIO: Orrin Konheim is a freelance writer centering in local journalism with publication credits in over three dozen publications over the past dozen years including the Washington Times, the Washington
Post, Smithsonian Magazine, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Gothamist, and Virginia Magazine. His body of work can best be seen at https://muckrack.com/orrin-konheim.
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FARNHAM FLASH FICTION
https://www.flashfiction500.com/
£5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline
February 1, 2024. Limit 500 words. No poetry. £100 top prize. Winning stories are performed at an awards ceremony and published in the festival book. MOTH POETRY PRIZE https://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=9324&page=49
Deadline December 31, 2023. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished. There is no line limit, and the poems can be on any subject. The overall winner of €6,000 will be announced at a special award ceremony online in the spring of 2024. NARRATIVELY MEMOIR PRIZE
https://narratively.submittable.com/submit/274339/narratively-2023-memoir-prize
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2023. We’re on the hunt for revealing and emotional first-person nonfiction
narratives from unique and overlooked points of view. We’ll award the top three writers the following cash prizes, as well as publication on Narratively.com and inclusion in a special Narratively 2023 Memoir Prize Digital Collection: Grand Prize: US$3,000, Finalist: US$1,000, Finalist: US$1,000. Further, Narratively editors will work with the Finalists to potentially adapt their stories into larger projects in different mediums (TV, film, podcasts, etc.). Word count: 2,000 to 7,000. PROLE POETRY COMPETITION
https://prolebooks.co.uk/competitions.html
£3 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 20, 2023. Winner receives £200 and publication in Prole, issue 35. Two runners up
receive £50 each and publication in issue 35. We are looking for poetry that epitomises the editorial values of Prole: to make writing engaging, accessible, challenging and entertaining. PROLITZER PRIZE FOR PROSE
https://prolebooks.co.uk/competitions.html
£5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 21, 2024. Winner: £200, Publication in Prole, issue 35. Two runner up prizes of £50, publication in issue 35. Word limit 2500. SHORT STORY CONTEST ON THE HUMAN IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/best-stories-human-impact-climate-change-IT4Wp
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2024. We are interested in literary interpretations of how individuals and families, societies and economies, cities and nations are bearing the brunt of a world
dominated by new extremes of weather, seasons, and ecological disasters. The emphasis must be on people, their emotions, their decision-making and their forced adjustments, not on scientific theories or advocacy positions. Submissions (in English) are welcome from any writer aged 18 or above. Word limit 500-3,000. One Gold Medal, worth $1,000 in cash, one Silver Medal, worth $500 in cash, and one Bronze Medal, worth $250 in cash, will be awarded on completion of the contest. Prizes are
sponsored by the Book Bin. In addition to the three prize-winners, up to 30 entries will be published in a book-length anthology by Secant Publishing in time for the fourth-quarter holiday season, 2024. KENTUCKY VISIONS SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://www.bluegrasswriterscoalition.com/kentucky-visions-short-story-contest
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2024. First prize $500, second prize $250, third prize $100. Finalists and winners will receive a certificate suitable for framing, and their story will be published in an anthology highlighting the best of
Kentucky short fiction. All submissions must have a Kentucky connection. This means the author must be a current or former resident of Kentucky, or have a family member who is currently a resident of Kentucky, or the story must be set in Kentucky. Limit 7,500 words. Stories written with the assistance of any Artificial Intelligence will not be accepted.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING BOSTON REVIEW INTERNSHIPS
https://bostonreview.submittable.com/submit
Deadline December 11, 2023. Spring editorial internships at Boston Review run from
January/February to May. Full-time interns receive a stipend of $2,500 for five full days of work a week; part-time interns receive a prorated stipend. Stipends are paid in three installments over the course of the internship. All interns work in-person at our office in Cambridge, MA. ABR FELLOWSHIPS - AUSTRALIA
https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/fellowships/about-abr-fellowships
All published Australian authors are eligible to apply for the Fellowships. When we advertise them, we seek proposals for a substantial article. The Fellowship program offers the successful applicant a chance to produce an extended
collaborative non-fiction essay in consultation with ABR. Unlike the Calibre Essay Prize, the Fellowship program is not for finished essays or articles. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of Australian Book Review - its style, its content, its mission. CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBERG CREATIVE RENEWAL AND EMERGING CREATORS
FELLOWSHIP
https://artsandscience.org/creative-renewal-fellowship/
https://artsandscience.org/emerging-creators-fellowship/
Deadline December 11,
2023. ASC will award up to ten $15,000 Creative Renewal Fellowships. The fellowship funds can be used for research, instruction, conferences, apprenticeships, travel, or other experiences that help the recipient explore their creative journey. ASC will award up to ten $10,000 Emerging Creators Fellowships. The fellowship funds can be used for research, workspace/studio rental, conferences, apprenticeships, travel, creation of new work, materials or other experiences that help the
recipients develop their creative capacity. In addition to the grant, the fellowship recipients are encouraged to participate in professional development and growth opportunities through ASC. MASSACHUSETTS GRANTS FOR CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS
https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/grants-for-creative-individuals/
Deadline December 11, 2023. Grants for Creative Individuals are unrestricted grants of $5,000 to Massachusetts artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners to equitably advance creative expression throughout our diverse
communities. POETRY MAGAZINE
https://poetry.submittable.com/submit
Please submit up to 4 poems (up to 10 pages total) for consideration. We welcome poems in all languages. For poems that
are not primarily in English, please include a translation of the non-English portion(s) of the poem. All poets will be compensated for published poems. We pay $10/line with a minimum honorarium of $300 per poem. CONTINGENT MAGAZINE
https://contingentmagazine.org/pitch-us/
Book reviews are roughly 1,000 to 1,500 words; the base pay is $250. Field Trips are pieces that demystify the work that historians do. The base pay for a field trip is $250. Mailbag columns, roughly 400 to 500 words. Is there a question you’re often asked about the work of doing history? Do you wish there were a short, accessible answer to that question you could just point them to?
Write it for us. The base pay is $100. Features, roughly 2,000 to 3,000 words (or a comic/video/multimedia work of equivalent scope). The base pay for a feature is $500. Shorts, shorter pieces, roughly 800 to 1,500 words (or a comic/video/multimedia work of equivalent scope). The base pay for a short is $250. Mini-essays, roughly 200 to 500 words (or a comic/video/multimedia work of equivalent scope). We are especially interested in short pieces centered on a single primary source. The base pay
for a mini-essay is $100. GROW AND CONVERT
https://www.growandconvert.com/content-marketing-jobs/
What we’re looking for is two-fold: the ability to understand a product or
service, its value propositions and differentiators in detail, and the ability to explain that in clear, simple written English. We pay $500 per article. Writers who choose to take on a reasonable full time work load typically can do 10 – 12 pieces per month, so $5,000 – $6,000 per month. Our pieces are however long we think we need to rank for the target keyword. That typically ends up being around 1500 – 2500 words. Everyone at Grow and Convert starts off as a writer. We have folks who stay as
writers and others who transition into strategists and execute the rest of our SEO process for clients. But even to be a strategist, you have to start off as a writer. This is because good SEO writing is the backbone of what we do. So we’re always looking for smart people who can understand and sell our clients products through writing. WOMAN & HOME
https://www.womanandhome.com/about-us/
Our mission at womanandhome.com is to keep women informed on the subjects that matter to them, so they can live smarter, healthier and happier lives. We publish expertly researched buyers guides, in-depth features and the latest shopping news and deals across fashion, beauty, health and wellbeing
and lifestyle. Grace Walsh, Digital Health Editor, grace.walsh@futurenet.com, currently seeks pitches around stress and burnout for Woman & Home online. First-person stories, explainers, deep dives, etc. Purported to pay £150-£200 per article. LATITUDE MEDIA
https://www.latitudemedia.com/pitch-guidelines
Latitude Media covers the new frontiers of climate technology, with stories geared toward well-informed practitioners in the climate and tech industries. Our stories fall into one or more of the following categories and subcategories: Digital tech: artificial intelligence, data centers/cloud, and software/analytics; Grid
tech: infrastructure, distributed energy resources, and electrification/mobility; Emerging tech: hydrogen, carbon removal, and long-duration storage. We primarily commission analysis pieces (600-1,200 words) and features (1,200-2,400 words) from freelancers, as well as (on occasion) news stories (300-800 words) and written explainers (600-1,200 words). Rates generally work out to between 50 cents and 90 cents per word. THE BLOOD PROJECT
https://www.thebloodproject.com/
The Blood Project is a non-profit educational website dedicated to advancing our knowledge about the blood’s connection to human health, disease, and therapeutics. We are currently seeking pitches from freelance
writers. We welcome submissions from both US and non-US citizens. We offer a competitive rate of $0.50 per word for essays, which typically range from 1,500 to 2,000 words in length. Please contact The Blood Project's founder, Dr. Bill Aird, MD, directly at waird@bidmc.harvard.edu. JSTOR DAILY
https://daily.jstor.org/submit/
We’re excited by stories that tease out the details of an historical moment or that look at the obvious in a non-obvious way. Subjects that are newsworthy, entertaining, quirky, surprising, and enlightening are right up our alley. We are particularly interested in work that highlights research by BIPOC scholars and professors, and are committed to
diversifying our pool of regular contributors. Your pitch for a feature story (about 2,000 words) should include a detailed description of the subject you’d like to write about, why it’s interesting now, links to your clips or CV, a news peg, and a preview of the academic angle or articles from JSTOR that you’d like to reference. Features 1,800 to 2,000 words. Reports say pay is 30 cents/word and up. KERNEL
https://www.kernelmag.io/
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyP1DUU37UEdl8oTsJpMBTqTAZB6y7zKByx1M-EvRbewQMvw/viewform
Deadline November 15, 2023. The theme of Issue 4 is LUCK: What are the odds? Short essay and software criticism (1500-2000 words) – $250. Long essay (3000+) – $350. Interview – $200. Other – $200-300. WRITER FOR MR BEAST
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3619441261/
We are the largest YouTube brand in the world, renowned for our seemingly impossible creative ingenuities. At MrBeast, we attribute much of our success to putting our four foundational pillars of viral content above everything
else: IRL Comedy, Spectacles, General Good, and Philanthropy. Our YouTube presence boasts 6 channels, 146 million subscribers, 20 billion video views, and a 501c3 accredited charity. Our ideal candidate for this role will have a duality to their personality. They will be limitless in idea generation and also need to be able to work within our proven video formats. Previous experience in YouTube preferred.
BOOKENDS LITERARY AGENCY
https://bookendsliterary.com/submissions/
BookEnds agents believe strongly in making publishing more inclusive through the titles, authors, and illustrators we represent. BookEnds represents fiction and nonfiction in all genres for both adults and
children. THE TOBIAS LITERARY AGENCY
https://thetobiasagency.com/submissions
Each agent lists specifics of what they seek. Pitch the proper agent who fits your work. Locations New York + Los Angeles + Boston + Dallas/Fort Worth. Appears they seek all levels of fiction and nonfiction, adult and
childrens. EMMA SWEENEY LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.emmasweeneyagency.com/
Specializes in general fiction, historical fiction and narrative nonfiction projects including memoir, history, science and religion. Works with co-agents in every territory, from the UK and Australia to Germany, Spain, France,
Italy, eastern Europe, and Asia, and make dozens of foreign rights sales (as well as audio and first serial sales) for clients every year. EMERALD CITY LITERARY AGENCY
https://emeraldcityliterary.com/submissions/
Emerald City Literary represents picture books, middle grade, young adult, and
children’s nonfiction. We welcome submissions with LGBTQ+ themes and/or diverse characters as well as traditionally underrepresented authors. Please do not query with screenplays, poetry, short stories, or any projects aimed at an adult audience. JIM DONOVAN LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.jimdonovanliterary.com/submissions
Represents both fiction (chiefly mystery/thriller, literary, mainstream) and nonfiction (American history and biography, military, popular culture, sports, health, and general narrative nonfiction). Doesn't represent screenplays, plays, poetry, religious books, children's or middle grade books. 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
business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. While the mailing list is not sold to third parties, other parties do advertise in the newsletter, to include the occasional solo ad. 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
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