VOLUME 24, ISSUE 14 | MARCH 29, 2024 |
MAKING CHOICES Today I had coffee with a newly announced candidate for our county council. While I will never run for office, I pay close attention to who I vote for (or against). I had never met this man and asked for moments of his time for him to emphasize why he deserves my vote. I didn't want to make
assumptions or listen to social media. The similar mindset goes for deciding how to publish. While in politics we often listen and heed the advice of those we know, do we really know that those people know it all? Researching our options isn't always fun, but usually it pays. Shortchanging ourselves by only making a choice on limited knowledge will most
likely lead to regret. - What do you lose by self-publishing? What do you lose by traditionally publishing?
- What are the advantages in the short run? In the long run?
- Who do you know who has succeeded
in one? And has succeeded in the other?
- Who has failed in one? And failed in the other?
- Who is earning serious income at one? And at the other?
- What is the difference in marketing self-published books versus traditional
ones?
- How much money will you need to invest?
- How many giveaway copies will you need to buy?
- How much time investment is needed to market with one versus the other?
The list goes on and on. A lot of people invest in self-publishing without most of these answers. A lot don't even realize there is a traditional side of things because of all the noise self-publishing makes in the grand scheme of things. Don't show up at the voting booth
without knowing anything about who you vote for. The wrong decision can mess up a lot downstream. |
FIRST PAGES PRIZE SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN!! Prizes awarded in BOTH Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Winners receive cash awards, developmental mentoring, & an agent consultation Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Judge - EDWIDGE DANTICAT Open to un-agented writers worldwide, the First Pages Prize invites you to enter your first five pages (1250 words) of a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction For details visit
WWW.FIRSTPAGESPRIZE.COM SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS APRIL 10TH (24TH EXTENDED) CRITIQUE GROUPS - SAMPLE RULES In all this talk about critique groups, I heard from Steve Vassey, leader of the Columbia I Chapter of the South Carolina Writers Association group, and he volunteered their rules to be published. This group has been around a LONG time, so they must know what they are doing. I belonged to them for almost ten years. <<During regular meetings and as time permits, each member may take a turn reading his or her work while the others make written comments/edits on their copies. A brief period for verbal feedback is allowed following each reading. The chapter meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays in the downstairs meeting room of the Cayce-West Columbia Branch of the Lexington County Public Library, 1500 Augusta Highway, West Columbia, SC. Participants are encouraged to park on the side nearest the gas station and enter through the back doors. The meeting room is to your right on the other side of the glass partition. Visitors are welcome, but please email the chapter leader ahead of time. On your first visit, you’re welcome to observe and participate in the feedback, but may not read. You may visit twice without joining SCWA. Once you’re a member of the organization, you may participate in any of the SCWA
chapters. Manuscripts should be printed, double-spaced, with a 12-point font (preferably serifed), and one-inch margins (including top and bottom). It's easier for the reader to edit if the pages are paperclipped instead of stapled. The maximum number of pages to be read per person and a list of members who will read will be determined prior to each meeting. The chapter leader will send an email reminder to the members on the Monday preceding the meeting. Members have until the midnight of that day (Monday) to respond of their intent to attend and if they would like to read. Based on those responses, the chapter leader will respond by email on the morning of the following Tuesday with a list of
those reading. The list will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Members who do not respond to the reminder may still attend the meeting, but may not be able to read, depending on the workload for that meeting. If possible, written edits and
comments should be made in other than pencil or black ink. A contrasting color, such as blue, is much easier to see against the printed text. Small, black-ink edits especially love to hide within the print. (If you do make small size edits, such as a punctuation mark, circle them to make them easier to spot.) Unless you receive an email to the contrary before
a meeting, the recommended number of manuscript copies to bring to a meeting is 10. Any comment or edit is a suggestion. The writer is under no obligation to use any of them, though suggestion is to give them careful consideration, especially if more than one person makes the same one. Member may not distribute or share any material outside of the meeting without the express permission of the author. ALL comments are welcomed and encouraged. Don't be shy but do be polite and constructive. As a courtesy to others, if you’re reading material which may be objectionable, please let the group know before you read. Anyone not wishing to hear the material may wait outside the room. Mute mobile phones for the duration of the meeting. From a legal standpoint, our gathering at a restaurant after the meeting is not officially part of the SCWA chapter meeting.>> The 30-Day Writing Challenge Are you ready to get some writing done? Join the 30-day writing challenge hosted by The Writing Desk! The challenge runs from April 1-30, 2024. Your task?
Write 15,000 words! Throughout the challenge, you'll get: - Daily emails with your word count goal
- Weekly emails with advice on building sustainable
writing habits and overcoming roadblocks
- Weekly email check-ins
- Four live co-writing sessions with your host, Bailey, and fellow challenge participants
You'll also receive a PDF
workbook with progress trackers, information about each week's writing habit, and more. The challenge is $15, and you can learn more and sign up here! Visit www.usethewritingdesk.com and email bailey@usethewritingdesk.com with questions.
About The Writing Desk: The Writing Desk exists
to help you tell stories that matter. Bailey Lang is an experienced writer, editor, and coach who works one-on-one with authors to build sustainable writing habits, make writing fun, and get you from draft to done.
-May 29, 2024 - A Moveable Feast, presenter C. Hope Clark, Restaurant TBD, Pawley's Island, SC -June 1-8, 2024 - The Gutsy Great Novelist Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine - writer-in-residence
-June 22,
2024 - Richland County Library, Ballentine, 1200 Dutch Fork Rd, Irmo, SC - time TBD - July 9, 2024 - South Congaree-Pine Ridge Branch Library, 200 Sunset Dr, West Columbia, SC 29172 - 5:30-7:00 PM -October 5-12, 2024 - Edisto Bookstore, exact dates in that week TBD -May 17, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise. “How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.” – Henry David Thoreau
Dear Hope, When I mentor new writers, I always encourage them to walk through open doors. I also frequently mention your newsletter as a yellow brick road to writing
opportunities. In 2023, FundsforWriters shared an opportunity for an Artist Opportunity Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. I applied last year and did not receive a grant. The judging panel kindly offered tips on how to improve my grant submission, so I reapplied. I am thrilled to share that I am a 2024 recipient of an Artist Opportunity Grant. The grant will send me to the University of Dayton for the biennial Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop in April. I would not have walked through the door to this opportunity without the information in your newsletter. This is a total dream come true for me. Thank you for all you do to encourage, educate, and create open doors for the writing community. Tina Radcliffe
www.tinaradcliffe.com <<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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Turning Online Connections Into Writing Jobs
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By Alex J. Coyne Online connections are just as important as face-to-face ones, and you can be an excellent writer from anywhere by staying connected to your markets. Here’s how online connections can bring writing jobs. Be
Accessible Through Your Website Be accessible, but not vulnerable. A website should have a secure contact form, without listing any personal accounts. Wordpress, Blogspot and Wixsite have integrated Contact forms that are safer than coding them yourself. Contact forms are safer than posting an email address. Software can “scrub” for addresses by their thousand. I get daily spam from Walmart spammers, and still can’t ditch it. But remember readers will only get in touch if you’ve provided something to entice them. Blog posts and fresh samples keep people talking. What makes you want to contact another writer? Usually it’s their work or
point-of-view. Existing Online It’s important to exist in a world of scammers, catfish, and computer-generated faces. Create content, and connect with clients through video calls (e.g. Zoom, Skype, Whatsapp) rather than just text. Change your profile picture(s) often, or you’ll seem stuck in time or too impersonal. Author biographies, like mine on LitNet, should also be updated when there’s something to add. Show your professional personality, and decide what image to portray. Kathy Reichs wouldn’t post anything similar to Stephen King, for instance. Show Your Portfolio Over Several Websites Clients seek a good, recent portfolio. If you’ve written as
much as I have, create a page on your own website where your most treasured samples show off. Spreading your portfolio to other sites draws potential readership from these sites, and from any public search results (for related keywords). Samples hosted this way turn old articles into modern, positive search results where new readers may find your articles through tags. Muckrack adds new bylines automatically. Scribd or
Google allows safe document sharing, but also allows documents (and your byline) to show up in more results when files are public. Create a free PDF, and upload to sites like PDFDrive. People go to filesharing sites to find new things: let them discover some of your work, too. For example, people may search “Raymond Buckland” on a filesharing site, and find my PDF samples hosted for public lookup. Always Blog Always blog when there’s opportunity or good ideas, and
not just on your own site. Guest posting for the right market can still help your readership expand. If you haven’t published anything for about a month, Google knows it, and may downrank your other posts. Get published often. I wrote some posts about bridge for BridgeBlogging in 2018/9, and they’re still valid today. I’ve worked with BeBridge Magazine and 52 Entertainment -- and these posts were helpful in maintaining the connection. Commentary Comment back when readers are kind enough to connect. Years ago, a national bridge
organization distanced themselves from my views in a popular blog post. We have since spoken in kind, but it would have helped had I responded to their commentary sooner. Comments can also lead to direct job offers -- for example, “Do you proofread?” Oh, and always have spam protection enabled. Akismet is available via Wordpress, and Captcha can be integrated too. It helps to also enable Comment Approval on any platform, so that a comments section doesn’t go haywire in your absence. Not everyone clicks over to your
website with questions. Sometimes, people engage right on the post and it’s up to you to look for these. The Other Inbox Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and most other sites have separate inboxes for Spam or Other messages. Sometimes legitimate messages sneak through these filters, and they can be missed opportunity if
you ignore these inboxes. I could have missed a $200 feature, just because the brief went into Spam. I managed to mark Not Spam, respond, and get the job done in two days. If you struggle to contact someone on social media, remember the reverse. Your message could be languishing in the wrong inbox. Contact clients and sources
through more than one platform. Why Close Old Profiles Stagnant profiles are a security risk for takeovers by scammers. Close any profiles you aren’t using, and make sure information or old forum posts (like my old guitar performances!) aren’t drawing all the search-engine attention. DeleteMyAccount.com has direct links (with detailed instructions) for how to close most mainstream website profiles, like Twitter, Linkedin, or YouTube. If forum administrators won’t
delete posts or profiles, which can happen, information connected to your profile can be changed on request. Evolution is Important Always evolve from where you are. MySpace was big once, but today sites like Instagram and Linkedin
carry more weight. Typewriters were “all the rage”, but today computers and smartphones dominate. Be willing to learn and move forward. About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a writer, language practitioner, and bridge author. Occasionally, he also cowrites.
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Inception: $500 for Prose, Poetry, Art, or Graphic Novel Authors & Artists Eligible. Beginnings have the power to spark passion or curiosity. They might immediately
connect a specific place and time with an emotional tone. The best openings offer a feeling, atmosphere, action, or image that is gripping, and hints at more to come. The first photo, painting or frame presented in a gallery, series, or graphic novel strives for the spark that promises to burn. For Sunspot Lit’s Inception contest, send your best
opening. There are no restrictions on theme, category, or the length of the piece or collection from which the excerpt comes. Word limit is 250 for prose, 25 words for poetry. Graphic novel and comic book entries should be the first page (unlimited number of panels on that page) with a maximum of 250 words (cut the number of panels in order to meet the word count, if needed). Art entries should be the first in a series, the first in a gallery lineup, the first in a themed collection, etc. Entries are limited to one image of a painting, sculpture, mixed media form, collage, or other artwork. Close: March 31 Entry fee: $10 Prize: $500 cash plus publication for the winner. Publication will be offered to runners-up and finalists. Sunspot asks for first rights only; all rights revert to the contributor after publication. Works,
along with the creators’ bylines, are published in the next quarterly digital edition as well as the annual fall print edition. Enter as many times as you like on Submittable or Duotrope, but only one piece per submission. Simultaneous
submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your piece if it is published elsewhere before the winner is selected. CASA AFRICA MICRO CONTEST
https://www.casafrica.es/en/event/purorrelato-2024-concurso-de-microrrelatos
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 16, 2024. Aims to promote literary creation that encourages us to feel and think about Africa and to continue showing different realities that approach us to the continent, away from the stereotypes. The theme is free, although the micro-stories should be related
to Africa in some way. The micro-stories could be submitted in Spanish, English, French or Portugueses, with a maximum length of 1500 characters (not words) including spaces and excluding the title. First award: 750 euros. Second award: 375 euros. Third award: 225 euros. BAEN FANTASY ADVENTURES
https://www.baen.com/contest-faa
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc. The
GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive a handsome engraved award and $500 of Baen Books. SECOND place winner will receive a prize package containing $500 of Baen Books, and thIRD place winner will receive a prize package containing $300 of free Baen Books. WINE COUNTRY WRITERS' FESTIVAL
https://wcwfestival.com/wine-country-writers-festival-writing-contest/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1,
2024. Three categories of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Category winners and honorable mentions will all receive a complimentary copy of WCWF Writing Contest Anthology. PRizes in each category. First place: $200, entry to next year’s WCWF (accommodations and travel not included), publication in anthology. Second place: $100, anthology, publication in anthology. Third place: $50, anthology, publication in anthology. Limit 2,000 words for fiction and nonfiction. Limit 40 lines for
poetry. THE LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION
https://letterreview.com/information/
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline April 30, 2024. Two to four winners are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Ten to twenty writers Shortlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart. Open to anyone in the world. There are no genre or theme restrictions. Word limit 5000 words. THE LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR
POETRY
https://letterreview.com/information/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Two to four winners are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Ten to twenty writers Shortlisted. All entries considered for
publication, and for submission to the Pushcart. Open to anyone in the world. There are no genre or theme restrictions. Length 70 lines. THE LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR UNPUBLISHED BOOKS
https://letterreview.com/information/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Two to four winners are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Ten to twenty writers Shortlisted. Winners may choose to have an extract published, and receive a letter of recommendation from our Judges. Submit the first 5000 words of your prose manuscript, or 15 pages of
poetry. Open to anyone in the world. The entry must not have been traditionally published. We are seeking all varieties of novels, short story collections, nonfiction, and poetry collections. We will accept manuscripts which are unpublished, self published, and some which are indie published. THE LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR NONFICTION
https://letterreview.com/information/
$2 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Two to four winners are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Ten to twenty writers Shortlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the
Pushcart. Limit 5,000 words. Open to anyone in the world. We welcome most forms of Nonfiction including: Memoir, journalism, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations. GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING PROJECT GRANTS FOR ARTISTS - NEVADA
https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/FY25-PGA-Guidelines.pdf
Deadline April 1, 2024. Limit $3,000. Examples of eligible projects include art exhibitions, performances, readings, concerts, the creation of art, portfolio creation, and marketing/promotional activities related to an arts project. Must be a current Nevada resident (and US citizen) and have been
in residence for at least one year prior to the date of the grant application. THE TOWER STORIES - WRITER IN RESIDENCE
https://thetowerstories.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Writer-in-Residence.pdf
The Friends of St Michaels the Archangel Church in Mere is seeking a Writer-in-Residence. Mere is situated on the Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset borders. The writer will research and develop original family friendly work inspired by the town, the Tower of the Church and the rich history of the local
environs. They will also work with local schoolchildren to develop creative stories around the Tower, run a workshop for emerging or aspiring writers and contribute to the performance event which will mark the finale of the Tower Stories in June 2025. The residency will take place over ten months from September 2024 – June 2025.
The fee will be £5000. There is a further budget to cover dissemination, event costs,
travel costs, photography etc. ORI GRANT
https://ori-mag.com/pages/ori-creative-grant
Shortly
after each issue of Ori is released, our subscribers will vote for their favorite story and contributor. The winner will receive the grant for their next independent project. We've implemented this into our business so as we grow, the grant grows with us, helping close the creative circle, build community, and push travel journalism to places it’s never been. Grant is two percent of magazine revenue. Features 1,000 t0 3,000 words.
CHICKEN SOUP: ME AND MY CAT
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline June 30,
2024. Our cats enrich our lives in so many ways. What would we do without them? We are looking for true stories about your cat. Limit 1,200 words. First person only. Pays $250 and ten copies. CHICKEN SOUP: HOLIDAY TALES
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline April 30, 2024. Please submit your true stories about the entire December holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's festivities too. Limit 1,200 words. First person only. Pays $250 and ten copies. BUSINESS INSIDER
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-write-for-business-insider-2020-4
On a case-by-case basis, we accept one-off posts from
outside contributors that fit in seamlessly with the areas we cover: Business News, Tech, Finance, Markets, Healthcare, Economy, Transportation, Retail, Media, Real Estate, Leadership, and Careers. We also welcome pitches of personal essays, as-told-tos, diaries, profiles, how-tos, reported features, and more. Expect 20-50 cents/word in this market. THRILLIST
https://www.thrillist.com/thrillist-how-to-pitch
Thrillist is a digital media publication at the intersection of travel, experience, and local culture. We are always looking for pitches from
writers, photographers, videographers, and contributors of all backgrounds, and especially those whose voices have historically been under-represented in travel journalism. We publish travel guides, maps, and itineraries for destinations near and far as well as reports and features on people, places, and phenomena that allow us to explore and better understand the world around us. Pays around $250+ per article. THE FOOD SECTION
https://thefoodsection.com/how-to-write-for-the-food-section/
At The Food Section, we serve eaters across the American South by providing
them with the information and analysis they need to better understand and appreciate their food-and-drink experiences in our region. We pay $1000 for a feature story, which runs about 1200 words. OREGON HUMANITIES
https://oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine/call-for-submissions/
The theme of our Summer 2024 issue is “Public.” Looking for stories about things that happen in public—parades and political forums; skateboarding and social media; funerals and fireworks displays—and how we experience them, individually and collectively. Welcomes all forms of
nonfiction writing, including essays, journalism, and excerpts from forthcoming or recently published books. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All contributors are paid between $750 and $1,500, depending on the length and complexity of the piece. ORI
https://ori-mag.com/
Deadline June 15, 2024. Pays $.50-$1/word for features. $200 for departments. Celebrating travel through vibrant storytelling and stunning photography, Ori uplifts creatives around the globe to build a cultural exchange of art, food, music, and adventure that you won’t want to put down—and might have to take
with you. We are narrative heavy, but not necessarily first-person. We do essays, but teach us something about the place we’re visiting in these pages—introduce us to characters and experiences. We’re not seeking travel as our protagonist, but rather stories about places and people on the ground to inspire us to travel. HINGE
https://hingemarketing.com/careers/were-hiring/writers
At Hinge, our writers help firms describe and explain their expertise in a range of media, including web copy, blog posts, white papers, guides, brand messaging and more. Some of our writers also help
us share Hinge’s branding and marketing expertise with the marketplace, creating industry-leading educational material on professional services marketing. We’re looking for outstanding writers who can address complex issues in clear, accessible prose. Journalism, technical writing, and creative writing backgrounds all contribute to success in this role. And if you have relevant experience in one of the professional services industries we serve, so much the better. THE GOOD LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.thegoodliteraryagency.org/submissions/
We are really excited to read your Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction submissions. You can send us anything you want across any genre, all we ask is that it is as good as you think you can make it right now. There’s a cliché in publishing but it’s very true, “We don’t know what we’re looking for until we see it”. Our submissions are open each month from the 1st through the 21st. ONE MORE CHAPTER
https://onemorechapter.submittable.com/submit
HarperCollins UK’s award-winning digital-focused publisher! We pride ourselves on publishing the very best
commercial fiction globally across ebook, print and audio formats. We accept the following fiction genres: Crime & Thriller, Historical, Romance (spicy, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, erotica), Contemporary, YA/Crossover/Adult Fantasy, Romantasy, Horror. BARD BOOKS
https://www.bardbooks.com/submissions
What they publish. Fiction - Novels, short stories collections, novellas, chapbooks. Non-Fiction - Collections, creative nonfiction, essays on literature, art, culture, music, etc. and more. Full-Length Works - creative nonfiction, narrative nonfiction about
literature, art, culture, music, philosophy, nature, etc. and more; biography, memoir, melange; critical studies. Poetry - Poetry Collections, chapbooks.
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 2000-2024, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326 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. All must be paying opportunities. Contests must pay a minimum of $200 first place. Submit potential listings to hope@chopeclark.com **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 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. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com. We are an anti-spam site. | |
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