VOLUME 24, ISSUE 19 | MAY 3, 2024 |
ACCEPT THE COMPLIMENT Sooner or later you will receive a compliment for your writing. You will be tempted to say something like this: - I try, but I'm a novice/beginner/part-timer. I do
what I can.
- It's really nothing. I try.
- I just do this here and there.
- I just started.
- I haven't really sold many, but . . .
So many words that border on being excuses. Excuses for what? For accidentally writing something well? For accidentally being in the right place at the right time to sell a few books or an article? Do NOT use the words JUST, BUT, or
ONLY. Just say THANK YOU. Anything else tells the person making the compliment that maybe you haven't earned the compliment. People want to see confidence. They want to endorse the talented. Therefore, just say THANK
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ON TAKING TIME TO WRITE "I would rather wait a year than publish a bad children’s book, as I have too much respect for children." ~E. B. White while writing Stuart Little, in a letter to his editor, Eugene Saxton, April 1939
https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/i-would-rather Writing fast.
Throwing a book together.
Publishing quickly.
Publishing cheaply.
Skipping the
editor. All of these insult the reader. Too many authors these days think it is about them more than the reader, and for some reason feel this rush to put a book out.. It is true that you have to love what you are writing,
but to push it through fast means you really don't love being a writer. You love being published. There's a huge difference. You can leave your mark on the world with quick work. Or you can leave your market on the world with quality work. To do both takes a long time and millions of thrown away words. But what about the people who write fast? Those people have written a lot of material to gain knowledge/education/experience enough to write quality work faster than the average scribe. The more words you write (way more than you think, first-timers), the better you get. The more words you throw away and write over, the better you write. There are those, however, who publish a lot of words with quality not being a factor in the equation. These days with so much reading material to choose from, you have to look at the author. Yes, while someone has to start somewhere, it's that first book and how and when they
introduce it to the world that reveal so much of what that author is about. When someone talks more about how they published than what they published, beware. They might just have their priorities out of order. TAKE THE NEXT STEP A free goal-setting workshop for writers You have a writing project. What is it, and where are you in the process? How are you making time to move your project forward? In this free workshop, we'll talk about where you are on your writing journey, take a hard look at your writing habits (or lack thereof) and
determine a specific next step you can take to move your writing project (or your writing routine in general) forward. Join creative nonfiction writer, editor and writing coach Kate Meadows online on Saturday, June 1, at 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. EST) for a jam-packed session of reflection, planning and learning how to make progress with your writing project or
writing routine. Sign up at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/35/1vv6gupo Let's crush your next writing goal together! Kate Meadows is a published writer, proven editor and passionate writing coach with an MFA in Professional Writing. Learn more at www.katemeadows.com. Kate Meadows Writing & Editing Share your story. Bring your idea to life. Reach more people. Hope, editing copy for yearbook - circa 1973 -May 21, 2024 - Signing and luncheon, Florence Library, 154 S. Dargan St, Florence, SC - 11:30 - 1:00 - reserve a seat. -May 25, 2024 - Book Signing, The Coffee Shelf, 130 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC - 8AM-NOON. -May 29, 2024 - A Moveable Feast, presenter C. Hope Clark, Quigley's Pint & Plate, 257 Willbrook Blvd, Pawley's Island, SC - 11AM - 1PM - sign up here -June 1-8, 2024 - The Gutsy Great Novelist Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine - writer-in-residence -June 13, 2024 - Edisto Island Bookstore - Highway 174, Edisto Island, SC - 3-5 PM
-June 22, 2024 - Richland County Library, Ballentine, 1200 Dutch Fork Rd, Irmo, SC - 2:30-3:30 PM - 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 -November TBD, 2024 - Irmo Chapin Holiday Market, Chapin, SC - 8AM -
2PM -May 17, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise. "You should never read just for ‘enjoyment.’ Read to make yourself smarter! Less judgmental. More apt to understand your friends’ insane behavior, or better yet, your own. Pick ‘hard books.’ Ones you have to concentrate on while reading. And for god’s sake, don’t let me ever hear you say,
‘I can’t read fiction. I only have time for the truth.’ Fiction is the truth, fool! Ever hear of ‘literature’? That means fiction, too, stupid.” ~ John Waters in Role Models <<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 Art of 'Accessible' Celebrity Interviews
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By Alex J. Coyne Cambridge Dictionary defines “celebrity” as someone famous. Celebrity interviews can make for an easy sell of articles, too. “Accessible” celebrities are anyone reasonably within the author's reach without the complication of press junkets or bodyguards. What's not “accessible” Could you reach George Clooney or Brad Pitt in minutes? Probably not. Restricted access means they only give interviews for official press junkets or approved media conferences, and little else. These interviews are much harder to secure. An accessible celebrity is someone easily reachable, often
directly. Pitch the idea to an editor first A detailed pitch containing suggested celebrity contacts made to an editor sells easier, particularly to editors you've worked with before. It's not enough to tell an editor you'd like to interview three famous people – tell them who and
why. With an editor's approval in hand, you can more easily approach celebrities with a tangible idea: “I'm writing about ferns for Plants Weekly.” sounds better to busy celebrities than a general, “I'd like to interview you.” Spokesperson(s) and companies When interviewing Treasurer General of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), I went to the entity's spokesperson first. A spokesperson (sometimes public relations officer or media representative) handles all media that mentions an organization, company, party, and some private people. Once formalities were agreed to. . . formalities like
sending questions ahead for approval and sending the final draft to be approved for publication, the interview became a phone call like any other.
Clearance is important and prevents unintentional mistakes or misquotes.
I interviewed CEO of Roman's Pizza, John Nicolakakis, about franchise investments by
calling their Head Office and making an appointment. Activity on social media Social media is a valid gauge of a celebrity’s accessibility. Many are actively involved in their own social media profiles, like character actor Jim Hoffmaster (Better Call Saul, Shameless, The Mentalist,
Castle) who I've interviewed several times. Send them a message with a friendly comment (in public) to check their inbox. Anything more is considered over-the-top and rude. But also, another journalist could steal those questions and beat you out of the interview. Keep questions and interview topics private. Check their website first Websites are the next stop for reaching celebrities. If there's a Contact Form on the website, use it. That's how I've reached authors and others like Kathy Reichs and Anne Rice for quotes or one-liners.
But if there isn't a form or email address,
assume that you'll contact their agent or representative next. Agents and representatives Talent agents and representatives handle bookings while celebrities focus on what made them famous in the first place. A Google search often tells you who someone's agent is, and one more search
tells you where to contact them. Be concise, though. Agents have precious little time, too, and don't have to approve every interview request they get. Save time (theirs and yours) by telling them: 1. What you're writing, 2. Who you’re writing for, and 3. Who you are (as a brief, not tedious, introduction to your writing). An agent decides within seconds on “yes” or “no.” Bookmark the ones you meet Journalists and writers meet many people, and it helps to keep in touch with the contacts you make. There's nothing wrong with calling someone you've known for years – but if you don't
maintain these contacts throughout the rest of the year, they'll hate you for calling only when you need something. In November 2023, I published an interview with author and artist Deon Maas. All I needed to say was, “I'm not publishing enough this year. How's Berlin?” Keep answers you don't
use Sometimes editors cut words, phrases, and entire ideas. That's their job. Keep a folder for unused material, labelled by topic and date. If you're short for quotes, browse through those old interviews. Just remember to seek new permission from the person you're choosing to quote to make sure it still contains the right context and will be used in a medium they don’t
mind. About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, writer, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo and the weird. Occasionally, he also cowrites.
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THE 19TH ANNUAL LITERAL LITERARY POSTCARD STORY CONTEST
https://www.geist.com/contests/the-19th-annual-literal-literary-postcard-story-contest
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 20, 2024. Send us a story and a postcard—the relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. The story can be fiction or non-fiction; maximum length is 500 words. First
Prize: $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $150. All winning entries will be published in Geist and on geist.com. BURLINGTON CONTEMPORARY ART WRITING PRIZE
https://contemporary.burlington.org.uk/writing_prize
NO ENTRY FEE NOTED. Deadline July 15, 2024. The winner of the Prize receives £1,000, their review is published on Burlington Contemporary and they have the opportunity to publish a review of a future contemporary art exhibition in The Burlington Magazine. Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of
writing in print or online prior to their submission. There is no age limit for applicants. To enter the prize, entrants should submit one unpublished review of a contemporary art exhibition. The review must be between 800 and 1,000 words in length and accompanied by up to three low-resolution images.
RTE SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/rte-short-story-competition/2024/0312/1437532-how-to-enter/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 10, 2024. The top prize is now €5000. €4,000 and €3,000 will be awarded to the second and third
place prize winners respectively. A further seven runners-up will receive €250 each, and all 10 shortlisted stories will be published on rte.ie/culture and broadcast in a season of new writing on RTÉ Radio 1. Writers over the age of 18 living in Ireland, and Irish writers around the world may enter.
TABLET CONTEST
https://www.tabletmag.com/feature/first-personal-essay-contest
Deadline May 15, 2024. We are looking for previously unpublished work by writers living in North America who have never published in Tablet before. No opinion pieces; these
first-person essays should be about your life and your experience, and how your thoughts and feelings have evolved over time. Tablet is a Jewish magazine. The authors of those five pieces will be invited to New York City to read their story in front of a live audience, and will receive a stipend toward travel and lodging. The winning selection will be published in Tablet Magazine and will receive $500. All other finalists will receive $100 for their work. Length between 1,000 and 1,500 words.
(thanks erikadreifus.com) LIVINGSTON PRESS CHANGING LIGHT PRIZE FOR A NOVEL-IN-VERSE
https://livingstonpress.uwa.edu/ChangingLightAward.htm
NO ENTRY FEE, Deadline May 25, 2024. Recommended length: 90-160 pages. $500 prize plus 20 copies, standard royalty contract. Publication in trade paper, e-book, and Kindle. Find out how to pitch stories to newspapers, magazines, and online publications...through song! Yes, it's a free writing workshop. Yes, it's a musical! You'll hear 3 original songs (sung live with all the stagecraft Zoom allows) that'll help you write better pitches and send them out. With live entertainment, writing time to start your next story, and key info to help you sell your writing - it's everything you'd ever want from a
workshop. Come to the only musical writing workshop in town! Pitching Hour! The Musical! Tuesday May 7th at Noon PT/ 3pm ET/ 8pm BST Come to the world premiere - it's free! Sign up now. GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING SC INDIE GRANTS FOR SHORT FILMS
https://www.indiegrants.org/indie-grants
Deadline August 5, 2024. As part of Indie Grants prep, the South Carolina Film Commission will be holding a one-day INDIE FILM DEVELOPMENT workshop on Saturday, June 1, at Trident Technical College in North Charleston. Ideal for feature-films, webisodics, proof-of-concepts, docs and shorts, it will serve as a comprehensive primer on the mechanics of developing, creating, and selling content, especially in the independent film space. ADVANCE GENDER EQUITY IN THE ARTS (AGE) GRANTS
https://ageinthearts.org/age-grants/2024-2/
Deadline May 15, 2024. Three awards
of $10,000 each and six finalist awards of $1,000 each will be awarded to support emerging playwrights who identify as BIPOC, are 40+ years of age, and identify as a person of marginalized gender or gender-diverse. Must live and work in the United States or Puerto Rico and are able to submit a W9 if chosen as a Finalist or Recipient. LEEWAY
FOUNDATION
https://www.leeway.org/grants/leeway_transformation_award/
Deadline May 15, 2024. Provides unrestricted annual awards of $15,000 to women, trans, and gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers living in
Greater Philadelphia who create art for social change and have done so for the past five years or more, demonstrating a long-term commitment to social change work. Must have lived for the past two or more years in Greater Philadelphia: Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia County. THE OLDER WRITERS GRANT
https://speculativeliterature.org/grants-3/slf-older-writers-grant/
Deadline May 31, 2024. This $1,000 grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature, and this one is for writers fifty years of
age and older. Include a short (500-1000 words) autobiographical statement describing your work thus far, including date of birth, and a bibliography of previously published work, if applicable. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply. A writing sample: Up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction.
CHICKEN SOUP: CHANGE YOUR HABITS/ATTITUDE
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline August 31, 2024. Payment is $250 and ten copies. Limit 1,200 words. Must be in first person. Looking for true stories about how you realized a certain habit or attitude was detrimental to you, what you did to change that, and the difference it made in your life. CHICKEN SOUP: GRANDMOTHERS
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline June 30, 2024. Payment is $250 and ten copies. Limit 1,200 words. Must be in first person. We are looking for heartwarming, insightful, and humorous stories celebrating grandmothers. BRAIN & LIFE
https://www.brainandlife.org/about-us/information-for-writers/
The publication provides accurate and important
new information about advances in the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic diseases, such as migraine, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and other disorders. In addition, the publication strives to deliver positive messages about wellness and prevention, basic research and clinical trials, and patient stories that emphasize strategies for managing neurologic disorders. Articles vary in length—from 500 words to about 1,500 words. Pays up to 75 cents/word. DISTILLER MAGAZINE
https://distilling.com/distiller-editorial-style-guide/
Distiller Magazine covers
the art, science and business of craft distillation. The editorial staff welcome queries for articles for publication in print magazine and/or online platform. Print features are generally assigned at 1,200-2,000 words. Online stories are generally single-topic, narrow-focus, blog-style articles between 300 and 500 words. Pays a base rate of $0.50/word, or $0.75/word if writers contribute photography that is published with the story. 5280
https://www.5280.com/writers-guidelines/
5280 is the premiere monthly guide to the arts, entertainment, dining, and lifestyle issues in Denver. We accept
pitches for our front-of-the-book sections, Compass, Culture, Adventure, and Eat & Drink; for our departments/columns; and for our feature well. Front-of-the-book stories, which are short, lively takes on life in Denver, run anywhere from 50 to 400 words. Departments are generally 800 to 1,500 words and cover everything from travel to sports to politics. Features can run up to 6,000 words. Expect professional rates. JANE ROTROSEN AGENCY
https://www.janerotrosen.com/about-us
The Jane
Rotrosen Agency has represented authors of fiction and nonfiction since 1974. Our client list includes over 1,000 international and domestic bestsellers in all formats. We do not currently accept plays, screenplays, children’s picture books, or any queries sent by mail. NEW LEAF LITERARY AND MEDIA
https://www.newleafliterary.com/
New Leaf Literary & Media is a full service management and representation firm. Established in 2012 from a boutique literary agency New Leaf has since morphed into a one-stop shop for writers and artists in all genres, with over ninety books on the New York Times
bestseller lists and eleven films and TV shows produced. GALIT AND ZACKER LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.galltzacker.com/
Since 2000, the Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency has focused on representing authors and illustrators whose work we firmly believe will have the biggest impact on young readers. HELM LITERARY
https://helmliterary.com/about
Helm is a full-service literary agency, representing fiction, nonfiction, and children’s book authors. 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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