VOLUME 24, ISSUE 28 | july 5, 2024 |
Fifteen Minutes a Day When I am asked how I write just about every day, I say it's habit. I do not feel fulfilled, and actually feel off balance when I do not. Most tell me they do not have the liberty to honor that routine. I started, however, with just fifteen minutes a day. Anyone can do fifteen minutes a day. While working 10-hour days, five days a week, with two children at home, I told myself that fifteen minutes could be fit in somewhere. Whether during lunch at work, before I left for work, or after the kids were in bed, I squeezed in that fifteen minutes. The point was to make writing a habit. Several months later, I was stretching it to a half hour. On weekends I got in several hours. I'd created an itch that had to be scratched. To wait for big blocks of time is to not develop that habit. You don't develop that yearning or urgency. Tell yourself this is for your mental health. Tell yourself
this is for your well-being. Tell yourself this is who you are. Just carve out fifteen minutes every day for three months. Then tell me you don't have the yearning to really write. |
POSTING YOUR PRICES
I get so many ideas for editorials as I silently watch conversations on social media. Ninety percent of the time I say nothing, gleaning what I need, sometimes grabbing an idea for an opinion such as this one. Let's talk pricing yourself as a commercial writer or editor. You are expected to have a website listing the services you provide. The discussion I witnessed stated that it's wrong not to post a price list on your site. That would mean posting how much would be the price to write an article or how much the price to edit. The grand majority of those talking were either editors or seeking editorial services. The
consensus was that posting was right and transparent. Not posting was almost deceitful and a waste of time making someone ask for a quote. It was assumed that in all of those cases the price was probably too high anyway. I disagree. It creates a homogenization of service quality when you quote the same price for either of these services. Clearly not all writer or editors are created equal.
Same goes for the potential clients. Some are easier to work for than others. Some are easier to work with than others. Some are sloppier and less organized than others. If I have a great word of mouth business because of my customer satisfaction, or my calendar is full, or I want to specialize in a certain caliber of client, I don't want to post charges/costs. Besides, no two projects are
equal. If I am looking for an editor, I want someone who is in demand for quality. I don't mind asking for a quote. After all, that website should have testimonials from satisfied customers to give me an idea of the level of clientele. And if I am the one giving the service, I will put my best clientele testimonials on the website, to show people the level at which I perform favorably. Same goes for
writing. I negotiate a price for freelance pieces. While I like seeing how much someone pays before pitching, often times I can tell enough from the website, its publication, and/or its advertising to collect a general idea. I went to an annual writing retreat where they do not post the cost, instead asking someone to fill out a form stating what they write and why they want to come to the retreat.
The retreat books up every year. Quality needs to be the first and foremost consideration. If you cannot afford the quote, then move on to one you can, but also, keep in mind the person providing the service is also culling those who are not necessarily serious . . . and increasing the odds of obtaining business from those who are willing to pay.
- 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 -October 5-12, 2024 - Edisto Island Library, Hwy 174, 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. “The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.” – Edward R. Murrow
<<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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Writing a News Beat
By Alex J. Coyne News beat journalism is a specific niche. Newspapers channel what's happening, through sports, politics, and consumer issues. The news is ever-changing, and it's about what's going on right now, and it's a satisfying way to write, get paid, and tell
stories. Finding News Jobs News jobs can be local, like the Texas Tribune, or national, like The Citizen and The South African. They are likely to advertise openings in two ways: a direct job page on their website, or listings through recruitment and job sites like Indeed (www.indeed.com) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). Apply with a strong resume, showing experience and samples. Sometimes, publications are open to being pitched individual features to their respective editors (e.g. sports, news, opinion). Sometimes a great pitch can open a door for a novice. How did I get a news job? I applied and met with the editors, with ideas. Deciding What's
News Breaking news, celebrity social media, government press releases, and information pieces (like reports of snow in Southern Africa) are news. There are quiet days and busy days, public holidays or special days, and noteworthy events. It
boils down to asking, “What should people know about?” Sometimes you'll get flack from readers and commenters. Writing a lifestyle piece about grandparents and sex for The South African had some readers interested, and some sending
complaints. I was one of the publication's top journalists for December, 2023. Some posts worked, some posts didn't. I learn. The paper learns. Statistics and audience feedback provide a decent gauge to
what topics perform better. If you're new and pitching, assess a publication's web presence and social media. Scroll their profiles: what gets likes, shares, and comments that day or week is a good compass for “hot topics” in the news. Regional and national search terms (via Google Trends) also points to warm news topics. Posting Live If you're a freelancer (or pitching), sub-editors post for you. Working for a publication directly, a sub-editor oversees the process, but you control the post button. News is posted live, and it's both exciting and nerve-wrecking.
Scheduled sending is discouraged, because a story's details can change overnight. Unless it's breaking news, don't post at 2AM. Live posts are best during daylight hours (6AM to 7PM), with peaks at certain times (e.g. morning or midday). This also applies for social media managers and bloggers. Posting times matter. Once you've clicked the send button, the post goes to syndicated
networks and subscribers linked to the publication in seconds. Mistakes happen, but it's your job to ensure they don't. Read carefully, or glaring mistakes could end up in quick syndication with your by-line taking the hit. Stick to the Press Code Every country has a respective press code and general guidelines for what you can (and shouldn't) say in print news. Journalism must be responsible, accurate, and unbiased: that's the gist of most press and news codes. First, no obscene language is allowed. https://translatepress.com/what-is-language-bias Slang
terms, malapropisms (misheard words), and language bias also gets the axe from published copy. News informs, and doesn't offend, shock, or harm. If you mess up, you could get the publication and your reputation in trouble. Style Guides Have you ever wondered why all New York Times articles look the same? Style Guides are your answer, existing for every mainstream
publication in some way or another. A Style Guide is received from your superior (an editor, usually) – and tells you specifics about how each article looks. Which quotes (' or “), how to abbreviate (FBI or F.B.I.), and how to use tags and links correctly. These are all things in your style guide. Publications don't always make this sort of thing public, but editors develop a natural feel and have a
preference. Readability and Grammar Checks News is strict with readability and grammar checks and happens faster than magazine features that afford authors time to edit. Checkers like Readable and Grammarly are useful. Reduce your usage of passive voice, avoid using duplicate words or phrases, and score a high readability. Usually, that's the posting standard you're scored against. It can be difficult
when trying to post “hot news” before everyone else, like a piece about Die Antwoord's controversial backstory. https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/die-antwoord-is-this-yolandi-vissers-real-mom/ But it’s a faster paced, quicker reward than other types of writing. And it can become a fast way to earn clips, credentials, and a reputation that might help you open other doors as well. Bio: Alex J. Coyne is a gonzo
journalist, writer, and proofreader. Sometimes, he is joined by his cowriters. His features have been published in a wide array of international publications, like People Magazine, The Citizen, Caribbean Compass, and Writers Write.
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GUTSY GREAT NOVELIST PAGE ONE PRIZE $20 ENTRY FEE. Submissions open June 17 – July 17, 2024 (5PM ET). The Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize is awarded for an outstanding opening page of an unpublished novel. First prize is $1,000; 2nd is $500; and 3rd is $250. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers. ANTHOLOGY NATURE WRITING AWARD
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/nature-competition/
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2024. The Anthology Nature
Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished works in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Essays entered must not exceed a maximum of 1,500 words. The winner will receive a €500 and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. WOW! SUMMER 2024 FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2024. Seeking short fiction of any genre 250-750 words. This is in partnership with Reedsy and entries will be judged by Author, Editor, and Creative Writing Instructor Tom Bromley. Open internationally. Limit: 400 entries.
First place $600, Reedsy's How to Write a Novel Master Course ($1249 value), publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second Place: $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Third Place: $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Seven Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. Ten Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing
e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin. WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline
July 31, 2024. Seeking creative nonfiction on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hermit crab, and more. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. First Place: $500, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Second Place: $300, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Third Place: $200, publication, interview, and gift code good for
one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Seven Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.Ten Honorable mentions receive a gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.
Top 10 essays are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin. "STORIES OUT OF SCHOOL" FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.academyforteachers.org/program/stories-out-of-school-flash-fiction-contest-2025
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 1, 2024. Any adult of 18 years or older is
eligible to submit, whether a teacher or not. Submissions must be original and unpublished works. The protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher. Story must be a work of fiction between 6 and 499 words. Submissions should be primarily in English. The author of the winning story will receive $1,000. BLACK VOICES IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE WRITING CONTEST
https://freespiritpublishing.submittable.com/submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 23, 2024. The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. Must be original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words). Must feature
authentic, realistic Black characters and culture. First Place: $1,000 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, swag from Free Spirit, and a meeting with Strive and Free Spirit to discuss the winner’s project. The winning submission will be seriously considered for publication by Free Spirit, cobranded with Strive. Second Place: $500 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, and swag from Free Spirit. Third Place: $250 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, and swag from Free Spirit. WRITER'S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED EBOOK AWARDS
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-ebook-awards
$100 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 15, 2024. The Writer's
Digest's 12th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards is our only competition exclusively for e-books. The contest honors the best self-published e-book(s) in eight of the most popular categories. Whether your book is nonfiction or a work of fiction, we have a category for you. Here's what you could win: $5,000 in cash, a feature article about you and your book in the May/June 2025 issue of Writer's Digest, a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer's Digest Conference, including a coveted Pitch
Slam slot AND more! In addition to $13,000 in total cash prizes, all entrants will receive a brief review of their book from one of Writer's Digest's competition readers. GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING SISTERS IN CRIME PRIDE AWARD
https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Pride
Deadline July 31, 2024. The Pride Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer in the
LGBTQIA+ community. Writers submitting work should have published not more than ten pieces of short fiction or up to two self-published or traditionally published books. While no prior writing or publishing experience is required, the applicant should include any relevant studies or experience in their materials. PEN/PHYLLIS NAYLOR GRANT FOR YOUNG ADULT NOVELISTS
https://pen.org/pen-phyllis-naylor-grant/
Deadline August 1, 2024. Offered annually to an author of children’s or young adult fiction for a novel-in-progress. The author of the winning manuscript, selected blindly by judges unaware of nominees’ names, will receive an award of $5,000. PEN/JEAN STEIN GRANTS FOR LITERARY ORAL HISTORY
https://pen.org/jean-stein-oral-history-grant/
Deadline August 1, 2024. Recognizes literary works of nonfiction that use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. Two grants
of $15,0000 will be given. CHICKEN SOUP - CHANGING HABITS
http://www.chickensoup.com
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. Submit no more than 1200 words in first person. If accepted, receive $250 and ten copies of the book. BESTCOLLEGES
https://boards.greenhouse.io/rvedufreelancenetwork/jobs/3229237
As a freelance writer for BestColleges, you will craft original content covering a variety of higher education topics, including rankings and degree content, career guides, college and career planning resources, student/campus life blog posts, and bootcamps and non-degree educational pathways. Compensation is $90 for every 500 words. DEFECTOR
https://defector.com/how-to-pitch-defector
The standard base rates are as follows. Longer essays and reported pieces will be paid a minimum of $1,000. Shorter pieces will be paid a minimum of $500. For audio and podcast work, producers/editors will be paid a minimum day rate of $400/day. TRAILS
https://trailsmag.net/pages/contributor-information#now
The focus of Trails is on backpacking and other human/naturally-powered means of sleeping outdoors: bikepacking, canoe camping, even things like rafting or mountaineering are fair game (feel free to be
creative with those criteria—we covered “skatepacking” in Issue One). We don't "theme" issues like other magazines. Instead, we like to create a "thread" in each issue that, while we might not advertise it on the cover, readers can feel it as they go from story to story. Payment is a minimum of 50 cents/word. FOOD52
https://food52.com/p/how-to-pitch-food52
A pitch is a paragraph-long explainer of a piece you'd like to write or a recipe you'd like to develop (and how you're going to do that and why we need it on our site). It should include a brief overview of what you intend to achieve, as well as interviews you plan to conduct with sources, and any other relevant details. We pay flat
rates, versus per word, based on the anticipated length and amount of work. This ranges from $200 for a short article or standard recipe (plus up to $50 in ingredient reimbursements) to $500-plus for bigger projects. HOME52
https://food52.com/p/how-to-pitch-food52
The topics we most regularly cover are cleaning, laundry, organizing, decorating, gardening and outdoor, DIY, and home tours. We also run shopping content to help our community find the products that will make their lives at home and in the kitchen much, much easier—but only if we would buy them ourselves first! We pay flat rates, versus per word, based on the anticipated length and
amount of work. This ranges from $200 for a short article or standard recipe (plus up to $50 in ingredient reimbursements) to $500-plus for bigger projects.
AK PRESS
https://www.akpress.org/pub-submissions.html
As a radical publishing house and anarchist collective, we're interested in works that reflect the rich traditions within
anarchism—its theory, history, art, culture, economics, labor—as well as of fellow travelers in related historical and contemporary movements that share a common spirit. We will not however, publish submissions advocating electoral politics or that look to the state or capitalism for solutions. We are excited about writing that takes on contemporary crises, both international and domestic, through a radical lens. We strive to publish materials of use to (and written by!) activists, academics,
and individuals in pursuit of revolutionary social and economic change. We especially welcome the opportunity to work with authors from backgrounds historically neglected by mainstream publishing institutions. NOBROW
https://nobrow.net/about/
Nobrow is a small publisher headquartered in London, UK. Together with our children’s book imprint Flying Eye Books and our new literary list; Imprint 27, we publish around 35 new titles per year. Basically, comics and graphic novels, and Picture books and illustrated nonfiction for children.
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,
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