VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 | January 17, 2025 |
WHEN IT'S ABOUT YOU In doing my regular reading in an attempt to stay on top of all that is evolving in the writing world, I ran across several articles that carried the same trend. They talked about how they started .
. . a decade or more ago. When you give someone a podium, they are going to speak about themselves. They have been hired, invited, or selected to speak/write based upon their experience. Same goes for article writing, particularly about writing what you know. For instance, how I started freelancing. Or how I published my first books. Do you know the parts I am going to skip? The parts that do not apply to today. Your audience does not want to learn about anything that happened to you that they cannot learn from and apply to their own circumstances. If you had this incredible journey overcoming monstrous obstacles, maybe, and they best be tremendous once-in-a-lifetime
moments. If you went from homeless to New York Times bestselling author, for instance, sure, but even then, if the audience consists of writers, they want to know how to apply what you overcame to their own pursuits. Don't monopolize a microphone (or article) with info that doesn't help the audience. The subject matter needs to be evergreen. Unless writing about current events with time
constraints, most of your writing ought to have as much evergreen material in it as possible . . . to make you evergreen. To help you remain relevant. The minute you talk or write about yourself and it sounds dated, you've chipped away at your own relevancy. Don't say what you did to get started in 2016. Just say what you did that was successful and how the audience can use that information
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You're a writer who needs a platform or bigger audience. But what's the next step? Come to Amber Petty's Marketing for Writers Open House. It's 60 minutes devoted to your individual questions about marketing. Find out if you need a Substack, what social media is best (or if you need it at all), how to promote your project without saying "buy my book" 500 times. Amber's grown her newsletter to 11,000 subscribers and runs a 6-figure business because of it, and she'd like to help you get more eyes on your
work. This open house is one time only. Sign up now, it's free! WHO ARE YOU WRITING FOR?
Like most people, I belong to a few groups online that pertain to my interests. I belong to groups about Edisto, Chapin (my hometown), protein
diets, air-frying, strength training, dachshunds, country living, and a couple of health issues (mine and hubby's). It is funny how many of these people think because they have experienced something, that they ought to write a book about it. When they've never written much before. Some say it is
therapeutic to write, maybe because they went through some sort of medical crisis. Some say they have something to teach. Some imagine themselves making money right out of the chute, with a book being the first real thing they've ever written in their life. I have rarely met anyone who decided to polish their writing first. They think it is only about the subject matter. The material reads as
you would imagine, written by someone who has not studied writing before. That doesn't even count how to publish, because nobody ought to consider that part of the business until they've developed a skill and endured the writing process over a decent length of time. Learned the market. Learned the different types of publishing. But that's for another time. One does not write a book because they need to, feel like it, or need the release, unless that is indeed their market, only themselves. If they find it cathartic, great. If they want family and friends to have a memory, wonderful. But to choose to write for the world, even on something you experienced or know about, without studying the market . . . without learning how to write well, is folly. A man recently wanted to write about his heart surgery. Good for him. But to think there is a market for that, and to write a book to sell before learning how to write well, is a step too far. Nobody can suddenly decide to write a book and do it well. There is a learning process. No differently than any other profession. Good writing is not an accident. It is a groomed skill.
🌟 The Multiverse of Self: A 6-Week Poetry Series Write your way into every version of you.
From who you've been to who you're becoming, this series offers space to reflect, create, and honor your many layers—together, in
community.
📅 Starts January 22, 2025 💻 Online via Zoom
🎟️ $180 – Registration closes January 21 Claim your seat and start your multiverse journey. -March 18, 2025 - Readers and Writers Group, Lizards Thicket, 10170 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29229 - 11:30AM -March 22, 2025 - Writer's Digest Mystery/Thriller Writing Virtual Conference - "Person, Place, or Crime: Where to Start Your Mystery" - 1PM Eastern -April 23, 2025 - Artist 5 Show, Newberry Opera House, Newberry, SC - 6 PM Eastern - OPEN TO THE
PUBLIC -May 3, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club, 206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM Eastern -May 17, 2025 - Speaking of Writing Expo, New Bern, NC - 8-4:30PM
Eastern - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise.
It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
– Albert Einstein
<<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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When You’re Writing for Hits
By Alex J. Coyne I worked for a mainstream news website called The South African until mid-2024, producing
freelance articles that connected its success to the amount of total article views (hits) each week. Through this wild ride, I learned how to increase post views for online writing. Writing for Hits: How I Ranked Top 3 I ranked as one of their top three authors in December 2023. Writing for hits means writing for maximum engagement and discussion. Likes, shares, and comments fuel an article’s popularity. Aim for topics that people will talk about, or things that are controversial and
trending. There’s no way to know what people will choose, but there are ways to guess based on trending topics, current news,
and discussion boards like Reddit for the day or week. Readers and bots hate clickbait, though, using an enticing or captivating headline and instead leading to sensational, inaccurate, or misleading content. YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS ABOUT CLOONEY’S HAIRDO is typical clickbait. You
do not want that. My article Grandparents and Sex ranked high, because the topic made people talk — and the article itself focused on sexual and
mental health, delivering as promised. Word-of-mouth and thought-provoking questions or topics like this are how articles get more clicks and views. My piece Is Church Still Safe? was widely-read. I highlighted
recent robberies, sparking discussion about vigilance in places of worship. Views went up. Ask yourself if the article’s topic can be a talking (and sharing) point. Aim to be informative, interesting, and in-depth. Expanding Trending Topics Look for trending topics, finding room for expansion or exclusive,
interesting new angles. Readers looking through the rabbit hole of different articles might just find yours. Die Antwoord is Touring...Again?! covered the controversial band’s 2023 touring return. Today, the article is referenced on their official
Wikipedia page. Other media wasn’t covering their tour details at the time. The above also illustrates Betteridge’s Law of Headlines, which says that any headline with a question can usually be answered with no. Write headlines opposing this Law, and readers are more
likely to click (versus feeling clickbaited). Notice that one of your site’s posts has gone popular? Write a follow-up or expansion piece. Almost always, it’s worthy of hits. Informative and Relevant Writing for traffic (the amount of views or hits) is a mixture of being informative and relevant. For example,
CONCERT SAFETY TIPS is informative — but CONCERT SAFETY TIPS FOR METALLICA’S 2024 SHOWS is informative with current relevance. Same topic, but different focus. The South African drew relevance for its published pieces using careful keyword research. Its writers were encouraged to look for new angles or intriguing coverage for top-listed search terms and focus keywords. Focus keywords,
the top keyword for any article, are then written to appear in the headline (once), and in the introduction (once or twice). This effort is for search engines, but also used to find where information matches what’s relevant for the week. I often wrote about the social welfare payment schedule, simply because it’s often searched for. Approximately 27 million people are listed on the social grant payment system in my country. When people look for payment dates, our articles aimed to be the most informative and timeous. My piece The 18 Rules of Journalism has received more than 50,000 hits. Informative and relevant, the article is as relevant today as it was when originally published. Aim for evergreen topics that fall outside immediate news topics — topics that will read well later. Premium SEO Tools Are Worth
It Premium SEO tools like Yoast and Semrush are worth their subscription fees. Popular websites like The South African use these paid-for, premium tools — and ultimately rank higher on searches. These tools are “spell-checkers” for what search engines measure. Premium SEO tools help writers think more like webmasters and
search engines, highlighting keywords to increase or sentences to reword. Search engines, for example, rank active voice articles higher than passive voice. Don’t guess what’s right. SEO tools show you. Sponsored Posts A sponsored post is paid-for
social media advertising which makes an article appear on more social media timelines, and it’s a quick way to increase an article’s readership. Sponsored posts are more apt to be seen, and more likely clicked or commented on. Posted something and want people to read it? Sponsored advertising gets your post in plain sight. The South African
sponsored some of their articles, naturally drawing clicks to their site (and other posts). Facebook, YouTube, X.com,
and TikTok allow individual posts to be “boosted” for an increase in readers. You don’t have to wait for readers to find your work. These methods make your work more likely to spread to
its readers — using search engines, sparking discussion, and inviting shares. About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird. Sometimes, he co-writes with others.
109929248 © creativecommonsstockphotos | Dreamstime.com
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2025 ESSAY COMPETITION
https://www.sejongculturalsociety.org/writing/current/essay.php
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28,
2025. Divisions: adult (age 19 - 30 years), senior (grade 9th - 12th), and junior (grade 8th and younger). Essays must not exceed 1,000 words in length. Each division has a topic. One entry per category per contestant is permitted. Adult division: First ($1,000), Second ($750), Third ($500). Senior division: First ($500), Second ($400), Third ($300). Junior division: First ($300), Second ($200), Third ($100). Honorable mention (for all divisions listed above): Friends of Pacific Rim
Awards ($50 each). Winners' works may be published in the Korea Times Chicago or the Korean Quarterly or Azalea: A Journal of Korean Literature and Culture. ELECTRIC BOOK AWARD
https://altcurrentpress.com/submissions/
$18
ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2025. Seeks book-length manuscripts of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, plays, novels, long novellas, creative nonfiction, literary memoir, essay collections, or hybrid. Winner receives $1,000, the Electric Book Award digital medallion, a certificate, and book publication on Alternating Current Press, which includes distribution through Ingram, Asterism, and all major online retailers. 3 MILE HARBOR POETRY BOOK AWARDS
https://www.3mileharborpress.com/?page_id=2938
$28 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2025. Send a manuscript of 48-88 pages in a single document via our online submissions manager, Submittable. Each poem should start
on a new page. The winner will receive $500, and the publication of their book as a perfect-bound edition. The winner will also receive 25 author copies. 42 MILES PRESS POETRY AWARD
https://42milespress.com/contest/
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Manuscripts will be accepted from February 1, 2024 to June 15, 2024. The prize is offered annually to any poet writing in English, including poets who have never published a full-length book as well as poets who have published several. Manuscripts submitted for the 42 Miles Press Poetry Award should exhibit an awareness of the contemporary “voice” in American poetry, an awareness of our moment in time as poets. The winning poet will receive $1,000, publication of his or her
book, and 50 author copies. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at Indiana University South Bend ) post-pandemic) as part of the release of the book. AIRLIE PRIZE
https://www.airliepress.org/airlie-prize
ENTRY
FEE. Deadline March 31, 2025. Open to all poets writing in English, regardless of place of residence. The winner will be notified at the end of the summer following the submission and will receive a $1,000 cash award upon publication of the book. Manuscripts should be 48 to 90 pages of original poetry in English. SLIPPERY ELM PRIZE
https://slipperyelm.findlay.edu/submit/contest-guidelines/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2025. All contest entrants will receive a copy of the winning issue and be considered for publication. $1000 prizes in both Poetry and Prose. Up to 3 poems (no line/length limit) or one essay or story (5000 words maximum).
Multiple entries are fine. GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING HYPATHIA AND HOLLY HOUSE RESIDENCIES
https://hypatiainthewoods.org/
Deadline February 15, 2025. Hypatia-in-the-Woods provides and maintains Holly House, a residential retreat center
for women of all creative talents, in a serene environment free of the distractions of everyday life. We welcome applications for residencies from women in the arts – broadly defined to include visual, written, and performing arts, as well as other similar forms of creative expression – in entrepreneurship and in academic professions. Location Shelton, WA. MISSISSIPPI ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
https://arts.ms.gov/grants/grants-for-individuals/artist-fellowships/
Deadline March 1, 2025. Focused on honoring Mississippi artists who demonstrate the ability to create exemplary work in their chosen field. The agency awards fellowships of up to $5,000 in multiple categories each year.
The program is not project-based and does not require a cash match. Professional artists living and working in Mississippi are eligible to apply. ALABAMA ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
https://arts.alabama.gov/programs/literary_arts/literary_fellowship.aspx
Deadline March 1, 2025. The Alabama State Council on the Arts makes cash awards to individual writers in the literary arts based on merit of work, career achievement, career potential and service to the state. Usually two $5,000 Fellowships are awarded each year. SOUTHARTS SOUTHERN PRIZE
https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/southern-prize-and-state-fellowships-literary-arts
Deadline extension to February 12, 2025. Visual artists and poets now have more time to apply for the
Southern Prize and State Fellowships. This extension will give Southern artists impacted by recent weather events more time to apply for these career-changing grants. The genre for the 2025 cycle is Poetry. The program is open to individual artists who meet all eligibility criteria and live in the South Arts region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. A national panel will select one awardee per state, for a group of nine
State Fellows based on artistic excellence that reflects the diversity of artistic expression of the region, each of whom will receive a $5,000 award. The nine awarded State Fellows will compete for the Southern Prize for Literary Arts. Each of the nine state fellowship recipients will be required to attend the awards ceremony. The $25,000 Southern Prize will be awarded to the literary artist whose work demonstrates the highest artistic excellence, and a finalist will be awarded a $10,000 Prize.
Additionally, both Southern Prize awardees will receive a two-week residency at The Writer’s Room at the Betsy, South Beach-Miami, FL.
PARENTS
https://www.parents.com/parents-editorial-guidelines-5270847
We work with highly-qualified parenting writers and journalists to create quality content that’s
science-backed and filled with reassuring advice from leading parenting experts—from pediatricians and child psychologists to OB-GYNs and doulas. For every topic we cover, we strive to find the best writer—whether that’s someone with relevant expertise or real-life experience. We're always looking for experienced and qualified writers with expertise in family and parenting topics. Email us at parentspitches@dotdashmdp.com. TRAILS
https://trailsmag.net/pages/contributor-information
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 also primarily focus on North American destinations. We pay our writers a minimum of $0.50/word—that climbs based on the story and your experience. THE LOGIC
https://thelogic.co/how-to-pitch/
The Logic is one of Canada’s leading sources of business and technology news. We publish in-depth reporting on the businesses, people and policies that are moving the country forward. We prioritize reporting, but will consider pitches for fact-based essays that engage with a newsworthy idea or issue. We will
consider pitches for excerpts from forthcoming books on business and technology. We do not currently accept freelance opinion pieces. Staff stories range from 350 words to 2,500 words or more. Freelance stories, which don’t tend to be breaking news, range from 700 words to 2,500 words. Our usual per-word rate is $1 CAD. MY SHELFY
https://www.myshelfy.xyz/editorial
We're interested in a wide range of topics within culture, spanning trends, subcultures, and niche interests across music, fashion, film, technology, literature, and more. The ideal balance is a perspective that is distinctive, but still broadly relatable to a diverse audience. Pays 50 cents/word and up. RESTART
https://www.restart.run/articles/restart-is-now-accepting-freelance-pitches
At Restart, we’re focused on entertaining, high-quality gaming content readers can’t find anywhere else. While we have a team of
full-time writers, we’re also looking to engage freelancers for reviews and other feature pieces. The final rate for each piece will be determined by the article type, but you can expect the average to be $200.
APRIL GLOAMING PRESS
https://aprilgloaming.com/
April Gloaming Publishing is a nonprofit independent press based in Nashville, TN that aims to capture and better understand the Southern soul, Southern
writing, and the Southern holler. April Gloaming seeks voices with grit, chaotic and devastating, those that spit before hollering their trueness. We seek those rare works that redefine the literature landscape, ones which grab a palmful of dirt and seed and with language grow something entirely new, a fresh voice bursting from the impregnable air of a new Southern identity, one inclusive and open to all backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and graphic
novels. HOUSE OF KEL
https://houseofkel.com/submissions/
An imprint of Regal House. Currently seeking manuscripts within the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and romantasy. FITZROY BOOKS
https://fitzroybooks.com/
As the slightly impertinent offspring of Regal House Publishing, Fitzroy Books is a traditional press (and a proud member of The Children’s Book Council) publishing finely crafted works of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction. While the fictional
subject of YA literature often comprises teenage drama, we endeavor to remove all such sources of angst from the publishing process. TWO DOLLAR RADIO
https://twodollarradio.com/
We operate a brick-and-mortar in Columbus, Ohio, focused on
indie books, vegan food, live events, coffee, booze, and chill. Our work is for the adventurous and independent spirits who thirst for more, who push boundaries and like to witness others test their creative limits.
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 2000-2025, 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
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