VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 | January 24, 2025 |
STAYING RELEVANT There are times we feel like we are yelling into empty space when we try to write. We put our books out there, hope they are read, and then wonder when we hear nothing back, and fret whether or not the
effort is worth our time. It's like when we feel our families don't see or hear us anymore as we age. It's like when we feel the hours we invest at work are not seen. It's like when we go to the doctor and feel we are herded through like cattle. It's like not being heard when you are trying to ask for help. You know all the cliches. We try to do well only nobody sees it. You then turn attention onto yourself, wondering what you've done wrong, because we like to think we can fix whatever doesn't feel right. Actually, we can change what doesn't feel right. Sometimes it's more about our attitude, not theirs. Maybe we need to do our best and let that be our satisfaction. We exist in a world that relies on negative for its energy. It's easy to get sucked in. It's easy to take everything personally. We, however, can devote ourselves to the positive. If you cannot change the
naysayers, the ones putting you down, or the ones who ignore you, then decide that doing your best is the satisfaction you can not only live with but thrive on. Because if you are happy with yourself, you can enjoy this life. Enjoy the writing. Just simply enjoy putting words on paper, reading other words, and pondering the meaning of words. Write your best. Publish your best. Be proud of what you've accomplished. Focus on that pride. Look forward to writing more. And don't decide whether you write on what others say. Write for you. |
Emerald Theatre Company's 8th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSONS - SHOWDATE IS SEPTEMBER 2025
Seeking original vignettes inspired by the classic nursery rhyme: "Monday’s Child" Contest Rules: No more than 10 minutes in length, 10 pages maximum, no more than 3 characters and a theme. Each vignette should focus on an adult who embodies a “child” from the rhyme below. Monday’s child is fair of face Tuesday’s child is full of grace Wednesday’s child is full of woe Thursday’s child has far to go Friday’s child is loving and giving Saturday’s child works hard for a living And the child that is born on the Sabbath day...Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay. 7 vignettes will be selected for production. No children’s theatre, musicals, or child-centered stories, please. Absurd, Comedic, Dark, Dramatic, Farce, Tragedy...literal or figurative, that is up to you!! Work must be original and unproduced. Submission Rules: The cover page should only have the play’s
title. On a separate page include playwrights name, address, phone and email. These do not count as part of the 10 pages. Please send scripts in a word document. Entry Fee: $15 in a money order or check payable to Emerald Theatre Company OR sent via CashApp at $EmeraldTheatreMphs. Entry fee covers production costs and printing of scripts. Deadline: May 31, 2025. Winners contacted and announced July 1, 2025, and the play festival is September 2025. Once payment is received and verified, playwrights will be notified, and scripts will be printed. Prizes : 1st - $100 plus a
medal plus stage performances 2nd - $50 plus a medal, plus stage performances 3rd - a medal plus stage performance Full details at www.etcmemphistheater.com THINK LIKE A READER
Do you want to hear how an author got published after five years?
Do you want to hear how many times they were
rejected?
Do you want to hear the pros and cons of how they chose their agent, indie publisher, or self-publisher?
Do you want to hear about the pros and cons of how they advertise on social media?
Do you want to hear about the negative reviews they were getting?
Do you want to hear about not getting enough reviews?
Do you want to hear about a rival author they clash with?
Do you want to hear how they dislike readers who criticize online?
Do you want to hear how libraries or book stores won't shelve their books?
Do you want to hear how expensive it is to have a website, newsletter, editor, etc.?
Do you want to hear how much a
book is without knowing what it is about?
Do you want to hear how long it took to write the book?
Do you want to hear what got cut out of the story?
Do you want to hear how much they earned? Or how much in the hole they are?
Do you want to hear how hard they worked in high school on their stories? The list goes on and on. When you write for years, when you finally publish, you've covered a lot of ground and earned some scars. However, the reading public does not want to hear about all the steps you went through. They just want a great story. Or in terms of nonfiction, they want a book that improves THEIR qualify of
life. To a reader, it isn't about you. It's about the book THEY BOUGHT. It's about how the money they invested in a book brought them good information or pleasure. They want to pick up a book and read. They want to pick up a magazine and read the articles. They just want a story . . . period. Stop
telling the world how hard you have it as an author. Just write. Just publish. Then repeat. Readers just want good reading material. They don't need the story about how it came about. -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.
Ranier Maria Rilke in his letters to a Young Poet:
"Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if
you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple "I must," then build your life in accordance with this necessity."
<<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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Using Your Pseudonym
By Alex J. Coyne The Dark Half is one of my favorite Stephen King books, because it’s the one where an author’s pseudonym comes to life. Pen names
like Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling), Anne Rice (Howard Allen Frances O’Brien), and Stan Lee (Stanley Martin Lieber) are common. However, why use pseudonyms or pen names — and how? Here’s why pseudonyms work. Why Use Pen Names? Pen names can be used for privacy concerns, legal reasons, or marketing. It’s Me, Anna was initially published as Elbie Lötter to protect author privacy, highlighting a sensitive memoir of childhood abuse. Short Drive to Freedom is by André le Roux du Toit (Joe Kitchen/Koos Kombuis), who chose his pen-name during apartheid resistance years. My legal name is Francois Jansen van Vuuren, and I won’t blame anyone who can’t pronounce or remember it. The name Alex J. Coyne had a better ring to
it. Pseudonyms Are Legal Pseudonyms are legally protected as a personal right: a pen name is yours once you’ve chosen it. The law protects its individual use, which is why someone would be unable to publish a book as Stephen King unless, well, they are. A pseudonym is protected by international copyright laws. Authors can prove it because they’ll have dated correspondence (or published work) with their chosen name on it. Registering your pseudonym as a trademark isn’t strictly necessary, however, some authors still do this for creative control — merchandising knock-offs are easier to pursue legally, for example, when you have a trademark. Trademarking Pen Names Do you need to trademark your pseudonym first? No, but you might still register a trademark if you’re
into merchandising (things carrying the name other than written work). Once a name or slogan is trademarked, it’s protected by personal usage laws, but also intellectual property guidelines. Let’s say I created graphic hoodies, but didn’t trademark JOE DUDE. If someone steals the design, I can hold them accountable for duplicating the name. However, if someone steals a trademarked design, I could stop it sooner — technically, theirs is counterfeit by additional, more hardcore
laws. When people are selling rights, they’re exchanging trademarks. The JRR Tolkien Estate refused any of its trademarks to Disney, but allowed Prime Video’s The Rings of Power. That’s how creative control via trademarks works — and not just for pen names, but any registered
word, image, or slogan. Pen Names versus Legal Names Publishing contracts mention an author’s legal name, as well as their pseudonym with clear indication. Indicate clearly on
manuscripts which is the intended published pseudonym, and which name is used for correspondence or payments. Accounting departments can be confused when paying an invoice to Mr Jansen, when they could have sworn that they’d spoken to Mr Coyne. Don’t assume everyone knows the difference — and just in case, sign correspondence appropriately. An extreme example is the
time Reader’s Digest signed a check to my pseudonym: yes, re-issuing took several weeks. Changing Names Legally Many professionals choose to change their names to match their pseudonym. If you’re
uncomfortable with your given name (or it’s easier), apply for a name change for professional reasons. C. Hope Clark used to be known as Cynthia B. Clark.
Once she became a writer, she wanted a more eye-catching name, but her bank gave her a hard time on cashing checks. Using her birth certificate, she changed her bank and other records to C. Hope, spinning off of her given name of Cynthia Hope. Now C. Hope Clark is both her pen and legal name. Applications can be rejected if there’s a dispute, though (for example, if I tried to register myself as Prince
Charles). Legal name changes generally also can’t contain special characters like X Æ A-12, infringe on trademarks, or be offensive. Most name changes go through, but there are valid legal reasons why some names won’t be allowed, like ones frivolous or obscene. Clarifying Pseudonyms I prefer my pseudonym, and generally introduce myself as Alex — but for newer clients, I still make the full introduction for
paperwork. Articles for The South African specified both bylines as “by Alex J. Coyne (Francois Jansen)” — both names grew readership without alienating search results for my regular writing. A pseudonym isn’t just an alternate, but should become your marketable brand — and your recognizable voice. 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.
114713343 © Publicdomainphotos | Dreamstime.com
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WRITING MAGAZINE NEW YEAR PROMPT COMPETITION
https://www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-competitions/free-to-enter-new-year-new-you
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28, 2025. To get your new year off to a flying start, you could win a cash prize and publication by entering stories up to 800 words about someone who resolves to make a change in the year ahead. The winner will receive £150 and online publication. CHRALES CAUSLEY INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION
https://causleytrust.org/competition-2025/
£8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28, 2025. The theme is Peace. The first prize winner will receive £1,000. The second prize winner will receive £200. The third prize winner will receive £100. There will also be two Highly Commended placed poets. Poems: 40 lines of text maximum, no minimum.
The title is not included in the line count. THE ELMBRIDGE LITERARY COMPETITION
https://www.rcsherrifftrust.org.uk/elmbridge-literary-competition
£8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 21,
2025. The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of ‘The River’. Open to anyone. Short stories must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 1000 words (8-13 years) or 1500 words (14+). Poems must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 30 lines typed, using Arial font and double-spaced. Little Rhymes and Stories for the 5-7 years group should be no longer than 20 lines (Rhymes) or 500 words
(Stories) and can be hand-written (but must be legible). Children's awards noted online. Adult prizes are for fiction, first £250, second £150, third £100. For poetry first prize £250, second prize £150, third prize £100. WATERMAN FUND ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.watermanfund.org/essay-contest/enter-essay-contest/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2025. Writers who have not published a major work of fiction or narrative nonfiction on topics of wilderness, wildness, or the ethics and ecology of environmental issues are eligible. The Waterman Fund provides generous prize money of $3,000 for the first-place essay selection and $1,000 for a runner-up. We welcome
personal, scientific, adventure, or memoir essays; fiction, poetry, or songs are not eligible for this contest. Submissions should be 2000-3000 words. WILD WOMEN STORY CONTEST
https://www.tuliptreepub.com/wild-women-contest.html
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 8, 2025. We are looking for empowering stories (written by anyone) whose main characters embody the Wild Woman spirit. We want stories about finding the Wild, reclaiming the Wild, experiencing the Wild, being the Wild, staying Wild. We especially love stories about the ways women use their power to create and shape the world, and stories about discovering—or remembering—this power in the first place. Stories can be fiction,
nonfiction, or poetry—as usual, if it tells a story, it fits! Grand prize $1,000. Limit 10,000 words prose. Limit 5 pages poetry. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST
https://www.arts.gov/grants/creative-writing-fellowships
Deadline March 12, 2025. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellowships program offers $50,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Individual U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the
U.S. who meet specific publication requirements are eligible to apply.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CREATIVE HEIGHTS
https://oregoncf.org/grants-and-scholarships/grants/creative-heights
Deadline February 13, 2025.
Grants of between $10,000 and $100,000 will be awarded in support of creating and/or presenting new and innovative performances, exhibitions, programs, and other works of art and culture. Project funding may be spent over two years. It can support any artistic or cultural discipline, including visual, dance, folk and traditional arts, film/video/media, literary arts, museum exhibitions, music, theatre and performance arts, history and heritage, and multidisciplinary or emerging fields.
Individuals, collectives, or organizations may submit an LOI. If selected to submit a full application, applicants must identify a potential Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner to receive funds. DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION HOUSING ASSISTANCE GRANT
https://dgf.org/housing-assistance-grant/
The Dramatists Guild Foundation’s (DGF) Housing Assistance Grants are one-time awards that assist professional dramatists (playwrights, composers, lyricists and librettists) with housing expenses accrued as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. DGF is committed to preventing eviction and displacement among theater writers and to help dramatists rebuild their lives during the pandemic
recovery period. Theater writers should apply for immediate financial assistance with the following: outstanding mortgage and rent payments, sudden increases to rent prices, overdue utility bills, outstanding costs related to moving, or credit card debt related to any of the aforementioned reasons. 18th STREET ARTS CENTER RESIDENCIES
https://18thstreet.org/residency-program/
The Visiting Artist Residency Program accepts applications from working, professional artists who demonstrate a deep commitment to their practices. The program is open to artists of all generations, nationalities, and disciplines. Applicants are required to cover studio rental costs themselves. Although we primarily support visual
artists, 18th Street Arts Center will consider applications from performing artists, writers, and filmmakers as well. A STUDIO IN THE WOODS
https://astudiointhewoods.org/apply-for-self-as-universe-mending-our-collective-ecosystems-residencies/
Deadline February 24, 2025. Self as Universe: Mending Our Collective Ecosystem Residencies provide artists with time, space, funding, and staff support to foster critical thinking in the creation of new works. We will award approximately eight project-based residencies which include room and board, artist
stipends, and supply budget. Residencies will be six weeks in length and take place between September 2025 and May 2026. CROWDFUNDING TRAINING FOR ARTISTS
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CJ7DN23
The New Jersey State Council on
the Arts is pleased to share part two of The Business of Being an Artist Workshop Series - “Crowdsourced Funding: A Holistic Approach for Artists.” This series of workshops is free and open to any artist, teaching artist, or folk artist who lives and/or works in the state of New Jersey. February 26, 2025 | 11:00 AM - Noon ET. Registration closes on February 19. Registration is free, but is required to access the workshop.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN READER
https://rockymountainreader.org/submission-guidelines/
We welcome original essay submissions from anyone with a Colorado connection, whether you’ve
published a book or not. We’re interested in thoughtful, timely, pertinent, well-written essays that tell a true story in a compelling way. Send essays for possible publication to the editor and be sure to include a note explaining your Colorado connection. Ideal length is 800-1,200 words. We pay on publication: $150. Reviews and Features generally range from 700-1,200 words in length. We pay on publication: $150. AMERICAN CRAFT!
https://craftcouncil.org/magazine/writers-guidelines/
We welcome your ideas for stories in upcoming issues of American Craft! American Craft celebrates the diversity and ingenuity of craft in America and its makers. From handcrafted pieces we use in our homes and wear
every day, to the fine craft honored in museums and the way communities come together around it to make a difference, we cover work that inspires us to think differently, appreciate our surroundings, and connect with our fellow humans. Stories are generally assigned at 400–2,000 words. Our pay is $.50–$1.00/word, depending on the assignment. BRIARPATCH
https://briarpatchmagazine.com/submissions
Briarpatch Magazine publishes writing and artwork on a wide range of topics, including current events, grassroots activism, electoral politics, economic justice, ecology, labour, food security, gender equity, Indigenous struggles, international solidarity, and other issues of political importance. $150 – Profiles, short
essays, reviews and reading lists, online-only articles, and parting shots (generally 1,500 words or less). $250 – Feature stories (generally 1,500-2,000 words) and photo essays. $350 – Research-based articles and investigative reporting with extensive primary research (generally 2,000-2,500 words). (NOTE: These are Canadian rates.) CHICKEN SOUP HOLIDAY EDITION
http://www.chickensoup.com
We want to hear how you celebrate your holidays. Do you gather with family and friends to share the special spirit of the season? How do you brighten those long winter days? If you live in a warm climate, no snow for you! How does that affect your celebration? What special things do you do? Please submit your true stories about the
entire December holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year's festivities too. Limit 1200 words. First person. Pays $250 and 10 copies.
DEEP HEARTS YA
https://deepheartsya.com/submissions/
We are focusing primarily on LGBTQ+ young adult fiction, in all genres and sub-genres, including aro and ace lead characters. While we are
primarily a romance publisher, romance need not be the primary plot, provided there is some theme of self-empowerment, self-acceptance, or other related message. Given that the characters and target readers are underage, there is to be no erotic content. VINE LEAVES PRESS
https://www.vineleavespress.com/submissions.html
Deadline January 31, 2025. We are looking for: novels and novellas (all genres accepted, but with a literary bent), memoirs/biographies/autobiographies, creative nonfiction, writing/publishing reference books, short story collections, and poetry and vignette collections. For shorter works, such as poetry and vignettes, we will not accept anything shorter than 60
pages. SPLITLIP PRESS
https://www.splitlippress.com/
SHORT STORY/FLASH FICTION book manuscripts accepted January 1st through March 1st. CHAPBOOK submissions allowed April 1st through June 1st but for 2025 we will be doing open prose
(both fiction + nf/h). NOVEL/NOVELLA book manuscripts read July 1st through September 1st. ESSAY/MEMOIR/NONFICTION-HYBRID book manuscripts accepted October 1st through December 1st. We ask for a full manuscript rather than an excerpt/query. Split/Lip Press is dedicated to publishing boundary-breaking fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid books, lifting the transition boards that prevent fluidity and smashing those we cannot pry up. We love work that questions the concept of truth and work that
reinterprets what we think we know. We prize experimentation (physical, emotional, metaphysical, meta-emotional); we welcome the unanswerable. We want to see the dark and the light side of the moon—or we want to see it obliterated. If your book is a wedge in a crack, Split/Lip Press is the hammer helping you split the wall apart. SUNBURY PRESS
https://www.sunburypress.com/
We currently publish under eighteen different imprints.
- The Sunbury Press imprint is best known for history, military fiction, biography, memoir, and other nonfiction categories.
- Scriptoria Press is our new fiction and nonfiction Christian
imprint.
- Distelfink Press is our Pennsylvania Dutch / Pennsylvania German imprint.
- Catamount Press imprint focuses on literature and creative nonfiction related to the Northern Appalachia region.
- Oxford Southern is for academic, medical, biographical, social science, and educational content.
- Local History
Press is our imprint focused on historical events or figures for any locale.
- Milford House Press is our general fiction imprint, including historical and legal fiction, and including cozy mysteries and westerns.
- Brown Posey Press is our literary fiction and creative nonfiction imprint. We also publish our art and music titles under this imprint.
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Roswell Press is our new paranormal, alien, UFO, supernatural, cryptids, occultism, sci-fi, strange phenomenon, and witchy fiction and nonfiction imprint.
- Ars Metaphysica our spiritual, metaphysical, new age, fiction, and religion (except Christian) nonfiction imprint.
- Hellbender Books is our horror, psychological thrillers, dystopian (except YA), and fantasy imprint.
- The Agency Books is our new detective, government conspiracies, law enforcement, espionage, terrorism, FBI/CIA/NSA, and spy thriller imprint.
- Loch Ness Books is our Young Adult (YA) imprint.
- Radio Free Press is our new Political Imprint.
- Hearth & Home Press features books of a more practical nature,
including Crafts and Hobbies, Cooking, Personal/Practical/Emergency Preparedness, Games and Activities, House and Home, Sustainable Living, Homesteading, and Gardening.
- Verboten Books is our imprint for mature content.
- Speckled Egg Press is our juvenile fiction and nonfiction imprint.
- Blood Moon Comics is our comic book and graphic novel
imprint.
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
receive. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com. We are an anti-spam site. | |
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