VOLUME 25, ISSUE 17 | april 25, 2025 |
THAT HAPPY MIDDLE OF PROMOTION I am more in the line of Dean Koontz when it comes to making appearances. I make myself appear just enough, not totally comfortable with too many face-to-face events. I don't do major
conferences. I rarely leave the state anymore. Pre-COVID I was all over the place, and admittedly, the touring helped put my name out there. Post-COVID, however, I've been more productive and less real-life promotional. No, you don't have to appear if you don't want to, but tell yourself how people will get to know you. You have to do it to a certain degree to become known, or to remain relevant. Exercise the 25/50/25 method of dictating where you appear. 25% of the time appear in easy venues that don't make you nervous. Book clubs, maybe. Groups in coffee houses. 50% of the time, accept larger crowds. They are challenging but doable. Then 25% of the
time, accept something that rattles you enough to put you on your toes. Step into fresh territory and give it a go. So, that means if you appear four times a year, you do a 1/2/1 ratio. If you appear monthly, then break it down into an 3/6/3 situation. There's being comfortable, then there's being true to your profession, which means improvement and reaching out. Your readers deserve your diligence to your writing, your
promotion, and to them.
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There's a reason writers throughout history have felt the call to travel, spend time in nature, and immerse themselves in unfamiliar territory. Research shows that all of these boost creativity and help move ideas to the page. And that's what Compass Writers' small-group walk-and-write retreats are all about. Join us for our 2025 Women's Walk & Write Retreat September 20-29, 2025, starting in Melrose,
Scotland, and writing across 70 miles to land on Holy Island, England. This retreat moves along gorgeous St. Cuthbert's Way, an ancient pilgrimage path through Scotland's lush borderlands. Together, we'll walk, write, play with other creative forms, and see where the challenges, sites, and wildlife along the way take us. Grounded in
the Amherst Writers & Artists method, women writers of all levels are welcome. Limited to 6 writers for an intimate experience. Registration closes on May 30, 2025. To register online, simply go to September 20 on the
registration page calendar. For more information, email Cherylmurfin@gmail.com. MARKETING FOR APPEARANCES
“If you build it, he (they) will come” is the famous line in the classic 1989 flick, “Field of Dreams,” spoken by character Iowa corn farmer Ray Kinsella (actor Kevin Costner). That's fine when you're talking
about ghosts showing up on a baseball field, but what about book signings and appearances? When you are going to make an appearance, and the group isn't restrictive in size or membership, you cannot expect the public to just show up. Instead you ought to be touting the event, and you can do some or all of the following: 1) Create marketing material on Canva.com (or use what
the host is using to be consistent).
2) Use it on your social media, allow it to be shareable, and suggest others spread the word.
3) Promote hard on local sites. Town, county, region . . . ask them to post this on their social media, sites, and newsletters. Most opportunities like this are free.
4) Promote via Chambers of Commerce. If your host is a commercial entity, nonprofit, or service
entity, they likely get free promotion via the local Chamber's social media and mailings. I belong to the Edisto Island Chamber, and they shout out when I have a signing coming up because the bookstore and I are both members.
5) Repeat the above when possible. A lot of people miss the first time around.
6) Coordinate with the host on advertising and details on what would make the appearance better.
7) Have a solid website/social media for the advertising to link back to.
8) Book clubs do not advertise outside their membership most of the time, but I have seen them advertise locally in order to increase membership. Ask if this is possible.
9) Ask libraries to let their sister libraries know, to draw from a wider base but also so that the other libraries can consider booking you as well.
If you do not promote, you are relying totally on chance and word of mouth. If you can only fit 25 people in the room, then fine. If you want as many people as possible, then for goodness sake, create artwork and distribute it far and wide. How wide depends on how many books you want to sell. Unless the event wants to control the artwork, then you get copies and ask permission to spread it far and wide. I was recently invited to be one of several artists in an evening event. Nobody advertised it until the last minute, and then in only one place. The venue could hold 400 people. I had asked several times about advertising. Six days beforehand they sent me a poster poorly contrived and outdated, on the verge of being more confusing than informative. Having obligated to appear, I kept my
word and did so. Their pitch had been appealing and the venue promising. I'd assumed they would advertise equally as well. If they'd orchestrated an advertising campaign, like I listed above, capitalizing on the followers of each artist, they'd have filled the venue. Which they didn't. We had a fun time, and I cannot complain about how much I was paid, and luckily I still sold a fair number of books. But oh how much better that night
could have been. Emerald Theatre Company’s 8th Annual 10-minute Play Festival No more than 10 minutes in length, 10 pages maximum, and 3 characters. This year's theme: Monday’s Child... Seeking original vignettes inspired by the classic
nursery rhyme. Each vignette should focus on an adult who embodies a “child” from the rhyme. 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. These are black box productions so minimal sets required. Costumes or set pieces may be limited, so avoid being too specific. 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. Entry Fee: $15.00 and a money order or check payable to Emerald Theatre Company OR sent via CashApp. Entry fee covers production costs and printing of scripts. Please send scripts in a word document. Deadline May 31, 2025. Winners contacted and announced July 1, 2025, and the play festival is September 2025. Prizes
: 1st - $100 plus a medal plus stage performances 2nd $ 50 plus a medal plus stage performances 3rd a medal plus stage performance. MAIL TO: Hal Harmon c/o ETC 1402 Linden Ave. Memphis, TN 38104 CashApp: $EmeraldTheatreMphs If sending via Cash App, please email us at emeraldtheatrecompany@gmail.com Full details at www.etcmemphistheater.com
-May 3, 2025 - Pelion Library Book Club, 206 Pine St, Pelion, SC, Saturday, 1-2PM Eastern -May 6, 2025 - Zoom, North Carolina Writers Network, "Contests: Fact and Fiction," 1PM Eastern -May 8, 2025 - Writer's Digest Webinar, Finding Funds for Writers, 1PM Eastern -May 13, 2025 - The Blake at Woodcreek Farms, talk on Edisto series, Elgin, SC - 1PM -May 17, 2025 - Speaking of Writing Expo, New Bern, NC - 8-4:30PM Eastern - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC -June 7-14, 2025 - Gutsy Great Novelist Retreat, Bar Harbor, Maine -Sept 9, 2025 - Chapin Library, Chapin, SC - 1PM
Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule events, online or otherwise.
The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
~Marcus Aurelius <<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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Can Writers Stop or Slow AI?
By Alex J. Coyne
I was horrified when a client suggested using generative AI to “fill in” an article. I was appropriately aghast when another client switched their copywriting to cheaper ChatGPT. Generative AI has led to job losses and writing industry impact—it’s not just my story, but could be yours. Can writers stop or slow AI? Here’s how to brace for impact. Add a Disclaimer Add a disclaimer to your website that says you’re a human writer without generative AI. Some people want cheap, AI copywriting. Those aren’t the type of clients you’re hoping to get, and adding a disclaimer stops them (or you) from wasting time. Don’t use generative AI for your writing, cover art, or website. Non-generative AI tools can still be used for data analysis or research, like you’d use a calculator rather than grabbing an abacus. Don’t feed the machine. Avoid copying, pasting,
or uploading your files to sites that may be connected to machine learning. “Free” file converters are a potential culprit. Use open source downloadable software rather than quick, free, online software that may just be teaching AI in the background. Check terms and conditions carefully before using anything “free”, because
they’re usually covering their costs by selling data. Learn About It Learn more about artificial intelligence: it’s here to stay. Generative AI can be used as a fun tool though should also have its limits, according to filmmaker Scott Sava (Netflix/Animal Crackers) during our interview. Use it to visualize things for your writing, almost like building a character from your book in The Sims video game but never allow it to actually help you write. Distinguish between generative AI, which creates, and nongenerative AI tools used more to
analyze data, which are more practically used in writing and journalism. For example, journalists are being taught to use AI tools to spot deepfakes or analyze large data sets such as the Panama Papers. AI has solved crimes or can be an intelligent spellchecker like
Grammarly, too. Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), meaning trained on vast amounts of data to understand and generate natural language and other content, describe DALL-E, ChatGPT, and Copilot. Opt-Out of Teaching AI With Your Work Uploaded or shared content is sometimes “scrubbed” or
collected by programs (that is, bots), and subsequently used to teach artificial intelligence. AI learns from user input, and many websites have an AI-clause in their Terms of Service allowing your input to become part of its teaching program. Users can, for example, disable Copilot entirely in Microsoft with this guide. Web browsers like Edge are likely to have similar settings. The best way to find it is to search “opt-out of AI” and your relevant site or service. Wired has a longer list of where (and how) to opt-out of AI training. Employ AI Corruption Tools Artificial intelligence corruption tools like Nightshade will automatically “corrupt” the resulting
input when an AI tool tries to generate anything using an image it has been embedded in. However, Nightshade is only for image-based or visual AI corruption. Critics raise ethical questions about using corruption tools, however without it, AI “theft” is tougher to combat and
recognize. For now, the best corruption tool applies to images alone, but more are being developed that could stop writers’ work from being quoted or used for machine learning or generative AI without permission. Block AI Bots from Your Site The best thing writers have to protect their own posts and content from generative AI learning and LLMs, is blocking artificial intelligence learning bots from scrubbing (or reading) your work. According to Webnots and Dev4Press, administrators can add a specific exclusion request to their website, which means uploading a special
text file to your website’s file directory. This tells responsible AI bots to turn a blind eye and go somewhere else. This type of “blocking” means bots will exclude your site, and therefore the writing on it, when they recognize the file. However, while this type of exclusion works for responsible companies, unscrupulous bots might still bypass this effort. Though if an author can prove their work has been lifted or used, there’s legal recourse through a cease-and-desist or
copyright claim, much like proclaiming plagiarism. 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.
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Writers often enter the word business thinking if they write what they want, when they want, and submit often, that a luscious fulltime living is within reach. In reality, writers often have to start one place to wind up reaching another, and sometimes they need sidesteps to reach a writing end game. They may have to write for one entity in order to gain access to another. They want to be known for their writing, but a book takes a long time to write, much less publish. The
truth is, nothing in the writing world is straightforward. Writing is not a linear progression from novice to expert. C. Hope Clark has spent years explaining to writers about open calls for submissions for contests, markets, grants, and publishers/agents and how to think outside the box in bringing in a writing income. Funding that book project may take alternate avenues. No two writers operate the same. Sometimes you diversify.
Sometimes you define a niche. Whatever you do, realize that writing for a living is a learning curve and never what you expect. Over the course of her career as a freelance writer and award-winning novelist, Hope Clark learned in her research, starts, stops, and detours that writing is more than penning a story and publishing it. And earning a living at writing is about little detours and side roads to make ends meet. This live webinar will show writers how to earn an income as a writer and explain the diverse avenues for obtaining funds. This live webinar will be interactive with plenty of time for questions and answers. |
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| - Writers who want to justify writing for a living
- Writers who need short-term income in addition to long-term
- Writers who want to understand the facts and myths of grants
- Writers who aren't sure about entering writing contests
- Writers who
aren't sure where to start earning a living
- Writers who need direction in the balance of creativity and entrepreneurship
- Writers who crave support for their dream project
- Writers who dream of writing from home forever
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| - How to see your writing career as multi-layered
- How to strategically use assorted sources of income, even if you write books
- How to broaden your brand
- How to get published other than pitching
- How to use other sources of writing income in pitching your book
- How to demonstrate you are a serious writer
- Where are the
grants, and what are the myths about them
- Why everyone ought to freelance
- Why everyone ought to enter writing contests
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ANTHOLOGY PERSONAL MEMOIR COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/memoir-competition/
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline
August 31, 2025. First prize of €500 and the winning entry published in Anthology magazine. The Anthology Personal Memoir Competition is open to original and previously unpublished memoirs in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. In the spirit of authenticity, there are no constraints on themes or writing styles. Memoirs submitted must not exceed a maximum of 1,500 words. ANTHOLOGY SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition/
€18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2025. The winner will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology. Second prize €250. Third prize €150. The Anthology Short Story
Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish, each with an entry fee. ROCK PAPER POEM
https://rockpaperpoem.com/2025-RockPaperPoem-Poetry-Prize.html
$10 ENTRY FEE (3 POEMS). Deadline May 31, 2025. Open to anyone 18 years of age and older writing in English, from anywhere in the world. Grand Prize - $300. Two Runners-Up - $150 each. Send 1-3 of your best, previously unpublished poems. Poems published on a blog or social media are not eligible.
No theme; any subject; maximum two pages per poem. RIVER HERON POETRY PRIZE
https://www.riverheronreview.com/the-rhr-poetry-contest
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. The River Heron Poetry Prize awards the winning poet $500 and 2 runners-up $100 each, a
Zoom reading, plus publication. Two finalists will also be announced and awarded a Zoom reading and publication. Poets may submit up to 3 poems, 5 pages maximum. ASJA - OUTSTANDING ARTICLE AWARDS
https://www.asja.org/what-we-do/awards/awards-rules-and-guidelines/
$40 or $60 PER ENTRY. Deadline May 16, 2025. Multiple categories: personal platform/online writing, business writing, reporting, first-person essays, wellness/fitness, food/drink, health, how-to, lifestyle, op-eds, profiles, essays, science, social change, technology, trade, travel, and environment/climate ($500 prize). GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING ANNE LABASTILLE MEMOROAL WRITERS RESIDENCY
https://adirondackcenterforwriting.org/residency/
Deadline May 19, 2025. The Adirondack Center for Writing offers a free, two-week residency
annually in autumn to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers at a lodge on Twitchell Lake in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Six residents will be chosen: three from the Adirondack region (aka “The North Country” and three from anywhere in the world. Quality of written submissions is the primary consideration when accepting applications. CINTAS FELLOWSHIP IN CREATIVE WRITING
https://www.cintasfoundation.org/fellowships#writing
Deadline May 1, 2025. Awarded to creative writers of Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). The award ($25,000 US) is considered taxable income under US tax law and the Foundation will withhold appropriate US taxes. MARTIN HOUSE CREATIVE RESIDENCY
https://martinhouse.org/events/residency/
Deadline May 9, 2025. The residency is a competitive program that is open to applicants who seek the resources to support ongoing projects or the creation of new work. Creative makers who are selected to participate will generally spend
2-4 weeks onsite either consecutively or incrementally within the specified residency term. Residency proposal must relate directly to the Martin House. End-products may revolve around any of the themes central to the site. Subjects of inquiry may relate to architecture, art, art history, landscape, building and design, social history, state and local history, issues of gender, race and class, modernism, urbanism, housing and gentrification, business and industry, the history of technology,
cultural studies, engineering and applied sciences, for example. Residents will receive a stipend of $5,000. 50% of the stipend will be provided upon arrival to Buffalo; the other 50% will be offered upon completion of the project. Travel expenses of up to $1,000 will also be provided to residents who are from outside the Buffalo-Niagara region. OHIO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
https://oac.ohio.gov/grants/10-grant-opportunities/30-artist-opportunities
Deadline May 1, 2025. Grants are awarded to individual artists at both the emerging artist level ($500) and professional artist level (up to $2,500) with no cash match required. Individuals may submit one application per year. Artist Opportunities grantees can anticipate
receiving their full request. Note: For the purposes of this program, emerging artists are individuals who have consistently worked in their chosen art form for more than three years, have demonstrated strong artistic potential, and want to develop their careers. Professional artists are individuals who devote a major portion of their time to creating, practicing, performing, or teaching their chosen artform and receive some type of monetary support from this endeavor. US WRITERS AID INITIATIVE
https://pen.org/us-writers-aid-initiative/
Deadlines May 2, 2025, July 1, 2025, October 1, 2025. The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is intended to assist fiction and nonfiction authors, poets, playwrights, translators, and journalists in addressing short-term financial
emergencies. To be eligible, applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported. See definition of the level writers considered. For instance, publication of one or more books, but writers who are only self-published or published by a press that charges for publication are not eligible. Writers
currently enrolled in degree-granting programs are also not eligible.
RELIGION UNPLUGGED
https://religionunplugged.com/freelance-rates
We are currently taking pitches for news feature stories, opinion pieces as well as movie and book reviews. We also limit pitches to just four each month in order to showcase a
larger number of writers and voices over the course of the year. Categories are features, opinion, film/TV reviews, art reviews, book reviews. Pays 20-25 cents/word. POSITIVE NEWS
https://www.positive.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Pitching-guide-for-journalists_2024.pdf
Positive News publishes good journalism about good things. We’re seeking unique pitches for the next quarterly print edition of Positive News magazine and, on an ongoing basis, for www.positive.news. Positive News publishes ‘constructive journalism’. Payment is usually 30p/word. FOODISM
https://foodism.to/write-for-us/
We currently pay for print-first features and travel guides, which are then repurposed online. Familiarize yourself with our past Foodism and Escapism issues, and any upcoming themes. Feature flat rate of $600 for 1,200 – 1,500 words. Travel feature flat rate of $600 for 1,200 – 1,500 words. Travel guides are around 500 words and up, and we pay $0.40 per
word. SFWA BLOG
https://www.sfwa.org/sfwa-publications/sfwa-blog-guidelines/#open-calls
Ideal article length is between 800–1000 words. Pay is $0.10/word on final draft word count. The SFWA Blog is open to pitches for original nonfiction articles on topics
that might be of interest to creators of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) throughout the globe. No fiction. ADI MAGAZINE
https://adimagazine.submittable.com/submit#facebook
Deadline May 3, 2025. Adi is thinking about alternative political visions for a world in
desperate need of them. We want examples from outside of the mainstream, stories about practices, ideas, and movements that were/are suppressed by economic, socio-cultural, religious, or imperial (colonial) powers. For short fiction, up to 5,000 words, payment is $500. For flash fiction, under 1,000 words, payment is $200.
SCHAFFNER PRESS
https://schaffnerpress.com/submissions/
Literary adult fiction, short fiction collection, historical with socially relevant content, crime fiction, non-fiction–memoir, autobiography, biography. Journalistic Expose or Narrative, True
Crime, Art, Culture, pop culture, World History, current events, science, arts and letters, US history, military history, music are some of the preferred categories.
No Children’s or Young Adult fiction or non-fiction. No science fiction, romance, or fantasy. We will consider manuscripts between 60,000 – 100,000 words. SOHO PRESS
https://sohopress.com/about/
Soho Press is an independent book publisher based in Manhattan. Founded in 1986, Soho publishes 80-100 books a year across its Soho Press, Soho Crime, Soho Teen, and Hell’s Hundred imprints, and is known for introducing bold literary voices, award-winning crime fiction, and groundbreaking young adult fiction. UNNAMED PRESS
https://www.unnamedpress.com/about-1
Unnamed Press is a Los Angeles-based independent book publisher. A general interest publisher that remains committed to publishing a kaleidoscope of works that challenge the status quo. SHIRAKI PRESS
https://www.shirakipress.com/submissions/
Seeks genre fiction manuscripts for new novellas & novelettes between 10,000-50,000 words, targeted at adult audiences. All submissions will be considered carefully, but we particularly delight in fiction that explores the indomitable human ability to stand against the dark and light the way to worlds that could be. We look for stories that remind us
to stretch and grow beyond who we were before, to create and build worlds where connection emerges from chaos and community out-competes greed. Above all, we believe that love is more durable than fear and small acts of kindness can lay the groundwork for real change. All genres considered. No submission fees. Debut authors encouraged. BIPOC & queer perspectives welcome. No AI generated content. Payment of advances and royalties. NOTE: Brand new
publisher.
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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