VOLUME 25, ISSUE 19 | MAY 9, 2025 |
WHAT SELLS MORE THAN STORY Readers and writers both, for the most part, believe books sell because of a good story, when in actuality, what sells a book is much, much more. Story is actually a few rungs down on the ladder. The following list is in no specific order, but all of these listed come before story. Cover - If I see a cheap cover, I don't read the story. To shortcut in one area is a sign of shortcutting elsewhere....to include story. Formatting - Bad fonts, bad margins, unbroken paragraphs that go on forever, lack of quotation marks. Again, see above. Somebody didn't do
their homework as to what makes for reading that's easy on the eyes. Cover blurb / testimonials - One or the other or both need to pop and grab. Just putting something there to fill in space is again, see above. By all means, don't make the back cover all about the author. First page - Does it pull the reader in. Period. For whatever reason.....good voice, action,
excellent visuals, whatever. Excellent grammar - Versus bad grammar or lack of understanding of punctuation, dialogue tags, noun/verb agreement, passive voice, you get it. Author name recognition - It's way more difficult to sell when you are an unknown. Change that. Voice - Can the author put words together
well. Is it a pleasure to read? Everyone has a story to tell. The challenge is writing it and publishing it well so that it reaches past all the above obstacles and gets read.
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ADVICE TO RECONSIDER
I recently read a blog post that talked about all the myths and bad advice bestowed upon new writers. I thought I'd share a couple of mine, and hopefully they are worth listening to. Myth 1 - Write what you know. Yes, people start there because they aren't sure how to write, much less how to write about something foreign. So instead of fiction (that you have to use energy to make up), they rely upon what they know which oftentimes turns into a memoir. Few people want to read a memoir from someone unknown. "But it will help others heal," you say. That's a way of saying in a
semi-altruistic manner that you want others to hear your story. In reality, you are writing what you know, it's what you crave to write about, so you attempt to give it purpose. In reality, memoirs rarely sell unless:
A) they are fantastically written in a beautiful voice,
B) the author is famous, and/or
C) the event was earth-shattering and quite unique. Myth 2 - You can make a living from a book. Nope. It's hard to make a living from a dozen books, honestly. There are too many people writing. Too many selling. Too many people hooked on the authors they already love to read and don't have the time to add someone new. Readers can only read so many books a month, and the heavy readers already have relationships with certain authors. It's hard to break them from
reading an already great writer that they love to start reading you. So, the end result is this: 1) Write because you love it.
2) Write whether you'll get published or not.
3) Constantly seek to improve your writing style.
4) Let publishing be something you decide to do after you've worked hard to leave your beautiful thoughts, stories, and words on paper
and performed the best you possibly can. 5) No rule, including mine, is absolute. Do what you love. It's not that you cannot write a book, or write what you know. It's just that a zillion other people are doing the same thing. Understand your odds.
-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.
"If you're a singer you lose your voice. A baseball player loses his arm. A writer gets more knowledge, and if he's good, the older he gets, the better he writes."
– Mickey Spillane
<<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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Landing on Google Trends...Twice!
By Alex J. Coyne
I noticed just by chance that my byline had become a Google Trends topic in 2025. People were looking for my previous work and name via search engines—and years of writing was finally turning into more constant readership, proof that word of mouth is still the best promotion out there. Here’s how
Google Trends works, and how to get noticed yourself. About Google Trends Google Trends is a search engine tool used for keyword and topic analysis. Users can view the popularity (that is, searches and mentions) of a specific keyword/topic by typing it into the search bar. Google Trends also
shows you which keywords are trending on particular dates. At the top, you can set specifics such as the date range. A topic (like Stephen King’s The Monkey) might trend high for one day or a week and then lower on another day. Trends and topics change often and usually indicate what’s popular or being popularly featured. I Trended on Google I noticed “Alex J Coyne” as a Google Trends topic in January 2025. Somehow, more than 100 people searched for the byline on a particular day, which pushed my name into its data banks. Around the same time, I published articles about Maskandi music and Generation Alpha slang. An article about Cape Town was liked more than 1.9k times on social
media. My pseudonym also trended the same way in February 2025, partially thanks to readers looking up articles I had written as Francois Jansen—like this one about Flash Wrldwide DJ-ing in Paris during 2024. After this, my website hits went up, and I noticed the hit counter(s) on some of my articles steadily climbing. More readers also subscribed to my on-site newsletter. Google Trends can be described as the butterfly effect writers want to happen. Why Trending is Good Trending means that people are actively
searching for your name, website, or information. If you’re a trending topic, (1) people are wondering who you are or what you do, (2) people love or hate what you’re doing and they’re searching for results. Once you’ve gone over more than 100 searches in approximately a day, you’ll be picked up by Google Trends—and subsequently, search engines are more likely to have “autocorrect” results for your name. Search engine trends have also
taught me that people commonly search for my name with things I’ve written about, or things they want to know. The terms ‘Alex J Coyne tarot’ is one of the usual ones, and ‘Alex J Coyne personal life’ is one of the stranger ones taken from Bing. Someone I’ve never met recently asked me to enter my details into their phone. When I typed the first letters of my name up to J, his phone autocorrected my surname. I was surprised, but the change meant Google (and its
keyboard/dictionary) recognized my name as a distinct “thing” or topic. Trending: The Edge It’s worth pointing out that topics can trend for good reasons or bad ones. I’ve been tagged in hate mail, too, and you must tell yourself that any publicity is reach that you can use as a platform to say something. Bad topics get around fast. What would you do if you suddenly trended for something untruthful, awful, or
embarrassing? Years ago, when ex-landlords dragged my name through the mud, I wrote about it to set the record straight. People asked, and people Googled, and it did less damage for me to speak up. I countered potentially bad publicity against an international tour by writing good things about it when other SA journalists wouldn’t give the event any good coverage. The tour went spectacularly well—and today, I keep supporting Flash/Lil2Hood
by making sure there’s good writing (and advertising) that makes her name trend for the right reasons How You Can Trend As a news writer, you’re encouraged to look at trending keywords and write about these things because they will get good reader traffic—however, if your own name is the trending topic, you become the search result people will read (and write) about. “Flood the zone” is what we were taught at the newsdesk
where I once worked. The more you write, read, comment about a specific keyword, the more it is likely to be discussed—and therefore, rank. That’s how you trend in the simplest terms. Encourage readers to search for your work. Write about subjects that engage discussion or further searching. Write for those new readers likely to type your name into a search engine after they’ve heard about you for the first time. Bombard the internet with more of your
writing. The more you are searched for and mentioned, the further you can go. Write often, publish often, and make sure people see your name more often. Once they search for more, you might become a Google Trend next. 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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JERBOA LIT
https://www.jerboalit.com/rules-guidelines
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 27, 2025. We send you a prompt, and your 500-word story is due 48 hours later. The prompt will include a genre,
an item, and a phrase. Your story must subsequently fit in that genre, include that item, and use the phrase verbatim, all while being under the 500-word limit. All parts of the prompt are randomly selected out of a hat (see prompt section). First $1,000 USD. Second $500. Third $300. Fourth and Fifth $200 each. SWAN SCYTHE PRESS POETRY CONTEST
https://www.swanscythepress.com/contest.html
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2025. Submit 20 to 32 pages of poems. The winning manuscript will be published in a 6" x 9" format, with full color cover. The contest winner will receive 25 copies of her/his book, a prize of $200. COW CREEK CHAPBOOK PRIZE
https://www.cowcreekchapbook.org/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 15, 2025. The Cow Creek Chapbook Prize is a poetry chapbook contest brought to you by Pittsburg State University. We're open to all styles and subjects. As long as the poems challenge and capture the imagination, we want to see them. The winning poet will receive $1,000 and 25 author
copies. Submit 15-30 pages of poetry. MACGUFFIN ANNUAL POET HUNT CONTEST
https://www.schoolcraft.edu/macguffin/poet-hunt-contest/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2025. One (1) First Place Winner will receive a prize of $500 and publication. Up to two (2)
Honorable Mentions may also be awarded and published. An entry may consist of up to 5 poems. GRONK NICANDRO FIRST BOOK PRIZE (CALIFORNIA)
https://whatbookspress.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. Awarded in alternate years in poetry and prose
for first books by California writers.
The award is open to California writers who have not yet published a full-length book of prose. In addition to publication, the winning entry will receive $500 and 50 free copies of the published book. BLACK FOX LITERARY CONTEST
https://blackfoxlitmag.com/contests/
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2025. The theme for this round is “Mixed Messages.” Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, and we will choose one winner that we feel interprets the theme best. The prize is $325 and print publication in the Summer 2025 issue. All submissions are considered for print publication in the Summer 2025 issue.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING ELIZA MOORE FELLOWSHIP FOR ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
https://www.osgf.org/fellowships/eliza-moore-artistic-excellence
Deadline May 31, 2025. The Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic
Excellence is awarded annually to one outstanding, early-career artist who is developing new works that address plants, gardens, or landscapes in the broad sense. This award is open to visual artists, literary artists, dancers, and musicians. The award includes a $10,000 individual grant and requires a 2 - 5 week stay at Oak Spring. While at OSGF, the Fellow will be able to meet with staff, explore our 700-acre landscape and our efforts in sustainable land management, and visit our rare
book library that holds over 19,000 objects, including many examples of botanical art. Eligible applicants must be early-career artists not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2026. We will consider individuals with a proven track-record of professionalism, but who are yet under-recognized, as early-career. Eligible early-career applicants will have some recognition in the form of exhibitions, commissions, performances, grant awards, residencies, Fellowships and/or publications.
Location Upperville, VA. KYOTO RETREAT
https://kyotoretreat.slideroom.com/#/login/program/82560
Deadline July 15, 2025. The Kyoto Retreat offers artists, curators, and writers, based anywhere in the world, an opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto, Japan,
for research, exploration, and inspiration. If selected for the retreat, you will receive a roundtrip flight, a private bedroom, and $800 USD to supplement meals and local transportation. We select artists, curators, and writers at all career stages, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary, and social practice. Individuals must be over 21 years old to apply. The inaugural Kyoto Retreat
will take place from October 16 - November 13, 2025. PEYTON EVANS ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM
https://tskw.org/pear-program/
Deadline May 15, 2025. The Studios of Key West, the premier arts organization at the Southernmost Point of the United States, offers a residency program for
emerging and established artists and writers from around the world. We provide residencies to visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, media artists, performers, and interdisciplinary artists. All applicants will be notified of their status by July 18, 2025. Residencies are October 2025 through August 2026. Location Key West, FL. AMAZON LITERARY PARTNERSHIP GRANTS
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-and-authors/apply-now-for-this-years-amazon-literary-partnership-grants
Amazon invites nonprofit literary organizations to apply now through May 18, 2025. Amazon Literary Partnership seeks to fund organizations working to champion diverse, marginalized, and underrepresented authors and
storytellers. We support literary centers, writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, literary magazines, independent publishers, poetry, and translation programs. Writers supported by these organizations have become bestselling authors and literary award winners.
SISTER
https://sisterstem.org/write/
We accept pieces that 1) Illuminate the lived experiences of people in STEM, especially those who have been historically marginalized 2) Push the boundaries of the conversation by offering a new question, angle, or
perspective. Final articles should be approximately 700-1,000 words in length. We encourage a conversational, non-technical tone, and recommend against long, dense paragraphs. We aim to amplify historically marginalized voices in STEM. Our authors are gender minorities, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, first-generation students, New Americans, and more. We offer authors a $125 honorarium for each published piece. BEACH.COM
https://www.beach.com/about/contribute/
We’re searching for freelance pitches focused on beach destinations and coastal getaways across the globe. We’re looking for writers with a deep love and knowledge of beach destinations, so make sure your pitch offers a unique perspective and expertise. Pays $250
for 1,500-word articles using exclusively stock images. Pays $300 for 1,500-word articles that include personal images or a mix of stock and personal photos (minimum of three high-quality, landscape-oriented images). VITTLES
https://www.vittlesmagazine.com/about
Vittles is a food and culture
magazine based in the UK and India. At Vittles, we think about food as economy, class, inheritance, and political agency, rather than just a dish on a table. We publish essays about all aspects of food culture, from deep dives to polemics, from personal essays to reported journalism, as well as restaurant recommendations, recipes, and reviews. We aim to ensure that contributors to Vittles are paid fairly: the current rate is £800 for a reported 2000-2500 word newsletter, £600 for 1500-2000 word
opinion pieces and Cooking from Lifes, or roughly 40p a word for smaller pieces. Higher rates for longer essays, or essays which involve more reporting, can be negotiated. RUNHER
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpP626EKDV4xPdT9qDo0_6VXqe-9bWl53EwUMxWkPdKySVhQ/viewform
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runhermag/runher-magazine?ref=project_link
Deadline May 17, 2025. Brand new magazine. Female runners deserve a publication that puts their
stories front and center—a place to celebrate their achievements, honor the history-makers, and continue to shrink the coverage gap between men's and women's sports. RUNHER is the first and only quarterly print magazine dedicated entirely to women’s running. It's part of the next generation of independent publishing—a premium print publication that prioritizes storytelling, celebrates historic milestones, and gives voice to the unique journey of all women, trans, and non-binary athletes in
running.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS
https://store.doverpublications.com/pages/questions-about-contacting-dover#EDITSUB
Please note that we do not accept submissions for original fiction, music, or poetry. Dover welcomes all
other submissions. However, due to the large volume of unsolicited manuscripts that arrive at our editorial department, we regret that we cannot return any materials submitted. In the case of non-fiction book proposals, we prefer an outline, table of contents, and one sample chapter, if available (a complete manuscript is not necessary). QUARTO
https://www.quartoknows.com/staticpages/getintouch/submissionguidelines.aspx
Each of our imprints has its own editorial focus and fits into one of the categories of cooking, transportation, arts/crafts/hobbies, stationery/gifts, kids/teens, math/science/nature/history/biography/culture/travel/recreation, gardening/house/home, health/spirituality. DUNDURN PRESS
https://www.dundurn.com/resources/submissions
We are an independent and Canadian-owned publisher of contemporary trade fiction and non-fiction. Our books amplify and elevate exceptional writers and reflect the world, satisfy curiosity, enlighten, and entertain. We are currently
accepting literary fiction and literary non-fiction such as memoir. We will also be accepting non-fiction across numerous genres. MIGHTY MEDIA PRESS
https://mightymediapress.com/submissions.html
Mighty Media Press delivers captivating books and media that ignite a child's curiosity,
imagination, social awareness, and sense of adventure. We only publish books that fit all four parts of this mission. Because we know the stories kids experience help shape their minds, and we want to produce books that guide kids on the path to becoming great adults.
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
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