VOLUME 25, ISSUE 36 | SEPTEMBER 5, 2025

LET OTHERS HAVE THEIR OPINION

I am on my 8th day of Covid. I'm much better, but my butt is dragging. I am hoping to return to the gym on Monday, but we shall see. 

So I mentioned on Facebook that Covid sucks. Just those two words. Most people wished me well, hoping I got better soon. Nice replies. One said she just got her booster so she hopefully didn't get it. That's great. I replied I had a family member die from it so I choose not to. Someone else launched into a tirade about that. I simply asked him to stay in his lane and I'd stay in mine. Those types of debates never turn out well. 

It's like when someone leaves you a one-star review or comments rashly on your blog post, or gives your edgy feedback on a social media message. Doesn't matter the subject. They might just feel 180 degrees differently than you. Maybe they didn't get your message. Maybe they had a bad day. 

Do not engage. You have no idea what kind of issues are raging in that person's life. Let them hate your book, your post, your position. You said what you said and did what you did for a reason. They disagreed. That's okay. You don't need the drama, and, honestly, they probably don't either. Your energies are best spent elsewhere.

Don't fuel the fires. Stay in your lane and do your thing to the best of your ability. Someone will always think otherwise.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
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Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326
FFW has been on the Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers list every year since 2000

TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
AUTHOR SITE - http://www.chopeclark.com 
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
GOODREADS - http://www.goodreads.com/hopeclark 
BOOKBUB - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-hope-clark

Read the FFW Archive

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-virus-bites-illustration-sad-man-image36597700 

TOP SPONSOR

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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

FREELANCING IS CHANGING

Before you say it, yes, part of the changes taking place with freelancing is due to AI. It's here. It's infiltrating everything. I'm not saying you have to drop what you are doing and pivot to embrace AI, but just be aware that it is impacting jobs in number and variety.

Companies/entities using freelancers are using AI for the simple stuff, then hiring freelancers for the more detailed, more humanized material. Or they are AI-ing projects then hiring AI editors to humanize them. There are quite a few writers these days becoming comfortable with AI, not to be deceptive or to cheat at their writing, but to understand how it works so that they can be the person hired to make it shine and sound human. Yes, there are people being hired called "AI Editors."

AI has its uses and comes in assorted applications. If you look up types of AI, you'll find ten types, two types, four types, five types. Some definitions go much further than I care to know, honestly. In our world, however, it boils down to using it creatively or using it for resourcing. We can use it to help us write or use it to research data.

For now, literary journals, contests, magazines, and publishers are demanding you not use AI. That's for purely creative work. Creatively, however, you can say what you will about where the moral line is, but writers are getting hooked on querying AI about what they are already writing and seeing if there are better ways or assorted twists that sound better. When you start using it, you enter a slippery slope. For instance, just this one time, you'll throw in a concept and see what AI spits back at you. It's way too tempting. 

Commercial freelancing is just flat out using it, letting humans fix it, use it, monkey with it for whatever end they need. They'll tell you exactly how much they expect you to or not to use AI. In freelancing these days, just know that for efficiency's sake, you will be expected to understand AI. What's ethical will be up to you. Just don't sell your soul and lose your voice. Frankly, your voice is what people hire you for. Don't let AI erode it away.
 

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Applications for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop’s  A Hotel Room of One’s Own: The Erma Bombeck Humorist-in-Residence Program will be accepted Sept. 2-Oct. 6.

W. Bruce Cameron, prolific novelist and bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose, and Wendy Liebman, veteran stand-up comic seen on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central and late-night TV, will choose the two grand prize winners. Preference will be given to emerging humor writers. 

The package is worth approximately $5,000. The experience? Priceless. Cash prizes also will be awarded to finalists and honorable mentions.

Read the announcement and FAQs. Then apply here for what Forbes says "may be the best writer's residency in the country."

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

-Sept 9, 2025 - Chapin Library, Chapin, SC - 1-2 PM

-Oct 4, 2025 - Signing The Coffee Shelf, Chapin, SC 8AM-NOON

-Oct 11, 2025 - Signing The Edisto Island Bookstore, Edisto, SC - 3-5 PM

-Oct 13, 2025 - Edisto Art Guild, Edisto Island, SC - 7-9 PM

-Oct 14, 2025 - Moncks Corner Book Club, MC Train Depot, 100 Behrman St, Moncks Corner, SC - 3-6 PM

-Nov 22, 2025 - Christmas Market - 8AM-2PM - ICRC Rec Ctr, Chapin, SC

Email: hope@chopeclark.com to schedule  events, online or otherwise. 

SUCCESS QUOTE

“We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” 

—Marie Curie

 

SUCCESS STORY

<<If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com >>

FEATURED ARTICLE

7 Things Agents and Publishers Really Don't Want: 2025 Edition
 

By Dan Brotzel

I've spent a lot of time recently trawling through directories of agents and publishers, and I’ve learned some things. Some of these no-nos are golden oldies, but others are newer.

Tech avoidance

They receive a lot of stories set in the near past – say 20 or 30 years ago – which they put down to avoiding dealing with tech. 
Technology like the internet and smartphones and satnav have made many traditional plot points harder to pull off or even obsolete. It's not so easy now for a character to be ignorant of a particular piece of information, or to go completely under the radar, or for all sorts of the misunderstandings to take place that have traditionally driven so many stories. But the world is changing, and we can't run away from that.

No idea about genre

You might think your book is special and unique, too unique to fit into any genre, but genre classifications – which are now incredibly granular – are the basic currency of book marketing. If you can't think of a genre for your book, you’re in trouble.

To decide on a genre, look for similar books on Amazon and see where they sit. Likewise, you could download a free tool like Publisher Rocket: use it to look for books similar to yours and see the categories and keywords that have been chosen for those, then apply the same to yours.

Of course, many books could fit into more than one genre, but you have to bite the bullet and fit yours somewhere. When pitching, it wouldn’t hurt to pitch with the genre the agent or publisher most prefers to represent.

Stories that begin with the character waking up

This is a cliche and dull. As one agent put it, 'I challenge you to find a more interesting place to start the story. And if you can't, well...' Other cliches to avoid include stories that turn out to be one long dream sequence, and query letters that begin, 'What would you do if...?' ('What would do if you turned up at your gran's and she looked suspiciously like a wolf in fancy dress?')

Not what the agent/publisher asked for

You might think your memoir or short story collection or illustrated kids' book is not like any other, but if your recipient has specifically stated that they are not interested in your genre, don’t bother. They'd be perfectly justified in just deleting your message unread.

Likewise, agents and publishers hate it when people don’t follow instructions, too. If you insist on sending a full manuscript when they only want three sample chapters, or you ignore their formatting requirements, don’t expect a response.

Claims to utter originality

At this late stage in the history of storytelling, there is no such thing. In fact, agents and editors often like to know what tropes you're using (enemies to lovers, odd-couple road trip, etc.). They also like 'comps' - some suggestions of comparable authors and titles whose readers might like your work. As with genre, comps help to develop a sense of potential market for your title. Of course this means you are well read in your genre, just saying.

Gratuitous nasty stuff

Most editors will run a mile from issues like racism, child abuse, misogyny and sexual assault. While these elements in your story can be justified – it can be argued that the best way to combat racism is to depict it in its full horror, for instance – but it's a tough sell. If it’s truly essential to the story then it’s not gratuitous, but even then the question may arise as to whether you’re the appropriate person to tell that story.

Violence against animals

This publisher no-no is shared by many, many readers. I discovered this myself when someone messaged me on Facebook and said they’d be happy to buy my book – which has a young cockapoo on the cover – so long as I could promise that nothing bad happens to the puppy. It’s especially true in crime fiction, where they say you can kill anyone but the dog.

Yes, your story might be wonderful, but if you cannot avoid giving agents and publishers what they don’t want, or cannot give them what they do, your story never has a chance. And sometimes, these asks are not even that difficult to provide.

AUTHOR: Dan Brotzel’s latest novel is Thank You For The Days. 
 

COMPETITIONS

NEXT GENERATION SHORT STORY AWARDS
https://shortstoryawards.com/guidelines.php
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 26, 2026. Select the category or categories you wish to enter based on which category most applies to your story. You may enter as many categories as you like. Stories must be no longer than 5,000 words. No stories that are sexual, political or include hate speech, offensive or vulgar language will be accepted. The Next Generation Short Story Awards (NGSSA) via Headline Books (Publisher) will publish a selection of Winning stories in an Anthology of Winners that appeals to the general population including school age students. All Grand Prize Winners receive a gold medal and get their story published in our Anthology of Winners + receive a complimentary copy of the Anthology, as well as a cash prize: 1st Place $500 Cash prize, 2nd Place $300 Cash prize, 3rd Place $200 Cash prize. Winner of each of the 30+ categories $75 cash prize and gold medal + story published in Anthology of Winners + a complimentary copy of the anthology + a complimentary Winner sticker image.

CREATIVE WRITING INK SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/creative-writing-ink-short-story-competition-2025-2/
£12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2025. Maximum word count is 3,000 words. Entries can be on any subject, theme or genre. First prize is £1,000, an online creative writing course with Creative Writing Ink, and publication on our website. Two runners-up will receive £200 each. These prizes will be presented to the author of the best, eligible Entry in the opinion of the judges.

VIVIAN SHIPLEY POETRY AWARD
https://ctpoetry.org/vivian-shipley-poetry-award/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2025. First prize $1000, second prize $100, third prize $50. Open to all poets. Submit up to three poems in a single file. The three winning poems will be published in Connecticut River Review. Winners also receive a free two-year membership in the Connecticut Poetry Society.

WILLIE MORRIS AWARDS
https://www.williemorrisawards.org/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2025. Each year, the Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing honor some of the best literature telling rich, original stories about the US South marked by a strain of honest optimism. The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing celebrate works in three genres—fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Fiction and nonfiction winners receive a cash prize of $12,000. The winner of the poetry category receives $3,000. Winners also receive an expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Miss., where we celebrate the winning writers as part of the Oxford Conference for the Book. Poets may submit one original, unpublished poem no longer than 60 lines. Poems should evoke the US South. Books must be published during the submission year (2025) and cannot be self-published. Advanced reader copies or proofs for books that will be published in October, November or December of 2025 are eligible.

KEEPERS OF THE FIRE PRIZE FOR FICTION AND NONFICTION 
https://www.ravenchronicles.org/submissions
Deadline October 1, 2025. Chosen authors in each category will receive an award of $1,000 and 50% net revenues of sales of their book. Theme: Work / Jobs & AI. With the wide use of AI, the nature and character of work might change the future of humankind. Manuscripts MUST be between 20,000–50,000 words. 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING

BOGLIASCO RESIDENCIES
https://www.bfny.org/
An American nonprofit with a program in Italy, the Bogliasco Center awards one-month residential Fellowships to individuals of all ages and nationalities who are developing significant new work in the arts and humanities. Bogliasco Fellowships include full room and board and a work space. The cost of transportation to and from the Bogliasco Center is the responsibility of Fellows and their accompanying spouses/partners. Opens to applications in September.

ARTS SOUTH ARTIST CREATIVE PRACTICE GRANTS
https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/artist-creative-practice
Deadline April 30, 2026. Applications are open now on a rolling basis. The Artist Creative Practice Grant supports a variety of professional development opportunities including milestone activities in an artist's career that will likely lead to substantial career growth. Grants up to $3,000 are available for opportunities taking place between November 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. Must be a legal resident of the United States and the South Arts region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee). Must expect to maintain residency in the region during the award period. Must not be a degree-seeking student during the grant period.

ON::VIEW ARTIST RESIDENCY
https://artssoutheast.org/onview-residency-app
Deadline September 21, 2025. Located in the heart of Savannah’s Starland District at ARTS Southeast, the ON::VIEW Artist Residency provides a free, high visibility studio space for an artist to complete a new project, to continue an in-progress endeavor, or to conduct research exploring conceptual, material, performative, and social practices. The studio’s large windows look out onto Bull Street, the district’s main thoroughfare, allowing the artist’s work to be on view to the community at all times.

MACDOWELL RESIDENCY
https://www.macdowell.org/
Deadline September 10, 2025. MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. We are now accepting applications for Spring Summer 2026. Location Peterborough, NH.

DORLAND MOUNTAIN ARTS RESIDENCY
https://www.dorlandmountainarts.org/residency-program
Deadline October 1, 2025. Dorland Mountain Arts Residency offers artists, writers, musicians, and creatives the gift of focused time in a peaceful and inspiring environment. Nestled on 300 acres of protected chaparral in Southern California’s Temecula Valley, Dorland is a retreat for those seeking solitude, renewal, and deep creative work. Your application will not be approved without two letters of reference.

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

NATIONAL WILDLIFE
https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/Pitch-Guide
National Wildlife® magazine is published by the National Wildlife Federation, the largest private conservation group in the United States. It is quarterly, has an average circulation per issue of more than 300,000 and focuses on storytelling related to wildlife and habitat conservation, environmental justice, climate change, public lands, conservation science, nature photography, wildlife gardening, connecting people with nature and much more. We focus primarily within North America, occasionally elsewhere around the globe. For print, we pay $1.50 a word. For web, negotiated per article and typically starting at $250. The magazine buys all rights to text, plus reprint and promotion rights for the National Wildlife Federation. 25% kill fee. Departments 350 to 900 words. Features 1,000 to 2,000 words.

CLASS CENTRAL - THE REPORT
https://www.classcentral.com/write-for-us
Class Central, the "TripAdvisor for online education," is the world's leading search engine for online courses, trusted by over 100 million learners worldwide to find their next course. Seeks pieces on industry trends, platform news, analysis of online education, resource guides/listicles, and best courses guides. Best Courses Guides & Resource Lists: $250 - $500 per article. News, Analysis & Industry Journalism: $500 - $1,250 per article. Performance Bonus: +30% bonus for articles exceeding 25,000 views in the first month.

THE REVELATOR
https://therevelator.org/about/
The Revelator, a news and ideas initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity, provides editorially independent reporting, analysis and stories at the intersection of politics, conservation, art, culture, endangered species, climate change, economics and the future of wild species, wild places and the planet. The Revelator has openings for a limited number of freelance stories to run in November and December 2025. We’re primarily looking for conservation stories set in the United States right now. Our stories usually run 1,000-1,500 words and pay $300-$500.

COSMOPOLITAN UK
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/work/careers/a25425/write-for-cosmopolitan/
We love to feature first-person pieces from Cosmopolitan UK readers with a unique story to tell or reports that delve deep into the subjects our readers really care about. We work far in advance (around 3-4 months) so while we like this section to reflect what’s happening in the news and the wider world, it has to feel fresh and new, so think hard about what will make it relevant 3-4 months from now. Pitch to: Catriona.Innes@hearst.co.uk . Several more departments to pitch with individual editors listed to pitch to. But they are also looking for writers for online. The internet never sleeps and to ensure our website is up-to-date with the latest news, our full-time editorial team is supported by a small pool of freelancers. These contributors usually work in short shifts that fall outside of the ‘normal’ 9-5 Monday-Friday working hours. These contributors must be comfortable writing across all verticals on our website. You must have previous experience of writing celebrity news and be familiar with using content management systems to upload your stories. Experience with Photoshop or other photo-editing tools and a basic understanding of media law as it applies to digital content, are also a definite plus. Excellent paying publication, up to 80 cents/word.

CHICKEN SOUP: BEST DOGS EVER
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline March 1, 2026. Dogs have always been considered companions and playmates that brighten our days and enrich our lives. What would we do without them? Our dogs make us smile every day, but sometimes they really outdo themselves. We want to hear all about the absurd antics, funny habits, and the sweet, astute, clever and insightful behaviors of your dog. How smart she is or how she outsmarted you! How he made you smile. How she "rescued" you after you "rescued" her. How he brought your family closer together, helped you find love, inspired you to change something in your human life. We are looking for first-person true stories of up to 1200 words. Pays $250 and ten copies. 

PUBLISHERS / AGENTS

SMALL TOWN GIRL PUBLISHING
https://www.smalltowngirlpublishing.com/submissions
We are looking for manuscripts that take place in or about the Awesome Eighties. Fiction or Non-Fiction.

STORM PUBLISHING
https://stormpublishing.co/what-we-are-looking-for/
Seeking crime/thriller/mystery, psychological thrillers, historical, multi-cultural fiction, romantic fiction, women's fiction, science fiction/fantasy, reading group fiction. We pay an industry-leading 50% of net revenue to our authors on ebooks and audiobooks. That’s double the standard rate.

HARLEQUIN ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit/29563/harlequin-romantic-suspense-70-000-words
These novels are romance-focused stories with a suspense element. Powerful romances are at the heart of each story, and the additional elements of excitement, adventure and suspense play out between complex characters. Word count 70,000.

BOOKOUTURE
https://bookouture.com/submission-guidelines/
We are looking for full-length, commercial fiction and some text-led non-fiction, but no children’s books, film scripts, poetry or short stories.

SEA CROW PRESS
https://www.seacrowpress.com/submissions
Sea Crow Press is an independent, woman-owned publisher based on Cape Cod, where land meets sea and stories take root. Sea Crow Press publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that speaks to our connection with place, nature, and each other. We are especially interested in: Coastal and New England stories with literary power; Eco-lit and cli-fi that blend imagination and emotional depth; Poetic voices rooted in the natural world or the climate moment; and  Underrepresented and emerging authors with strong storytelling instincts. 
 

FUNDSFORWRITERS 

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