VOLUME 25, ISSUE 39 | SEPTEMBER 26, 2025

LET'S WRITE BECAUSE WE WANT TO

I reached a point this week where I was fed up with all the emails about how to market, buy this, subscribe to that, hire this consultant, or sign up for that course. "Become a best selling author!" 

Most are from people I never heard of before. Clearly many of these people made all their money from preying on eager writers. I've tried talking to some of them, to vet them, and their true colors often come out. They don't give a darn about what you or I do. I'm not saying they aren't legit, or even that they are scams. Many are just into milking desperate writers for a few bucks. 

And all I could think of was how much these purchases and incessant emails got in the way of me enjoying the simple task of writing. 

Some are good. Some intrigued me. I got blown off by one, so I unsubscribed. Many of them are in the job for now, until sales drop, then they redesign themselves to be something else for what appears to be a fresh idea for a new round of buck-collecting. 

What I am saying is this about these people trying to make money off the backs of writers:

1. Who are their success stories?
2. Where is their website?
3. How long have they been in business, and as what? (Are they bouncing around with different aliases?)
4. Do they appear to be genuine people? Are their hearts in it?
5. Are they willing to hold a conversation (or share email) with you?
6. What makes them an expert in the world of writing and publishing? If they haven't done either, and done it well, why are they worth listening to? What qualifies them to teach you how to be famous in something they are not doing themselves and becoming famous doing?

I'm not saying to pick a fight with anyone. But if any part of you feels like it's being tugged or deceived, just walk away. You owe them no explanation. And you don't need to waste time on them.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
Email Hope | Visit Website | Sign up for Newsletter
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

TOP SPONSOR

EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

TO SUBSTACK OR NOT TO SUBSTACK?

Substack is all the rage. You can write in newsletter/essay form and start building a platform, because opening a Substack account makes you part of an instant community. New writers are jumping on it.

I am receiving queries from people who claim their publishing credits are their Substack articles. A lot of writers are throwing their energies into fleshing out their Substack account, thinking it gives them credibility. I think some are seeking shortcuts to the hard work of gaining a platform.

Pros

It is simple and lo-tech. (Some cancel a website in exchange for Substack.)
You own the mailing list.
Your message is delivered both on the site and via email.
It has good SEO for search engines. 
You can amass paid subscribers.

Cons

It doesn't replace email marketing.
No landing pages, signup pages, or lead magnets that a lot of businesses use.
Design is limited.
The only way to monetize is via paid subscriptions. 
No selling ebooks, courses, digital products, merch. Must use another platform. 
You are basically renting space on Substack. They can delete your account.
While you have the mailing list, if your account is deleted, you can lose all your material.
No affiliate marketing. No heavy advertising.

Personally, I dislike getting inundated with requests to sign up to more Substack pages. I forget who I do and don't want to follow because it is so many and they look so much alike. Some days, I delete anything Substack, because I don't want to cull the list.

Think long term and short term here in deciding to use Substack. What do you wish Substack to be for you? Your lone online headquarters or something auxiliary? Yes, you can charge readers, but the going rate of subscribers signing up from free to paid is about 2-5% of your overall readership.

Sort of makes you rethink the advantages of the age-old website and newsletter method, doesn't it?

 

SUPER SPONSOR

TWO WEEKS.
ONE PLUSH BATHROBE.
ZERO INTERRUPTIONS.

Imagine two glorious, all-expenses-paid weeks at a hotel to do nothing but write in solitude.

Free room service. A housekeeping staff. A breakfast bar. Your own TV remote. The sun rising over the Great Miami River (aka the Dayton Riviera).

And — most importantly — a “Do Not Disturb” sign.

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."

Deadline: Oct. 6
Fee: $30

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

-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 - 7-8:30 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

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” ~Deepak Chopra
 

SUCCESS STORY

Hope -

Thank you for all your work in sending aspiring writers your blog. I find it very informative and extremely helpful. It also inspires me to continue to write even when I think I should retire.

This year I received a Fellowship from the New Jersey Council on the Arts for poetry. And it assisted me greatly to complete a full poetry manuscript.  

Please know that your work inspires so many of us to continue to do the work we love.

Sincerely,
Joanne Monte
 

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

FEATURED ARTICLE

How Do I Define My Book's Genre?
 

by Dan Brotzel

‘When talking to an agent or publisher about your novel, practically the first thing out of your mouth should be the genre,’ says agent Rachelle Gardner.

With so many books out there, readers need help finding the ones that beckon. Genre is a key tool for that, with each genre bringing its own set of expectations. Thrillers offer high stakes and tension, for example, while a romance leans towards feeling and relationship.

Genre is not an exact science, though. Although most books will fit into more than one, it’s impossible to write a book that can’t be helpfully described by genre. You wouldn’t want your book to be so different as to not fit into a genre, because then how would market it?  

It’s useful to think about genre at the planning stage, too, as it will affect the way you think about plot, pacing and character arcs. If you’re planning a cozy murder mystery, for example, it will be long on clues and red herrings but short on gore and police procedure.

Tips to help you nail down the genre of your book.

Think about audience age. Non-adult books should include the target audience as part of the genre description, e.g. ‘YA dystopian thriller’. Middle Grade (MG) books are for ages 8-12 and focus on friendship, adventure, and self-discovery. Young Adult (YA) books target ages 12-18 and are often about identity and coming of age. You’ll want your protagonists’ ages to match.

Decide if you are literary or commercial. Literary fiction – often separated from commercial or genre fiction – tends to prioritise language and ideas, while commercial fiction is more about plot and pace, stories that often appeal to a broad audience. Books that blur the lines may be called upmarket fiction, blending strong writing with accessible plots. See more on this here.

Study the genre landscape. Within genre fiction, the most popular overarching categories include romance, fantasy, scifi, mystery/thriller, historical fiction, horror and women’s fiction. Read more about genres here and here. To help you work out where you sit, study these guides and consider key genre-revealing elements of your own story such as plot, character, setting, prose style and pacing.

Go niche. Getting more specific, e.g. ‘medical dystopian thriller’ or ‘erotic vampire horror’, can really make your labelling informative. There are 114 sub-genres in this list alone. Nowadays even the quirkiest mashups, from time-travelling detectives to safari romance – can find a devoted readership.

Look at comparable titles. Agents and publishers always ask about ‘comps’ – books that are compatible to yours in terms of plot, tone or setting. Look on sites like Amazon and Goodreads to see how these are categorised.

Use online tools. Publisher Rocket is very useful for researching Amazon categories and keywords. It shows how similar books are ranked, and even which subgenres are trending. You could also put a summary of your plot into a tool like ChatGPT and ask it to suggest comparable titles (always check the output though!)

One book, various genres. If you use a tool like QueryTracker or AgentQuery for subbing to agents and publishers, each recipient will stipulate only the genres they’re interested in, so vary your descriptions to fit their needs. The novel I’m subbing currently I have variously described as ‘paranormal romance’, ‘book group fiction’ and ‘upmarket fiction’.

Look out for emerging genres. Mentioning these when pitching (where relevant) shows you’re aware of market trends. Recent genres include upmarket, cli-fi (stories tackling climate change and environmental issues), and book club/group fiction (thematically meaty, contemporary stories with the potential to stimulate debate).

Knowing your genre helps you position your book in a crowded market and makes it easier to connect with the readers who are most likely to appreciate it.

BIO - Dan Brotzel’s latest novel is a feelgood romcom, Thank You For The Days  

COMPETITIONS

KARI ANN FLICKINGER MEMORIAL PRIZE 
https://kariflickingermemorialprize.com/submissions/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2025. Winner: $1500. Three Finalists: $250 each. Publication by Ballerini Book Press. All manuscripts should be no less than 40,000 words in total. Submission must be a collection of short stories or short experimental fiction.

COMMONWEALTH SHORT STORY PRIZE
https://commonwealthfoundation.com/short-story-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 1, 2025. Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and over can enter a short story of 2000-5000 words for a chance to win £5,000. One of the regional winners is then selected as the overall winner, who receives £5,000. The regional winners will receive £2,500. All five regional winning stories will be published on Granta.

BARDSY FALL FIRST CHAPTER ANTHOLOGY CONTEST
https://bardsy.com/contest 
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 5, 2025. A $1,000 cash prize for the Grand Prize Winner, $50 cash prizes for the Finalists. Both the winner/finalists receive publication in Bardsy's Fall Anthology. Each entry receives directed feedback using our Publishability Index tool and the opportunity to resubmit revisions for their chapter before judging. Entries must be original, in English, and between 1,500 - 2,500 words.

SHORT EDITION CONTEST
https://short-edition.com/en/contest/principal-2025
Deadline October 12, 2025. Seeking (very) short stories of 7,500 characters or less (spaces included) that revolve around the theme of: "Money Chronicles". Showcase your creativity with an original work of fiction or a creative non-fiction story that works like a piece of fiction. We want to see a character or characters facing challenges or pursuing desires as it relates to money. The winner will receive a $1000 honorarium and each finalist, a $150 honorarium.

WOW! CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2025. WOW! Women on Writing is seeking creative nonfiction on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style--from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hermit crab, and more. The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Limit 300 entries. 1st Place: $500, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. 2nd Place: $300, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. 3rd Place: $200, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.7 Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. 10 Honorable mentions receive a gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.

WOW! FALL 2025 FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2025. Seeking flash fiction of any genre 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Limit 300 entries. 1st Place: $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. 2nd Place: $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. 3rd Place: $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. 7 Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. 10 Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin.

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIP / CROWDFUNDING

SILVERS GRANTS FOR WORK IN PROGRESS
https://silversfoundation.org/grants/
Anglophone writers of any nationality may apply for up to $10,000 to support long-form writing in the fields of literary criticism, arts writing, political analysis, and/or social reportage. Grants may not be used to fund translation. Applicants must have an editorial agreement with a publication or publishing house for the work under consideration. The application window for the 2026 Silvers Grants will open on February 1, 2026.

NEBRASKA TOURING ROSTER
https://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/artist-roster/join/
Deadline December 1, 2025 to apply to be on the roster. Nebraska Arts Council's Artist Rosters helps nonprofit organizations and schools bring accomplished artists and performers into communities, giving people the chance to enjoy art to which they may not otherwise have access while ensuring artists get paid for their work. The Artist in Schools/Communities (AISC) roster is for artists that share their expertise through creative and educational demonstrations, performances, or guided arts activities. The Nebraska Touring Program (NTP) roster is for Nebraska artists and exhibits that perform across the state.

NEBRASKA INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/apply/individual-artist-fellowship/
Deadline November 17, 2025. The Individual Artist Fellowship program recognizes artists in Nebraska. Fellowship recipients are chosen by a professional panel according to the merit of their work. Funds must be used for the creation of new art, presentations, training, and/or research. This year's category for the IAF grant is Performing Arts. The following categories are being accepted, as well as their links to apply: Theater/Playwriting, Choreography, Filmmaking/Screenwriting, Music/Sound. Applicants may be awarded up to $5,000.

MASSACHUSETTS GRANTS FOR CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS
https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/grants-for-creative-individuals/
Deadline October 28, 2025. Grants for Creative Individuals are unrestricted grants of $5,000 to Massachusetts artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners to equitably advance creative expression throughout our diverse communities. 
 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

THE HECHINGER REPORT
https://hechingerreport.org/writing-for-hechinger/
We look for stories that combine compelling narratives from classrooms and campuses with smart, original analyses of national education issues. Stories should consider the research and draw from the knowledge of experts and affected communities. We pay $1.50 per word for stories that generally range from 1,000 to 2,000 words and we cover travel expenses on top of the story fee.

FATHERLY
https://www.fatherly.com/how-to-pitch-fatherly
Our mission is to empower men to raise great kids and lead more fulfilling adult lives. We do this by helping our readers wade through the constant barrage of information and see a real path to being a better man, person, and parent. Fatherly is a brand built on non-partisan journalism. Fatherly is currently accepting pitches for its Gear, Life, and Health & Science verticals. Please send your 2-3 sentence story pitch, as well as any clips to other work, to pitches@fatherly.com. Does not accept stories on spec.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline February 28, 2026. Please submit your true stories about the entire November and December holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year's festivities too. Remember that these holiday titles do make wonderful gifts for everyone on your list! Limit 1200 words. First person only. Pays $250 and 10 copies of the book.

CLASS CENTRAL
https://www.classcentral.com/write-for-us
Class Central is seeking experienced journalists to cover the education industry. We're the world's leading search engine for online courses, reaching 100+ million learners. Our publication, The Report, breaks news and offers deep analysis on online learning. Pays $500–$1,250 per article. +30 % bonus for pieces that pass 25k views in the first month. Rates adjusted for local purchasing power outside the U.S. Questions/submissions: careers@classcentral.com

PARAPRAXIS
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWmVcgA0M-GmhHRLe6vCZtcTykYLnunmTK_-QTmEAqdawANQ/viewform
By investigating social, political, and personal issues—in relation to violence and conflict, gender and sexuality, racism and diasporic experience, care and welfare—Parapraxis is a psychoanalytically oriented supplement to the existing venues of radical critique and historical materialism. The best way to write for us, so the axiom goes, is to read us. You'll see we don't have a house style--far from it--but we do work more in a magazine paradigm than that of an academic journal. We commission in many categories, some of which are pretty standard (book and arts reviews, features, political/social reportage, etc.) and some of which are our own (like "Clinical Conflict," or, anonymous testimony from analysts and patients). Print rates vary depending on length from $500-800. Web rates are a flat $500. 
 

PUBLISHERS / AGENTS

AFTERGLOW
https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit/236826/afterglow-books-70-000-words
In the pages of Afterglow Books, characters from all walks of life, all types of diverse identities, will pursue their dreams and discover love isn’t far behind. Because everyone deserves a happily ever after that’s true to who they are. Word count 70,000. Aimed at under-35s.

ECLIPSE
https://totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submissions-eclipse/
Eclipse delves into the shadowy realms of dark romance, where love and danger intertwine. We are currently accepting romance manuscripts between 50,000 and 100,000 words in the following genres. Our preference is for series submissions.
Action/Adventure, Alternate Reality, Angels and Demons, Billionaires, Dark Romance, Fantasy/Romantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Werewolves.

ENTICE
https://totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submissions-entice/
We are currently accepting romance manuscripts between 50,000 and 100,000 words in the following genres. Our preference is for series submissions. Billionaire, Dark Romance, Dominance/submission, Mafia/Gangs, MC/Bikers, Omegaverse, Reverse Haren/Why Choose are at the top of our list.

TORREY HOUSE PRESS
https://www.torreyhouse.org/submissions
We are interested in great writing that engages intimately with place, the natural world, or issues that link the American West and the future of the ever-changing Earth. We're particularly drawn to work in which landscape and environmental issues are drivers of idea development, plot, or character. We are currently accepting submissions for Fiction, including literary fiction, YA, and genre (mystery; thriller/horror; cli-fi; Indigenous futurism; afrofuturism; magical realism; fantasy; historical; romance; or nontraditional western, e.g. contemporary, urban, queer, etc.); Full-length short story collections; Creative nonfiction and narrative nonfiction including literary journalism.

FARENHEIT PRESS
https://www.fahrenheit-press.com/submissions.html
Seeks crime and thrillers. We offer a royalty rate of 50% on both eBooks & paperback editions for a five-year contract. Based in London.
 

FUNDSFORWRITERS 

FINE PRINT