Volume 9, Issue 17
April 26, 2009

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FUNDS FOR WRITERS

Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

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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.

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PAID SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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ANHINGA WRITERS' STUDIO 2009 SUMMER WORKSHOPS

Join us from July 29-August 1 in Gainesville, Florida,
for The Anhinga Writers' Studio 2009 Summer Workshops!

Coursework in general fiction, romance, mystery, poetry,
and narrative nonfiction. Guest of Honor Charlaine Harris,
author of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries on which HBO
series TRUE BLOOD is based. One-on-one agent, editor, and
instructor meetings are available, as well as manuscript
evaluations. Full tuition:  $395, $375 through May 15.
Single-day rates available. info@anhingawriters.org

http://www.anhingawriters.org/
                 
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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Read newsletter online at: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFW.htm
Read past issues at: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?fundsforwriters

=====

YOU NEVER KNOW YOUR IMPACT

Yes, I'm in the top 100 of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest.
A semi-finalist. Happened over a week ago, but I'm still flying
high - like 20,000 feet altitude high without a plane.

Validation is a marvelous opiate. Talk about motivation to
keep writing! But I never expected my luck in a contest
would impact someone else's writing.

Missye Clarke struggles like the rest of us, attempting to
write a novel with all its edits and rewrites. We belong
to the same online critque group. She's seen me beat up
my writing pretty hard, one chapter at a time. In her
blog of April 15, she comments on her view of me and how
it has impacted her effort. http://www.mkclarke.net/

<<Today, one of my dearest writer friends got her breakout novel
in the Top 100 in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. She's
landed an agent, too, with an Exec Editor interested in her
reads, after she's gotten an agent to do this right. She's just
over the moon with this news and I couldn't be happier for her.>>

<<Strange. Her success is bleeding over. I'm writing more and
learning to put to bed resentments long harbored for the
revision process. Could be because--and I've never acknowledged
this before now--to me, revisions equaled I was a rotten writer
to begin with and didn't have the talent or chops to make this
career blossom. I'll hold to Ray Bradbury's incredible quote:
"Stay drunk on writing so reality doesn't destroy you."
Fear of revision is now laid to rest, but it'll weed-crop from
time to time. To get better = practice and revision. The Amazon
Top 100 Finalist I know had to, after all.>>

That message from Missye was the icing on my writing cake.

NOTE:
The judges of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest will
determine the finalists by critquing the manuscripts -AND-
reading actual reader reviews. You'd make my day if you
took a look at the opening chapter to my novel HOG-TIED
and left a glowing review.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG39AG

    Hope

http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/hopeclark

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HOPE MADE THE SEMI-FINALS AT AMAZON

Hope's mystery novel HOG-TIED, has made the semi-finals at
the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. That's the top 500
out of 10,000 entries! You can read the opening chapter
of the story I've talked about forever. Please consider
leaving a review:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG39AG

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GRACIOUS...A NEW EBOOK!

FEROCIOUS PROMOTION FOR THE TIMID AUTHOR

Emphasizing the self-publishing author, the joint authorship
of Gwynne Spencer and C. Hope Clark penned a 64-page ebook
packed with ideas on how to make those sales. With an emphasis
on selling locally and regionally, the book gives you hope
and savvy advice through the occasional sprinkling of cute
weener dog paws throughout.

Being small doesn't mean you can't be ferocious.

www.fundsforwriters.com/ferocious.htm

 
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WEEKEND RETREAT - FREELANCE HOPE COMES TO KENTUCKY

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/Kentucky_Retreat.htm

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BYLINES 2009 DESK CALENDAR

Too late in the year for a new calendar? Not this one.

Not your ordinary daytimer, Bylines 2009 Calendar is chock
full of inspiration, humor and passion. Just the sort of
thing aspiring and working writers need to read on a daily
basis to keep the creative juices flowing and the angst at bay.
Each week features a writer, just like you and me along with
famous writers' birthdays, and lots of places to note your
writing deadlines.

www.fundsforwriters.com/Bylines.htm

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WORDS OF SUCCESS
 
"We have not passed that subtle line between childhood
and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to
the active voice - that is, until we have stopped saying
'It got lost,' and say, 'I lost it.'"

- Sydney J. Harris, journalist (1917-1986)

 
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Hi Hope,
Well, you did it again! Made it possible through your excellent
newsletter to nab a regular writing gig, one that will
eventually grow into my own webpage on Homestead.org. -
"Gay Ingram's Herbal Almanac." Keep up the good work. I always
find one or two contact possibilities in every newsletter you
send out.

Gay Ingram
http://www.authorsden.com/gayingram

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ARTICLE
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How to Break into Medical Writing

By Christine Buske
 
These days it is not unusual for writers to reach out to
markets other than consumer magazines to pad their portfolios,
and wallets. After all, greeting cards, novelty items, bumper
stickers, and brochures all start out with a writer and a
great cup of coffee.
 
Even within the realm of magazine publishing there are
hundreds of different types of markets you can target as
a professional writer. One market in desperate need of more
writers is the medical field. Don't fret; you don't actually
have to be a doctor or nurse to write for most publications.
You do need to be able to come up with interesting ideas
that appeal to a particular audience.
 
Contrary to popular belief, trade magazines are not
overflowing with technical content. The only difference
between these publications and consumer magazines is that
they appeal to a narrower audience. For example, Advance
publishes a magazine only for nurses. They published a
recent article about cultural issues between nurses and
patients. They have also published tips for nurses on how
to handle stress and juggle their work with a personal life.
Does that sound a lot like the articles you see at the checkout
counter? This is because there are only subtle differences
between consumer and trade magazines, and often it is just a
matter of changing an angle.
 
Breaking into medical writing is not very different from
breaking into any other industry, but your chances of success
are larger than pitching Vogue. You need to familiarize
yourself with a publication, and write a compelling pitch.
Since you can't familiarize yourself with these magazines
at your local newsstand, here are some of the places you
can find publications:
 
-  Hospitals and doctors' offices often receive trade
publications. Make friends with the receptionist and ask
if you can borrow some old issues (being bold works! I
always maximize my time in the waiting room).

-  Browse a recent copy of the "Writer's Market", so do a
search on "writersmarket.com".

-  Browse the Internet: search for specific disciplines you
are interested in, and you will get a number of magazine
publishers. For example, I typed in "Dental magazine", and
the first three results were for "Dental office magazine",
"The Dentist" (a UK based magazine), and "Dental Economics".

-  Attend local medical conferences and scoop up free sample
copies of magazines! Often one large publisher puts out 10-30
different magazines, and there are always a few publishers
at conferences.

-  Sign up with a medical writer's association. The American
Medical Writer's Association is a great place to start
networking (http://www.amwa.org).

-  Breaking medical news can be found through PR Web and
other press release sites. These news items can translate
into article ideas you can pitch.
 
Your local hospitals, clinics, and dental offices also need
medical writers. Health care providers always need newsletters,
and internal communications. At large hospitals you need to
contact the communications or media office, and introduce
yourself as a local medical writer. At smaller clinics and
dental offices you can speak to the manager or the owner
directly. It's a win-win situation: the professional can
spend more time doing what they are good at, and less time
worrying about their brochures and website.
 
Another medical market writers can tap into is the
advertising industry. There are countless advertising
agencies that create brochures, websites, and B2B
advertising for large pharmaceutical companies. When these
agencies get busy, they are often open to outsourcing to
freelancers. Google or the yellow pages comes in handy to
find agencies in your own city, and introduce yourself.
 
The secret to breaking into medical writing is persistence
and keeping up with a network. Try and connect with
hospitals and clinics, editors at trade magazines, but don't
forget to get in touch with local advertising agencies as well.
 
To get you started, here are a few markets:

You & Me (Medical magazine for the lay-person)
http://www.youandmemagazine.com (submissions@youandmemagazine.com)
Pays on acceptance, but the rate is not listed on the website
 
A&U (American Aids magazines)
www.aumag.org (chaelneedle@mac.com)
Pays $150-$300
 
Advance magazine for healthy aging
www.advanceweb.com/healthyaging (mwolf@merion.com)
Pays $150-$300
 

BIO
Christine Buske is a freelance writer and PhD Candidate
based in Toronto, Canada. She freelanced as a medical
correspondent for FOX News.com, and her work has been
published in The Coffee House Digest, Advance Magazine,
among other publications. When she is not writing, she
enjoys playing with her pet bunny or working on her
research projects.

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COMPETITIONS
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NANO FICTION PRIZE
http://www.nanofiction.org/contest.html
---
$12 ENTRY FEE
NANO Fiction is proud to announce our first annual NANO Prize,
to be awarded to a flash fiction piece, prose poem, or micro
essay of 300 words or less. The winner will receive $500.
The entry fee is $12 for the first three pieces, and $2 for
each additional piece. Those twelve bucks also get you a one
year subscription to NANO Fiction. Deadline August 1, 2009.

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AL BLANCHARD AWARD
http://crimebake.org/Al.htm
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NO ENTRY FEE
The winner is not required to attend the conference. The prize
is $100,  publication in Level Best Books' seventh Crime
Fiction anthology, admission to the Crime Bake Conference.
Story must be a crime story by a New England author or with
a New England setting. Story must be previously unpublished
(in print or electronically). Story must not be more than
5,000 words in length. Story may include the following genres:
mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror. (No torture/
killing of children or animals.) Deadline for submission is
May 31, 2009.

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AROHO's TO THE LIGHTHOUSE POETRY PUBLICATION PRIZE
http://aroho.org/
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$20 ENTRY FEE
Deadline September 30, 2009. $1,000 and publication of the
collection by Red Hen Press. Page limit 48 to 96 pages. For
the best, unpublished poetry collection by a woman.
 

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GRANTS
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THE HAVEN FOUNDATION
http://www.thehavenfdn.org/
---
The mission of The Haven Foundation is to strengthen and
sustain the careers of freelance professional writers,
artists and others connected with the entertainment industry
across the United States. A professional is an individual
who is committed to his/her industry or work, who has derived
at least 1/3 (33.3%) of his/her income over the past three
(3) years from his/her personal production, performance or
other work in the industry. The qualified person must have
experienced a recent, unforeseen emergency or triggering event
that has significantly and adversely affected the qualified
person's ability to produce, perform and/or market his/her
work and, thus, creates the need for immediate relief funds
and/or assistance. The Foundation is not able to assist in
situations of financial need that result solely from lack
of employment, poor sales and/or poor business practices.

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ARTIST TRUST FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.artisttrust.org/grants/FELL
---
The Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship
awards $7,500 to practicing professional artists of exceptional
talent and demonstrated ability. The Fellowship is a merit-
based, not project-based award. Artist Trust seeks applications
from individual generative artists for the 2009 Fellowship.
This year artists in the following categories are invited to
apply: Music, Media, Literary and Craft Arts (Emerging Fields,
Cross-Disciplinary, Performing, Visual and Traditional & Folk
Artists can apply in June 2010.)

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WORLD AFFAIRS JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS
http://tinyurl.com/d6qjuf
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Up to eight fellows from the United States will be selected
and provided support to develop projects that will lead to
articles in their home newspapers or in other U.S.-based
publications. The articles will shed light on global issues
that have a direct impact on their local communities. The
World Affairs Journalism Fellowships are competitive. The
deadline for applications is June 10, 2009.

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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SEATTLE HOMES MAGAZINE
http://www.seattlehomesmag.com/Seattle-Homes-and-Lifestyles/Contact-Us/Writers-Guidel

ines
---
Seattle Homes & Lifestyles is the greater Seattle area's
leading home design magazine. Our focus is on high-end
residential projects that demonstrate the best in interior
design, architecture and landscape design. We always welcome
inquiries from experienced freelance writers, with special
consideration given to those living in the Puget Sound area.
Interested parties should submit a resume and photocopies of
three published articles. Writers are paid between $100 and
$425 per article (roughly 25 to 50 cents per word), depending
on the assignment.

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER MAGAZINE
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/writer-guidelines.html
---
Each issue of the magazine contains five or more features,
roughly balanced between U.S. and foreign subjects. Generally,
we are interested in places accessible to most travelers, not
just the intrepid or wealthy. The types of destinations we
cover vary widely, from mainstream to adventure travel.
Most Traveler features range from 1,500 to 2,500 words,
depending on the subject. Traveler departments generally
run from 750 to 1,500 words.

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PLENTY MAGAZINE
http://www.plentymag.com/guidelines.php
---
Features 1,500 to 3,000 words for print magazine and 500 words
for the online site. Columns run 350 to 1,000 words. Pays
$1/word for print and $150 for website. 25% kill fee. Plenty
covers a broad range of lifestyle topics, from food, travel,
and fashion to technology, business, and culture. We're
looking for creative, well-researched ideas that put a
positive spin on protecting the environment.
 

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JOBS
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FEATURES REPORTER
CITY REPORTER  (2 positions)
Location Casper, WY
http://www.trib.com
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=1047238
---
City Reporter - Coverage will primarily focus on city government
but will also include some general assignment and crime/courts
responsibilities.

Features Reporter - We are looking for a talented, ambitious
journalist to join our features staff. You'll write for all
of our lifestyles sections (home & garden, health & fitness,
and entertainment) but you'll take the lead role in our weekly
"Open Spaces" section and quarterly Hunter & Angler magazine.
You can be entry-level or experienced, as long as you write
with flair and with an unswerving orientation to helping readers
maximize thier enjoyment of life in Wyoming.

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PRESENTATION DESK JOURNALIST
Location Naples, FL
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=1046800
---
We're looking for an enthusiastic and creative journalist to
fill a key position on our presentation desk. We need a
skilled page designer, someone who understands the role of
photography and typography in creating accessible,
sophisticated and content-driven pages.

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FEATURES WRITER
Location St. Joseph, MI
http://www.heraldpalladium.com
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=327516
---
The Herald-Palladium, a daily newspaper in St. Joseph, Mich.,
is looking for a features writer to liven up our lifestyles
section. We want someone with lots of ideas and a creative
writing style. This is mostly a writing position, but it
will include some page design, so pagination experience is
required.

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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THE STROTHMAN AGENCY
http://www.strothmanagency.com/
---
The Strothman Agency seeks out scholars, journalists, and
other acknowledged and emerging experts in their fields.
We specialize in narrative non-fiction, memoir, history,
science and nature, arts and culture, literary travel,
current affairs, young adult fiction and non-fiction and
some business. We have a highly selective practice in
literary fiction and smart self-help. We will consider smart,
well written commercial fiction but ONLY from authors who
have a platform. If you have a platform, please mention it
in your query letter. We are now actively looking for authors
of well written young-adult fiction and nonfiction.

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INKWELL MANAGEMENT
http://www.inkwellmanagement.com/about.php
---
While we are proud to represent major literary prize winners
as well as many of the world's bestselling and best-loved
authors, we continue to be excited by and on the lookout
for original ideas, riveting stories and great writing from
new writers.

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LJK LITERARY
http://www.ljkliterary.com/submissions/index.html
---
LJK Literary Management works with authors of all genres.
We accept submissions via postal mail and e-mail. Please read
our guidelines carefully. Submit a query letter for review and
the first chapter(s) of your manuscript (about 25 pages). 
We are not considering picture books or poetry collections
at this time.

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SPONSORS
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Writing is a passion. Publishing is a business.
VIP Authors know the difference.
 
Would your book be published today if you had someone to
mentor you every step of the way? Would you be closer to
your goal if you knew how to:

Decide if you should traditional publish or self-publish
Find legitimate agents and publishers and avoid scams
Choose the right POD publisher
Find markets for your work
Build a waiting audience before your book comes out
Use the Internet to market and sell your work
Use social networking sites effectively (and not waste your time)
Get free publicity
 
There are more opportunities now to get published than
ever before--if you know what you're doing. Join VIP
Authors as we make 2009 The Year of the Author.
 
For free newsletter and benefits:
http://vipauthors.com

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AWARD WINNING NOVELIST, STORY WRITER WILL EDIT YOUR WORK

Winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC Chapel Hill,
Richard Krawiec has published novels, story collections, plays,
poetry, feature articles, and Young Adult biographies. He's won
national awards and regional awards, been nominated for the
National Book Award, and Pushcart Prize.

It's hard to publish these days. 
Let Mr. Krawiec help you prepare your work for publication.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rkwriter/id2.html

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IT'S TIME TO TURN YOUR BOOK IDEA INTO A MEGA SELLER

Mark Victor Hansen, the founder and co-creator of the Chicken
Soup for the Soul series, has made millions in book sales and
information products. He has established the Mega Book
University event for passionate authors with great ideas, a
manuscript or published work. This is a rare opportunity to
connect and mingle with top literary agents, publishers, and
other experts sharing their immense knowledge and insider
secrets with you.

Event Date: June 5th-7th '09. 

http://www.flourishingbooksales.com

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ATTENTION POETS!

Are you searching for poetry markets and contests?
Then check out The Poetry Market Ezine and
The Poetry Market Ezine - Premium Edition.  Both
newsletters are catered exclusively to poets featuring
poetry markets and contests.  Publishing since 2001,
The Poetry Market Ezine has been listed as one of Writer's
Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2007 and
2008.  Subscribe to the free newsletter by logging onto
www.thepoetrymarket.com and using the sign up box,
or send any email to:  poetrymarket-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
For general info, send any email to tpme@thepoetrymarket.com

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WORLDWIDE FREELANCE MARKETS - Serving the freelance writing
community for 10 years. Come and try our searchable database of
writing markets from North America, Europe and around the world. 

http://www.worldwidefreelance.com

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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm 

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BUSINESS STUFF
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C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com

140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036

http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2009, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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