FundsforWriters - October 18, 2009

Published: Fri, 10/16/09

Volume 9, Issue 42
October 18, 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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Who can't resist a North Carolina mountain stream?

The water was way too cold to wade in, but the sun was

cozy enough to take a nap.

Editor: C. Hope Clark
Mailto: Hope@fundsforwriters.com
Website: http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Newsletter: 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.

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PAID SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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The Association of Professional Business Writers represent people that write for business

in a fee for work or freelance capacity. Contact us at www.apbw.us

(FundsforWriters readers can use promo code FFW001 for membership and a 20% discount)

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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

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A REVIEW

PETER BOWERMAN
THE WELL-FED WRITER: Financial Sufficiency as a Commercial
Freelancer in Six Months or Less

Writers who've been around a couple of years probably recognize
the name Peter Bowerman. They might not even be in the commercial
nonfiction-writing business, but they recognize the man's success.
Most probably figure he stumbled into something, knew someone
to reach his pinnacle of achievement.

Here is a man who decided to write for a living in 1993. In less than four months,

he worked hard to build a commercial writing practice - writing for businesses,

large and small, for hourly rates of $50-$125. It was his sole focus, and he
made it work come hell or high water.

His next step? Write about how he accomplished his goals. So in 2000, he

released THE WELL-FED WRITER, a blueprint to help others do what he

did. It became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. The book became his business.

Next he published . . . Book Two! TWFW: Back for Seconds, which won

three national awards.

Well, now he's just released THE WELL-FED WRITER - a combination
of both these earlier books with new ideas, updated advice, and marketing

strategies that not only help you achieve a career as a freelancer writer, but also

aid you in relieving the fear of sales, marketing, and pitching yourself. You learn
how to market by phone, email, direct mail, websites, blogs, and networking, so

you can pick and choose what suits you best. He even tells you how to keep

your 9-to-5 and freelance part-time on the weekends. You'll find that information

in Chapter 11, and I thoroughly enjoyed the down-to-earth guidance.

He covers many, many examples of achievement by other writers and their

businesses, large and small. This isn't a book to tell you how to get rich.

Although you could take the advice to that level, the book tells you how to

get started, set up, network and find clients, and determine where you want
to maintain your writing life-style. Appendix B provides you name after name

of writers and their setups, offering so many examples for you.

I've never seen Peter Bowerman write anything that isn't top-shelf quality.

This book is no exception. If you missed the first two, just go ahead and

buy this one. It's a great compilation of the others, showing you how
to become a commercial freelancer in six months or less.

VISIT THE WELL FED WRITER

Hope

EIGHTH ANNUAL FUNDSFORWRITERS ESSAY CONTEST
Sponsored by VIP Authors

Theme: Invisible Writing
Compose 750 words or less addressing this theme in essay form.
Deadline October 31, 2009.

Pay $5 or don't pay anything. You have a choice with FFW.
First, second and third prizes in each category, ranging
from $10 to $200.

NEW: FundsforWriters is featuring Tweetebooks. Yes, you
read right. In this day of social networking in spurts,
FFW has created abbreviated ebooks with abbreviated prices.
Enter the $5 entry fee category of the contest and receive
one free. Or buy one. They are only $1.99.

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/tweetebooks.htm

VIP AUTHORS SUPPORTS YOUR WRITING!
Get our FREE 53-page PUBLISHING SUCCESS ebook, loaded with
insider tips and resources to help you launch and skyrocket
your writing career at http://vipauthors.com.

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Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites is now accepting
nominations for next year's list. If you appreciate our
website, please consider nominating Writer Gazette for
the 'Writer's Digest's 101 Best Sites of The Year'!
To nominate Writer Gazette for 2010, please send your
nomination to: writersdig@fwpubs.com with "101 Websites"
as the subject line. January 1, 2010 is the deadline.

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THE BLOG, THE BLOG!
http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com

TWITTER ME
http://twitter.com/hopeclark

CONSULT WITH HOPE
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ConsultHope.htm

I JUST JOINED FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark

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TWEETEBOOKS

Mini-ebooks. 20 markets in selective niches for $1.99.
www.fundsforwriters.com/tweetebooks.htm

~~~~~~****~~~~~~

WORDS OF SUCCESS

Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs
is people who have come alive.

~ Howard Thurman

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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Dear Hope,

Last Friday I received notification that my personal essay,
"Tommy," was awarded honorable mention in the "Past Loves
Essay Contest" sponsored by Spruce Mountain Press. That e-mail
ended with a question: Where did you hear about this contest?
I thought a moment. Hmm, where did I hear about that contest?
Why the Funds for Writers e-newsletter, of course!

While I always practice due diligence prior to releasing any
submission, I feel an extra measure of confidence responding
to postings on your website and this is just one of several
successful leads I've found on Funds for Writers.

Thanks so much, Hope, for such a wonderful resource.

Best Regards,
Monica A. Andermann

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ARTICLE
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SELF-SYNDICATION

By Jill Pertler

I have a weekly syndicated newspaper column. I am self-
syndicated, meaning I do all the administrative work myself.
There's also the option of having a business syndicate represent
you. They take a cut of your earnings, but do the sales,
disbursement etc. of your work. I went the self-syndicated
route because it seemed easier for a beginner. My plan was to
establish myself and then approach a syndicate for further growth.

I've written my column since 2002. Went weekly with it in 2007.
Cautiously started syndication in October 2007. Started the
process of going statewide across Minnesota in March 2009.
I've grown from 3 papers to 30. I send the column out to about
300 newspapers each week. I'm going for Wisconsin next.

There isn't much to becoming self-syndicated. You can decide and
declare it, and it's done. You have to be upfront when approaching
potential "customers" so they know that your article/work may
also appear elsewhere. I do everything via email. I find my
newspaper sources online.

Tips

Keep track of all correspondence/emails. I save everything.
I'm currently printed in 30 newspapers, and if I didn't save
everything into a Word file, I wouldn't know which editor said/
wrote what. Remember, these editors all communicate about the
same piece.

Be dependable and consistent. I send my column out every
Monday morning. When I first started sending them out, I heard
back from just a few papers. But after a few months passed
and the editors saw the pattern of consistency, more papers
responded favorably.

I have addresses grouped in directories and send the columns
to newspapers so that the recipients can't see who else has
received each email. I protect everyone's privacy.

When sending the initial email to a newspaper, I personalize.
I address the email to a specific editor. If I have personal
knowledge of the city that the paper is in, or if I know
someone who lives there, etc., I might note that in the email
to make a positive first impression.

Editors tell me they use my columns because they don't
need editing. Make it easy for an editor. They are busy
and overworked.

Here are a couple of sources of information online:

www.publishersandagents.net (This is a service
for pay that helps you find a syndicate. They have informative
articles on the whole process.

www.dmoz.org/News/Media/Services/Syndicates/ (Listing of
syndicates)

I'll give the long but honest answer on fees. I ask for $20
per month or $5 per printed column. I also ask that they
print my contact info and a short bio. I provide them with a
photo to run with the column. The bio brings in other writing
jobs for my marketing/pr business for which I charge a nice
hourly rate. The photo helps to build reader recognition.

But some papers don't have money in their budget for columnists.
Sometimes I barter. They give me an ad for my marketing
business in exchange for printing the column.

Other times there is no money and no bartering. This is where
the issue becomes a personal/situational decision. My long-
term goal is to establish a readership so I can publish a book.
For me, exposure is important. Since I am establishing myself,
I try hard to accommodate anyone who can run my columns. As
I become experienced, I see that changing. This is a part of
building my platform, like a speaking engagement or a book
signing.

It's been a gradual process, but it's going in the right
direction. If I tap 200 newspapers at $20 per month, I'll
have $4,000 in my checkbook. My column and photo are in
about 100,000 households each week. If you would have told
me that a year ago, I wouldn't have believed you.

BIO
Jill Pertler writes a weekly syndicated column, "Slices of
Life," which is printed in newspapers throughout her home
state of Minnesota and beyond. She also dabbles in short
fiction and photography. Her company, Marketing by Design,
provides writing and design services to businesses and
individuals. Visit her website at:
http://marketing-by-design.home.mchsi.com/

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COMPETITIONS
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THE DZANC BOOKS SHORT STORY COLLECTION COMPETITION
http://www.dzancbooks.org/submissions.html
---
$20 ENTRY FEE
The winning author will be published by Dzanc in late spring/
early summer 2012, and receive a $1,000 advance. Send full
manuscript. The contest deadline is December 31, 2009.

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THE DZANC PRIZE
http://www.dzancbooks.org/dzancprize.html
---
The Dzanc Prize provides monetary aid in the sum of $5,000 to
a writer of literary fiction. All writers applying for the
Dzanc Prize must have a work-in-progress they can submit for
review, and present the judges with a Community Service
Program they can facilitate somewhere in the United States.
Such programs may include anything deemed "educational" in
relation to writing. Examples would include: working with HIV
patients to help them write their stories; doing a series of
workshops at a drop-in youth homeless center; running writing
programs in inner-city schools; or working with older citizens
looking to write their memoirs. All community programs under
the Dzanc Prize must run for a full year. Deadline November 1.

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HYBRID ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.thediagram.com/contest.html
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
Submit an unpublished essay of up to 10,000 words by October
31, 2009. The prize is $1,000 + publication. We'll shoot for
publishing several of our finalists with the winner in DIAGRAM.
We still don't know exactly what we mean by hybrid, and we would
certainly prefer to leave definitions up to you. We don't like
them. We think the term hybrid suggests a resistance to definition.
We guess the only way to describe it is we're looking for essays
that are in some way outside the traditional boundaries of the
genre.

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GRANTS
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LOUISIANA PUBLISHING GRANTS
http://www.leh.org/html/grants_lapub.html
---
This grant category responds to requests for assistance with
publication projects. Awards of up to $4,000, may be used by
scholars and photodocumentarians applying the humanities--
interpretation and analysis--to Louisiana history/culture, or
to subjects and/or issues impacting life in Louisiana. There
is a single application deadline each year on February 15. Up
to five awards are made annually. Projects eligible for
consideration must be of interest to a general public audience.
All awards must culminate in a completed book-length manuscript.
The manuscript must be completed and submitted to a publisher
within the 18-month LPI grant period. Preference is given to
projects with publishing contracts.

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EL GOUNA WRITERS' RESIDENCY
http://www.elgouna.com/writers-residency/residency-program.html
http://www.elgouna.com/writers-residency/how-to-apply.html
---
El Gouna Writers' Residency will be launched in 2010 and will
host three sessions a year during the months of February, May
and June. The length of each session is one month. During each
session, four to six writers are invited to enjoy a full month's
complimentary stay at a beautiful villa in El Gouna, where they
will enjoy an intellectual haven providing them with
opportunities to interact and exchange thoughts with writers
from different walks of life. Writers are expected by the end
of the residency to provide a report stating the development of
the literary project they have been working on, as well as any
comments related to the El Gouna Writers' Residency. Deadline
November 30, 2009. Location Red Sea, Egypt.

(Thanks to http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com)

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MASSACHUSETTS INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/programs/artistfellows.html
---
Applications in the Choreography, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction,
and Poetry categories will be accepted beginning December 1;
deadline: January 25, 2010. The Artist Fellowships Program
offers fellowships of $7,500 and finalist awards of $500, as
direct support to individual artists in recognition of
artistic excellence.

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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IMBIBE
http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Contact
---
Imbibe is the magazine of liquid culture. In every issue,
you'll find the best drink recipes, reviews, destinations
and profiles--everything you need to know about the fascinating
people, places, flavors and cultures surrounding the realm of
drinks. From wine, spirits and beer to coffee, tea and
everything in between, Imbibe celebrates your world in a
glass. Pays up to 50 cents/word. No guidelines online.

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TRAILER LIFE
http://tmtbiz.com/maitland/files/TLEditorialGuidelines.pdf
---
America's favorite monthly magazine for recreational vehicle
(RV) enthusiasts. We publish approximately eight freelance
features each month, most of which fall into either of two
categories: 1) activities involving RVers, such as travel,
hobbies and lifestyle; and 2) technical aspects of RVing,
including advice on equipment and maintenance. Material
purchased from freelancers includes travel features (1,500-
2,000 words), "Faces & Places" items (150-350 words),
personality profiles (1,200 words), technical features
(1,000-2,000 words), "10-Minute Tech" items (50-200
words) and do-it-yourself features (1,200 words). Other
topics cover the RV lifestyle, controversial issues and
legislation affecting RV owners, humor and news. Photos
are included in the payment package rate. Pays up to $800.

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GERMAN LIFE
http://www.germanlife.com/submissions.html
---
German Life is a bimonthly magazine, written for all interested
in the diversity of German culture, past and present, and in
the various ways that the United States has been shaped by its
German element. The magazine is dedicated to solid reporting
on cultural and historical events as well as travel information.
Your manuscript should not exceed 1,200 words. Longer pieces
will be considered solely at the Editor's discretion. Smaller
pieces appropriate for a sidebar or one of the magazine's
departments should range between 300 and 800 words. Book
reviews average 250 to 300 words. Payment is upon publication
and ranges from $300 to $500 for feature articles, from $100
to $130 for reviews and short pieces, and up to $80 for fillers.

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JOBS
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WRITER-EDITOR
Location San Francisco, CA
http://frbsf.org/federalreserve/careers/
---
Requisition ID: 10334. This job focuses on writing and editing
content for both print and online use, with particular emphasis
on Public Information and Web materials. The job entails writing,
editing, proofreading at all stages of production, and
coordinating and/or assisting in the production of content for
the Bank's public Web site and Public Information publications
and reports. In addition, this position will develop as a back-
up support role for the Media Relations function, including
screening media calls, maintaining media contacts and databases,
assisting in special media events. Bachelor's Degree in English,
Journalism, Communications.

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ASSISTANT TO TALENT, LITERARY AND PRODUCTION AGENTS
Location Los Angeles, New York City, Monterey, California
and Nashville, Tennessee
http://www.paradigmagency.com/about/openposition
---
Paradigm is looking for motivated, smart and goal oriented
individuals who are interested in furthering their careers
in the entertainment industry. Our Talent, Literary and
Production agents are looking for smart, energetic, motivated,
detail oriented, multi-tasking assistants. Duties include rolling
calls, scheduling appointments, filing, faxing, and other general
office tasks. These are very high volume desks that require
someone with experience and knowledge in the industry. Qualified
candidates will have a college degree, be proficient in all MS
Office applications and possess excellent verbal and written
communication skills. Previous agency, production, studio or
production experience is required. Please fax cover letter and
resume to (310) 288-2000 or email to careers@paradigmagency.com.
Attn: Human Resources.

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DATA SPECIALIST
Location St. Louis, MO
http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6127
---
The Post-Dispatch is looking for a data specialist who will
join forces with reporters and editors to produce sophisticated
stories and projects in print and online. This journalist must
be able to balance short and long-term news projects, breaking
news and sustained data projects. Knowledge of Freedom of
Information laws and the proven ability to negotiate for data
are essential.

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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BATWING PRESS
http://www.harborhousebooks.com/about/
---
BatWing is dedicated to publishing the finest in original
horror fiction, with supernatural themes ranging from ghosts
and hauntings to monsters and psychologically and visually
shocking themes.

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LOFT PRESS
http://www.loftpress.com/guidelines/
---
Loft Press publishes books for both the business community
and the general reading public. Loft's business books specialize
in transportation loss and damage, logistics, warehousing, and
supply chain management. For the general reading public, Loft
Press publishes poetry, history, philosophy, and memoirs.

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GUERNICA EDITIONS
http://www.guernicaeditions.com/
---
Guernica has published many fiction and nonfiction books
which deal in one way or another with the pleasurable
understanding of different cultures.

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SPONSORS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GET PAID TO WRITE: Become A Freelance Writer!

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Start Date: Monday, October 19, 2009.

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CALL FOR ENTRIES!

Dream Quest One Writing Contest is now accepting short
stories, 5 pages maximum length on any subject or theme,
single or double line spacing, neatly hand printed or
typed. Entry fee: $10 per story. First Prize is
$500, 2nd: $250; 3rd: $100. All contest winners will
be published online in the Dare to Dream pages.
Postmark deadline: December 31, 2009.

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com
for details and to enter!

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AWARD WINNING NOVELIST, STORY WRITER WILL EDIT YOUR WORK

Winner of the 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award from
UNC Chapel Hill, Richard Krawiec has published novels,
story collections, plays, memoirs, poetry, feature articles,
and Young Adult biographies. He's won NEA and NC Arts Council
grants, been nominated for the National Book Award and
Pushcart Prize. He was a Finalist for the 2009 Indie Book
Awards for Poetry.

It's hard to publish these days.
Let someone who knows what they're doing help
you prepare your work for publication.

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

=====

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=====

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GIVE ME YOUR NEEDY MANUSCRIPT

If there's a spark of life in it I'LL FAN IT

@"Your critique helped me turn the book around."

-Jess Stearn,author of best selling "Edgar Cayce,Sleeping Giant"

@"You made a very substantial contribution to its success and your skilled and insightful
help in getting it to a proper start." - Steve Spruill, NYT best selling author

@"Brilliant, incisive and accurate analyst and critic."

- Al Zuckerman, President, Writers House,Inc.

JOCELYN W. KNOWLES

BOOK DOCTOR

jwknowles@verizon.net

=====

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

=====

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

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