Volume 9, Issue 48
November 29, 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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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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GRANT WRITING RULES WILL KICK-START YOUR CREATIVE/FREELANCE WORK

I recently read a nice article by grant writer Kathleen Ewing
on the www.WritingforDollars.com website. The premise was
simple - "How to Become a Grant Writer." I intended to skip it,
but the headers caught my attention as I realized the rules
paralleled most any type of writing.

THE SECRET - "The key to writing a successful grant is to
give the granting organization what they want, the way they
want it." Well, duh. Doesn't that apply to agents and publishers?
Why should anyone invest in you, whether through grant funds
or a writing contract, if you aren't meeting THEIR needs?

THE ASK - Query. Tell the source why you need them, as you
would an agent. Tell them who you are and what you stand for
so you don't waste anyone's time. Avoid the cutesy play on
words or innuendo.

THE NEED - Personalize your request so that the judge,
grantor, publisher or agent wants to invest in you with
their funds/contract/representation. Make them want to help
you succeed. All the more reason to intimately know who you
are pitching. Here's also where you let them know who "needs"
your talent/project.

THE HOW - Query with a wonderful rendering in words of what
you intend to accomplish and why you're the person to do it.

THE FUTURE - Grant providers want to know how someone will
sustain their project in the future - after the grant. In
essence, they want to know how invested you are in your work.
Many grant takers only exist to land the grant, and once those
funds dry up, they do, too. What will keep you writing? What
will convince an agent/publisher that you are in this writing
business for the long run?

THE METRICS - In a grant, you have to show how to measure
success. In your writing, how do you measure success? What
tangibles can you use to convince others you not only are a
writer, but you are a serious writer?

THE WAIT - Be patient waiting for others to jump on your
bandwagon. If you've done your best writing, selling yourself,
and planning, then be still while others analyze you to decide
if you are a writer they want to pursue.

Writing isn't just about writing. No career is "just" about
anything. There are administrative, promotional and educational
facets. You have to be deemed worthy by peers, overseers,
and potential clients. Call it rejection, scrutiny or judgment -
your call. Most writers think writing well means being a writer.
Being a writer means setting up the infrastructure, understanding
the marketing, and relishing the effort it takes to publish and
remain alive in a sea of writers craving the next great byline.

A great writer is worth nothing - if all he does is write.
 
Think like a grant writer. Seek the best providers, write the
best pitch, design the best plan for the project, and show the
world how your ideas are worth funding.

(**Kathleen Ewing's full-length article can be viewed at:
http://www.writingfordollars.com/2009/vol13num43.cfm )

TWEETEBOOKS

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

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

=====

TIS THE SEASON EBOOK

Twelve months of holidays, seasons and markets for
your seasonal writing. One of our most popular and
inexpensive ebooks. $4.95

www.fundsforwriters.com/ebooks.htm
 

  ~~~~~~****~~~~~~

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"The life that conquers is the life that moves with a steady
resolution and persistence toward a predetermined goal. Those
who succeed are those who have thoroughly learned the immense
importance of plan in life, and the tragic brevity of time."

-- W.J. Davison

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Hello, Hope,

Your weekly encouragements about hard work and loyalty always
keep me going. Your note a few weeks ago about remembering who's
been there for you felt like great synergy, because at that
time I was blogging with thankfulness for winning a contest
and realizing that I've been helped by so many people over
the years to get to this point.

I really believe that we as writers have to understand that
any success is everyone's success, that we all benefit from
someone's momentary happiness and limelight, and that we all
are in this together. There are some days I get caught up in
competitive thoughts, fear that I'm behind in the "game,"
beating myself up for not achieving more. Then I dive back
in and say, Why do I do this? Because I love to write. It's
like breathing and sleeping and eating. And when you're writing
for those reasons, everything falls into place.

The award I won is the fall Orlando Short Fiction Prize with
A Room of One's Own Foundation. This story has had a long
journey, and now it's found its home. I didn't give up!

Thanks for the great service and gift you give to writers.
Onward, upward, forward, together!

Best,
Lyn Fairchild Hawks

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ARTICLE
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Writing for the Other Parenting Magazines

By Renee Roberson

Like many aspiring writers, I sent off a few article ideas
at the beginning of my writing career via snail mail to the
big parenting publications like BabyTalk, Parents and Parenting.
For the most part, I never got any responses back, except for
one horribly photocopied stock rejection letter from American
Baby that almost crushed my dreams of writing about parenting
forever.
 
However, I took some of those same queries and sent them out
to a few local regional parenting publications, and within a
few months, had made several sales. Regional parenting
publications may have a much lower pay scale than the nationals
($25 to $300), but most writers have a better shot of getting
published in these magazines, and if you market yourself
properly, you can generate a steady reprint income.
 
Look Outside Your Coverage Area

The most recent version of The Writer's Market includes a
good list of regional parenting publications in the "Child
Care & Parental Guidance" section. But not all of the magazines
that are members of the Parenting Publications of America (PPA)
are listed there. If you visit the PPA Web site
(www.parentingpublications.org) you can register your name
and areas of expertise (child development, teens and tweens,
family health, etc.) in the member database for a $35 annual
fee. In return, the organization will provide you with a roster
of the more than 100 participating publications (a $50 value).
 
Do Your Research

Most of the Web sites for these magazines have writers'
guidelines available that state whether or not they are
looking for articles only tailored to their geographic region,
or if they will accept reprints that quote sources from outside
markets. Read these guidelines carefully and only send in the
type of queries and articles the editors are asking for to
build up a good reputation. Editors in these markets appreciate
it when you write up your article and send it on spec, as they
are often time-crunched and would prefer to see a whole piece up
front if you already have it.
 
Brainstorm Ideas, and Don't Forget the Evergreen

Unlike national parenting publications, many regional
parenting publications have editorial calendars  they repeat
each year, with just a few minor tweaks here and there. For
example, you can expect most editors to put together summer
and day camp themed issues in early spring, and they are
always looking for fun, seasonal holiday article ideas in the
fall and winter months. August is almost always focused on
back-to-school. Do not fear pitching an evergreen topic,
because many times this is just what editors are looking for.
They plan out their content several months in advance, although
not quite as far out as Parents magazine. For example, if you
have any good holiday idea articles it's not a bad idea to
pitch them as early as July or August.

Negotiate Rights

If you sell an original article idea to a regional publication,
negotiate local rights only so you can have the option to
reprint the piece in a non-competing market in the future.
Negotiating these rights will serve you well, especially with
evergreen topics. When pitching a reprint to a different market,
you can always offer to localize it with an expert source or
relevant sidebar for a few more dollars, or just to finalize
the sale.

Parenting has provided me with the ultimate inspiration for
expanding my career, and it has also helped to support my
family as well. With these tips, hopefully it will do the
same for you.
 
BIO
Renee Roberson is a North Carolina-based writer who has
penned hundreds of parenting articles in regional parenting
publications and Web sites such as www.babyzone.com and
www.iParenting.com. Her article, "Alternative Treatments for
Autism," received first place in the magazine feature article
category of the 78th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition.
Visit her Web site at www.FinishedPages.com.

 
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COMPETITIONS
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DISCOVERING THE UNDISCOVERED NOVEL/MEMOIR CONTEST
http://shop.notesandgracenotes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=11
---
$20 ENTRY FEE
Grace Notes Books is thrilled to announce the 1st annual
Discovering the Undiscovered competition for Novels & Memoirs.
The winning entry will receive publication of their manuscript
and be offered a choice of either a cash prize of $1000 or a
$500 advance and a standard royalty agreement. The winning
author along with two runners-up will also receive free books
or products as well as cash prizes. Manuscripts between
70,000-100,000 words. A non-refundable entry fee of $25 must
accompany each manuscript. Entries received before January 1st
are eligible for a discounted entry fee of $20. Contest begins
November 1, 2009. Early Bird deadline January 1, 2010. Final
deadline April 15, 2010.

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STROKESTOWN INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE
http://www.strokestownpoetry.org/prizes2010.htm
---
ENTRY FEE €5 (£5 sterling or $5)
Prizes of  €4,000 (currently approximately £3,500 sterling or
$5,500 US dollars), €2000 and €1000 for an unpublished poem in
English not exceeding 70 lines. In addition the ten short-listed
poets are invited to read a selection of their work at the
festival for a reading fee and traveling expenses totaling
€400 (approximately £380 / $640). Deadline February 5, 2010.

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WASHINGTON SQUARE AWARD
http://www.washingtonsquarereview.com/washington_Square_Award.html
---
$10 ENTRY FEE
Accepting submissions for the 2010 Washington Square Award.
Winners (one in fiction and one in poetry) receive $500 and
publication in a forthcoming issue of Washington Square.
Selected runners-up may also receive publication. Deadline
January 1, 2010. Submit up to three poems (six pages total)
or one short story (up to twenty pages).

 
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GRANTS
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J-LAB GRANTS FOR INTERACTIVE JOURNALISM
http://www.newmediawomen.org/site/proposal_guidelines/
---
J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism at American
University has received a $200,000 grant from the McCormick
Foundation to fund eight women-led start-ups over the next
two years that will generate new ideas in the world of news
and information and model a spirit of journalistic
entrepreneurship. Under the new grant, a total of eight winners
(four in 2010 and four in 2011) will be given $12,000 each in
funding to launch their ideas and to blog about the process
during the first year of their projects. The deadline for
next year's proposals is April 12, 2010.

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TRANSLATION FUND GRANTS
http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/396
---
Over the six years of its existence, the Fund has given grants
of $2,000-$3,000 to a total of 61 translations from 28 languages,
including Armenian, Basque, Estonian, Farsi, Finland-Swedish,
Lithuanian and Mongolian, as well as French, Spanish, German,
Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic. Deadline January 14, 2010.

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ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE / SLOAN FOUNDATION GRANTS FOR PLAYS
http://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/
---
Commissions will be awarded to individuals, groups, and
creative teams for full-length and one-act plays and
musicals. The project is open to a broad range of topics
related to the issues, people, ideas, processes, leading-
edge discoveries, inventions, and/or history of the "hard"
sciences and technology. Works about psychology, human
behavior, medical conditions, victims of disease, and
science fiction will not be considered. Commissions
between $1,000 and $10,000 each are available for script
proposals, and rewrite commissions of between $1,000 and
$5,000 each are available for existing scripts. The
deadline for commission proposals is November 30, 2009;
the deadline for script submissions is December 31, 2009.
 

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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CHARISMA
http://www.charismamag.com/
---
A monthly magazine covering items of interest to the
Pentecostal or independent charismatic reader. Buys all
rights. Publishes expose, general interest, profiles and
religious opinion and current events. Pays up to $1,000.
Features are 2,000 to 3,000 words. No fiction.

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CHRISTIANITY TODAY
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/help/guidelines.html
---
Biblical teaching as it meets today's challenges. Pays up
to 35 cents/word for 1,200 to 5,200 words. Must query first.
Will consider reprints. Compiles articles on specific trends,
hot issues, and people that have shaped the news and
evangelical thought.

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DECISION MAGAZINE
http://www.billygraham.org/DMag_WritersGuidelines.asp
---
Decision magazine's purpose is to set forth the Good News
of salvation in Jesus Christ with such clarity that readers
will be drawn to make a commitment to Christ; to encourage,
teach and strengthen Christians to walk daily with Christ
and to reach out to others for Christ. Publishes articles
about finding Jesus, sharing faith and personal experience.
Pays up to $400 for up to 1,500 words. Pays $200 for Finding
Jesus columns pieces of up to 600 words.

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JOBS
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WRITER-EDITOR (FEDERAL CAREER INTERN - SEVERAL POSITIONS)
http://tinyurl.com/yz9xtm9
---
This announcement is open to seniors graduating in December
2009/May 2010; Or candidates who have received degrees within
the last 5 years from an accredited college/university.
Employer Office of the Inspector General for the US Dept. of
Transportation. You will work with Auditor, Management and
Program Analyst and Criminal Investigator writing, editing,
and coordinating technical materials and testimony associated
with producing technical reports.  You will have the opportunity
to contribute to reports that will be sent the Secretary and
Congress. Deadline December 30, 2009. SALARY RANGE: $41,210 -
$65,531 USD /year.

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WRITER-EDITOR
Location Hungry Horse, MT
http://tinyurl.com/yf7pvq3
---
Deadline December 4, 2009. Employing Agency: Forest Service.
Writes and edits materials for content, such as reports,
regulations, news, newsletters, magazines, news releases,
training materials, brochures, interpretive handbooks,
pamphlets, guidebooks, scholarly works, reference works,
speeches, or scripts. SALARY: $46,625.

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ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Location Columbia, SC
http://tinyurl.com/ydcctre
---
WLTX-TV, Gannett's CBS affiliate in Columbia, SC, is looking
for a dedicated journalist to join our team. Duties of this
position may include running the assignment desk, research,
shooting video, writing, editing, story planning and coordinating
content coverage. This multi-platform position also includes
posting content online and to all other media platforms. The
shift may include overnights, weekends and holidays.

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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HELEN REES LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.reesagency.com/
---
Represents the following genres: literary and commercial
fiction, memoirs, history, biography, business, self-help,
psychology, and science.

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KT LITERARY AGENCY
http://ktliterary.com/submissions/
---
We are looking for brilliant, funny, original middle grade
and young adult fiction, both literary and commercial;
witty women's fiction; pop-culture narrative nonfiction.

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BROWN BARN BOOKS
http://www.brownbarnbooks.com/About%20Brown%20Barn%20Books.htm
---
Brown Barn Books is a publisher of books for young adults
from about 12 up.

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SPONSORS
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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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LAST 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 Writing 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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InSinC EDITOR JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Sisters in Crime seeks an experienced journalist to serve
as editor for InSinC, our organization's  newsletter. The
successful candidate will have excellent organizational and
communications skills, a willingness to take counsel, an
eagerness to be involved in the work of our organization,
and a demonstrated ability to meet deadlines. Desktop
publishing experience and familiarity with software such as
Adobe and Quark a plus. Duties include, but are not limited to:

1. Brainstorm upcoming issues (March, June, Sept, Dec) with
Newsletter Committee via e-mail.

2. Make assignments and contact guest writers. E-mail
questionnaire to the president of the chapter that will be
featured in Chapter Spotlight. Send questions to and conduct
interviews with those being queried for InSinC Inquirer.
Research and write article(s).

3. Monitor issue deadlines and e-mail a reminder to board
members, department authors and any others writing articles
when the copy deadline is approaching. Follow up on articles.

4. Collect information for Conferences & Happenings calendar.

5. Edit articles and find stock photos, if necessary.

6. Layout newsletter. 
[NOTE: Layout could be done by a third party.]

7. Send articles to members of newsletter committee for
review and approval.

8. Produce a color PDF (for e-mail newsletter) and send for
approval. [NOTE:  PDF could be produced by a third party.]

9. Produce a black and white PDF for print newsletter and
upload both color and black and white PDFs to FTP site by
the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication,
i.e. Nov 10 for the December newsletter. [NOTE:  Production of
b/w PDF and uploading could be done by a third party.]

Peripheral Duties:

Attend Malice, Bouchercon and other SinC functions as approved
by the board to take photographs and write articles. If
attendance required, editor expenses will be subsidized by SinC.

To Apply:

Previous issues of InSinC can be found at: www.sistersincrime.org
Contact Beth Wasson at sinc@sistersincrime.org for the
necessary logon and password. Kindly respond by email using
the subject line "InSinC Newsletter Editor" to:
sinc@sistersincrime.org no later than December 4, 2009.
Include an example of your previous work, a work plan, and a
cost per issue.

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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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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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