Volume 11, Issue 16
April 22, 2011

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FUNDS FOR WRITERS

Chosen for Writer's Digest Magazine
101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

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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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All the books and papers in this course build a scaffold,
a step-by-step motivator towards daily practice. What I liked best?
There was no time pressure; each person learned according
to his or her own ability.

           ~ Annemarie Timmons, Literary Living participant

Discover your unique writing life. Limited to 25 participants.
Each gets a $500 scholarship. Summer session starts June 10th.

                 
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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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LITERARY JOURNALS ON THE RISE

In a recent blog post at www.hopeclark.blogspot.com I
talked about how so many entities have started thriving
off the boom in writers. Self-publishers, MFA programs,
freelance editors, ebook formatters, and more are living
off the fad that is creating a book.

Per an article by Reyhan Harmanci in The New York Times,
( http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/us/08bcculture.html )
literary journals are doing well. In the last ten years,
literary journals have more than doubled per the membership
of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses.

Per the article's author: "For literary journals, the
arrival of the Internet has not caused nearly the same
kind of consternation as it has in book publishing or
mainstream magazines - mainly because the profit motive
has never really driven these boutique publishers."

The article goes on to interview editors of these journals.
One journal hired a digital media director to keep up with
the demand for a savvy online presence. Another bragged
about being able to survive because overhead is low. Yet
another grabbed a grant to redevelop its website. And the
most tech-smart journals are selling digital subscriptions
for mobile devices.

Those who know me well, ought to see me coming on this topic.
It rankles my feathers. It stirs my juices. It pisses me off.

If journals are growing, improving, and thriving as stated,
then why the heck don't they pay the friggin' writers?

Of course overhead is low when you receive free material.
That's common sense and works for any organization, nonprofit
or for-profit. Most literary journals hide behind the excuse
that they are non-profit. That doesn't mean they don't make
money. It means they can't make a profit. All the money has
to go back into the entity. A non-profit operates like a
business.

Businesses that lose money go under.
Non-profits choose not to pay the writers instead.

That might be a simplistic way of addressing literary journals,
but in reality, they do not go after funding as heavily as
they should. Sponsors, advertising, sales and grants can
pay writers. Those affiliated with colleges can attempt to
tap alumni. Non-profit or not, they should pay.

Next time you consider submitting to a literary journal,
check to see if it pays. There's just something noble
and right about supporting literary journals that support
their writers.

Paying literary journals:

Ploughshares - http://www.pshares.org/
Black Warrior Review - http://bwr.ua.edu/
Virginia Quarterly - http://www.vqronline.org/
The Missouri Review - http://www.missourireview.org/
Iron Horse Review - http://ironhorsereview.com/
Nashville Review - http://www.vanderbilt.edu/english/nashvillereview/
Hayden's Ferry - http://www.asu.edu/pipercwcenter/publications/haydensferryreview/
Ninth Letter - http://www.ninthletter.com/
Gulf Coast - http://www.gulfcoastmag.org/
Indiana Review - http://indianareview.org/
A River and Sound - http://www.riverandsoundreview.org/
AGNI - http://www.bu.edu/agni/

     Hope

NOTE:
Thanks to everyone who asked Writer's Digest to consider
FundsforWriters for its 2011 101 Best Websites for Writers.
They actually put in the magazine that FFW had more
recommendations than any other website. Woo Hoo!

THE BLOG - http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com

TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark

FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
 

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WORDS OF SUCCESS

Start with your own money and value your intuition.
It's all about endurance in the beginning. Your dream
and passion to succeed must be stronger than your fear
of failure.

~Terri Bowersock

 
 
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Hello Hope,

I've been receiving your e-newsletters for the past two or
three years, getting great tips, learning a lot, and entering
some contests. I entered my children's story, Helen's Home Run,
in the Foster City International Writer's Contest after reading
about it in the February 4 FFW Small Markets newsletter. I
found out this morning that my story won first place! Thanks
for giving us such good, useful information in your newsletters.

Rosi Hollinbeck
http://rosihollinbeckthewritestuff.blogspot.com/

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ARTICLE
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Writing White Papers to Make Some Green

By Elizabeth Creith

We're all looking for a way to pay the bills without selling
our souls. White papers are one of the best-paid forms of
corporate writing, with experienced white paper writers earning
$5,000 to $7,000 per paper.

So what, precisely, is a white paper?

Gordon Graham, one of the top three white paper writers in
the world, says it's a persuasive essay, commissioned by a
company and intended to help readers to understand an issue,
solve a problem or do their jobs better.
 
A white paper is usually a business-to-business document which
a prospective buyer of a product or service will read before
the sale. It reads rather like a cross between a brochure and
an annual report.
  
Most white papers are 2,500 to 3,000 words long, five to seven
pages, plus a brief executive summary, and take a week or two
to write.
 
If you can research facts, find references, do interviews, and
spin a mass of material into a persuasive argument, you have the
skills to write a white paper. A background in journalism is
excellent preparation.

What does a white paper cover?
 
Some are product backgrounders, providing comprehensive details
of a company's product or service. Some are numbered lists,
such as "Five Must-Ask Questions About Integrated Scanners".
The most common type of white paper provides an overview of an
industry-wide problem, examines the traditional solutions and
their limitations, and recommends a new solution.
 
Unlike advertising copy, a white paper doesn't make a sales
pitch. The solution offered isn't "the Acme Scan-o-Matic", but
"an integrated scanning system". The white paper is intended
to generate leads and get mindshare. It introduces a solution
in generic terms, and prompts you to contact Acme for more
information.

How much money can I make writing them?
 
A beginning white paper writer will probably start low, doing
the first one for about $1,500. With every paper - and more
experience - the price can be bumped by about $500 to the top-
level range of $5,000-$7,000.

Where do I find clients?
 
White papers are commissioned by relatively high-tech industries,
producing goods or services which are complex, expensive or both.
Industries such as software, engineering, insurance and financial
services use them. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
sometimes also need them.
 
If you already have business-to-business clients, they're probably
doing white papers. Ask if you can have a shot at their next one.
Offer them the beginning price in exchange for a recommendation.
Then move up - don't undercut.
  
Don't have such a client? Look in fields where the product or
service is innovative, technical and expensive. Think of
equipment manufacturing (from construction to surgical), textiles
(who wrote the white paper for Gore-Tex?), and the ecological
movement. Start with your strengths, but don't be afraid to
branch out.
 
You can scout existing white papers on the Internet and offer to
improve a weak one, or rewrite it to include later innovations.
Offer a free one to an NGO in exchange for a glowing reference,
or write one for yourself (a "buzz piece") and post it on your
website.
 
Most white paper writers have all the work they want. If you
have the skills and master this format, there's work in the
field for you, too.

To find out more about white papers, see the discussion
forum at www.whitepapersource.com

Also check out  the FAQ at www.thatwhitepaperguy.com/faq.html

You can download Gordon Graham's free report "How to Pick the
Perfect Flavour for Your Next White Paper", an excellent
overview of white paper types, at
http://www.thatwhitepaperguy.com/report-how-to-pick-the-perfect-white-paper-flavor-register.html

BIO
Elizabeth Creith is a full-time writer living and working in
Northern Ontario, distracted occasionally by her husband, dog
and cat. She blogs about writing, art and life at Elizabeth
Creith's Scriptorium - http://ecreith.wordpress.com/
 

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COMPETITIONS
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SCARE THE DICKENS OUT OF US GHOST STORY WRITING CONTEST
http://www.clarklibraryfriends.com
---
$5 or $20 ENTRY FEE
The Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contest
for 2011 is entering its third year. First place prize of
$1,000, second place prize of $500 and third place prize of
$250 will be awarded this year for the best original, previously
unpublished ghost stories 5000 words or less that are submitted.
For younger writers, The Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us
ghost story contest, which follows the same rules, offers $250
for first place for writers aged 12-18. This contest is a
fundraiser for the Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in
Lockhart, Texas. The main contest requires a $20 entry fee and
the Junior contest a $5 entry fee. The contest is privately
funded. All entry fee money goes directly to the Friends where
it is donated to the library for library projects. Entries are
accepted beginning July 1. The contest postmark deadline is
October 1, 2011. No publication is involved. Writers retain
full rights to their stories. The contest is open to published
and unpublished writers, and to local, national and international
writers as well. The only rules are that you write an original,
unpublished ghost story and that it be 5,000 words or less in
length.

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MASONS ROAD CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST
http://www.masonsroad.com/features/creative-writing-contest/
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
$1,000 Prize and Publication. Finalist Judge: Sarah Manguso.
Deadline: May 1, 2011. Theme: Arc - the rise and fall of
dramatic tension within a piece. Not sure your work fits?
Let our editors and judge decide! All genres accepted.
Please submit only one document in a genre for each issue, and
limit prose to 8,000 words (double-spaced), and poetry 5 poems.

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A SCOT IN LONDON POETRY CONTEST
http://www.scotscare.com/
---
NO ENTRY FEE
The competition is open to everyone. All styles of poems
considered as long as they are based on the theme of a Scot
in London and what that means to you. You don't have to be
a Scot in London to enter. The winning entry, chosen by a
select judging panel including A.L. Kennedy, will receive a
£1000 prize plus 2 tickets to our St Andrew's Dinner. The
top 5 poems will also be put on public display in our new
offices as well as being printed in ScotsCare Shout. We
hope that you will all get involved in the spirit of Rabbie
and our anniversary celebrations. The closing date is the
31st of August and the winners will be announced on St
Andrew's Day.

 
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GRANTS
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REGIONAL ARTIST PROJECT GRANT - WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
http://toeriverarts.org/grants.shtml
---
The Regional Artist Project Grant is an annual grant program that
provides financial support to developing arts professionals by
funding a project pivotal to the advancement of their careers
as artists. The program is conducted by the Asheville Area Arts
Council, the Toe River Arts Council, the Madison County Arts
Council, and the Avery County Arts Council. Applicants must be at
least 18 years old and have been a resident of Avery, Buncombe,
Madison, Mitchell or Yancey County as of July 1, 2010.

Awards may be used for a variety of projects, such as attendance
at workshops or master classes; production of audio or video
demonstration tapes or visual arts portfolios; purchase of supplies
or materials needed to complete or produce a new work; or the
purchase of equipment. Grant applications must outline a specific
project, clearly showing its relationship to the artist's career
development. Proposals must be for projects that will be completed
by December 2012. Individual grant requests may range from $400 -
$1,200. Funds may not be used as scholarships or for projects
that have already been completed. Deadline September 30, 2011.

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RAGDALE FOUNDATION
http://www.ragdale.org/
---
There is a residency fee of $25/day. This fee covers food and
a private room or studio. Fellowships are offered as both
need-based and merit-based award packages. These generally
cover a portion of the residency cost (e.g. 2 of 4 weeks
covered, 1 of 2 weeks covered). Financial Aid and named
fellowships are awarded after applicant is accepted.
Deadline May 15 and September 15, 2011. Location Lake Forest,
IL.

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THE STUDIOS OF KEY WEST
http://www.tskw.org/
---
There is no fee for visiting artists or cultural managers.
TSWK provides accommodation, orientation, and some meals.
Travel and other incidentals are the responsibility of the
residents. Residencies that are associated with a creative
project intended for the Key West community are often given
production support. This is decided on a case-by-case basis,
to be arranged in advance according to TSKW's programmatic
requirements. Deadline May 2, 2011.

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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LEGION MAGAZINE
http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/contributions/writers-photographers-guideline/
---
Legion Magazine is published six times a year by Canvet
Publications Ltd. for a national readership composed of
members of The Royal Canadian Legion and their families, as
well as serving members of the Canadian Forces, the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police and the general public. Average
article length is between 1,500 and 2,200 words, although
stories as short as 600 and as long as 3,000 words are
accepted on occasion. The magazine does not accept fiction,
poetry, travel writing or simultaneous transmissions.
Manuscript fees for first North American serial rights range
from $150 to $1,200, payable after final edit. For the right
to post a selected article on the magazine's Web site, the
magazine pays the author 10 per cent of the manuscript fee.

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MILITARY OFFICER
http://www.moaa.org/pubs/pubs_mom/pubs_guidelines.htm
---
Topics: Current military/political affairs; recent military
history, especially Vietnam and Korea; personal financial
planning; health and fitness; military family; retirement
lifestyles; travel; and general interest. No fiction, poetry,
or fillers. Original material only; no reprints. Features,
between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Pays 80 cents/word. Audience:
Commissioned and warrant officers, families, and surviving
spouses of the seven uniformed services: Army, Marine Corps,
Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- to include
members of the National Guard and Reserve -- actively serving
as well as retired.

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MILITARY SPOUSE
http://www.milspouse.com/contact-us.aspx
---
Focuses on military spouse and family-related subjects. Topics
include military lifestyle, deployment, career and education,
family, finance, travel, and relationships. Features run 800-
1,200 words. Query first with several ideas. Pays up to $400.

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JOBS
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WRITER-EDITOR
Location Ft McNair, DC
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?JobID=98339432&aid=27015391-16411&WT.mc_n=125
---
Deadline May 6, 2011. Edits articles, occasional papers,
monographs, reports, studies, and books in the fields of
national security strategy, defense policy and national
military strategy for the fundamentals of scholarly research
and writing, including clear purpose, realizable scope,
suitable research methodology, thorough documentation of
sources, scholarly objectivity, originality, coherent
organization, persuasive argument, and logical conclusions
or recommendations. Analyzes graduate/postgraduate-level
manuscripts in terms of their objectives, intended readers,
writing style, subject matter, and research methodology.

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WRITER-EDITOR
Location Berkeley, CA
http://www.higheredjobs.com/search/details.cfm?JobCode=175515437&Title=Writer%2FEditor%203%20%2311789
---
Researches, writes and/or edits high-level communications,
publications, and web material, often with complex or
sensitive subjects, focusing on the internal campus audience,
but also for broad external audiences via the web, and
publications for parents and other key campus constituencies.
Requires in-depth understanding of each audience and the
communication strategies that will best serve the institution
with each audience. Work often requires political acumen and
sensitivity and is synthesized from several campus sources,
including high-level campus leaders.

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GUIDEBOOK WRITER
Location Monterey/Carmel, CA
http://monterey.craigslist.org/wri/2322937837.html
---
Avalon Travel is seeking a professional writer to write a
guidebook on Monterey and Carmel and the surrounding area.
This is a contract position, not a full-time office job.
The writer should live in or near Monterey or Carmel or must
have very close ties to the area and go often. The writer must
be very knowledgeable about the area's attractions, should be
able to provide strategic planning advice for travelers, and
should have previous experience writing about the area. AT
writers are compensated with an advance and royalty. The
writer selected to be the guidebook author will be responsible
for updating the book every two to three years. Interested
applicants should send a resume, a cover letter, and up to
five relevant clips to avalon.acquisitions@perseusbooks.com.
In the cover letter, explain why you are the best person for
this project. Please include "Moon Monterey & Carmel" in the
subject line of your message. The Avalon Travel acquisitions
site includes more information about our expectations and the
work involved.

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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MORTIMER LITERARY AGENCY
http://mortimerliterary.com/about.htm
---
Currently accepting queries for:

FICTION:
Action/Adventure- Secular and Inspirational
Commercial Fiction- Secular and Inspirational
Paranormal- Secular
Romance- Secular and Inspirational, Single Title and Category [See exception below.]
Thrillers/Suspense- Secular and Inspirational [Suspense from page one, please!]
Young Adult- Secular, All Sub-Genres.

NONFICTION:
INSISTS you have a proper proposal, even if you've already
written the book. You'll need a killer platform, and/or a
gigantic hook. [And if you have no idea what that means,
you aren't ready to submit.] Agent Kelly's open to many
categories, as she has numerous interests, from cooking
to history to sports.

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SALLY HILL McMILLAN & ASSOC, INC.
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/McMillanAgency/
---
A Southern-based independent literary agency, representing adult
literary and commercial fiction and narrative non-fiction.
Member AAR. Query letter first with SASE. Email queries will
be read, but not necessarily answered. Do not send science
fiction, military, horror, fantasy/adventure, children's or
cookbooks. E-mail: mcmagency@aol.com . Location Charlotte, NC.

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THE KRISTA GOERING LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.kristagoering.com/index.html
---
We are interested in nonfiction of all kinds, including:

We are also actively looking for novels, including mysteries,
thrillers, paranormals, and romances. If your manuscript is
exciting, electrifying, and exceptional we want to know more.
What not to pitch: Poetry, short stories, novellas, plays,
screenplays, essays.

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SPONSORS
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WRITING AWAY RETREATS

Named as one of the top-ten creative retreats in the world,
Writing Away Retreats is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
connect with and receive feedback from the very best in the
industry. Every writer gets a 10K word detailed MS consult
with each staff member (3 editors: Kevin Doughten: Penguin,
Anica Rissi: Simon and Schuster, Katie Gilligan: Thomas Dunne,
1 agent: Scott Hoffman, Folio Lit. and 1 NYT bestselling author:
David Corbett) during their 5 day/4 night experience in the
Rocky Mountains. This unprecedented access allows for an
experience that can truly forward your writing career in the
right direction.

For further information go to the website:
www.writingawayretreats.com

Contact Cicily and let her know how she can help you attend
this event. E-mail: creativelivesworkshop@hotmail.com

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WHY ADVERTISE IN FUNDSFORWRITERS?

For my first advertising for my fledging business I needed to
make strategic choices within a very limited budget. I chose
to advertise in two places:  the Funds for Writers (FFW)
newsletter and a major writer's magazine (circulation of 100,000).
FFW far outperformed the magazine! From my first FFW ad I got an
immediate and enormous spike in traffic to my web site and within
24-hours had more than 100 people sign up on my website. And that
was just the first ad! Over the course of the six-week ad campaign
I saw a noticeable spike in traffic after each ad hit people's
inboxes and in total garnered at least 500 new sign-ups.

If you're thinking about advertising in FFW, do it!
    
Joan Dempsey, Founder & President
http://www.literaryliving.com

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EBOOK SELF-PUBLISHING EXPLAINED

An epublishing revolution is sweeping the industry.
We explain what is happening and show you how to
self-publish your own ebooks.

http://www.PublishYourOwnEbooks.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 2000-2011, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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