Volume 11, Issue 18
May 6, 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10th year. Fifteen cash prizes totaling $5,000. Top prize
$2,000. Submit 1-3 unpublished poems on the theme of war,
up to 500 lines in all. Winning entries published online.
Sponsored by Winning Writers. $15 entry fee, payable to
Winning Writers. Postmark deadline: May 31. Final judge:
Jendi Reiter. Include cover sheet with contact information.
No name on poems. Submit online or mail to Winning Writers,
Attn: War Poetry Contest, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222,
Northampton, MA 01060. Winning Writers is proud to be one
of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest,
2005-2010).

More information: www.winningwriters.com/war

 
                 
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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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HONESTY ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING

Last week I posted on Facebook about a blog by the Steve Laube
Literary Agency - a series in support of traditional publishing.
It was smart, and if you never thought about traditional publishing
before, it would make you stop and ponder choices for your book.

As a result of that piece, a reader forwarded to me a piece on
self-publishing. I almost expect someone to shoot opposing
stands at me on whatever I speak about, which is fine. The fact
that people want to read my posts, regardless of their viewpoints,
works for me. People thinking hard and independently is always
a good thing.

But the piece, entitled "Self-publishing a book: 25 things you
need to know," was written by a CNET columnist named David
Carnoy. He writes for a living. He's had a big-shot agent.
Unable to land a big-time contract for his fiction, he
decided to self-publish. So here we have a serious writer
with connections, who as a journalist, does his homework.
So I eagerly read.

http://reviews.cnet.com/self-publishing/

1. Self-publishing is easy.
2. Quality has improved.
3. Some of the more successful self-published books are about
   self-publishing.

So far, so good. Sounds like self-pubbing is a thumbs up.
But then...

4. Good self-published books are few and far between.
5. The odds are against you. (Average book sells 100-150 copies.)
6. Creating a "professional" book is really hard.

He gives numbers and experiences. Basically, the minute you
start using templates and relying upon the marketing plans
of the self-pubbing companies, you've lost.

7. Have a clear goal for your book.
8. Even if it's great, there's a good chance your book won't sell.
9. Niche books do best.

Nonfiction has a better chance. Fiction is much harder.

10. Buy your own ISBN - and create your own publishing house.
11. Create a unique title.
12. Turn-key solutions cost a lot of money.
13. Self-publishers don't care if your book is successful.
14. Buy as little as possible from your publishing company.

If you follow everyone else, go with a company that does it
all for you, you spend a lot of money to sell few books.

15. If you're serious about your book, hire a book doctor.
16. Negotiate everything.
17. Ask a lot of questions and don't be afraid to complain.
18, Self-publishing is a contact sport.
19. Getting your book in bookstores sounds good, but that
    shouldn't be a real concern.

In other words, take charge of this book. If you don't
want to worry about the details, then the sales reflect
your attention to those details.

20. Self-published books don't get reviewed.
21. Design your book cover to look good small.
22. If you're selling online, make the most out of an Amazon page.
23. Pricing is a serious challenge. Get to know the options.
24. Electronic books offer the most potential.
25. Self-publishing is a fluid business.

Again, know your options, your odds, your potential.
When you publish this book, you ought to be sweating
every step along the way. If you're not sweating, the
book is cold.

     Hope

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

"Unreasonable haste is the direct road to error."

-- Jean Baptiste Moliere

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ARTICLE
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Breathe Deep and Other Advice for Query Writing
By Kim Catanzarite

When it came time for me to write a query letter for the novel
I'd been crafting for four years, I mentally froze. I'd heard
so much of the importance of the query and had so little
confidence in my ability to sell myself and my book that I
felt doomed even before I put down a word. For months, I
scratched ideas, summarized the plot, and agonized over my bio,
desperate to get it just right. I read article after article
on the subject and attended seminars when I could, both of
which only fueled my angst and frustration.

Finally, an editor who critiqued the first chapter of my novel
asked if I had any "other" questions, and I blurted out: "I've
been writing a query letter for over a year and still can't
get it right!" The editor's advice was both surprising and
priceless, and it set me on the path to a successful query
letter that inspired agents to request pages, chapters, and
in a few cases, the entire book.

Perhaps you have hit a wall in your query writing as well.
Or maybe you have a letter but it's not getting the results
you hoped for. Either way, you can benefit from this editor's
advice. And that is to freewrite.

What is freewriting? It's as simple as taking a pencil and
a notebook, and letting the words fly. Consider a subject--in
this case, your novel's plot--and write on that topic for ten
nonstop minutes. Whatever comes to mind, keep the pen moving.
Do not stop to think, or judge, and absolutely do not edit.
Your handwriting will probably be atrocious--so be it. When
time is up, read over what you've written. If you come across
an interesting sentence, or one that you find particularly
well-written, highlight it. Type it into a new file on your
computer. You might expand on that sentence and discover the
rest of your plot summary within its folds. Or you may only
get a few good phrases or a paragraph from that particular
freewriting session, and that's fine. Make note of them and
go back and freewrite again. In this manner, you can build
an entire query.

Keep in mind that the query is undoubtedly essential, but it
is not impossible to write a good one, and it does not have to
be a masterpiece to grab an agent or editor's attention. What
it has to do is 1) impress the agent/editor with good, clear
writing and an interesting plot summary, 2) describe the work
as fiction or non, provide a word count, and suggest a genre,
and 3) list your credentials as a capable writer.

I knew well what a good query should do, but it was the
freewriting that gave me the freedom to do it. I needed to
take a deep breath, to relax--to give myself permission to write
badly. Because as we all know, trying to write the perfect
anything is the best way to get blocked. No one writes their
best stuff in a perfection-or-bust mind-set. Freewriting opened
the door for me. It can do the same for you.

BIO:
Kim Catanzarite is a freelance writer, and a professional
copy editor/proofreader for large publishing houses and
aspiring authors. Visit her website at www.editandproof.com.

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COMPETITIONS
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THE ST. LAWRENCE BOOK AWARD
http://blacklawrence.homestead.com/stlawrence_1.html
---
$25 ENTRY FEE
The St. Lawrence Book Award is open to any writer who has
not yet published a full-length collection of short stories
or poems. The winner of this contest will receive book
publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book.
Deadline August 31, 2011.

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2011 FIELD POETRY PRIZE
http://www.oberlin.edu/ocpress/prize.htm
---
$28 ENTRY FEE (includes one-year subscription)
Submissions accepted only during May. Unpublished poetry manuscripts
between 50 and 80 pages in length will be considered. Oberlin
College Press publishes the winning manuscript in the FIELD
Poetry Series and awards the winning author $1,000 plus standard
royalties.

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GEMINI MAGAZINE FLASH FICTION CONTEST
http://www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html
---
ENTRY FEE $4
Grand Prize: $1,000. Second Place: $100. Four Honorable Mentions.
Deadline: August 31, 2011. Maximum length: 1,000 words. All six
finalists published online in the October 2011 Issue of Gemini.
Absolutely no restrictions on content, style or genre. Simply send
your best, most powerful work.

 
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GRANTS
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PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL ALLIANCE PROJECT STREAM GRANTS
http://www.philaculture.org/programs/grantmaking/project_stream
---
Project Stream makes grants of up to $3,000 to eligible
organizations and individuals conducting arts projects in
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia
counties. The average Project Stream award is typically
$1,400. The 2011-2012 Project Stream guidelines and
application will be available in May of 2011. The application
deadline is Friday, June 17, 2011. 

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WEST VIRGINIA ARTIST ROSTERS
http://www.wvculture.org/arts/grants.html
---
ARTIST ROSTERS
The Artist Database serves as a listing of artists in WVA.
The Teaching Artists Roster lists artists who are skilled in
both their artistic discipline and as instructors. NOTE:
Artists previously listed on the Arts in Education Roster
will need to apply to the Teaching Artist Roster. The
Demonstrating Artists Roster consists of talented and
professional artists reviewed and approved by WVDCH and
the WVCA according to relative criteria.

WEST VIRGINIA DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
http://www.wvculture.org/arts/grants/ProDevINDFY2012READY.pdf
---
Up to $2,500. Emerging and professional artists eligible
to apply for support to expand or improve their work or to
share their expertise with others.

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TOM MCGRATH AWARDS
http://tommcgrathtrust.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/maverick-award-application-guidelines.pdf
---
Main focus is playwrights and translators working in Scotland.
Deadline June 10, 2011.

Playwrights can apply for a Small Grant Award for up to 500
pounds. This award is to help ease the burden on playwrights
seeking to get their work staged.

Experienced Scottish and international playwrights and
translators can apply for residency in Fife, Scotland to
support their collaboration on a translation, version or
adaptation of a play which has been written in the last ten
years by either a Scottish playwright or a writer from overseas.

In 2011, a one-off additional award of 1,000 pounds is being
offered to an artist from any discipline who wishes to explore
new territory in their existing practice or to divert from
their regular practice to develop new ways of working or new
working relationships.

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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CONCEIVE MAGAZINE
http://www.conceiveonline.com/writersguidelines/
---
Pays 50 cents/word and up. Submitters should be serious writers
with access to experts. Submit resume and links to clips.
ll submissions and PR/news items should be sent to the editor-
in-chief through the "Contact us" link on the home page.
Conceive Magazine and ConceiveOnline are intended for any
woman contemplating or actively trying to start or expand a
family: by natural conception, fertility treatments and assisted
reproductive technologies, or adoption. We also cover early
(first trimester) pregnancy in the magazine and online.

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LOG HOME LIVING
http://www.loghome.com/articles/98
---
Log Home Living welcomes new talent and strives to develop long-
term relationships with those contributors who consistently deliver
quality work. We buy four to six bylined feature articles of 1,500
to 2,000 words per issue. These articles should reflect readers'
lifestyles and interest in log homes as follows:

Log Home Owner Profiles. Articles about people who have built modern
log homes from manufactured or handcrafted kits. Floor plans of the
completed home, construction costs and schedules are a plus.

Design Features. Stories on various architectural features of log
homes. Stories can focus on a particular home or the same
architectural feature on different homes.

Technical Articles. How-to advice about specific aspects of log
home construction or pre-construction. Writers of these articles
should be experts or able to interview experts and convey the
information for a lay audience.

Historical Features. Articles about historical log structures in
North America or abroad and restorations of same.

Pays up to $500. Pays a $100 kill fee if the piece is cancelled.

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CROCHET WORLD MAGAZINE
CROCHET!
ANNIE'S ATTIC
http://www.drgnetwork.com/pdfs/CWg11.pdf
---
Writers are called "designers" since they must have a knowledge
of crochet. NInety percent freelance written. Almost all purchases
are how-to pieces. Projects pay up to $500. Articles up to $100.
Has an editorial calendar for guidance.

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JOBS
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PART-TIME WRITER
Location Cambridge, MA
http://www.higheredjobs.com/search/details.cfm?JobCode=175517257&Title=Writer%2FEditor
---
Harvard University Press is looking for a writer/editor to
produce descriptive copy for approximately 200 frontlist books
that HUP publishes each year. Reporting to the Editor-in-Chief,
this halftime position will produce descriptive copy that will
appear in our catalogs, brochures, website, jackets, print ads,
banner ads, and ONIX feeds to online booksellers such as Amazon
and Barnes & Noble, in materials sent to libraries, and in emails
sent to individual academics. This copy must meet the highest
scholarly and editorial standards, while assuring that each topic,
and the author's treatment of it, appeals to general educated
readers of English around the world.

(Thanks to Practicing-writer.com)

=====

CQ ROLL CALL
Location Washington DC

Suddenly hiring many positions. CQ Roll Call wants to attract
and develop the best people in our industry, wherever they are
from and wherever they are. We offer competitive salaries, a
comprehensive benefits package that includes a 401(k) plan,
extended vacation, health insurance, and bonus schemes that
recognize and reward individual and team performance.

COPY EDITOR
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12123/

STAFF WRITER - ETHICS
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12119

LEADERSHIP EDITOR
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12118/

STAFF WRITER - INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12116

CO-EDITOR- BUDGET TRACKER
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12115/

LEGISLATIVE ACTION REPORTER
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12114

LEGISLATIVE ACTION DEPUTY EDITOR
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12113

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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QUEEN LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.queenliterary.com/
---
Founded by Lisa Queen, a former publishing executive and most
recently head of IMG WORLDWIDE'S literary division, QUEEN
LITERARY AGENCY specializes in developing non-fiction books
for high profile clients. While our agency represents a wide
range of nonfiction titles, we have a particular interest in
business books, food writing, science and popular psychology,
as well as books by well-known chefs, radio and television
personalities and sports figures.

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SUSAN RABINER LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.rabinerlit.com/
---
Representing narrative nonfiction and big-idea books by scholars,
public intellectuals, and journalists - work that illuminates the
past and the present in current affairs, history, the sciences,
and the arts.

=====

RED SOFA LITERARY
http://blog.redsofaliterary.com/
---
Seeking the following;
--Biography-Historical, media-related, political--ABSOLUTELY NO
  PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
--Cooking/Food Narratives - Fun, smart, highly commercial.
--Creative Nonfiction -- Smart, with noticeable platform, and
  highly commercial.
--Graphic Novels -- No manga please.
--History - Books that will engage the commericial reader. 
--Humor - I loved The Zombie Survival Guide, How to be a Villain,
  and Yiddish with Dick and Jane.
--Popular Culture - Especially Americana, and anything quirky
--Social Issues/Current Affairs--Women's Studies, GLTB Studies,
  Social Sciences, and more.
--Sports -- Less mainstream, more extreme sport, ex: Roller Derby
--Women's Narratives - chicklit nonfiction, Latina, African-American, etc.
--YA - Fiction, Nonfiction

PLEASE NO FICTION, PERSONAL MEMOIRS,  or SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS QUERIES.

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

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

WHY ADVERTISE IN FUNDSFORWRITERS?

For my first advertising for my fledgling 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

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

=====

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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