Volume 11, Issue 23
June 10, 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

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PAID SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great book for the new or seasoned freelance commercial writer.
Here you learn how to form a profitable relationship with a
graphic designer, a must for a serious commercial freelancer.
Excellent guidance for developing this very lucrative part of
a freelance commercial writer's business.

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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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TIME SAVERS ARE TIME STEALERS

A very good friend of mine, also a writer, is the hub of
her family and extended family's lives. You can call on her
in time of need, and they all do. As a result, her writing
gets put on the back burner. Recently, she moved her writing
studio from the bottom floor to an upstairs bedroom, claiming
that will help solve her problem. She's still not writing.
She'll kill me when she reads this, but she hasn't brought
her writing to our biweekly writers' group for two months.

I'm for anything that helps you write. The chair, the mouse,
the sun coming in the right windows. The printer on the left,
the thesaurus on the right, Windows PC versus a Mac. But if
I've learned anything in my 12 years of serious writing, it's
this: I can write anywhere.

Just grab a chair and a moment of quiet, and words happen.

I hear people discuss the following and know it's procrastination
at work:

==I've been trying to organize my email into folders, so I
    can reference contests, publishers and conferences.

==I've been doing social network stuff for when I need to
    promote my work.

==My writing software has been giving me a fit.

==I've been straightening my desk so I can find things
    when I need them.

Sit. Now. Write.

It's hard. Darn hard. I know it. My Chapter 27 has been
buzzing in my ear for a month. A month! I blame FundsforWriters,
social networking, administrative tasks, answering emails to
loyal readers, but you know what? There's always a moment in
almost any of my days that I could sit down and work on
Chapter 27.

Heck, my chair, mouse, windows are all in sync! That's like
the planets and moon being aligned. Everything is in its
place, including me. So what's the deal?

Even today, when I'm creating editorials (something I adore
doing, BTW) which are critical for my newsletters, I could
find thirty minutes to pop the cherry on Chapter 27. I
literally have a page that is blank except for the words
"Chapter 27." It's been that way for weeks. I missed bringing
something to read to my last writers' meeting for the first
time in probably eighteen months.

It's in my head, but that doesn't count. How many times
have I spoken to writers who say they know the story but
haven't reduced it to paper? "It's in my head" is a mantra
many use to fool themselves into believing they've worked
on their writing. No they haven't. They've worked on ideas.
The writing isn't "worked on" until it's on paper. Draft,
yes. Edits, yes. Ideas? No. Doesn't count.

A bird in your hand is worth more than 100 in the forest.
-Chinese Proverb

The ideas are hung up in the forest, loose and uncaptured.
It's the bird in the hand that matters. Problem is too
many of us are empty handed.
 

     Hope

THE BLOG - http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com
TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
ABOUT.ME - http://about.me/hopeclark

  

Last month many of you were unable to attend my Writer's
Digest Webinar entitled "How to Find Grants and Financial
Resources to Fund Your Writing." It's available ON DEMAND
now at the Writer's Digest site.

Anyone who purchases the presentation also receives a
free annual subscription to TOTAL FundsforWriters - $15
value. Good for renewals or new subscriptions.

http://www.writersdigestshop.com/product/how-to-find-grants-and-financial-resources-to-fund-your-writing/
 

  ~~~~~~****~~~~~~

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"I don't like to write, but I love to have written."

~Michael Kanin

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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Hope

Here is the link that put me on the Bristol Short Story Prize
Longlist. I made the top 40 out of 2,093 worldwide. I'm number
7 down the list.

Also, this is the story that Richard Krawiec helped me with.
He had me completely redo my original draft, and I basically
started over. It was painful to redo, but Richard's suggestions
helped me tremendously. I found Richard on your advice.  

(NOTE: Richard Krawiec's ad is at the base of this newsletter.)

Thanks again,
John Christian

http://www.bristolprize.co.uk/news/84-2011-bssp-longlist-announced.html

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ARTICLE
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Blogging for Money:
The Most Certain Way to Profit by Writing Blogs

By Diana Schneidman

The most certain way to profit from blogging is to sell your
freelancing writing services to a business, professional or
association blog.

Businesses are exploring blogging as a way to build personal
relationships with their customers and ultimately, to
contribute to the bottom line, yet many small- to medium-sized
organizations have no staff available to take on this long-
term, time-consuming writing assignment.

Turning to freelance writers is their perfect solution. The
company enjoys all the usual benefits of blogging as well as
the convenience of working with a professional writer. This
results in higher quality and more consistent content than
would result from forcing an employee who is not a writer to
take on this responsibility.

Writers clearly benefit as well since:

There's no risk. Once you get the assignment and agree on a
fee, that's it. Payment does not depend on sales, advertising,
Google ranking or other at-risk results that independent
bloggers pray will monetize their personal blogs.

The assignment is long-term. Blogs just keep going and going.
A blog is never "done." It's never put to bed till next year
or even till next month.

The work is plentiful. Blogs are typically launched to court
favor from the Google optimization algorithms and to nurture
relationships between the organization and the reader. From
both perspectives, quantity counts.
 
Yet the system also demands quality. Sometimes quality is
spelled out as Google-pleasing practices. These blogs
structure every entry to place keywords prominently and
otherwise drive search engine traffic. Others are written
to appeal to the actual reader. Some blogs do both.

It's easy to structure the work for frequent payment,
reducing the risk of being financially short-changed. Simply
specify weekly payment or some other timely interval that
matches up with how often you update the blog.

Once you get in the door, you can expand the assignment by
reworking content into additional formats (called
"multipurposing") or by adding on additional, unrelated
assignments. For instance, you may suggest that they re-use
blog content in their newsletter--and then offer to write the
rest of the newsletter. Or use blog content and other
information about the company to create a PowerPoint and
speech for use by top executives. Or tailor tweets and
Facebook updates that piggyback on your blog entries. Or
moderate the blog itself, approving reader comments (and
deleting inappropriate ones) and then responding online.

How to land these assignments?

The best way to capture these assignments is also the most
direct way: Track down and pitch the appropriate executive
at the target company. I suggest starting with a phone call
and, ideally, an email as well.

Before you do this you'll need writing samples similar in
length, tone and perhaps even subject matter to your target
blog. However, there's no reason to write an entire campaign
until you are sure you have their interest. Your initial
approach may receive no response so it is not necessary to
prepare too extensively in order to make an initial contact.

Writing blogs as a freelancer creates a true win-win. The
client firm benefits from a professionally written blog,
and the writer (you!) enjoys a steady, stimulating assignment.

Ready to land great corporate freelance and consulting clients
quickly? Diana Schneidman mastered the art of winning
interesting assignments as a freelance insurance, asset
management and business writer during periods of
entrepreneurship sandwiched between bouts of corporate
employment. Now she helps other willing-to-try, can-do
people build their own practices at
http://www.StartFreelancingAndConsulting.com

Helping people who want to start making money quickly as a
freelancer or consultant. Visit http://www.StandUp8Times.com
for your free report: Two Secrets to Get Freelance and
Consulting Assignments Quickly and Two Dangerous Questions
Guaranteed to Lock You Up in Analysis-Paralysis Prison

New ebook: http://www.StartFreelancingAndConsulting.com:
How to take control of your life and make great money
quickly as a solopro
 

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COMPETITIONS
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THIRD ANNUAL MARGUERITE McGLINN PRIZE FOR FICTION
E-mail Nicole@philadelphiastories.org
http://www.philadelphiastories.org/marguerite-mcglinn-prize-fiction-0
---
$10 ENTRY FEE
Judged by Steve Almond. Short fiction contest. The prize
includes a $2,000 cash award, plus travel expenses to an
awards dinner in Philadelphia in October. Deadline June 15,
2011. Previously unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000
words.

THE EYES OF BABYLON NATIONAL WRITING CONTEST
http://www.theeyesofbabylon.com/writing-contest/
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
The producers of The Eyes of Babylon have launched a national
writing contest to promote the play's Off-Broadway run, June
14-July 3, 2011 in NYC. Submission deadline is June 14, 2011.
With this contest, we hope to further explore the play's
themes of war, the memory of war, and our individual and
collective forgetfulness about being at war.
 
Genres
Drama: Play/Screenplay, up to 15 pages, double-spaced
Prose: Fiction/Non-fiction, up to 15 pages, double-spaced
Poetry: up to 3 poems, or 8 pages max, only 1 poem per page
All submissions must be previously unpublished.

GRAND PRIZE $1,000 (one overall winner)
Publication on The Eyes of Babylon website
Trip to New York City to meet Jeff Key 
Read for a New York audience at a gala for the play
Swag bag and art/memorabilia from the play
 
1ST PRIZE $500 (1 per genre) & 2ND PRIZE $200 (1 per genre)
Publication on The Eyes of Babylon website
Two tickets to the play
Swag bag and art/memorabilia from the play
 
HONORABLE MENTION (2 per genre)
Two tickets to the play
Swag bag and art/memorabilia from the play

INTERNATIONAL 3-DAY NOVEL CONTEST
http://www.3daynovel.com/about/?contest
---
1st Prize: Publication
2nd Prize: $500
3rd Prize: $100

Plus, for everyone who gives it their all, one coffee-
stained, crumpled, typo ridden first draft of a novel.
Plus a nifty certificate!
 
The first prize winner will be offered a publishing contract
by 3-Day Books after the winner announcement in the January
following the contest. Once the contract is signed, the
winning novel will be edited, published and released by the
next year's contest. 3-Day Books are distributed by Arsenal
Pulp Press. The contest takes place every Labour Day weekend
(usually the first weekend in September), as it has since
1977. Entrants write in whatever setting they wish, in
whatever genre they wish, anywhere in the world. You may
start writing as of midnight on Friday night, and must stop
by midnight on Monday night. Then you print up your entry
and mail it in to the contest for judging.

Paid registration must be sent online or put in the mail
by Friday, September 2, 2011. (Fee is $50 if sent on or
before Aug. 5, and $55 if sent after that. Forms are
available on the registration page.)

 
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GRANTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WRITERS' POLICE ACADEMY
http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com
---
Sisters in Crime members can attend the Writers' Police Academy,
to be held Sept. 23 to 25, 2011 near Greensboro, North Carolina,
for a deeply-discounted registration fee of $100. SinC national
will pay the balance of members' $255 registration. Act quickly
to take advantage of this offer, which is in effect until June
15, 2011. To join Sisters in Crime, go to http://www.sistersincrime.org

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK RESIDENCY
http://www.nps.gov/crla/air.htm
---
Deadline July 15, 2011. The program provides an opportunity
for two eligible artists to spend up to two weeks of the fall,
and another two artists for up to two weeks in the winter, at
Crater Lake National Park. Residency runs September 5 to
October 15, 2011.

RACC PROJECT GRANTS - OREGON
http://racc.org/grants/grantsonline/home/?q=GrantApps
---
Project Grants for organizations and individual artists in
Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties, Oregon. Grants
of up to $6,000 are available for 2012 Artistic Focus or
Community Participation art projects. Intent to Apply Deadline:
August 3, 2011.
 

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FREELANCE MARKETS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
NEW ORLEANS FRINGE FESTIVAL SEEKS PLAYS
http://www.nofringe.org
---
Seeking weird, wild, fresh and original theatre pieces from
emerging artists. Festival lines up venues, generates publicity
(including paying for advertising and posters), and pays for
venues and tech staff. Seeking any type of theatre performance,
including cabaret, comedy, dance, drama, improvisational,
magic, multimedia, musical theatre, performance art, puppetry,
storytelling, variety, burlesque, spoken word, and street
theatre. Shows must be between 30-60 minutes. If your show is
selected, you must cover your production and travel costs; you
must cast and rehearse the show. Fringe will split box office
50/50 with artists. FEE: $25. Deadline: July 1, 2011.

PARABOLA
http://www.parabola.org/submissions
---
Parabola is a quarterly journal devoted to the exploration of
the quest for meaning as it is expressed in the world's myths,
symbols, and religious traditions, with particular emphasis
on the relationship between this store of wisdom and our
modern life. Each issue of Parabola is organized around a theme.
Parabola welcomes original essays and translations. We look for
lively, penetrating material unencumbered by jargon or academic
argument. We prefer well-researched, objective, and unsentimental
pieces that are grounded in one or more religious or cultural
tradition; articles that focus on dreams, visions, or other
very personal experiences are unlikely to be accepted. All
articles must be directly related to the theme of an issue.
 
Articles run 1000-3000 words
Book Reviews run approximately 500 words
Retellings of traditional stories run 500-1500 words

Article payment generally ranges from $150 to $400. The
payment for epicycles and book reviews is $75.

PONTOON AND DECK BOAT MAGAZINE
http://www.pontoon.net/boat-magazine/contact.cfm
---
Covers wide range of topics for pontoon boat and deck boat
owners. Articles are 1,000 to 1,200 words. Interviews,
equipment, destinations, how-to and products. Pays up
to $400 for articles and $175 for columns. They prefer a
light and humorous tone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOBS
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AIRLINE INDUSTRY REPORTER
Location Chicago, IL
http://careers.poynter.org/jobs#/detail/4285407
---
Chicago Tribune's readers have a voracious appetite for stories
about airlines, airplanes, the experience and business of
flying and the latest trends involving airports. If you have
some experience writing about the industry so you understand
the challenge of covering a beat that is one of the most
important at the Tribune and our sister newsrooms, and you
have the necessary background to prove you can cover United
and Boeing, two of Chicago's most important companies, then
we want to see your application.

ADVOCACY WRITER
Location Boston, MA
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/z9MGSpBfghmD/
---
The Advocacy Writer is responsible for drafting, editing,
and proofing content for media outreach, web, email,
publications, and other campaign and organizational
communications. The Writer will also contribute to the
overall work of the communications unit by participating
in direct media outreach, online organizing, and materials
development, while working in an enterprising and active
office atmosphere.

EDITOR
Location Los Angeles, CA
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/detail/12364/
---
Creators Syndicate is an international content syndicate.
We sign writers and artists who produce columns, comic
strips and editorial cartoons; we then edit the content
and sell and distribute it to newspapers and digital
outlets worldwide. We are seeking a humble, hardworking
individual to fill a hybrid editorial/creative position.
We are looking for "brains" (commitment to excellence) and
"heart" (motivation and a positive attitude).

Brief job description:

Helping design layout and interface for websites and
mobile/tablet apps

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PEMBERLEY PRESS
http://pemberleypress.com/
---
Pemberley Press is a small publishing house, dedicated to
publishing escape fiction for readers with eager minds. We
publish mystery novels in hardcover and trade paper formats.
Most of our titles are also available as e-books from
Belgrave House. Prefers historical novels.

 

ALLIUM PRESS OF CHICAGO
http://www.alliumpress.com/Submissions.html
---
Allium Press of Chicago publishes books in the areas of
history, historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and
young adult fiction. To date, all of our titles have a strong
Chicago connection, but we are open to books without a Chicago
focus.

 

CHALET PUBLISHERS
http://www.chaletpublishers.com/submissions.html
---
If you have a completed novel, 75,000 to 100,000 words [novellas
can be 40,000 - 50,000 words] that is a match for one of our
genres, we want to see it. Send a query letter in the body of
an email. We accept only electronic submissions. Genres we
accept are fiction but no novels with intense adult themes
(tasteful love scenes if submitting romance), non-fiction,
young adult.

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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

=====

 

AWARD-WINNING WRITER, PUBLISHER
WILL EDIT YOUR NOVEL, MEMOIR, POETRY

Have your writing edited by an award-winning, professional
writer, editor, and publisher, one who knows how to help
you prepare your writing for publication.  Richard Krawiec
has published novels, biographies, text books, plays, and
a story and poetry collection.  He won the 2009 Excellence
in Teaching Award from UNC Chapel Hill. His essays, feature
articles, and reviews have appeared in major newspapers and
magazines across the US. The NY Times, LA Times, Publishers
Weekly have reviewed his work. Awards include National
Endowment for the Arts and NC Arts Council grants, as well
as nominations for the National Book Award, Best American
Short Stories, and Pushcart Prize. He is founder of Jacar Press.

Contact rkwriter@gmail.com, www.rkeditor.com
 
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 CALL FOR ENTRIES!

Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest

Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject or write a
short story, 5 pages max., on any theme, single or double-
line spacing, neatly hand printed or typed.

Entry fees: $5 per poem, $10 per story.

Writing Contest First Prize: $500.00, 2nd: $250; 3rd: $100

Poetry Contest First Prize: $250.00, 2nd: $125; 3rd: $50.

Postmark deadline: July 31, 2011.

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

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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

 

 

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WORLDWIDE FREELANCE WRITER

We're in the business of writing. For 10 years we've been
helping freelance writers to find paying markets. Please
browse our free database of 750 markets or join Markets
Plus and have 2500 markets at your fingertips.

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 2000-2011, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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