Volume 12, Issue 18
May 4, 2012


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

FUNDS FOR WRITERS

Chosen for Writer's Digest's
101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

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

Say hello to Lyn Hawks, blogger and author at A Writer's Journey
( http://lynhawks.blogspot.com/ ), and the hostess of my recent book
signing in North Carolina. Isn't she pretty? We had a great time,
and the event couldn't have been more pleasant. Consider sponsoring
an author in your hometown. It sure beats a Tupperware party!

 

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.


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





 

GET ALL YOUR BOOK PUBLISHING QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

At the 4th annual Self-Publisher's Online Conference (SPOC) May 8-10, 2012
http://www.SelfPublishersOnlineConference.com

This year's SPOC speaker line-up includes 16 expert speakers -
Dan Poynter, Chris Garrett, Peter Bowerman, Joel Friedlander, Dan Janal, Sandra Beckwith,
Susan Daffron, James Byrd, Dana Lynn Smith, Penny Sansevieri, Joshua Tallent, Carolyn McCray,
Roger C. Parker, Andrea Vahl, Gary Barnes, and Kathy Goughenhour.

http://www.selfpublishersonlineconference.com/Agenda.aspx 

The best part is that SPOC is a virtual conference, so you can
attend in your bunny slippers if you like. Over 3 days, you'll
learn from the best and brightest folks in publishing and marketing
all from the comfort of your home or office. Attend educational
sessions, ask questions at the live Q&A calls, network on discussion
boards, browse the Virtual Exhibit hall, and download all the
handouts, and recordings. Each day costs less than a lunch out with
your friends and offers an incomparable publishing education.

Early bird pricing is in effect through the end of April.
Plus, enter the coupon code FFW12 at checkout and you'll save 10%!




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read newsletter online at: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFW--.htm
Read past issues at: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?fundsforwriters

=====


THE AUDIENCE YOU LOVE

Promotion, my current nemesis, is a hungry, all-consuming
animal, demanding every waking moment of your life. As a
result of its commanding character, we often tend to turn
reactive, appearing before anyone who'll let us pitch
a table and flash our book.

But soon you'll be running harem-scarem, marketing like a
snake-oil salesman, telling everyone your book will change
their world.

You don't want to go there.

What an education I've gained since Lowcountry Bribe came in
early February. I've spoken to a room of three and others of
a hundred. I've guest blogged on tiny sites and nationally
known. My articles appeared in start-up magazines and the
infamous The Writer Magazine.

People have promised to buy and not followed through. Others
bought several copies for gifts. Bookstore owners have loved
me and tossed me on my ear. Even Barnes & Noble said the book
was available then forgot to order it.

The list goes on.

My husband ordered me to stop and slow down a week ago.
My publisher shot me an email full of harsh realities of the
business as who to trust and who isn't worth my time.

Then I spoke to a small group in Greenville, SC. Then again in
Pittsboro, NC. My 10th grade English teacher invited me to her
book club for June, and another lovely lady is trying to
schedule her book club to read Lowcountry Bribe and invite me
to Myrtle Beach.

My parents sold at least 50 copies to tax clients. A girlfriend
lined up a newspaper interview, a reading and sales to several
friends. Another friend hosted a party and sold 20 books.

Here I was, running around like a chicken with its head cut
off (not any of MY chickens, BTW), when I should have slowed
down and really focused on who I want to reach and how to
reach them.

So . . . while I'll continue to do conferences here and there,
because FundsforWriters commands it, I think I'll enjoy the
camaraderie of smaller groups for Carolina Slade's mystery
series.

I want people to chat about Slade, the characters, the setting
and the twists of the plot. I want feedback on what they loved
and would like to see done differently. I think reachable is
the term I'm seeking.

A FundsforWriters reader told me last week that she liked the
fact I was reachable. I'd like to take that further and say
likeable and personable. I attended a conference this year where
the highly awarded guest author came and went with the wind,
not staying for any of the event other than her talk and a
brief moment when she said, "Thank you. I'll now entertain
questions." Since I get to know most of the conference
organizers, I already knew the author was not happy to be
there because she liked larger audiences.

Don't ever let that be me.

I just came off several small group events on the way to
The Oklahoma Writer's Federation Conference in Oklahoma City,
where I am as you are reading this. A well organized event
like this is a joy to behold, but I have to admit . . . I
love the evening sessions or the small groups in the bar
the most. When we are all writers and just enjoying the
fact we are.




Hope



AUTHOR SITE - http://www.chopeclark.com
THE BLOG - http://www.chopeclark.com/blog
TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
ABOUT.ME - http://about.me/hopeclark
GOODREADS - http://www.goodreads.com/hopeclark 

=====

 

LOWCOUNTRY BRIBE is out!

The Carolina Slade Mystery Series is live with its premier
book Lowcountry Bribe. Welcome to the world of Carolina Slade.

She's a simple government employee offered a bribe.
She follows the rules and tells the authorities.
Then all hell breaks loose because she did.

Learn more at http://www.chopeclark.com

Available at: Amazon, Bell Bridge Books, B&N, and Kobo

=====


GET TOTAL FUNDSFORWRITERS FOR FREE ???

TOTAL FundsforWriters is our largest newsletter - 75 markets,
contests, grants, publishers, agents and jobs for writers.
Just envision FundsforWriters, only five times larger.
Delivered every two weeks to you by email.
Only $15/year for 26 issues.

Send proof of purchase of Lowcountry Bribe, ebook or paperback.
and receive a TOTAL subscription for free.
Email - hope@fundsforwriters.com

Or simply subscribe at www.fundsforwriters.com/total.htm

=====

WELCOME TO THE 2013 OKLAHOMA CONFERENCE

May 3-5, 2012 at Embassy Suites, 1815 South Meridian, Oklahoma City, OK .

Hope will be presenting on funding streams and platform.
Would love to see you there!

http://www.owfi.org/conference.php





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

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"He who forces time is pushed back by time;
who yields to time finds time on his side".

The Talmud


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear Hope:

I want to let you know that my novel Memories from Cherry
Harvest won the Frances Fabri Literary Prize and the award
was an advance and publication. I have been working on this
book for over 20 years and now it will be in print in June
(Counterpoint Press). I saw the listing for the Fabri in your
FFW, which I comb for contest listings every week. Thanks so
much for all that you do to support and promote writers and
the writing life.

- Amy Wachspress
www.wozabooks.com

Memories from Cherry Harvest (Counterpoint Press, 2012)
The Call to Shakabaz (Woza Books, 2007)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARTICLE
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WORK THROUGH THE PAIN AND GET PAID, TOO

By Carol Ayer

The death of a loved one, the loss of a family pet, relationship
woes...these are the struggles we all contend with. But writers
are lucky. We often can work through our painful experiences
with the written word. An essay or poem (or even a fictionalized
account) based on a writer's hardship can not only earn her a
cathartic release but perhaps a nice paycheck. Readers are
eager to learn how others have made it through a traumatic
experience--big or small.

Both recent traumas and unpleasant childhood memories may prove
fruitful material for a from-the-heart essay. I wrote about my
parents' divorce and my mother's subsequent remarriage in "Chicken
Soup for the Girl's Soul." I talked about my unsuccessful
experiences in a college dorm in "Chicken Soup: Campus Chronicles."
A piece detailing the loss of my beloved childhood cat ran in
"Chicken Soup: My Cat's Life."

A few years after losing my father, I wrote about the good times
we'd shared in "My Dad is My Hero." The piece helped me realize
that while our relationship had often been uneasy, we'd gradually
grown closer over the years.

I wrote about my boyfriend's untimely death--my most painful
experience--for "Thrive in Life" and (forthcoming) "God Makes
Lemonade." I'm sure many of my future essays will deal with this
loss in one way or another.

Think about one of the challenging events of your life. Maybe
you've worked your way through the pain, or are currently
struggling with it. Can you write about the difficulty in such
a way that others can learn from your experience? Don't be
afraid to show your emotions on the page. That's what the
publishers are looking for, and what readers can relate to and
benefit from. However, it is important to have, if not an upbeat
ending, something positive for readers to latch onto--some
assurance that they can make it through difficult times. We've
all heard that hardship builds character. How did your painful
event translate into personal growth?

If your essay makes it into print, not only might you make money,
but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping
others. A while back I received an email from a reader in Saudi
Arabia, who praised my story from "Chicken Soup: Campus
Chronicles." A paycheck, my name in print, fan mail...What more
could a writer ask for?

Here are a few personal essay markets to consider:

Chicken Soup for the Soul has an ongoing need for uplifting stories
for their anthologies (pays $200.00, plus 10 free copies):
http://www.chickensoup.com

Thrive in Life (online publication) publishes stories on "how
people thrive" (pays $75): http://www.thriveinlife.ca

God Makes Lemonade publishes stories of how "something
unexpectedly good happens that never would have happened
without something painful happening first" (pays $250 plus
10 free copies): http://www.godmakeslemonade.com

Thin Threads publishes stories of "moments, events or decisions,
each showing how the course of our lives can be redirected for
the better" (pays $100): http://www.thinthreads.com

BIO
Carol Ayer is a freelance writer and poet living in Northern
California. In addition to essays, she writes poems, short
stories, and novels. Her e-novella, "Storybook Love," is
available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMPETITIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DARK TALES SHORT STORY CONTEST
http://darktales.co.uk/contest.php
---
£3 ENTRY FEE FOR NONSUBSCRIBERS - FREE FOR SUBSCRIBERS.
Deadline September 30, 2012. The winner will receive £500,
the runner-up £250 and third place £100, plus publication
in Dark Tales. All other shortlisted and published entrants
will receive £5. Each published entrant will be notified
within approximately 60 days of the closing date. Each entry
must be no longer than 5,000 words.

=====

HISSAC SHORT STORY COMPETITION
http://www.hissac.co.uk/2005_competition.html
---
ENTRY FEE £5 per story, or 3 entries for £12.
All stories on any theme are welcome, the more interesting and
unusual the better, but no stories for children please.
No connection to Scotland is required, either by theme or entrant.

First prize : £400. Second & Third prizes £50. Deadline July
31, 2012. Word count 2,500.

=====

JEREMY MOGFORD PRIZE FOR FOOD AND DRINK WRITING
http://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/news/article/food-and-drink-writing-award-launched
---
The Jeremy Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing 2013 will
be awarded at the festival to the best short story on the theme
of food and drink. Mogford Food and drink has to be at the heart
of the tale. The story could, for instance, be fiction or fact
about a chance meeting over a drink, a life-changing conversation
over dinner, or a relationship explored through food or drink. It
could be crime or intrigue; in fact, any subject you like as long
as it involves food and/or drink in some way. The story should
be up to 2500 words and must be written in English. Deadline
October 1, 2012. The winning entry will be announced at the Sunday
Times Oxford Literary Festival in March 2013. The winner will
receive £7,500.



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

PLAYA RESIDENCY
http://www.playasummerlake.org/guidelines-residencies
---
$25 APPLICATION FEE
Playa supports artists, writers, and natural scientists who
are committed and passionate about their work and who will
benefit from time spent in Playa's remote location. Residencies
may be one-, two- or three-months. Located at the northeastern
edge of the Great Basin in southeastern Oregon.

=====

AUTHORS LEAGUE FUND EMERGENCY FUNDS
Email: staff@authorsleaguefund.org
www.authorsleaguefund.org 
Main Phone: (212)268-1208
---
Established by the Authors League of America, Inc., to help
career authors and dramatists in the United States and in
financial distress due to an urgent situation. The Fund makes
interest-free loans to professional writers in need; for example,
writers with health problems and inadequate health insurance, or
older writers whose income has ceased. Loan-seekers must show
need and documentation of their professional status.

=====

REGIONAL ARTIST PROJECT GRANTS PROGRAMS
http://ncarts.org/grants_category.cfm?ID=41
---
This program, funded by the N. C. Arts Council, provides the
opportunity for regional consortia of local arts councils to
award project grants to artists in their regions. These grants
support professional artists in any discipline and at any
stage in their careers to pursue projects that further their
professional development. Types of fundable projects include:

Creation of new work

Purchase of equipment and materials

Professional development workshops

Travel support for expenses associated with a professional
opportunity such as participating in an exhibition or a
conference

Development or upgrading of promotional materials such as
brochures, DVDs, CDs, and websites

Grant amounts vary from region to region. Statewide, they
range from $300 to $7,500, though most grants are between $500
and $2,000. A list of participating counties, deadlines for
each region, and a primary contact for each consortium appears
at the above website. Regions are listed from west to east.



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


EARLY AMERICAN LIFE
http://www.ealonline.com/editorial/guidelines.php
---
Since 1970 Early American Life has been the source for information
on early American style, decorating, and traditions. In addition,
we cover both antiques and reproductions made by crafters working
in period styles with traditional tools. We do it with our own
style--we aim to entertain as well as educate. We also feature
stories on gardening with a focus on early America. A one-page
story in Early American Life, such as Worth Seeing, runs about
750 words. A typical feature may run 2,500 words. We would estimate
$500 for a first feature from a new writer, more if you are an
experienced, skillful writer. If we assign a story to you, we will
negotiate the rate before you begin work.

=====

SALTSCAPES
http://www.saltscapes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=517&Itemid=180
---
Saltscapes is an award-winning magazine for and about people on
Canada's East Coast. There are six regular issues per year--Jan/Feb,
Mar/April, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec--as well as an
annual Food & Travel issue, which comes out in April. The company
also produces an annual calendar, several special-interest
supplements including Good Taste, and custom publications such
as Living Healthy in Atlantic Canada.

Regular department pieces range from 500 to 1,000 words; feature
articles average between 1,500 and 1,900 words. The length of a
piece will be determined by the editor after a query or story
idea has been accepted; however, feel free to include an envisioned
word count in your correspondence. Fees are typically $.50/word:
$.45/word for first North American rights and $.05 for non-exclusive
web rights (the right to archive the story on our website). Payment
is on publication.

=====

EFCA TODAY
http://www.efcatoday.org/site/contact
http://www.efcatoday.org/
---
Our mission statement, we exist to glorify God by multiplying
healthy churches among all people, drives our vision for the
future of the EFCA. We envision accelerated growth in the number
of Christ's disciples and churches and the percentage of ethnic
groups represented in the EFCA. We are committed to an EFCA that
mirrors the demographics of the U.S., and reflects the "all people"
God is redeeming. Mostly written by nonstaff writers. Pays 23
cents/word for articles of only 100 to 800 words. But pays a 50
percent kill fee.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOBS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


COPYWRITER
Location Virginia Beach, VA
http://maximum.simplyhired.com/a/jbb/job-details/685209
---
Nexus Direct, an award-winning Inc. 500|5000 direct response
agency located in Virginia Beach, VA and Washington D.C., is
seeking an experienced and talented full-time copywriter to
join our team of extraordinary Nexies. With expertise in direct
response writing, the perfect candidate is a hybrid creative
mastermind/guru of all things copy. We're looking for someone
with the ability to write direct mail campaigns and who can also
tackle online, offline and internal projects as needed.

=====

COPYWRITER
Location Glendale, CA
http://disneycareers.com/en/search-jobs/search-results/?q=copywriter
---
Create compelling concepts/copy for Disney Theme Parks and Resorts.
Effectively sell your ideas to project partners. Participate in
ideation sessions with brand partners. Take part in editorial and
voice over sessions. B.S., B.A., B.F.A or equivalent with 5-7 years
related work experience.

=====

ENTRY LEVEL COPYWRITER
Location Brooklyn, NY
http://rainbowusa.jobscore.com/job_seeker/jobs/job_posting/cMdCa2Jv0r4A2PeJe4bk1X
---
As a member of the Rainbow E-Commerce copy team, you will play
a pivotal role in writing clear, detailed, accurate and precise
product specific copy for a wide assortment of merchandise.
2+ years copywriting experience in consumer goods. Solid knowledge
of MS Word and Excel. E-Commerce and SEO friendly copywriting
experience preferred. BA in English or Journalism.



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

SCARLETTA PRESS
http://www.scarlettapress.com/submissions.htm
---
While we seek to publish new voices missing from the literary
world, we also want to make sure your manuscript will fit our
genre community. The books we choose to publish are intellectually stimulating, adding relevant knowledge to the readers' minds.
Our Junior Readers and Kids imprints focus on literature and
picture books with educational twists, exciting illustrations
and plots, and possibilities for ancillary products and more
series. Genres we are focusing on include:

Children's Fiction
- Middle-grade Fiction
- Education Fiction
- Picture Books
Women's Literary Fiction
Autobiographical Fiction (Metafiction)
Creative Nonfiction

We do not publish compilations, short stories, or poetry.

=====

SEVEN STORIES PRESS
http://www.sevenstories.com/about/
---
Seven Stories Press publishes works of the imagination and
political titles by voices of conscience. While most widely
known for its books on politics, human rights, and social and
economic justice, Seven Stories continues to champion literature,
with a list encompassing both innovative debut novels and
National Book Award-winning poetry collections, as well as
prose and poetry translations from the French, Spanish, German,
Swedish, Italian, Greek, Polish, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian,
and Arabic.

=====

SKYHORSE PUBLISHING
http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/aboutus/
---
Skyhorse--with its four imprints (Arcade Publishing, Allworth
Publishing, Sports Publishing, and Sky Pony Press) now boasts
a backlist of 1,500 books. Since its founding, Skyhorse has
published an eclectic and maverick list that includes books
on history, politics, rural living, humor, and more. With its
new imprints, the Skyhorse program now includes business, art,
fiction, regional books, and children's books.



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

 

AUTHORS: JOIN US at SPOC - LIVE LONG AND PUBLISH!

The 4th annual Self-Publisher's Online Conference (SPOC) is May 8-10, 2012.

SPOC 2012 is a virtual conference you can attend via phone/Skype/Web.
Our unique online conference site gives you easy access to the live
presentations and Q&A, built-in discussion forums, virtual Exhibit
Hall, handouts, and recordings.

SPOC offers 16 expert speakers, 15 presentations, and live Q&A calls
that are all focused on how you can successfully self publish
fiction and non-fiction books and ebooks. Sign up before May 1 for
low Early Bird rates.

Enter the coupon code FFW12 at checkout to save another 10%!
Learn more at http://www.SelfPublishersOnlineConference.com

 

=====

 

Affordable National Publicity for Authors

Need intervews or your book reviewed by national media,
but are horrified by expensive publicists?

Read our important letter at
http://www.1waypr.com/WriterAuthor-1A.html

 

 

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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUSINESS STUFF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint
any editorials, contact hope@fundsforwriters.com  for permission.
Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your
publication is considered a valid right to publish.



C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com

140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036

http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2012, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326


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