Post-speaking, question-answering moment at the Southeastern
Writers Association conference at St Simons, Georgia.
Everyone was so excited about their writing, and the thrill
just passed from one person to another. Note the Hawaiian
shirt. The theme was Hawaiian, for the awards ceremony,
but I got my signals crossed and wore it to speak. You
couldn't miss me in the crowd!

Editor: C. Hope Clark
Website: http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Email: Hope@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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Business of Writing International Summit
THE conference for authors and writers serious about success.

Learn to grow book sales and build your author platform.
Two-day event for writers and authors features multiple
programming tracks: Self-Publishing, eBooks and Digital
Publishing, and Book Promotion and International Marketing.

Sessions are presented by industry experts. Subjects are
content-rich, timely and relevant to success in today’s
rapidly changing marketplace.

Visit http://businessofwritingsummit.com 

25 exciting sessions; great food; outstanding networking;
published authors; the latest tools and resources; all
while learning how to be successful in the writing business.
The Summit trade show hosts exhibitors from around the
country bringing you the latest for writers.

Keynote Speaker: Andrea Gardner, from Glasgow, Scotland!
Andrea is the creator of the fascinating, heart-warming
You Tube video sensation: The Power of Words, which flaunts
more than 14 million views! This video led her to write
the 2012 Best-Selling book: Change Your Words, Change Your World.

Space is Limited. Register now, before it's too late.

August 11-12, 2012
Univ of Louisville’s Shelby Campus, Louisville, KY
Cost - $199 includes meals

Contact - http://businessofwritingsummit.com 
or 502-303-7926



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

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

THREE FACES OF THE WRITER

I attended a conference recently where a short story
instructor elaborated about the three sides of a writer.
I like to call them faces. The concept he painted was
not new to me, but I marveled at how it remained hidden
in the back of my mind, an assumption, like it wasn't
worth remembering. In reality, understanding our three
faces is phenomenally important. Astounding, even.

1. THE AUTHOR

This personality is the source of all ideas. Here is
where you contrive the plot and choose your characters.
This side of you involves ingenuity.

2. THE WRITER

This face is the crafter. Here is the side of you that
defines the words, matches nouns to verbs, carefully
chooses adverbs (if any). This is the most easily
taught of the three talents. You can be schooled on
how to put words together correctly.

3. THE STORYTELLER

Here is the magic. This is what most people call voice.
So many people can be authors and writers, but not
everyone is a storyteller. This face isn't easily taught,
since it's almost an inherent trait. It's this side of
you that can show and not tell, translating enthusiasm
into words. The storyteller isn't in all writers and
authors. There may be words on paper, in order, written
properly, with a beginning, middle and ending, but
without the storyteller's touch, the tale falls flat.

How do you master all three?

1. Read voraciously, watching for all three faces of
the writer you read.

2. Make yourself learn the writer side, grasping the
word building until it's second nature.

3. Listen to storytellers. Close your eyes and hear
audiobooks, movies, and plays. Absorb the wordplay,
recognizing how the writer avoids telling.

4. Then try to be uninhibited in your writing. Don't
worry about what your mother will think about the sex
in Chapter 14. Forget about how your cousins may
misinterpret the twist in Chapter 23. Sling all the
crap on the page and dare to be alive.

Story creation is a careful balance of knowing the
rules, thinking creativity, and then daring to explode
onto the page without concern for the ramifications.



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

=====

YOU SAID IT!!!

THE LATEST COMMENT ABOUT LOWCOUNTRY BRIBE....

Lowcountry Bribe is a good story and one of the first books
on my Kindle. I loved it. Hope is very gifted at story-telling
and she can weave a good mystery too. The characters were very
believable and there was enough action to keep me reading and
enjoying. I love lots of dialog and I was not disappointed.
The author set the scenes in such a way that I could see it
play out in my mind's eye.

For me, the sign of a good 'who done it' is when I don't figure
it out much before the ending is revealed. With Lowcountry Bribe,
I no sooner thought I knew the culprit than I would have to
rethink it. It is entertaining and a book I have recommended to
my friends.

~Judy Webb, Amazon Reviewer


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

WORDS OF SUCCESS


"Obstacles are necessary for success . . . as in all careers
of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and
countless defeats. Yet each struggle, each defeat, sharpens
your skills and strengths, your courage and your endurance,
your ability and your confidence and thus each obstacle is a
comrade-in-arms forcing you to become better . . . or quit.
Each rebuff is an opportunity to move forward; turn away
from them, avoid them, and you throw away your future."

~ Og Mandino ~



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


Hope, I have gladly purchased your new book!

Your newsletter has been such a godsend.

Quick story: I'd paid $200 to attend a writers' conference,
and upon perusing the presenters list and class offerings,
I determined I had heard all of these people before and heard
everything they had to say. So I asked for a refund. But I
was kind of bummed that I wouldn't get to do a conference this
year, because it's great to learn so much in so short a time.
The next day, your newsletter included the discount code for
the self-publishers conference, which I used and which allowed
me to attend that conference for $83! Having recently started
a small firm for self-publishers, it was EXACTLY what I needed.

So best of luck with your book, and sign me up for more of your
newsletter!

Sincerely,
DeNae Handy


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARTICLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


How to Get More People to Drink Your Kool-Aid
(Or 6 Ways to Foster Brand Loyalty Through Your Blog)

By Jennifer Brown Banks


Make no mistake about it. Blog readers are consumers.
They seek value for their time, “products” that solve problems
and pretty packaging---and they want a rewarding experience
from spots that they frequent.

These days they have a myriad of choices. Google “writing
blogs” and you’ll yield more than a million search results
with some pretty serious competition. All the more reason
why brand loyalty is important to keep today’s busy reader
captive and coming back for more.

You want loyal readers because they’re your best form of
advertising. Loyal readers are the first ones to typically
purchase products and services and to tell others, and they're
your biggest cheerleaders and support network. Additionally,
savvy branding builds solid platforms.

Six savvy ways to foster brand loyalty through your blog.

1. Understand that there is a psychology to selling.

Whether you’re peddling words or widgets, success depends
upon studying and identifying your target audience, their
habits, their needs, and the best way to reach them. Then
delivering!

2. Don’t just disseminate information, strive to solve problems.

Though many blog readers visit sites for their entertainment
value and vent sessions, a vast number are also seeking ways
to solve common problems. If you’re able to accomplish this
in your blogging efforts, you’ll definitely win friends and
influence people. Are you an expert in time management? A
technical whiz? Versed in SEO lingo? Share. Helping others
increases your value and builds relationships in the blogging
community.

3. Appeal to their senses.

Though content is king, appearance is equally important. Think
of your blog’s design as the equivalent to curb appeal in
marketing a home. If visitors can’t get beyond the initial
appearance, there’s no sell.

With this in mind, have them at hello. Make sure your site is
easy to navigate, void of excessive clutter (unnecessary
words), has attractive, complementary colors, and easy to read
fonts. An attractive photo of yourself also enhances the layout
and comes across as more personal.

Want to go even further? Get an objective blog assessment
through websites that analyze your blog‘s marketing strengths
and compares it to your competition.

Check out www.hubspot.com  to see how you measure up.

4. Establish a reputation for excellence.

There’s great truth to the adage, “Excellence is its own
reward.” Be known for going the extra mile. Achieve this by
providing quality, generous posts with great take-away value,
void of grammatical errors and typos. Take away value can be
established through including additional resources, job leads,
contests and giveaways. Additionally, make sure that you
deliver on what your post’s title promises. Remember,
excellence breeds confidence.

5. Be a virtuoso!

In a sea of many, unless your voice is different, you won’t
be heard or distinguished as you-nique. Your online voice is
a combination of your communication style, your perspective,
your tone, and your choice of words.

It’s okay to follow the advice of experts you admire, but be
original. Write your own stories and tell them as only you
can. Authenticity resonates.

6. Provide good customer service.

You can have a design to-die-for and content that causes
folks to stand up and take notice. Still, if you neglect to
respond to readers’ comments, or ignore questions posed,
you’ll lose some of your fan base. Blogs are supposed to be
interactive by their very nature. Act accordingly.

If you want more readers to buy into your brand and invest
their time and money, follow these timely tips. Fostering
brand loyalty is the key to longevity and prosperity.



BIO

Jennifer Brown Banks
Veteran freelance writer, Columnist, Pro Blogger
http://penandprosper.blogspot.com/
Managing Editor, Coffeehouse for Writers
http://Coffeehouseforwriters.com/
Columnist, Technorati.com
 

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

LEE & LOW BOOKS NEW VOICES AWARD
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/new_voices_award.mhtml
---
NO ENTRY FEE
The Award will be given for a children's picture book manuscript
by a writer of color. The Award winner receives a cash grant of
$1,000 and our standard publication contract, including our basic
advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner
will receive a cash grant of $500. The contest is open to writers
of color who are residents of the United States and who have not
previously had a children's picture book published. Writers who have
published work in venues such as children's magazines, young adult,
or adult fiction or nonfiction, are eligible. Only unagented
submissions will be accepted. Limit 1,500 words. Deadline September
30, 2012. Submissions may be FICTION, NONFICTION, or POETRY for
children ages 5 to 12. Folklore and animal stories will not be
considered.

=====

WILLIAM STAFFORD AWARD FOR POETRY
http://www.rsbd.net/NEW/index.php
---
$10 ENTRY FEE
$1,000 first place and four runner-up awards of $100. Deadline
July 15, 2012. Send 3 to 5 original, unpublished poems, any
style or theme.

=====

VALHALLA PRESS LITERARY FICTION AND CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
http://www.valhallapress.com/contest.php
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
First prize: $500, eReader of your choice and inclusion in
Ragnarok, the Valhalla Press 2013 Anthology

Second prize: eReader of your choice and inclusion in Ragnarok,
the Valhalla Press 2013 Anthology

Honorable Mention: Inclusion in Ragnarok, the Valhalla Press
2013 Anthology

Limit your work to 5,000 words. Deadline August 30, 2012.



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


CALIFORNIA WRITERS EXCHANGE AWARD
http://www.pw.org/about-us/california_writers_exchange_award
---
The California Writers Exchange contest introduces emerging
writers from California to the New York literary community
and provides them a network for professional advancement.
Every third year, writers in California are invited to submit
manuscripts. Judges review the entries and select a winning
poet and fiction writer. Winners are flown to New York City
for an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip to meet with literary
agents, editors, publishers, and writers, and to give a public
reading. Includes $500 stipend. The deadline is August 31, 2012.

=====

VERVE GRANTS FOR SPOKEN WORD POETS - MINNESOTA
http://www.intermediaarts.org/verve-grants-program-overview
---
Intermedia Arts’ VERVE grant program provides funding for
emerging Minnesota spoken word poets who are interested in
artistic advancement and leadership in their communities.
Through financial assistance, professional encouragement,
and recognition within a culturally and socio-economically
diverse group of literary artists, this program strengthens
and supports Minnesota's literary community. Deadline August
10, 2012. This year, Intermedia Arts will award VERVE grants
of up to $4,000 to 4-6 emerging Minnesota spoken word poets.

=====

LOUISIANA CULTURAL ECONOMY FOUNDATION GRANTS
http://culturaleconomy.org/
---
The Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation Economic Opportunity
Fund (EOF) is designed to increase the entrepreneurial capacity
and economic health of cultural economy producers. These funds
are not intended to be general support dollars for projects.
They are targeted to unique opportunities to earn income that
are not a part of the applicant’s regular work or programming.
Louisiana’s cultural economy is defined as the people,
enterprises, and communities that transform cultural skills,
knowledge, and ideas into economically productive goods,
services, and places. It includes: visual arts and crafts,
performing arts, film, digital media, music, culinary arts,
design, traditional culture bearers, entertainment, literary
arts and humanities, architecture and historic preservation.
Deadline August 31, 2012.


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

BIRD TALK
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird-talk-2004-03-10-12850.aspx
---
Bird Talk magazine, the leading pet bird magazine has been
around for more than 25 years covering the pet bird industry
and community. It and its sister publication, Birds USA, and
its website www.BirdChannel.com are known as the best source
for news, health, nutrition, behavior, training and housing
in all things pet bird with its expert editors and writers.
Short features 800 words. Long features 1,500 to 2,500 words.
Informational, how-to, profiles, personal experiences, humor,
products, health, nutrition, grooming, training, conservation.
Pays up to $400. Kill fee 20 percent. Personal experience
pieces are a great way to break in. Editor Laura Doering.

=====

BOULEVARD
http://www.boulevardmagazine.org/projects.html
---
Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction,
poetry, and non-fiction (essays, interviews, etc.). Charges
a $3 fee to process a submission electronically. Articles
and fiction accepted up to 8,000 words. Poetry limited to
200 lines. Limit 5 poems per submission. Pays up to $300 for
articles. Up to $500 for fiction. Up to $500 for poetry.

=====

BOW AND ARROW HUNTING
http://www.bowandarrowhunting.com/
---
Each issue offers a powerful mix of hunting stories, expert
techniques, product reviews, bow reports, new-gear spotlights,
and much more. It brings bow hunting adventure to life, taking
you along on each hunt as if you were right there. Get inside
of the minds of some of today’s best bow hunting shots and how
they approach shooting at game. And get field evaluations on
new gear, so you know which products to buy, which saves you
time and money. Articles are 2,000 to 2,500 words. Query
with sample paragraph or detailed outline. Send to
editorial@bowandarrowhunting.com  . Pays up to $450. Your
chances of acceptance are influenced by good photography.



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


WRITER-EDITOR
Location Washington DC
http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/319763500
---
Deadline July 6, 2012. Employer: Peace Corps. Develops copy
for a variety of materials to be used with a clear understanding
of writing for the various audiences that the agency interacts
with and this includes but is not limited to the general public,
congressional, white house administration, partners, host
country, diplomatic, etc.

=====

COPYWRITER/BLOGGER
Location Eagan, MN
http://tinyurl.com/6ng85fl
---
Write and edit content that adheres to best practices in tagging,
keyword usage, headline creation and basic search optimization.
Conduct copyedit to ensure blog posts are error-free and conform
to style guide and quality standards. Track legal news and
develop and maintain a working understanding of legal practice
areas. Complete queue-based content and administrative tasks.
Bachelors degree required (English, Communications or Journalism
preferred). 0-1 years of professional editing and/or writing
(preferably for online media).

=====

FREELANCE COPYWRITER
Location Milwaukee, WI
www.bullhornreach.com/job/336519_freelance-copywriter-milwaukee-wi
---
4+ years of Copywriting experience. Experience in headline
writing, print ads, and promotional copy. Digital experience
strongly preferred (website copy, blogs, and digital screens/
kiosks). Retail industry experience strongly preferred.



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

DOUG GRAD LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.dgliterary.com/about.html
---
About Agent Doug Grad
Doug's genres of interest: Narrative non-fiction, military,
sports, celebrity memoir, thrillers, mysteries, historical
fiction, young adult fiction, romance, music, style, business,
home improvement, cookbooks, self-help, science and theater.

About Agent George Bick
George's genres of interest: Narrative non-fiction, memoir,
business, thrillers, mysteries, science fiction (please, no
fantasy), military, graphic novels, science, diet/self-help,
pets/animals, romance, humor, pop culture, and travel.

=====

ASHLEY GRAYSON LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/CGrayson/
---
We represent literary and commercial fiction, as well as
non-fiction for adults (self-help, parenting, pop culture,
mind/body/spirit, true crime, business, science). We also
represent fiction for younger readers (chapter books through
YA).

Published authors of fiction and non-fiction: We are still
accepting clients who are previously published by a known
publisher (no self-published or print-on-demand).

Unpublished authors - Fiction: The agency is temporarily
closed to queries from writers who are not published at
book length (self published or print-on-demand do not count).
There are only three exceptions to this policy: (1) Unpublished
authors who have received an offer from a reputable publisher,
who need an agent before beginning contract negotiations;
(2) Authors who are recommended by a published author, editor
or agent who has read the work in question; (3) Authors whom
we have met at conferences and from whom we have requested
submissions.

Unpublished authors - Non-fiction: Authors who are recognized
within their field or area may still query with proposals.
Note: We cannot review self-published, subsidy-published,
and POD-published works to evaluate moving them to mainstream
publishers.

=====

BLANCHE C. GREGORY AGENCY
http://www.bcgliteraryagency.com/
---
Adult fiction and nonfiction. Enjoys children's fiction.
No plays. No email submissions. Has a strong reputation
for international placement of manuscripts.



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

Study writing, editing, and marketing with a world-class teacher.

F&SF writer and editor Cat Rambo will kick your butt to write while
providing expert feedback on your writing along with career advice:
short story vs. novel, how to avoid wasting time spent on Facebook,
& whether writing groups and workshops are worth it.

I came away with a treasure trove of secrets and information
pertaining to real life career, time management, and market
considerations. I came away feeling deviously lucky — like a
lotto winner. -Camille Griep

Find out more at
http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/upcoming-online-classes

=====


 

KATHERINE DON, "THE BOOK DON"
Personalized Book Editing Services

Services include: content edits, copy edits, partial manuscripts,
full manuscripts, book proposals, manuscript critiques. Katherine
works closely with authors on everything from concept development
to final edits. She works with both first-time and experienced authors.
Nonfiction, fiction, journalism, academic work, memoir, screenplays.
Serious queries only, please. I look forward to hearing from you!

Contact Katherine: kat.don1@gmail.com
Websites: YourBookDon.com
 

=====

2012 & Beyond Essay Competition
NO FEE — Deadline July 31, 2012
www.TheNewEraTimes.com

Essays must answer one of 3 questions you can find by going to
the website and clicking on the ad—top center. Questions have
to do with spiritual and metaphysical concepts and your personal
journey to 2012.

Winners will be published as an ebook in the fall with a hard
copy of the books available in January, 2013.

New Era Times Press publisher.

Questions or comments rita.mills@comcast.net  or 713-937-9184


=====



 

MARKETING NEW AUTHORS - MANA - ONLINE SEMINAR

If you want to become published, MarketingNewAuthors.com (MANA)
is offering an online seminar for you! If you have a MAC or PC,
you can participate. This seminar is not to direct registrants
to any particular company. All of your questions will be answered.
Even one-on-one consultations will be available.

When? July 10 to July 12, 2012.

Replays will be available, too.

Get more details on www.MarketingNewAuthors.com

There you will find on the top menu, “Online Seminars.”
Just give a click! This will be one of the best “clicks”
you will ever make!


=====

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


-----------------------------