FundsforWriters - August 22, 2014

Published: Fri, 08/22/14

Volume 14, Issue 33 | august 22, 2014

Message from the Editor

Anyone who's read Palmetto Poison knows that it opens at the Pelion Peanut Party, an annual hot August festival in Pelion, SC, the home of peanut farmers in South Carolina. I was invited to be a guest which was fun. The gnats were . . . gnats, and we had hand held fans called Gnat Bats. I wonderful taste of Americana. And the local book club invited me back on September 24 to discuss their book of the month choice . . . Palmetto Poison, of course.

Editor, FundsforWriters

Email Hope | Visit Website

Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326

FFW has proudly been on the Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers list every year since 2001

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.

WEBSITE - http://www.chopeclark.com

TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark

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

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iTUNES - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/c.-hope-clark/id885577265

Read the Newsletter Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?fundsforwriters

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

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ALSO - Our cover templates are out! The template actually comes with 3 different files, one each for CreateSpace, Lightning Source/Spark, and a generic template for other printers. We've also packaged the template with 20 fonts to make using it even easier.

Editor's THOUGHTS

FREELANCING AND BOOK WRITING - IT'S NOT FIRE AND WATER

I wish I could show you a video of the various writing talks I give, one on combining funding streams. I would place the camera on the crowd instead of me, however, to show you the response when I say every writer ought to consider freelancing.

Most never thought of it. They've only considered books. When I tell them to keep their day job until they've written six or more books, their shoulders slump. It's like the audience sags as the air leaves the room.

But then I explain the three reasons for freelancing while writing a book:

1) Income - Books take several years to earn a sufficient income unless you win the publishing lottery.

2) Platform - You develop a platform quicker with freelancing than with books.

3) Competition - You have less competition in freelancing than publishing.

You don't have to do one or the other.

Then comes the question, "But I don't have much time in the day." Writing success is directly related to the time invested. If you need money now, then freelance first and write the book second. If you don't need money now, then write the book first and freelance second. Your needs determine your prioritizing of time.

But this one remark always gets an audience's attention in terms of building fans:

"More people will read your magazine feature in a weekend than read your book in a year."

We run in circles as writers, seeking the easiest, quickest, most lucrative route to make what we do work for us as a career. Build income and platform faster with a little freelance activity in your day.

It's what I did.

-Hope Clark

Hope will be at Killer Nashville, a conference for mystery fans and authors held annually in Nashville, Tennessee. She'll be there on Saturday August 23, 2014. It's held downtown at the Omni Hotel. Come say hi!

And while you're there, remember to vote for Tidewater Murder for the Silver Falchion Award. It's a finalist and every vote counts!

"While this character and her adventures are irresistible, what really carries these books is Clark's writing talent. The author packs her books with a vivid storyline you can't help but become invested in, dialogue that uniquely showcases her Carolina roots, and a narrative voice that speaks to the reader as if she's sharing the story over whiskey on the porch. Slade has made me a C Hope Clark fan for life."

WORDS OF SUCCESS

To an outsider, I just seem like a list of accomplishments.
To me, all there is is how often I fail.

~Junot Diaz

The Carolina Slade Mystery Series

http://www.chopeclark.com/

On Palmetto Poison. Carolina Slade is the real deal - Southern charm, a steely determination, and a vulnerability she'll never admit to. Slade is at her absolute best in C. Hope Clark's Palmetto Poison so hold on for the ride! ~Lynn Chandler-Willis, best selling author and winner of the 2013 Minotaur Books/PWA Best First Private Eye Novel Competition

On Tidewater Murder: Terrific. Smart, knowing, clever...and completely original. A taut, high-tension page-turned--in a unique and fascinating setting. An absolute winner! ~Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity winning author

On Lowcountry Bribe: With a story that moves so fast you are sure to get a case of literary whiplash, LOWCOUNTRY BRIBE is almost impossible to put down. Written with grace and ferocity, I for one can hardly wait for a second helping of this unpredictably un-pretentious and hard-scrabble down-home gal. ~Rachel Gladstone, Dish Magazine

Purchase any of Hope's books and receive a one-year subscription to TOTAL FFW free. Send receipt to hope@fundsforwriters.com

Success Story

Dear Hope,

Thanks to the listing in your newsletter, I sent in a piece to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Inner Strength. Like the writer of another recent Success Story, I forgot all about it. Then came an email saying I was a finalist, and another that I had been selected for publication. As a semi-retired freelance writer I decided I finally had time to write my memoirs. This piece was the introduction. I was not getting very far with the rest of the work, but needless to say I am now inspired to continue. And who knows? The memoir may contain more publishable content. Thanks for your newsletter. Keep up the good work.

~Bridget Huckabee

featured article

Getting into Guidebook Writing

By Anna Maria Espsäter

Travel writing can be notoriously difficult to get into, but there is one sub-genre that encourages and relies upon more unknown freelance writers than perhaps any other: guidebook writing.

You could just pack your bags, head off exploring, then contact publishers and hope for the best, but there are other ways. Here are some things to consider before taking the leap into guidebook writing.

1. Is this really the job for me?

First of all, although this might sound obvious, find out what the job involves on a day-to-day basis, from pre-trip planning and destination research, to putting together the finished book. Chat with writers who have first-hand experience and ask lots of questions before deciding to contact publishers yourself. Forget glamorous and hedonistic journeys to exotic locations - instead think hard, often solitary, but interesting, work. If you love working independently, and you're disciplined, adventurous, calm in a crisis, multi-lingual (it helps) and ready to try anything once, this might be the job for you.

2. Research publishers

Once you're ready to go for it, do your homework. Familiarize yourself with the different publishers out there and decide which ones to approach. Then it's your task to prove to them why you would be the right person to write for them. When I first contacted a publisher about their forthcoming titles, I simply chose the one I knew best from using their guidebooks on my own journeys as a regular traveler. This was a definite advantage when I got the job, as I was already familiar with style, layout, maps etc, and it was a good selling point before I got a contract.

3. Are you the writer for the job?

After choosing which publisher(s) to approach, you need to prove you're the very writer they've been looking for. To be blunt, in order to write like an expert, you need to know your stuff. More importantly, you should convey this to the publisher, or you'll be hard-pressed to persuade them to hire you, not to mention all the extra work you're giving yourself if you choose a place you don't know well. Aim for a destination you've lived in or travelled extensively around, where you speak the language, have some contacts and can easily find your way around.

4. Research the market

After choosing publishers and destination, check what books are already published, and most crucially, the publishing dates. If a guide to the destination of your interest was published recently, there won't be a need for a new edition yet. Check if the publisher has any specialist geographical areas or cities and choose a publisher to match your own such areas of expertise. If they already cover the destination, bear in mind they may have a regular author who updates it, but don't be put off. Guidebook writing is a changeable business with opportunities cropping up regularly.

5. Take stock of your skills and get mailing

It helps your chances if you've been published before, but this isn't crucial. Guidebook writing is quite a far cry from creative writing pursuits. An engaging writing style is a plus, but it's even more important to be informative and accurate. Decide on your destination, research your favourite guidebook publishers and then you're ready to drop them an email expressing an interest in writing for them, explaining why you're the right person for the job.

Finally, be patient, publishers can take awhile to get back to you. Contacting several will increase your chances.

List of travel book publishers:

http://www.publishersglobal.com/directory/subject/travel-publishers/

BIO
Anna Maria Espsäter is a UK-based, Swedish travel writer. For the last 8 years she's been traveling the world writing books and features, covering worldwide destinations. Anna Maria has recently started branching out into fiction and would be happy to hear from other writers. She can be contacted via her website. www.annamariaespsater.co.uk

competitions

DIANA WOODS MEMORIAL AWARD IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
http://lunchticket.org/the-diana-woods-memorial-award/
NO ENTRY FEE.
Creative nonfiction authors are invited to submit an essay of up to 5,000 words on the subject of their choice to be considered for the Diana Woods Memorial (DWM) Award in creative nonfiction. Winners will receive $250 and their work will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket. Each award recipient must submit a 100-word biography, current photo, and send a brief note of thanks to the Woods' family. Deadline August 31, 2014.

WRITER'S BLOCK FESTIVAL POETRY CONTEST
https://writersblockaward.submittable.com/submit
$10 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline October 15, 2014. $500 prize and publication in the journal Memorious. Send one to three previously unpublished poems, no more than one poem per page and no more than six pages.

MISSISSIPPI REVIEW CONTEST - FICTION AND POETRY
https://mississippireview.submittable.com/submit
$16 ENTRY FEE.
Our annual contest awards prizes of $1,000 in fiction and in poetry. Winners and finalists will make up next winter's print issue of the national literary magazine Mississippi Review. Contest is open to all writers in English, except current or former students or employees of The University of Southern Mississippi. Fiction entries should be 1,000-8,000 words, poetry entries should be three to five poems totaling ten pages or less. Deadline January 1, 2015.

FRANK KAFKA AWARD IN MAGIC REALISM
http://thedoctortjeckleburgreview.com/bookstore/product/franz-kafka-award-in-magic-realism/
$10 ENTRY FEE.
$1,000 and publication in Eckleburg to 1st place winner; publication to 2nd and 3rd place winners. No more than 8,000 words. Deadline October 1, 2014.

POETS@WORK BOOK PRIZE
http://poetsatwork.org/paw-press/first-annual-poetswork-book-prize-stephen-dunn-judge/
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Poets@Work is happy to announce an open call for manuscripts of a full-length collection of poems in English from all over the world. Winners will receive $1,000 and 25 copies of the winning collection. Standard publishing contract and royalties will also be issued. Manuscripts should be between 52 and 92 pages.

GRANTS

AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMERGING WOMEN WRITERS 40 AND OVER RESIDENCY
http://www.heartofawoman.ws
Several lucky women will be selected to receive a two-week writing fellowship, which includes free room, board and meals, and various other perks, as they spend 14 lovely days of uninterrupted time to create, while relaxing in an historic, elegant, harmonious mansion; nestled in the gloriously plush landscaped beauty of nature and copious verdant meadows; to stimulate the muse and allow the recipients time and space to engage in creative revelry as they write, stretch their imagination, begin a new project, or to continue and complete an ongoing project. Africa House is an elegant, expansive, historic mansion in Gallatin, TN, built on more than 30 acres of gorgeous landscape, and boasts 16,330 square ft., of luscious living. $35 applicaton fee. Deadline August 31, 2014.

MASSACHUSETTS FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/applications/fellowsapp.asp
Crafts, Dramatic Writing, and Sculpture/Installation/New Genres online application available: August 15, 2014. Application deadline: October 6, 2014. Grants announced by February 2015. The Artist Fellowships provide competitive grants of $10,000 and finalist awards of $1,000. The number of awards per discipline category varies according to the number of applications reviewed, the recommendations of each panel, and program funds available.

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE / SLOAN PROJECT
http://ensemblestudiotheatre.org/node/28
NO ENTRY FEE.
Location New York City. The EST/Sloan Project delves into how we view and are affected by the scientific world, examining the struggles and challenges scientists and engineers face from moral issues to the consequences of their discoveries. Commissions awarded for full-length and one-act plays and musicals. Commissions $1,000 to $10,000. Commission amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis, as are deadlines for drafts, finished work, and research support. Open to a broad range of topics related to the issues, people, ideas, processes, leading-edge discoveries, inventions, and history of the "hard" sciences and technology. Deadline November 1, 2014.

CULLMAN FELLOWSHIP
http://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/center-for-scholars-and-writers/fellowships-at-the-cullman-center
For projects that draw on the research collections at The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). Fellows are required to work at the Cullman Center, on the project for which they applied, for the duration of the fellowship term. Fellows may have a few prior brief commitments, but must limit research trips, attendance at scholarly meetings, and speaking engagements, and may not accept other major work obligations during the course of this fellowship. Stipend $70,000. Deadline September 26, 2014, 5 p.m. EST.

PLUM ALLEY - CROWDFUNDING
https://plumalley.co/en/projects
Crowdfunding platform focused specifically on supporting women entrepreneurs, women in the arts and media, and organizations that benefit women and girls.

FREELANCE MARKETS

BRAIN, CHILD
http://www.brainchildmag.com/about/writers-guidelines/
Brain, Child is an award-winning literary magazine for mothers. We publish 20-plus essays per month for our print, online and blog publications. Not only are they seeking nonfiction, fiction, and journalism for their magazine, but they have a special call for submissions. "In 2015 we will have another special issue for parents of t(w)eens. Here we invite essays, fiction and poetry that capture the unique experience of raising t(w)eens. Examples of essays include a father coming out to his daughter, a mother letting her son take a gap year, and a mother's foray into heavy metal music with her teen daughter. Deadline: September 1, 2014." (Thanks to www.erikadreifus.com)

DEATH WHERE THE NIGHTS ARE LONG ANTHOLOGY
http://everywherenowpress.com/books/anthology-about-our-experience-of-death/
Death Where the Nights are Long is an anthology of writing about the idea and experience of death in extreme lattitudes. We are asking approximately thirty writers from Canada, the U.S. and Iceland to deliver an account of death in its many varied forms. We expect submissions to be personal, visceral and unmediated. We are seeking essays, memoirs, poetry and creative non-fiction, with a suggested length of between 2,500 and 5,000 words.If your piece is accepted, you will be paid $250 on completed delivery and acceptance. You will receive another $250 on publication. If the book does very well - as we hope it will - we will also consider a success fee to each contributor in an amount to be determined. (Thanks to www.erikadreifus.com)

1859 OREGON'S MAGAZINE
http://1859oregonmagazine.com/writers-guidelines
1859 is an exploration of the state's rich history, its incredible destinations and colorful personalities. Departments like "What I'm Working On," "Home & Design," "Ventures" and "Sound Off" will resonate with residents of Oregon. Departments like "From Where I Stand," "The Road Reconsidered," "Home Grown" and "Top 5" are visual and editorial pollen that attracts the travel bee. Payment varies from $0.30/word to $0.50/word, with web-only copy at a lower rate. We pay on publication. 1859 Oregon's Magazine buys all rights, although there can be some exceptions.

5280
http://www.5280.com/writersguidelines
5280 is the premiere monthly guide to the arts, entertainment, dining, and lifestyle issues in Denver. We accept pitches for our front-of-the-book sections, Front Range and Scene; for our departments; for our feature well; and for our back-of-the-book section, Eat & Drink. Front-of-the-book and back-of-the-book stories, which are short, lively takes on life in Denver, run anywhere from 50 to 400 words. Departments are generally 800 to 1,200 words and cover everything from travel to sports to politics. Features can run up to 6,000 words.

A&U
http://aumag.org/wordpress/contact-us/submissions/
As a national, nonprofit HIV/AIDS magazine, A&U is interested in publishing articles about AIDS-related advocacy, treatment and care, community-based organizations and campaigns, and artists and creative writers responding to the pandemic. We're looking for writers of all serostatuses to help us showcase a wide range of perspectives about living with HIV/AIDS.

JOBS

NO JOBS THIS WEEK

publishers/agents

DAMNATION BOOKS
http://damnationbooks.com/submissions.php
Damnation Books specializes in dark fiction. Word lengths: 20,000 to 140,000 words. Genres: Horror, Dark fantasy, Thrillers, Science fiction, Weird westerns and steampunk, Humor, Erotica (in dark settings), GBLT dark fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal and supernatural or occult.

AMBER QUILL PRESS
http://www.amberquill.com/store/pg/79-FAQs.aspx
The first book collection launched in 2002 is under the general imprint name, Amber Quill Press, and offers non-erotic genre fiction. A second imprint, Amber Heat, encompasses our hetero erotic romance books. Amber Allure is our third imprint, consisting of gay / lesbian / bisexual / transsexual stories.

BREATHLESS PRESS
http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php
We are looking for romance, erotic romance, or erotica. Thirteen different lines/imprints. We also have themed months.

IMAJINN BOOKS
http://www.imajinnbooks.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=22
ImaJinn Books invites queries for submissions within the entire spectrum of romance, including new adult, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, series, etc. We are interested in full length novels 50,000-90,000 words.

RESPLENDENCE PUBLISHING
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/7.html
We are currently accepting original stories in all genres, and have posted several open calls for 2014-15. Please visit our Open Calls page for additional information. Many different levels of romance and length.