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VOLUME 15, ISSUE 2 | JANUARY 9, 2015
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Message from the Editor
One more goodie to fix. Around the holidays I cook...a lot! Candy, cookies, meals, breakfast casseroles...tons of food. I'm having an after Christmas dinner out with a friend whose favorite food in the world is pralines, and I just made up a new recipe for them that is
to die for! A real Southern type of candy that Callie or Slade would kill for. Hmmm...wonder if could spin off a book about recipes connected with my stories?
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.
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Join
a great group of serious aspiring and professional writers who are already engaged in this course. We’re working on novels, memoirs, essays, articles, young adult fiction, sci-fi, academic manuscripts, and more. Master ten essential tools to give your writing precision and energy. Learn how to strip out unnecessary words for vigorous, lean writing.
“After taking the course I noticed that I approached the manuscript very differently, looking at the sentences
themselves with a more critical awareness and clarity. Joan Dempsey is an amazing educator, and this course is beautifully designed.”~ Current participant, MFA grad, non-fiction manuscript scheduled for 2015 publication.
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“After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” ~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
Over the holidays, my son was watching a show called EPIC HOMES about these phenomenal houses with remarkable
features located in breathtaking locales. Grinning slyly, he turned to me and said, "Why weren't you more accomplished so we could be living like that?"
I rolled my eyes at his humor. He and I both know that I enjoy the simpler life. It's why Ileft the rat race to write. It's why I live in the country. It's why I walk away from controversy, carefully choosing my fights. It's why my family jokes about winning the lottery, saying they'd have to watch me, because I'd be
giving most of it away to causes.
I like a simple, soothing life. "...like pearls slipping off a string."
As a writer, I'd also like to be remembered for how a story infiltrated a reader's life than how many books I sold. To some, that may sound like a cop-out excuse for not selling100,000 books. While selling gobs of books would make my publisher ecstatic and allow my husband to build that beach house he wants, it's not a
driving force for me.
We often let pressure from others convince us what we want, when in reality, we haven't analyzed what we want, or how we'd like to be remembered. In reality, it's the simplest,smoothest, easiest concepts that make their marks on the world and make people feel wonderful. A thought to consider as you write. A thought to consider as you decide how to live.
It doesn't matter whether you write books, articles, commercial
copy, magazine articles, or poetry; we all know that it's the simplest lessons addressed in the cleanest prose that capture the most attention. We've all had that feeling..."wow, that's so simple...why didn't I think of that?" And you remember it. So does everyone else. It's because the author thought simply, finding a universal concept that everyone can relate to, and spent time writing it well.
Many famous souls have penned a version of the advice, "The
easiest reading is the hardest writing." The simplest pleasures in our lives do not come easily. They take time,attention, and priority-setting, but the bliss that comes after is memorable. Maybe 2015needs to be about defining our simple pleasures, to include those in our writing world.
-Hope Clark Upcoming Book Signings and Classes!
January 12, 2015 - Summerville Book Club, Summerville, SC - 6-8 PM
January 25, 2015 - Friends of the Library, Newberry, SC
March 3, 2015 - Story Structure Class, Irmo, SC Library - 7
PM
March 7, 2015 - Multi-author signing, Irmo, SC Library - 2-5 PM
March 22-24, 2015- PubSense, Charleston, SC, Francis Marion Hotel
April 7, 2015 - Chapin Women's Club, Lake Murray Sailing Club, Chapin, SC
April 25, 2015 - One-day Fiction Class, HawksNest Writers, Madison, WI
May 29, 2015 - Savannah Book Club, Savannah, GA - 6 PM
June 20-21, 2015 - Southeast Writers Conf, St Simons Island, GA
June 25-27, 2015 - Freelance
Writing, Midwest Writing Center, Davenport, IA
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Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.
~Mickey Spillane
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MURDER ON EDISTO A big city detective A Lowcountry crime When her husband is murdered by the Russian mob, Boston detective Callie Jean Morgan suffers a mental break and relinquishes her badge to return home to South Carolina. She has no idea how to proceed with her life, but her son deserves to move on with his, so she relocates them to the family vacation home. But the day they arrive on
Edisto Beach, Callie finds her childhood mentor and elderly neighbor murdered. Her fragile sanity is threatened when the murderer taunts her, and the home that was to be her sanctuary is repeatedly violated. Callie loses her fight to walk away from law enforcement as she becomes the only person able to pursue the culprit who's turned the coastal paradise into a paranoid patch of sand where nobody's safe. But what will it cost her? http://www.chopeclark.com/ Purchase any of Hope's books and receive a one-year subscription to TOTAL FFW free. Send receipt to hope@fundsforwriters.com/ |
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Hi
Hope,
Here’s a success story, thanks to you and FundsforWriters. Under “freelance Markets” I saw that “Chicken Soup for the Soul” was accepting submissions.I thought, what have I got to lose. So following the guidelines, I sent in my story and surprisingly, it was accepted! My story, “Against All Expectations” will appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul; Hope and Miracles. It’s available February 10, in bookstores and on the internet. And I actually get paid for
it!
Judy Buch
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The Importance of Writer Self-Education
By Betsy Robinson
You know that joke, “The actress was so dumb she slept with the writer”? Why is that funny?Because the writer is always the lowest person on the totem pole. And there are reasons for that.
It would never occur to somebody to practice law without
learning the law or to put out a shingle as a plumber without ever having apprenticed, but for some reason many writers think they can just have an idea, write it, and sell it, without learning anything about how publishing works.
My areas are fiction, journalism, nonfiction, and play writing. I’ve published two novels and I edit and develop nonfiction with writers and publishers. Here’s some broad-stroke advice from these areas:=> A professional text matters! It
matters that a book read well, have proper punctuation,spelling, and grammar. It matters that you follow the Chicago Manual of Style (for books and magazines). Or proper film or TV format. Or AP style for newspapers and journals that require it.
=> Learn the lingo. For instance, “a fiction novel” is redundant; a novel is always fiction.
=> If you are writing nonfiction and presenting yourself as an expert, you should be an expert.
That means you’ve published on the topic, you work professionally in your area or you teach the topic, you have academic credentials in the topic, you have undergone training where you were evaluated by knowledgeable people in the field and you have been tested and substantiated as an expert.
=> If you can’t afford a professional edit for your book, read Chicago Manual of Style. Actually READ it. It will not only tell you rules and lingo, but it offers a pretty good course in publishing.
=> Read all the articles in Writer’s Market. Learn about how to present work, rights, and contracts.
=> Understand that being a writer is no longer enough. For book writing, writers are expected to have a “platform” — expertise, ties to the readers of their work, the ability to present and sell. If you resent this, let that go and concentrate on creating or discovering what
your platform credits are.
=> Read Publisher’s Weekly, or subscribe for free to Shelf Awareness-Pro ( http://www.Shelf-Awareness.com), a daily newsletter about book selling. Even if you don’t plan to self-publish or start your own publishing company, you can join
Independent Book Publishers Association ( http://www.ibpa-online.org) which has a wonderful magazine full of education and news as well as many other benefits and marketing opportunities.
=> If it’s a time in your life when you can afford it, try to get an entry-level job at a publisher or whatever kind of company is appropriate for your interest. You’ll learn the lay of the land from the inside out and make next to no money, but, if you’re like me, it’ sa lot more fun than going to
school.
=> If you’ve already written your book and
know nothing about the publishing industry or editing, I recommend getting help. Ask around, listen to people you trust who work in the industry. And if you need a professional edit or coaching, search (by key words or subjects) the free database of Editorial Freelancers Association ( http://www.the-efa.org/);job posting is free.
Educate yourself about the industry you want to work in.
It’s fun!
BIO:Betsy Robinson is a freelance book editor, specializing in spirituality, psychology, and self-help. Her novel, The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg, winner of Black Lawrence Press’s 2013 Big Moose Prize, was published in September 2014. Her website is www.BetsyRobinson-writer.com.
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SIXTH ANNUAL SPIRIT FIRST POETRY CONTEST
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline to Enter: January 31, 2015. First Prize: $200. Second Prize: $150. Third Prize:$100. Poetry submissions may be of any length and any style but must have a theme of Meditation, Mindfulness, Silence, Stillness, or Solitude (we are referring to peaceful solitude - not loneliness). Poems may reflect any discipline, any faith,
or none.
THIRD ANNUAL RAYNES POETRY PRIZE CONTEST $18 ENTRY FEE (FOR UP TO THREE POEMS). Theme "World to Come." Forty finalist poems will be published in a book by Blue Thread, an imprint of Jewish Currents. Deadline January 15, 2015. All entrants receive a one-year
subscription to Jewish Currents.
MONTANA PRIZE IN FICTION $20 ENTRY FEE. The Montana Prize in Fiction seeks to highlight work that showcases an authentic voice, a boldness of form, and a rejection of functional fixedness. The winner will be featured in
CutBank 83 and receive $500. All submissions will be considered for print publication.Please send only a single work of no greater than 35 pages.
SNOWBOUND CHAPBOOK AWARD $25 ENTRY FEE.The Snowbound Chapbook Award includes a cash award of $1,000 in addition to
publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, a book launch,and national distribution with energetic publicity and promotion. Deadline February 28, 2015. The Snowbound Chapbook Award is open to anyone writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad. Submit a previously unpublished, chapbook-length poetry manuscript (20-36 pages)with a table of contents.
FOLIO FICTION CONTEST $15 ENTRY FEE.Theme Conflict. Pieces may be up to 5000 words in length, double-spaced. All contest entrants will receive a copy of our 2015 issue, included in the entry fee. 1st place:$1,000. 1st runner up: $350. 2nd runner up:
$150.
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RESIDENCIES FOR THOSE WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY
The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation has partnered with the Vermont Studio Center (VSC) to support visual artists and writers with spinal cord injuries through residencies at the Center. Twelve awardees will be offered a one-month residency at one of the three host sites, including room and board, a $500 stipend, and travel award for a personal assistant/caregiver if
needed. In 2015, the Foundation’s generous support - in partnershipwith the Alliance of Artists Communities - will expand to include 12 residencies at threehost sites: Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), Ragdale Foundation (Lake Forest, IL), andSanta Fe Art Institute (Santa Fe, NM).
SUN VALLEY WRITERS CONFERENCE
SVWC is pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships to aspiring writers. Six scholarships are provided to the Fulfillment Fund, a Los Angeles-based organization that mentors young people of exceptional promise. A number of scholarships have also been provided by individuals in memory of loved ones and we are proud to celebrate their lives in
this way. A scholarship provides admission to all conference events including breakfast and lunch on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. To apply, please send a letter of intent as well as a letter of recommendation from a supervisor.
RED GATE RESIDENCIES
Red Gate Residency is an international artists residency program providing artists,curators, writers, and academics with the opportunity to live and create work in China.Residents come from overseas by funding themselves or seeking funding from arts organizations in their own country. We work with artists who can organize their
own funds and or have received grants to cover their residency. In addition, we are partnered with multiple cultural organizations that have the interest and resources to send artists here.Applicants are encouraged to seek funding from relevant organizations in their own country.Once accepted, Red Gate will provide letters of support to assist with grant applications.
PROJECT 387
Project 387 is a two-week project-based residency aimed at supporting visual artists,performers, filmmakers, writers, and art professionals. As an emerging residency program,Project 387 has structured its mission around emerging and mid-career artists, but encourages applications from all who wish to participate in a community-driven experience.Participants will experience the serene landscape of rural
Mendocino County in Northern California while engaging in a focused pursuit of creative excellence. Living space, studio space, and an $800 stipend are provided for all participants. Dinner is prepared for participants five nights a week. Deadline March 16, 2015.
NEBRASKA ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS
The Artists in Schools/Communities (AiS/C) residency program supports NAC roster artist residencies that include at least 20 contact hours with participants. During residencies,artists share their expertise and
work with teachers or staff to help students achieve educational goals in the arts and other academic disciplines. Artists are paid from grants given to the schools or venues sponsoring the event.
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KASHRUS MAGAZINE
Email kashrus@aol.com for sample of magazine. Pays up to $250 for 1,000 to 1,500-wordfeatures on health, travel, food, personal experience, religion, technical. Buys reprints for half. Columns involve cookbook reviews, kosher personalities,
kosher supervision,travel, cooking.
INSTINCT MAGAZINE
Smart, sexy, irreverent, edgy magazine for gay men. Pays up to $300 for features about general interest, humor, profiles, travel and any subject of interest to gay men. Columns
pay up to $250 for up to 800-word pieces on health, fitness, movies, books, music, video games.
MY TURN ESSAY - NEWSWEEK
If you want to submit a My Turn
essay for consideration for publication on the Newsweek website, write a totally original piece about some interesting aspect of your life that is somewhere between 850 to 900 words long. When submitting to either the website or the magazine, be sure to use a tone that is engaging, personal, congenial and conversational,but not excessively informal or slangy. Pays $1,000.
AMERICAN FITNESS
American Fitness accepts unsolicited and queried manuscripts for publication on the subjects of health, fitness, exercise, nutrition, sports medicine, innovations and trends in fitness and sports, fitness marketing, tips on teaching exercise, humorous accounts of fitness
motivation, physiology, women's health and fitness issues. Features, news features,in-depth research articles, profiles and biographical accounts of fitness leaders are welcomed. Length: 800-1,500 words. Payment $100-200 depending on length and editorial concerns.
POZ
From the newly diagnosed to long term
survivors, from very young people to people aging with the virus, from people in the highest tax bracket to those on disability, POZ provides a platform for the HIV community to speak to one another, and the world at large. Pays$1/word for up to 3,000 words. Needs book excerpts, essays, expose, history, how-to, humor,inspirational, profiles. Takes manuscripts on spec.
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EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Location Cambridge, MA.
BookBub seeks a talented individual to help curate and produce content for our fast-growing community of book lovers. Responsibilities include: Selecting books that would be appealing to the BookBub audience, Helping produce and edit the daily content for the service,Guiding editorial team decisions based on knowledge of
readers' tastes, publishing trends,and internal data.
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BEAU COUP PUBLISHING
We strive to make Beau Coup a publishing house which offers quality books in multiple genres. Our authors will receive above and beyond support and service. We specialize
in ebook sales, but we also offer print books. Beau Coup is always looking for talented authors to join our team. We are currently seeking books with a story length 50,000 words or greater. Shorter books will be considered if they are part of a series or can be connected to another short work. Note: See list of genres they are seeking at website.
BOOKOUTURE
We’re looking for entertaining, emotional stories for smart, modern women. Books that effortlessly transport readers to another world and keep them turning the pages. Genres we’re interested in: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense, Romantic Comedy, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, New Adult, Young Adult, Erotica,Crime
& Thriller, Commercial Literary, Fantasy, Dystopian, Multi-cultural Fiction.
BOREALIS PRESS
The press publishes most genres but specializes in Canadian authored or oriented material.The press accepts for appraisal material that seriously involves the human situation, in a mature, skilful manner
and interesting, well written style.
BRICK ROAD POETRY PRESS
The mission of Brick Road Poetry Press is to publish and promote poetry that entertains,amuses, edifies, and surprises a wide audience of appreciative readers. We are not qualified to judge who deserves to be published, so we
concentrate on publishing what we enjoy. Our preference is for poetry geared toward dramatizing the human experience in a language rich with sensory image and metaphor, recognizing that poetry can be, at one and the same time, both familiar as the perspiration of daily labor and outrageous as a carnival sideshow.
TEMPO ROMANCE
We are looking for fresh, new talent with crisp, modern story lines to launch our new contemporary romance imprint - TEMPO ROMANCE. Tempo's stories can be sweet or sassy,serious or hysterically funny as long as they tell a story that today's woman can relate to. The TEMPO romance is approximately 70,000 words with an upbeat storyline and no graphic sex
scenes.
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Starts Monday! Join us for a three-week online retreat that guides and inspires through daily workshops, meditations, and exercises to help you heal and let go of what doesn't nurture you, embrace your writer-self, find your voice, and be the writer you
were meant to be.
Invest in yourself.Join us, and help yourself heal, connect, inspire, and love writing again!
"Retreat for the Writer's Soul” starts Monday, January 12.
Only four spots remain. Sign up now
Hey folks! Remember the Charleston, SC
conference I raved about last year? I've never been so excited about a conference in my life than I was with that one. I will be there. Will you?
FundsforWriters readers can use code FFW2015 when signing up for the conference. That will entitle them to a 10% discount off VIP or Basic registration. Discount will be reflected at check-out. http://www.pubsensesummit.com/
Click here to visit Book Design
Templates.- Instead of trying to decide what your books should look like, we've made all the decisions for you. Just follow our friendly instructional guide, pour in your text and your book will be ready to go. All your styles and formatting needs are coded into our templates for easy use. Enthusiastically endorsed by Hope!
Joel has created coupon code FFW35 for FFW readers. When you use FFW35 at BookDesignTemplates.com shopping cart, it will give you a 35% discount on anything on the
site.
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GET WEBSITES THAT ROCK, BOOK COVERS THAT SIZZLE
Shaila Abdullah has over a decade of experience designing websites for authors. Being an award-winning author herself, she understands the industry, and will provide you
with a content management website that reflects your unique style, genre, and personality. Other design services such as book covers & interiors, marketing materials, and email campaigns (newsletters, announcements, etc.) also available. MENTION CODE FFW2014 AND GET 10% OFF (NEW CLIENTS ONLY) EXISTING CLIENTS EARN 8% REFERRAL FEE FOR SENDING IN NEW CLIENTS
A few testimonials from happy clients: "Thank you for the gift of your creativity, insight, and problem-solving as I threw you question after question. The site captures my spirit and passion, and it honors my dream since childhood. I feel blessed to have come across you (thanks C Hope Clark!) and will recommend you to those who are in the market for a
new site." --Lyn Fairchild Hawks, author, http://lynhawks.com/ "When I first saw Shaila's work, I was struck by the fact that each site she designs is not only beautiful but also perfectly reflects the personality of the business it represents. Her suggestions, insight, and artistic talent made the final product much better than what I'd
envisioned on my own." --Jacqueline Adams, writer, http://jacqueline-adams.com
A few client sites:
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