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Volume 15, Issue 8, March 13, 2015 |
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Message from the Editor
Last week was Winnie, so this week is Roo. Each doxie has to have her day. We're seated on the gazebo overlooking the lake on the back of our place. The days see-saw from nippy (50 degrees) to warm (80 degrees) here in South Carolina, but from the blooms on the forsythia and daffodils, spring has decided to make an appearance. That means the coots and loons will be leaving soon, and the ducklings will show up in tow behind their mamas. Then on Wednesday, I head to Edisto Beach. Yep, it ought to be just about right to walk on the beach. I'm looking forward to the twenty ladies who've invited me down to chat Murder on Edisto. I've heard rumor that they even read the dialogue aloud to each other! LOL
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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SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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Authors - Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card
BookGoodies.com is running an author survey and we want your input! To entice you to fill it out we are running a giveaway for a $50 Amazon Gift Card and some advertising slots on our site. Come help us be better and share some fun info with us as well.
http://bookgoodies.com/author-giveaway/
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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THE PITCH LETTER
As a freelancer, your first impressions comes across in your pitch/query letter. There's no way around it, unless a magazine editor stumbles across your website and says, "Hey, I like that writer. I wonder if he'll write for me!"
Yeah, you're laughing.
Without a strong pitch/query letter, you land fewer gigs. An editor looks at a weak query letter as the sign of a weak writer. How can he not? It's the first impression of a writer's ability.
Two types of reachouts are commonly used to get assignments from publications: queries and letters of introduction. Queries tend to specifically pitch an idea, while letters of introduction basically introduce you to the publication, giving ideas on what you can do for the publisher.
Most writers don’t know when to use which.
For years, I've directed freelancers to Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer. Without hesitation, I suggest you take one of her classes to get a solid foundation under them before pitching. Recently, she's paired up with Carol Tice, an equally phenomenal guru behind Make a Living Writing. If I were giving up novels and returning to freelancing, even after having successfully appeared in many magazines, I'd take their class, or classes, because they have tricks, ideas, and solid lessons that work and generate income.
If you’ve been scared to query editors, or wondered how you can break into trade publications or custom magazines like the ones companies put out, you can guess where I'm going with this. Carol Tice from Make a Living Writing and Linda Formichelli from The Renegade Writer are putting on a free training - “Let’s Make Your Headline Not Suck."
Carol and Linda have about 35 years of experience between them, and have written for Forbes, Redbook, Costco Connection, Family Circle, Entrepreneur, Writer's Digest, Health, Parenting, WebMD, and many, many more. They know how to get an idea assigned! And now, they’re willing to share their tips - free.
On this call, they’re taking pitches live and talking about why most story ideas writers send in fail to interest editors and how to make *your* idea irresistible.
It’s happening on Tuesday, March 24 at 12 pm Pacific (California time)/3 pm Eastern (New York Time). You can register to listen in right here.
P.S. TOTAL FundsforWriters is the extended version of this newsletter, with 70 markets, contests, grants, etc. and still at the ten-year-old cost of $15 for 26 issues. A great way to find opportunities to make money, without the hours of searching. Some subscribers have been around since TOTAL's origin a decade ago...they swear by it that much.
P.P.S. On March 22-24, 2015, I'll be in Charleston, SC at PubSense Summit, probably my favorite conference of all I've ever been to. I'll be on three panels, but the rest of the time I'll be floating around. If you come, look me up and let's chat. That's what I'm there for. Oh - use FFW2015 when you sign up and you'll save 10 percent on your conference fee, plus I might just give you one of my novels - if you ask me nice in Charleston!
-Hope Clark
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Upcoming Book Signings and Classes!
March 18, 2015 - Edisto Beach Book Club - 4 PM - ??
March 21, 2015 - Palmetto Chapter Sisters in Crime, Grecian Gardens, Columbia, SC - Speaker Gary W. Clark, Sr (yes, hubby is speaking)
March 22-24, 2015 - PubSense, Charleston, SC, Francis Marion Hotel
March 29, 2015 - 7-9 PM - WritersChatroom.com - Live forum
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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WORDS OF SUCCESS
"I suppose that there are endeavors in which self-confidence is even more important than it is in writing -- tightrope walking comes immediately to mind -- but it's difficult for me to think of anybody producing much writing if his confidence is completely shot."
~Calvin Trillin
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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?
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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SUCCESS STORY
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If you have a success story thanks to markets, grants, contests, whatever you found in FundsforWriters, let me know. We'd love to share it with other readers. ~Hope
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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Four Ways to Beat the Feast and Famine Cycle (Without Burning Out)
By Issa Mirandilla
Freelance writing is a balancing act. If you take on too much work, you burn out. If you take on too little work, you risk a crater-sized hole in your bank account.
What counts as "just enough work" or "just enough income" varies from one freelance writer to another, but it's easier to find that sweet spot in the middle when you:
Pitch Often
You don't have to pitch articles every day (though if that works for you, by all means go for it). Pitch every other day, or once a week, as long as you don't sacrifice the quality of your pitches, but pitch regularly. The more often you pitch, the better your chance of landing assignments with publications like the ones listed on "Who Pays Writers?" http://whopayswriters.com
Take at Least One Light But Regular Gig
The problem with high-paying assignments, like those from magazines and big-name corporations, is that they're usually temporary. You need something to tide you over in-between these assignments, which is where the light-but-regular-gig comes in. (For starters, check out the gigs advertised at Blog Writers Wanted.) http://blogwriterswanted.com
Think of this extra gig as a part-time job. It might pay lower than what you're comfortable with, but at least you'll have pocket money. Besides, if the gig involves tasks like social media promotion and image editing, you can expand your existing skill set, which puts you in a good position to haggle for higher rates in the future.
A word of warning, though: Don't stay too long in these kinds of jobs. You might fall into the habit of churning out only easy articles, leaving you with little time and energy to craft more difficult, more lucrative, pieces. If a better opportunity comes along, and the extra gig is becoming more of a burden than it's worth, drop it as soon and as professionally as you can.
Use the 45-15 Rule
To better handle these tasks, create a schedule. You need time to pitch, time to write those $1-a-word assignments, and time for your extra gig. Sounds like a lot to squeeze into a day, right?
Not if you allocate 15 minutes of rest for every 45 minutes of work. This method keeps your energy levels stable throughout the day, no matter how many hours you work. The 45-15 rule helps you accomplish and earn more, without sucking every last bit of energy out of you.
Make It a Habit to Freewrite
Freewriting may not be directly related to income, but it can spell the difference between five articles a month and five articles a week. Before you write any paid article, jot down as many ideas as you can about that article without opening Google and without stopping to check whether your ideas make any sense. You'll be surprised at what you can come up with, and how fast you'll be able to write the final product.
"Feast and famine" doesn't have to be your awkward bedfellow. With these tips, you'll be on your way to a more fruitful and less stressful writing career.
BIO: Issa Mirandilla has plenty to say about freelancing, writing, marketing, and other business-related topics. Drop her a line on Twitter (@issamirandilla), or visit her website http://issamirandilla.com
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COMPETITIONS
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ELIZABETH JOLLEY SHORT STORY PRIZE
https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes/elizabeth-jolley-story-prize
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline May 1, 2015. The Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is one of Australia’s most lucrative prizes for an original short story. Managed by Australian Book Review, the prize is worth a total of AUD $8,000 (US$6,150) with a first prize of $5,000 and supplementary prizes of $2,000 and $1,000. Entries are welcome from writers anywhere in the world and there are no age restrictions. Entries must be a single-authored short story of between 2,000 and 5,000 words, written in English.
PULP FICTION's The Hummingbird Prize for Flash Fiction
http://pulpliterature.com/contests/
$10-$15 ENTRY FEE.
Contest Opens May 1, 2015 and closes June 15, 2015. Winner published in Issue 9, Winter 2016, plus gets a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature. First Prize: $300 (Runner up: $75). For unpublished short fiction up to 1,000 words in length. Total entries limited to 300.
WRITER ADVICE FLASH PROSE CONTEST
http://www.writeradvice.com/
$15 ENTRY FEE.
WriterAdvice seeks flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction running 750 words or less. Enlighten, dazzle, and delight us. Finalists receive responses from all judges. Deadline April 21, 2015. First Place earns $200; Second Place earns $100; Third Place earns $50; Honorable Mentions will also be published.
WATERMAN PRIZE
http://www.watermanfund.org/essay-contest/conditions-and-limits/
NO ENTRY FEE.
Waterman Fund Alpine Essay Contest is open only to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. Deadline April 15, 2015. $2,000 will be split between the winning and runner up essays, or as the Waterman Fund sees fit. The winning essay will be printed in Appalachia Journal. The winner must agree for his/her essay to be edited by the editor of Appalachia. The 2015 essay contest invites emerging writers to explore the question of who the stewards of wilderness are.
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GRANTS
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WRITERS ON THE VERGE - NBC UNIVERSAL
http://www.nbcunicareers.com/writers-verge
Writers on the Verge is a 12-week program focused on polishing writers and readying them for a staff writer position on a television series. We are looking for writers who are "almost there" but need that final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills. We particularly encourage writers of diverse backgrounds to apply. Submission window is May 1 through May 31, 2015.
CBS WRITERS MENTOR PROGRAM
http://diversity.cbscorporation.com/page.php?id=23
The focus of this six-month program is on opening doors: providing opportunities to build relationships with network executives and show runners; to support new and emerging writers in their efforts to improve their craft; and to develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break in and succeed. The Writers Mentoring Program is not employment and there is no monetary compensation. It is, instead, a structured program of career development, support, and personal access to executives and the decision-making processes, with the goal of preparing aspiring writers for later employment opportunities in television. Deadline May 1, 2015.
FJUK ARTS CENTRE RESIDENCIES
http://fjukartscentre.com
This residency program is perfect for artists to get away from their daily routine and reflect on their artwork in the small northern town of Husavik, Iceland. In the winter it becomes a quiet haven of peace and solace, with frozen lakes, metre long icicles hanging off the cliffs and northern lights visible at night. In the summer months, it becomes a hive of activity, with Humpback and Minke Whales both easily visible on the popular whale-watching trips and a vibrant transient population of tourists, guides and researchers. Deadline March 29, 2015.
SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR GET AWAY TO WRITE - SPAIN RETREAT https://murphywritingseminars.submittable.com/submit/39465
Murphy Writing of Stockton University is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a first-time participant. The Get Away to Write - Spain program will take place July 14-21, 2015 in Tavertet, Spain. This international writing retreat is open to poets, fiction, memoir and nonfiction writers. Are you a writer who loves to travel? Join us this summer in beautiful northern Spain to immerse yourself in a supportive week-long writing experience that will energize and inspire you. Enjoy encouraging workshops, plentiful writing time, panoramic cliff top views and excursions to Barcelona and the town of Vic, where the outdoor market dates back to the 9th century. Scholarship deadline March 15, 2015.
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FREELANCE MARKETS
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AE SCIFI
http://aescifi.ca/index.php/submissions
AE welcomes submissions from both established and emerging authors. We publish exclusively science fiction, though our interpretation of the genre can be quite inclusive. We are interested in stories from 500 to 3,000 words in length. We are not soliciting poetry or screenplays at this time. Pays seven cents/word CAN.
THE THREEPENNY REVIEW
http://www.threepennyreview.com/submissions.html
The Threepenny Review is paying $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece. This payment buys first serial rights in our print and digital editions, and the copyright then reverts to the author immediately upon publication. As a rule, critical articles should be about 1,200 to 2,500 words, Table Talk items 1,000 words or less, stories and memoirs 4,000 words or less, and poetry 100 lines or less.
TAKE A BREAK MAGAZINE
http://www.takeabreak.co.uk/sell-us-your-story
It's your magazine and we're interested in your lives. Love and betrayal, loss and sin. Use our on-line story form as a guide. You only need to send us a brief outline, although you can include much more if you wish. Pays £2,000 for accepted stories.
CHICKEN SOUP: MERRY CHRISTMAS
http://www.chickensoup.com
Share your special stories about the holiday season—including Chanukah and Kwanzaa — from inspirational and joyous, to heartwarming and humorous. Remember, all the stories in our Christmas books are “Santa Safe” — we don’t want to spoil the magic for children. This title was previously posted as “Stories about the Christmas Season.” If you submitted a story for that title it will be considered for “Merry Christmas!” The deadline for story and poem submissions has been extended to March 31, 2015. Maximum 1,200 words. Pays $200 and ten copies.
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JOBS
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EDITOR (PART-TIME)
Location Wisconsin
http://renaissance.submit4jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=85377.viewjobdetail&CID=85377&JID=186574
We are seeking an experienced and creative professional to create, review, and edit quizzes for fiction and nonfiction books used by K-12 students.
DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR
Location Irvine, CA
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Lucid-Fusion/jobs/Digital-Content-Editor-587057d84e1dba2e
The Digital Content Editor will assist in editing all stories from freelance and staff writers, ensuring that all content is properly formatted and angled to appeal to the digital reader. This often involves repaginating articles, uploading photos and rewriting headlines to better fit with the online audience.
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AGENTS / PUBLISHERS
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FAITHWALK PUBLISHING
http://www.faithwalkpub.com/index.php
At FaithWalk Publishing we recognize that everyone is on a spiritual journey. While some may have definite beliefs there are others who are still searching to find life¹s meaning. Our mission is to publish books that are Christian in orientation while covering a wide range of topics of interest for believers and spiritual seekers alike. Books which will meet people where they are in their own spiritual quest.
PRUFROCK PRESS
http://www.prufrock.com/Assets/ClientPages/Science_Prospectus_Guidelines.aspx
At Prufrock Press, we want to build a new series of humorous, high-interest children’s nonfiction books about interesting moments in science, and we are on a search for great teacher-authors to participate in the writing project. Imagine a series of children’s books (ages 8 to 12) based around the themes of science experiments gone wrong, explosive experiments or dangerous innovations, strange or gruesome findings, or electrifying science discoveries that shocked the world.
Initially, we imagine specific books in the series would target scientific discoveries in both past and present that are not often taught in everyday science courses, including medical research/innovations, chemistry or electricity experiments that went wrong, or surprising inventions and discoveries that caused a stir or that popular belief never imagined could be true. However, if you have a different idea, we would love to hear it! Ultimately, we’re looking for humorous, gruesome, dangerous, and appealing science books that kids won’t want to put down. Deadline April 1, 2015.
280 STEPS
http://280steps.com/submissions
We seek novels, collections of short stories and novellas that can be categorized as crime fiction from established writers and fresh new voices. Our inbox is open until April 30, 2015. We accept both agented and unagented submissions. The ideal 280 Steps manuscript length is 30,000-90,000 words.
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SPONSORS
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The Nebraska Writers Guild presents Spring Conference 2015.
Make Contacts! Meet Agents! Learn Mad Skills!
April 10th and April 11th.
Speakers:
Literary Agent Deidre Knight, from the Knight Agency;
Literary Agency Michael Carr, from the Veritas Literary Agency;
Editor and Online Community Manager of ScriptMag.com, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman;
Career Coach for professional and emerging screenwriters, Lee Jessup.
More information at www.nebraskawriters.org
Taught by freelancing gurus Linda Formichelli and Carol Tice!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ~Hope
Are you looking for a great writing workshop?
Join us at the Southeastern Writers Workshop, Epworth-by-the-Sea, St. Simon’s Island, GA
on June 19-23 (Fiction June 20-21 & non-fiction June 22-23). Attend both for maximum benefit!
Get the details at southeasternwriters.org. Register today.
NOTE: I'll be teaching fiction on June 20-21. Any chance I'll see you there? ~Hope)
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.
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/
NOTE: I'll be on several panels, none of which will be snoozers as we challenge mindsets on publishing and promotion. ~Hope
NOTE: This is my web designer, and I recommend Shaila highly. ~Hope
Winner of several AEP and Marcom design awards, Shaila Abdullah has over 20 years of experience as a graphic and web designer. She has assisted over 50 authors and writers with their design needs ranging from websites, books, marketing materials, social media banners, ads, to email campaigns (newsletters and announcements). Being an award-winning author herself, Shaila understands the industry, and will provide you with designs that reflects your unique style, genre, and personality.
MENTION THIS AD AND GET 10% OFF (NEW CLIENTS ONLY)
EXISTING CLIENTS EARN 8% REFERRAL FEE FOR SENDING IN NEW CLIENTS
“After months of collaborating on my vision of a website as a place to showcase my published essays and offer writing and editing services, Shaila Abdullah turned out a site design that is my dream come true. —Kate Meadows, writer and author
"Superb work, excellent customer service. Just marvelous overall.” —C. Hope Clark, FundsforWriters
“Nothing stands in Shaila’s way. From my design requests to technological needs–Shaila had a creative solution to offer at every turn. I value her design services as a trusted part of my business plan.” —Yvonne Pesquera, writer
"Shaila helped us redesign the website for our writers' conference. She went above and beyond, looking through thousands of our pictures to choose the best, and often wrote chunks of content for us to fill in gaps. Shaila was wonderful to work with and it was worth every penny." —Amanda Murphy, Managing Director of the Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway
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Fine print
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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
Copyright 2000-2015, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326
**Note that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter, ALL ads being related to writers and the business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. But the mailing list is not sold to third parties. You will not receive this newsletter without your permission. It's physically impossible since recipients must opt-in, giving us permission to send the newsletter. If at any time you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, click the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each newsletter. We want you to enjoy this newsletter at your pleasure, not be forced to read anything you do not wish to receive. The website is not advertised using unsolicited messages by Aweber, affiliates or other third parties. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com. We are an anti-spam site.
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