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SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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FACE IT: WRITERS MAKE LESS NOW
If you are in this business full-time, and attempt to keep up with the pace of the current publishing paradigm, you can't help but feel depressed. Writers make less now than a decade ago. And no, it does not appear to be a temporary slump.
We can argue the reasons why, but I see it as two-fold:
1) Everybody can publish today.
2) Readers have become accustomed to deals, so the average cost of a book has seriously declined.
Nobody pays $25 for a hardback anymore. Not when a reader can grab an ebook for $1.99. But writers tend to be their own worst enemy. It feels better to sell 1,000 books for $.99 each than 100 for $9.99. We think we're more powerful at that 1,000 number, but what we've failed to see is that we've driven our reputation down to a level that's hard to recover from.
Yes, I understand you can have one-day and two-day offers. I understand Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Countdown Deals attract lower priced sales. But with most writers pricing down their material, we all earn less. And with so many writers in the mix, we all sell less. My own publisher talks about how publishers across the board are earning less, which drives them to promote individual authors less, no longer provide print ARCs, and decrease advances.
On the freelance front, $1/word was once the professional rate. When FundsforWriters was started, I scolded writers for accepting less than 20 cents/word. Today that's decent pay. Writing mills came into the picture, making new writers think they could gather "experience" doing click rate writing. Then people started writing internationally, and writers from some countries easily underbid writers in others. One by one, publications and commercial enterprises learned that
there were enough over-eager and very hungry writers willing to work for pennies to justify the entire payment structure to shift down.
So what's an author to do?
1) Write steadily and often. The prolific writers makes more money no matter the pay.
2) Stand firm for a respectable wage. Turn down bad offers. Set your floor.
3) Don't settle for a lesser publisher. Hold out for a reputable publisher or learn to self-publish and consider making your own success.
4) Be unique in your promotion. Do not use the mass promo offers everyone else uses.
5) Promote daily, a little at a time, but don't sound like the next guy.
The slow-but-sure mentality wins this race, and it's a darn marathon for sure. But there are sneakers and training programs for those marathons, and they await you. You just have to decide to put them on.
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. NOTE: TOTAL will be going up in price November
1. Now might be the time to get in at the prize that's been around for a decade! Click here to consider TOTAL.
-Hope Clark
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Upcoming Book Signings and Classes!
August 26 - SC Library Association, keynote, Irmo Branch Library, 3:30PM
Oct 7 - Bouchercon, Raleigh, NC, James Scott Bell class (as attendee), 1-5 PM
Oct 9 - Lexington, SC Book Club - ON EDISTO BEACH!
Oct 10 - Release of Edisto Jinx, Edisto Beach, SC, Edisto Bookstore, 4-6 PM
Oct 17 - Greenwood, SC - Fiction Class AM / Book Club PM (details TBD)
Oct 29-Nov 1 - Killer Nashville Con, Nashville, TN Nov 7 - Local Authors Presentation - Cayce-West Columbia Library, SC, 2-5 PM
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WORDS OF SUCCESS
"The best advice on writing I’ve ever received is: Don’t answer the phone."~Patsy Garlan
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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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Remember, if FundsforWriters has aided your writing, please share.Readers would love to read about it. Send to hope@fundsforwriters.com
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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From First Draft to Book Launch: How to Publish a Novel
By Chris Robley of BookBaby
You’ve finished writing the first draft of your novel, but there’s still quite a distance to travel between having a finished manuscript and a published book.
What you decide to do with your manuscript from here on out will have a huge impact on both the size of your readership and your book’s reception.
So, how do you publish a novel? What DO you do with the finished manuscript?
1. Ask yourself if you’re really finished.
2. Hire a professional editor.
The best writers in the world still work with editors. It’s an essential part of the publishing process, no matter how good your manuscript. Whether you’re in need of developmental editing, copy editing, or just proofreading — you want to use a professional.Check out “ What kind of book editing do I need for my manuscript?” to figure out exactly what your
book requires at this point. If you don’t have an existing relationship with an editor, visit FirstEditing.com.
3. Start doing your publication prep-work.
You’ll need to prepare a few things before you go ahead and publish a book, including:
You might also want to consider printing galleys and sending them out to services like Kirkus Indie for early review. It always helps to have some quotes from book reviewers to feature on the back of your book, as well as on your website and press materials.
The last preparatory step before publication is to make sure your manuscript documents are formatted properly for printing and eBook conversion.
4. Start marketing.
You need to think about marketing well in advance of your publication date. In fact, many of these steps can be taken while you’re still writing and editing your book:
•Set up a professional author website
•Create a press page on your website that has hi-res images of your book cover, your author photo, bio, press release, etc. •Write content for your website or for other blogs that boosts your online presence and establishes your credibility and voice
Also, consider running a Goodreads giveaway before your book release in order to build anticipation and increase your chances for additional reader-generated reviews.
5. Publish it!Time to get your book out there!
6. Promote your book.
Your book is available for purchase. Now it’s time to let people know where and WHY they should buy it. Here are a few ideas:
•Plan your own virtual book tour, including stops at various book blogs, publishing industry websites, podcasts, radio shows, and more. •Seek out more reviews for your book from bloggers, book critics, and more.
If you’ve checked all these items off your list, way to go! Now it’s time to host a book launch party to celebrate your accomplishments and thank your readers, family, and friends for their support.
BIO
Chris Robley is an award-winning poet, songwriter, performer, and music producer who now lives in Portland, Maine after more than a decade in Portland, Oregon. His music has been praised by NPR, the LA Times, the Boston Globe, and others. Skyscraper Magazine said he is “one of the best short-story musicians to come along in quite some time.” Robley’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in POETRY, Prairie Schooner, Poetry Northwest, Beloit Poetry Journal,
RHINO, Magma Poetry, and more. He is the 2013 winner of Boulevard's Poetry Prize for Emerging Writers and the 2014 recipient of a Maine Literary Award in the category of "Short Works Poetry." http://blog.bookbaby.com/about/author-chris-robley/
Chris also writes for BookBaby. From ebook conversion to print on demand, cover design, and distribution, BookBaby provides independent authors services and solutions to get self-published. The BookBaby Blog features hundreds of posts to get you motivated to write, on the right track to publish, and in touch with the ever-changing world of self-publishing. http://www.bookbaby.com http://blog.bookbaby.com
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COMPETITIONS
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TALKING WRITING PRIZE FOR HYBRID POETRY $15 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline October 1, 2015. Calling al writers who mix it up! This year, we're honoring wild and wonderful boundary crossers. Entries can run from one to five pages long. See web site for discussion of hybrid works. Award: $1,000 and publication in Talking Writing.
PAYTON JAMES FREEMAN ESSAY PRIZE
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline September 1, 2015. The winner will be awarded $500, published in The Rumpus, and brought to Drake University in February 2016 to read from the winning essay and speak at a public event. Submit one essay of up to 3,500 words.
LOVE WINS ESSAY CONTEST
$20 ENTRY FEE.
“Love Wins” essays must be 4,500 words or less and should regard what the recent SCOTUS decision on Marriage Equality means to you, your community, and our future. Pieces must be 6,000 words or less. Deadline August 31, 2015. $1,000 Award plus publication.
NEW SOUTHERNER CONTEST
$10 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline September 30, 2015. We accept submissions of previously unpublished poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for our annual literary contest during the months of August and September. Although the contest theme is open, we are especially interested in work that relates to our mission, which is promoting self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, and local economies. We are also interested in works by writers with a Southern connection, and works written with a Southern slant or that
focus on Southern issues, people, and places. Winning entries, as well as finalists and semifinalists, are published in The New Southerner Literary Edition, available online and in print. $200 for winners of Fiction, Nonfiction, and the James Baker Hall Memorial Prize in Poetry and publication in the literary edition. Submit piece of prose up to 5,000 words or one poem up to 100 lines.
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GRANTS
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GRUB STREET SCHOLARSHIPS
General scholarships are awarded for artistic merit and financial need. Recipients may use their scholarship for any class within the term for which they are applying. Scholarships may not be used for Muse and the Marketplace tuition or manuscript consulting. There are four application deadlines throughout the year, one per term. Next deadline August 28, 2015. (Thanks www.erikedreifus.com for the reminder)
ROYAL LITERARY FUND - UK
Royal Literary Fund Fellowships offer professional writers the opportunity to work for two days a week in a university helping students to develop their writing skills. The Fellow receives a fee (‘stipend’) under contract from the RLF. For entry in autumn 2015 this is £14,000 (35 weeks).
EMERGING VOICES FELLOWSHIPS - BASED IN LOS ANGELES
Fellowships to receiving mentoring from PEN Emerging Voices Mentors carefully chosen from PEN Center USA’s membership and from professional writers based in Los Angeles. The Mentor-Fellow relationship is expected to challenge the fellow's work and compel significant creative progress. Over the course of the fellowship, Emerging Voices Fellows and Mentors should meet three times in person, and be in contact at least once a month. All Emerging Voices Fellows are expected to
complete a 25-hour volunteer project that is relevant to the literary community. The fellowship includes a $1,000 stipend, given in $500 increments.
KENYON REVIEW FELLOWSHIPS
This two-year post-graduate residential fellowship at Kenyon College offers qualified individuals time to develop as writers, teachers, and editors. Fellows will receive a $33,800 stipend, plus health benefits. Fellows are expected to undertake a significant writing project and attend regular individual meetings with faculty mentors; teach one class per semester in the English Department of Kenyon College, contingent upon departmental needs; assist with creative and editorial projects
for The Kenyon Review and KROnline; and participate in the cultural life of Kenyon College by regularly attending readings, lectures, presentations, and other campus activities.
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FREELANCE MARKETS
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WAR CRY
The War Cry, now in its 135th year, represents the Army’s mission through news, profiles, commentaries and stories. It looks to bring people to Christ, help believers grow in faith and character, and promotes redemptive cultural practices from the perspective of Salvation Army programs, ministries and doctrines. Payment made at time of publication. $0.35 per word for first rights, one-time use articles. $0.15 per word for reprints.
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Magazine is a general interest, service and issue-oriented magazine that covers all aspects of life in the state — arts, politics, travel, people, business, health, environment and newsworthy issues. Connecticut Magazine readers are generally affluent and well-educated.
BIRDWATCHING
BirdWatching (formerly Birder’s World) is a bimonthly magazine for people with a broadinterest in wild birds and birdwatching. We strive to publish articles that enhance their enjoyment of the hobby and make them better birders — that is, we look for photos that make our readers say, “Wow!” and information that they can use to find birds, attract birds, identify birds, and understand how and why birds do what they do. Feature articles are 1,750-2,250 words
long. “Attracting Birds”-type features are 700-900 words. We pay $400 for most features and less for shorter pieces.
EOPCH
EPOCH is an open forum for literary fiction, poetry, essays, screenplays, cartoons, graphic art, and graphic fiction. Our payments vary from year to year depending on our funding. We presently pay a minimum of $50 per poem. We pay a maximum of $150 per story, more for fiction submitted by literary agencies and for long stories and novellas. For poetry, submit no more than five poems in one envelope. We consider poetry in all forms, including the long poem. For fiction, submit no more
than one story per envelope and no more than three short short stories per envelope. We consider fiction in all forms, short short to novella length. We do not publish literary criticism or book reviews.
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JOBS
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WRITER & EDITOR
Location Bellevue, WA
Indigo Slate is a customer experience agency with a passion for innovation. Transforming moments into experiences that build authentic relationships. We are looking for a passionate Writer/Editor to help us craft compelling content and marketing materials.
WRITER
Locaton Dartmouth College, NH
Tell Dartmouth’s story through the creation of editorial content on topics including academic excellence, research and teaching, and the liberal arts, for a variety of Dartmouth platforms and publications. Develop content that conveys newsworthy themes and messages as outlined by senior staff in the Office of Public Affairs in consultation with top administrators and constituents.
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AGENTS / PUBLISHERS
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ANDERSEN PRESS - UK
Andersen Press is a specialist children's publisher. We publish picture books, for which the required text would be approximately 500 words (maximum 1,000), juvenile fiction for which the text would be approximately 3-5,000 words and older fiction up to 75,000 words. We do not publish adult fiction, non-fiction, poetry or short story anthologies.
BREAKWATER BOOKS
Breakwater Books publishes Canadian literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s books. While we publish books by authors from across the country, our mandate includes a vested interest in publishing the stories and authors of Newfoundland and Labrador.
DUNDURN PRESS - CANADA
Dundurn is not currently accepting fiction submissions, including mysteries or YA, nor is it accepting children’s non-fiction submissions. Dundurn is currently accepting submissions for adult non-fiction books in the following areas of interest.•Canadian history•Biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, and current events•True crime and the paranormal•Arts and culture•Business•Genealogy•Transportation•Health•
Canadiana and local interest
SUNBURY PRESS
Sunbury Press is a rapidly growing publisher of a wide range of categories. We are always seeking new titles to publish including: history, historical fiction, police procedurals, crime thrillers, horror, steam punk, young adult, children's, current events, science, reference, art history, ANY local/regional history, humor, spiritual/metaphysical, self-help, professional, memoirs, etc. We typically receive approximately 1,000 proposals a year, publishing roughly 50 of them (about
5 percent). We choose to invest in those opportunities that we feel have the best chance in the current marketplace.
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SPONSORS
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For a limited time, we are offering new students 10% off any course! Visit our online course catalog to find the course that is right for you and register today.
 
NOTE: 30 percent off for FundsforWriters readers for a short time. Click here.
Grammarly sucked me in and owned me after only ten minutes of using it on my latest manuscript, Edisto Jinx. Though my grammar skills are solid, Grammarly pointed me toward flow issues, awkward wording, repeated wording, and yes, the occasional grammar oversight. I caught myself changing sentences and enjoying the second set of eyes. Grammarly is truly one of the simplest and most useful editing tools I've ever experienced. ~C. Hope Clark, award-winning mystery author, www.chopeclark.com, and editor of FundsforWriters.com
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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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