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SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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THE SECOND BOOK SYNDROME
The second book is a nail-biting endeavor. One would think that the first one would be the one to make you break out in hives, but trust me, that follow-up is an experience all its own.
Most readers wait to read an author until the author has multiple books out. That means three, four, or more. Stand-alones have to lead with some pretty incredible buzz to be read. The first book in a series is also a difficult sell. But an author releasing the second book is in this crazy limbo place: not yet proven as an author or as a series worth investing in. Here's the Second Book Syndrome from the eyes of the reader:
1) Is book two as good as book one?
2) Is the author a one-hit wonder (e.g. Harper Lee)?
3) Is all the excitement expended in the first book?
4) No point reading book two until after reading book one.
5) Why does this author have two books when I never heard of the first one?
6) I'll wait until there are three or four books. Two books isn't a series.
The author knows all this, because authors are readers before they are writers. Let's look at the Second Book Syndrome through the eyes of the author:
1) Is book two as good as book one? I'm too close to really tell.
2) Do I have another book in me? The first one was a feat in itself.
3) Did I invest so much into book one that I'm fighting for traction in book two?
4) How do I make people want to read this book when book one is still trying to sell?
5) Do I have enough credibility to make people read more than one book?
6) Two books don't feel like a series. I wish I could write faster and get to book five.
These thoughts are amazingly similar. Book two is that difficult book. In most series, authors and publishers will tell you that the second book often tanks or proves to be the hardest sell.
The author poured himself into developing a voice in the first one, but is that skill tapped dry? Is the second story as special as the inaugural one? Is the magic gone? Was the first one a fluke?
As both author and reader, cut the second book some slack. In reality, it should be the more mature book where the author has more stable footing and can dare to step up their game. A writer daring to tackle that second book is hungry and aiming to please. It might be THE BOOK of the series...the one where the author is fighting harder to prove himself.
Whether reader or author, give it a whirl!
-Hope Clark
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.
Click here to see all of Hope's books.
SILVER FALCHION AWARDS
Palmetto Poison and Murder on Edisto are entered in the Silver Falchion Awards affiliated with the glorious Killer Nashville Mystery Conference. One of the awards is the Reader's Choice, and I'd be honored if you'd consider voting for either or both of these books. You'll find one under Cozy/Traditional Mystery and the other under Private
Detective/Procedural Mystery. Bless you if you do! (And bless you if you don't.) http://www.killernashville.com/vote-for-the-silver-falchion-readers-choice-award/
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the most up-to-date information about Hope, contests, writing industry information and giveaways, keep up with Hope on Twitter and Facebook. Things get more interesting in real time!
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Upcoming Book Signings and Classes!
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 - Class on Dialogue - Greenwood Arts Center (Room 102), Greenwood, SC - Open to public with small entrance fee - 10 AM to Noon
Oct 29-Nov 1 - Killer Nashville Con, Nashville, TN
Nov 7 - Local Authors Presentation - Cayce-West Columbia Library, SC, 2-5 PM -
Open to public
Check out all of Hope's books
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WORDS OF SUCCESS
"Respect your characters, even the minor ones. In art, as in life, everyone is the hero of their own particular story."
~Sarah Waters
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EDISTO JINX
Is it a flesh and blood killer -
or restless spirits?
According to Sophie, the resident yoga mistress and psychic, beautiful Edisto Beach becomes a hotbed of troublemaking spirits every August. But when a visitor dies mysteriously during a beach house party, former big-city detective Callie Morgan and Edisto Beach police chief Mike Seabrook hunt for motives and suspects among the living. With tourists filling the beaches and local business owners anxious to squelch rumors of a murderer on the loose, Callie will need all the help she
can get - especially once the killer's attention turns toward her.
COMING OCTOBER 1st!
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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Hello Hope!
Earlier this year I was generously blessed with winning the Grammarly subscription. I have taken full advantage of the program and love it! The staff who worked with me during the sign up process were professional and patient and the outcome from using Grammarly has been fantastic! The program has been very helpful to my overall writing! I purchased a program as a gift for my daughter-in-law who also loves it! When my subscription runs out you can be assured I am subscribing! I have found
a writing tool to depend on! Thank you!
Also, earlier this year I found the Arizona Mystery Writer's Contest in your newsletter. I had been writing in the Christian Market, but decided to enter a short suspense story I had worked on for a long time. When I got the call that I had WON the contest, I was overjoyed and it is spurring me on to complete my first mystery novel. I just returned from Tucson, Arizona where I received the award and the prize and got to personally thank all of the wonderful judges for this win. Now, I
want to thank you for the part you play in lifting others. How great it is to know we are all in this together!
Have a great day!
Ginger
Best Regards,
Ginger Marcinkowski
Email: grm55@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/ginger.marcinkowski
https://gingermarcinkowski.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @grm55grm
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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Devyani Borade is the creator, and real-life version, of Debora. Her
fiction, nonfiction and art have been accepted/published by over 170
magazines across the world. Visit her website Verbolatry at
http://devyaniborade.blogspot.com to contact her, and enjoy more of
Debora's adventures.
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COMPETITIONS
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MASTERS REVIEW FALL FICTION CONTEST
https://mastersreview.com/fall-fiction-contest-vandermeer-2000-publication/
$20 ENTRY FEE.
The winning story will receive $2,000 and publication on the site. Second and third place stories will receive $200 and $100, publication, and all story winners will receive a letter from Jeff and Ann about their piece, and why it was chosen. Fifteen finalists will be recognized online and have their stories read by the VanderMeers. Deadline October 31, 2015. 7,000-word limit.
TETHERED BY LETTERS' FALL 2015 LITERARY CONTEST
http://tetheredbyletters.com/submissions/contest-submission
ENTRY FEES: $15 Short Story; $7 Flash Fiction/$15 three Flash Fictions; $7 poem /$15 for three poems.
We are currently accepting submissions for our short story contest (1,000 to 7,500 words, open genre), flash fiction contest (55, 250, or 500 words), and poetry contest (maximum of three pages per poem). TBL strives to publish writers with engaging stories, vivid characters, and fresh writing styles. All winners will be published in F(r)iction. All finalists will receive free professional edits on their submission and be considered for later publication. The prizes are $500 (USD) for the
short story winner, $150 (USD) for the flash fiction winner, and $150 (USD) for the poetry winner. Multiple entries accepted. International submissions welcome. Deadline December 1, 2015.
ODDCONTEST by ODYSSEYCON
http://odysseycon.org/contest/contest.html
YOUTH NO ENTRY FEE.
ADULTS $5 ENTRY FEE.
Sponsored by Odysseycon, a science-fiction convention in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, April 8–10, 2016. Send 500 words max of speculative (science-fiction, fantasy, or horror) fiction or prose poetry. Deadline January 15, 2016. Youth: under 18 as of Jan. 1, 2015. Send only ONE entry. Prize $50 to first place. Adults multiple entries allowed. Prize $500 to first place. OddCon membership and books to top 3 places in both divisions. Winning poems/stories will be read at OddCon, published in
the program, and posted on the OddCon site.
DARK POETRY CONTEST
http://www.eldritchpress.com/dark-poetry-contest.html
NO ENTRY FEE.
Eldritch Press is passionate about dark poetry and finding new voices in the dense forest of poets out in the world. We will announce the winners on Halloween. Three poetry collections will be chosen for the following prizes: First Place: $1,500 and a three-year publishing contract with Eldritch Press. Second Place: $1,000 and a two-year publishing contract with Eldritch Press. Third Prize: $500 and a one-year publishing contract with Eldritch Press. The winning Poetry Collections will be
published in February of 2016. Deadline September 30, 2015. Open to poets who have yet to publish a full-length-book/collection of poetry, including self-published in any genre. Minimum 50 pages to a maximum of 100 pages.
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GRANTS
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ARTIST TRUST ARTS INNOVATOR AWARD
http://artisttrust.org/index.php/for-artists/money#arts_innovator_awards
$25,000 to two Washington State generative artists in any discipline who are originating new work, experimenting with new ideas, taking risks and pushing the boundaries in their respective fields. The award recognizes artists who demonstrate innovation in their art practice. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older by application date, have a minimum of five years in professional art practice, and be a resident of Washington State at time of application and when the award is granted.
Deadline November 16, 2015.
SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION
http://speculativeliterature.org/grants/
The SLF is a non-profit arts foundation, modeled on the National Endowment for the Arts, but focused specifically on serving the speculative literature (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) community. The SLF currently offers four grants: The Older Writers’ Grant, the Travel Grant, the Working Class Writers’ Grant, and the Diversity Grant. All of our grants are free to apply, and are designed as ‘gateway’ grants, with easy and straightforward applications that
should be quick to complete.
SOUTH CAROLINA ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/grants/artists/fellowships.shtml
Deadline November 2, 2015, Fellowships recognize and reward the artistic achievements of South Carolina's exceptional individual artists. Fellowship awards are $5,000 each.
MORLAND SCHOLARSHIP FOR AFRICAN WRITERS
http://www.milesmorlandfoundation.com/morlandwritingscholarship.html
Applications are now open the Morland Writing Scholarship for 2016. Three scholarships of £18,000 (US $28,000) each will be awarded to fiction writers and one prize of £27,000 (US$42,000) will be awarded to a writer of non-fiction. The scholarship is open to writers who were born in Africa or whose parents were born in Africa. The scholarship is intended for writers who want to write a full-length book of 80,000 words or more. To this end, the writers will be asked to submit
via email 10,000 new words every month until they have finished their book. Deadline October 31, 2015.
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FREELANCE MARKETS
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NARRATIVE
http://www.narrativemagazine.com/node/360
Narrative is strongly committed to supporting our authors' work. Our current rates for work are as follows:
—$150 for a Story of the Week, with $400 each for the annual Top Five Stories of the Week.
—$150 to $350 for 500 to 2,000 word manuscripts.
—$350 to $1,000 for 2,000 to 15,000 word manuscripts.
—Rates for book-length works vary, depending on the length and nature of the work.
—$50 minimum for each accepted poem and audio piece. ($25 for poetry reprints.)
—$200 each for the annual Top Five Poems of the Week.
BOULEVARD MAGAZINE
http://www.boulevardmagazine.org/projects.html
Between October 1, 2015 and May 1, 2016, Boulevard welcomes unsolicited submissions from both established and emerging writers. The minimum payment for prose is $100, maximum $300. Word limit 8,000 words. Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
FIRESIDE
http://www.firesidefiction.com/submissions/
Open to submissions through September 30, 2015. Fireside is looking for original, unpublished flash fiction (1,000 words or less) and original, unpublished short stories up to 4,000 words. Fireside pays 12.5 cents per word, with payment on completion of edits.
GLIMMER TRAIN
http://www.glimmertrain.com/standard.html
Open to all writers. Stories not to exceed 12,000 words.(No minimum, though it's rare for a piece under 500 words to read as a full story.) Held three times a year: Open to submissions in JANUARY, MAY, SEPTEMBER. Next deadline: September 30, 2015. Payment for accepted stories: $700, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 10 copies of that issue.
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JOBS
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COMMUNICATIONS WRITER - NIKE
Location Portland, OR.
http://jobs.nike.com/us/united-states/communications/jobid8288626-communications-writer
The team focuses on information, inspiration and connection to accelerate the growth of NIKE, Inc. Communications employees ignite conversations, envision the possibilities, and influence and deliver new levels of creative and strategic thinking to advance the brand around the world. Bachelor's degree in Journalism, English, Journalism, Advertising or similar. Five years' previous experience required, 10 years' experience preferred.
CONTENT WRITER - SIMPLUS
Location Sandy, UT.
https://www.simplus.com/careers/content-writer/
The Content Writer will be responsible for researching, drafting, and authoring online content and supporting collateral. The candidate must be experienced and able to quickly understand the product or service being offered and write copy content that appeals to the target audience. Previous experience in the SaaS and/or tech industries is a plus, but not required. Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent work experience. Two+ years authoring experience in training development or
technical writing. Microsoft Suite proficiency.
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AGENTS / PUBLISHERS
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PAJAMA PRESS
http://pajamapress.ca/submissions/
We publish picture books — both for the very young and for school-aged readers — as well as novels for middle grade readers and for young adults aged 12+. Our non-fiction titles typically contain a strong narrative element. Pajama Press does not publish series or titles geared specifically for an educational market.
HISTORY PRESS
http://historypress.net/authors/
We are always looking for historians and writers to help us preserve America’s rich local and regional heritage. To help us determine whether The History Press is the right publisher for your project, please complete and submit a proposal form. Has a specific desire for New England authors.
ANDERSEN PRESS
http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/about-us/submitting-a-manuscript
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 3,000-5,000 words and older fiction up to 75,000 words. We do not publish adult fiction, non-fiction, poetry or short story anthologies.
BENBELLA BOOKS
http://www.benbellabooks.com/for-authors/
BenBella Books is a publishing boutique that publishes 30 to 40 books a year, is very selective in what it acquires, and works with great diligence to publish each book to its maximum potential. We are actively acquiring strong nonfiction manuscripts. We are not looking for fiction at this time.
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SPONSORS
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NOTE TO POTENTIAL SPONSORS:
FundsforWriters advertising rates will be rising come November 1, 2015. Any ads purchased before that time, regardless of when you wish them published, will be honored at the old, lower rate. www.fundsforwriters.com/advertising
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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
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