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SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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TWO THINGS - BRANDING AND WRITER'S BLOCK
Of course you're wondering what these two have to do with each other. Actually it's more about what they have in common.
For the first time in my career, I see writing income sliding to a new level I feel it will not recover from. What I'm trying to say is that the effort you put into your writing business last year isn't enough for this year. To make the same income, you have to work harder and smarter.
The competition is fierce. Whether you hate traditional or indie matters not anymore because authors on both sides are hurting. Incomes are down. It's harder than ever to be heard and seen, much less read.
Why such a morbid post? Look at the title of this post again.
It's like you're in a mob. Ever seen that commercial about the little door that data is trying to run through, only to see people pile atop one another unable to get through? Then the advertiser talks about a bigger "door" that allows all data to go through? Well, we're at that stage where the door (the reader) is tiny. Authors are that mob. Only some will get through.
That's why branding is super critical right now. I listen to long-time, mid-list authors complain these days about how their incomes are way down, but they are doing the same thing they've always done. That's the problem. They are doing the same thing...marketing some, maybe posting on FB three times a week, thinking what worked in 2005 still works now.
You cannot be seen without being different. You cannot be heard without noise, a dfferent kind of noise, because God knows it's noisy out there. You need a brand, and when you figure out what it is, then you need to sling it and work it hard. Daily. Yep, daily.
Now, that brings us to the other topic: writer's block. In this day where Amazon accepts thousands of books per day to its database, you cannot sit back and profess to have writer's block. Like your marketing, you need to write daily. Block NEVER stops you from writing. Somewhere in your head it makes you think you can't write, but guess what? Your brain and hands still work . . . so write. With the sea of writers out there writing daily, you'll be soon forgotten
otherwise.
Sorry for the rant, but I'm seeing good writers, long-time writers, being run over by the waves of books flooding the world. You have to keep swimming or you'll drown. Nobody is throwing you a life raft. The only options are to keep swimming, drown, or simply get out of the water. And the decision is all yours.
= = =
Now . . . take a peek at the video trailer for Edisto Jinx. It was created by Jerome McCain, from BookFrenzyStudios.com I'll never try to make a trailer on my own again, and it won't take the whole minute of this trailer for you to see why.
Thanks
- Hope
 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/
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Upcoming Book Signings and Classes!
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
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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WORDS OF SUCCESS
"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose."
~Stephen King
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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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Hi Hope,
You are such a good friend of us writers! Two of my recent publications resulted from your encouragement. One is an updated edition of Financially Savvy, a financial guide for teenagers that I wrote ten years ago, and the other is a book of poetry, Mountain Gold. Now that those two projects are finished, I have returned to working on a creative nonfiction novel about my great-great-grandfather's mid-1800s flying machine which I had pushed aside after getting it half finished.
With the track now cleared, maybe I can finish it in about six months.
God bless you for your helpfulness and encouragement. I also love reading your books! You are a wonderful writer. You have a great talent for keeping the action going from start to finish.
Sylvia Dyer Turnage
Blairsville, GA
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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How I Get the Best Out of FundsforWriters Newsletter
By Ken Powell
Hope's FFW is a great newsletter and completely deserves its reputation as a great resource for writers. The newsletter is one of a handful. In every edition there is at least one publication I think “I like the sound of that – I'll send them an LOI or a pitch!”
But there's a problem, a catch-22 if you like: Hope's newsletter is way too popular! When I first subscribed to FFW as soon as I'd read it I would start researching the publications – check out their style, recent articles etc. But my pitches usually bombed even though I had a really good rate of acceptance from other publications I'd researched. The penny dropped when I noticed one publication I'd just read about in FFW had "closed their doors for submission
due to a sudden increase in pitches" before I got further than the research. Of course! We were all pitching the same editors at the same time.
As soon as I clicked on to this, I changed my approach not just with FFW but with all the newsletters I receive which list magazine submission details. Suddenly my rate of success with these editors vastly improved. I use a staggered approach now. Here's what I do:
1) I read FFW as soon as it appears in my inbox but only for the Editor's Thoughts and the Featured Article. It's always good to get new ideas and encouragement.
2) I look at time-sensitive notices like competitions. I admit these are low priority for me as I'm too busy with non-fiction work to do much story writing. I also ignore grants because not many of them apply to the UK where I live.
3) This is the important bit: I file FFW newsletter in a special email folder and ignore it for about six months. That way, if there's a flurry of pitches from eager writers, I miss the crush. These publications have usually been around for a while, so there's no rush! I have a stack of about two years of FFWs and other newsletters ready to use now.
4) I then pick an FFW from the back catalog and choose publications to pitch. The choice can be random – might be from six months earlier, or four months, or even a year. It really doesn't matter as long as it's old.
It's almost stupidly simple but what a difference this has made to the acceptances I've seen! Now I have a level playing field to pitch to rather than trying to shout to be heard after the sudden interest has died down. I've found that if you're good enough you won't 'miss the boat'. As long as the publications keep running, they'll always need new articles.
For instance, just recently I pitched a piece to Little India – the largest overseas Indian magazine in the world - which Hope wrote about at the end of May last year. Despite being a big publication, I heard back from them within 24 hours accepting my pitch and the article was published in April this year. I'm quite certain that had I pitched the editor back in May I probably wouldn't have heard from him at all. Sometimes, it seems, the last shall be first.
BIO:
Ken Powell is a British freelance writer specializing in Asian society, travel and education but writes whatever is needed to put food on the table. When he's not writing, he's looking after a wife, two kids and a half-crazed puppy.
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COMPETITIONS
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RESTLESS BOOKS PRIZE FOR NEW IMMIGRANT WRITING
http://www.restlessbooks.com/prize-for-new-immigrant-writing
NO ENTRY FEE
Deadline December 31, 2015. Prize alternates yearly between unpublished fiction and nonfiction submissions, beginning with fiction in 2015. Fiction submissions can take the form of a novel or a collection of short stories. Nonfiction submissions can take the form of a memoir, a collection of essays, or a book-length work of narrative nonfiction. Manuscripts must be complete and submitted in English (translations welcome). Candidates must be first-generation residents of the United States.
First-generation can refer either to people born in another country who relocated to the U.S., or to American-born residents whose parents were born elsewhere. Must not have previously published a book in English. Winner will receive a $10,000 advance and publication by Restless Books in print and digital editions no sooner than the Fall of 2016.
CONSEQUENCE MAGAZINE POETRY AND FICTION PRIZES
http://www.consequencemagazine.org/contests/
$10 ENTRY FEE.
$250 Honorarium and Publication in each category. Deadline October 15, 2015. Entries must capture the nuances of the cultures and consequences of war. The topic is not limited to military operations, but includes social, political, cultural, and economic issues. Each story must not exceed 15 double-spaced pages. Send no more than three poems.
LIAM RECTOR FIRST BOOK PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://brierycreekpress.wordpress.com/liam-rector-first-book-prize-for-poetry/
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline December 31, 2015. Winner receives 50 books, a reading, and $1,000. All entries receive a copy of the winning book. Send between 48 and 60 pages of poetry, no more than one poem per page, no smaller than 12-point font, Arial, Courier, or Times.
THE WRITER CONTEST
http://www.writermag.com/writing-resources/contests/
ENTRY FEE.
Write a 2,000-word short story that includes elements of duality and divergence. From duplicitous acts to binary oppositions, communication with the “other side” to double indemnity, take a plot, character, setting or theme in two directions. Novelist and short story writer Colum McCann will read the finalists and choose the winners. Submit between October 6 and December 6, 2015.
FICTION SOUTHEAST's ERNEST HEMINGWAY FLASH FICTION AWARD
http://fictionsoutheast.org/ernest-hemingway-flash-fiction-award/
$10 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline December 1, 2015. For stories 1,500 words or fewer. All entries will be considered for publication in Fiction Southeast. Winner – $200 and publication in Fiction Southeast Runners-up – publication in Fiction Southeast.
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GRANTS
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ICELAND WRITER'S RETREAT
http://icelandwritersretreat.tumblr.com/post/127159856579/iceland-writers-retreat-alumni-award-applications
Iceland Writers Retreat is offering one talented writer plane tickets to Iceland and a free delegate’s ticket to its April program. In addition to a round-trip airfare, the winner will receive a full retreat package including accommodation, tours, most meals and all workshops for the duration of the retreat which runs from 13 to 17 April 2016. The flights must be from a direct destination and the package does not include airport transfers, travel insurance or visas (if required). The
successful candidate must demonstrate that he or she does not have the financial means to attend the conference without this award. Deadline November 6, 2015.
THE AMY LOWELL TRAVELING POET SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.amylowell.org/faq.htm
Applications are now open for the 2016 Amy Lowell Poetry Scholarship. The winner will receive $54,000 dollars. There is one catch: They must travel outside of North America for an entire year. There is no application fee. Deadline October 15, 2015.
GEORGIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS VIBRANT COMMUNITIES GRANTS
http://gaarts.org/grant-funding/apply-for-a-grant/available-funding
Funds arts projects in counties where no organization received a GCA Project or Partner Grant for FY16. This grant will fund programs such as performances, exhibits, residencies, workshops, lecture/demos, and festivals. The application is brief and simple to complete. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, local government agencies, libraries, and schools. Applicants may request funding amounts between $1,000 and $5,000. The grant requires a 50 percent match. Deadline
October 29, 2015. Deadline June 1, 2016.
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FREELANCE MARKETS
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GREAT ESCAPE PUBLISHING
http://www.greatescapepublishing.com/writers-guidelines/
Great Escape Publishing publishes home-study programs and leads workshops that help our members get paid to travel. Travel writing, photography, create-your-own-tours, travel blogging and import/export are our main areas of focus. We pay $50-$75 for articles we request for the website, $100-$150 for interviews and personal stories, and $150-$200 for articles with specific income advice a reader can print and follow to earn more income.
THE GREEN PARENT
http://thegreenparent.co.uk/downloads/Writers_Guidelines_2010.pdf
Covers topics concerning pregnancy and conscious birth, breastfeeding, family life, alternative education, natural health and beauty, food and drink, eco-house and garden, green travel, ethical fashion. Articles are 1,500 to 2,000 words. Pays 75 sterling per 1,000 words.
WESTERN NEW YORK FAMILY MAGAZINE
http://www.wnyfamilymagazine.com/writer-s-guide/writer-s-guidelines
Articles submitted should address current parenting issues with a Western New York tie-in whenever possible. Strong emphasis is placed on how and where to find family-oriented events, as well as goods and services for children, in Western New York (the Buffalo metro area). Pays $40-$150 depending on type of article, length of article, and whether it is a reprint or an original, or assigned piece. (For example, narrative and humor articles rate less on the pay scale than pieces, that
necessitate factual research and quotes from experts.) Pays $40 for up to 950-word articles or humorous pieces. Pays $40-$60 for up to 1,500 word nonfiction, informational or creative idea pieces. Pays up to $100-150 for in-depth, nonfiction main theme articles of approximately 2,500 words.
EARTH ISLAND JOURNAL
http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/guidelines/
Earth Island Journal is always looking for compelling and distinctive stories that anticipate environmental concerns before they become pressing problems, stories that scan the horizon for the next big issue. We want stories that will surprise, provoke, and entertain our readers and that explore new territory overlooked by other publications. We pay writers 25 cents/word for shorter dispatches (1,200-1,500 words) and for longer investigative features (2,500-3,000 words). You can expect to
earn about $750-$1,000 for an in-depth feature story. For online reports, the fee ranges from $50 to $100.
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JOBS
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WRITER-EDITOR - Washington DC.
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/417225800
Deadline October 20, 2015. Three vacancies in Washington DC area. This position is located in the Publications and Media Section, Office of the Director of National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH). The incumbent conceives, plans, researches, writes, complies, edits, and proofreads publications and informational materials for the Library of Congress free reading program for people who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability.
STUDENT TRAINEE PUBLIC AFFAIRS - McClellan, CA.
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/416467900
Deadline October 14, 2015. Develops ideas, conducts research, and writes articles to communicate commissary program and service information to reach internal and external customers. Writes for both traditional and web-based communication channels using appropriate styles.
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AGENTS / PUBLISHERS
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MOUNTAIN GIRL PRESS
http://www.jancarolpublishing.com/
Mountain Girl Press was created in 2005 as a small press aimed at publishing quality fiction written by the women of Appalachia. Jan-Carol Publishing, Inc. continues this imprint with the mission to publish fiction and short stories that celebrate the wit, humor and strength of both old-time and modern Appalachian women.
LITTLE CREEK BOOKS
http://www.jancarolpublishing.com/
Offers publishing from a wide variety of genres including romance, children's books, poetry, mystery, historical fiction and more. NOTE: This imprint is running a contest with the prize being a publishing contract.
EXPRESS EDITIONS
http://www.jancarolpublishing.com/
Offers authors with expertise to share 'how-tos' and spiritual guidance.
HOT KEY BOOKS
https://www.hotkeybooks.com/about
Looking for great books for young readers? We are Hot Key Books, a brand new division of Bonnier Publishing, publishing books for nine to nineteen year olds.
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SPONSORS
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They did mine for Edisto Jinx! ~Hope
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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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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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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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