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Volume 15, Issue 50, december 11, 2015 |
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Message from the Editor
I planted that Savannah holly behind me nine years ago and it's fifteen feet tall now and covered in beautiful berries. Like writing, we start off spindly not sure what the future holds, but only those who keep seeking ways to grow make it. Use the holidays to think about your writing, how you can give it new life in 2016, envisioning the bright red berries that will show down the road if you stick with it. Then one day you can stand there, your berries numerous and
beautiful, and say you did that.
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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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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THE BROKEN RECORD
Hate to sound like a broken record, but when I saw this quote, I hopped back up on that bandwagon I call diligence.
"Eighty percent of success is showing up.” — Woody Allen
People are awfully sweet in complimenting me about my business savvy and ability to promote. Behind the scenes my husband shakes his head at my income. ("You deserve to be paid more than you get for the time you invest.") Writers' incomes are decreasing because of the huge number of writers in the mix, the ridiculous cost of ebooks which floods the market with free reading material, and the SEO writers around the world still willing to work for a penny a
word.
However, I cannot imagine not showing up to work each day. I love reading, writing, creating, and rubbing elbows with people who feel the same. So daily I rise and hit the keyboard. My duties include:
1) Researching material for FundsforWriters
2) Setting up appearances
3) Prepping material for online and in-person appearances
4) Tending social media and email
5) Writing on a novel
6) Seeking methods of promotion
7) Freelancing as the opportunities arise
8) Making notes about future books/articles
To me they are all intermingled. One feeds the other, and frankly I love getting up and changing my mind as to what I'll do that day. But the bottom line is I show up every day. I write every day. During Thanksgiving, one of my sons asked, "What have you done lately with your writing, because I know you've accomplished something new. You always do."
Some days, however, I think it's all for naught. Especially when I see others succeeding more than me, or I hear nothing but negative on a given day; or worse, there's this big void of no response at all. But then a day dawns beautifully when I realize my work made it into another magazine, a book was chosen for an event/review/feature, my website landed me a public appearance. Some days I receive no reviews for my books, then other days I receive ten.
This job is a yo-yo of the highest order. However, we never appreciate those grand days if we aren't showing up for ALL days. Writing is a game of diligence, and while some days it feels like you are headed nowhere, in actuality, you are wearing down the resistance. The day will come when you realize all those thankless days of nothing were piling up and becoming days of worthiness.
= = =
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
Holiday savings!
Murder on Edisto (ebooks) are featured by Amazon (and therefore B&N) in a monthly holiday special. $1.99 for December only.
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.
NOTE FROM HOPE: I've used these templates for ARCS, review copies for Edisto Jinx and fell in love with them!
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Upcoming Book Signings and Classes!
Dec 19 - Palmetto Chapter Sisters in Crime, Private Residence - 2PM
Jan 14 - Calhoun County Library, SC - The Habits of Successful Writers - 6:30 PM
Jan 26 - Darlington Library, SC - The Habits of Successful Writers - 6:30 PM
Feb 1 - Night Harbor Book Club, Chapin, SC - 7PM
Feb 4 - McCormick County Library, SC - Plot Development - 6:30 PM
Feb 9 - Judy Foster McNeely Book Club, Charleston, SC - 6:30 PM
Feb 11 - Calhoun County Library, SC - Plot Development - 6:30 PM
Feb. 13 - Workshop - Georgia Writers Assoc, Kennesaw, GA
Feb 23 - Darlington Library, SC - Plot Development - 6:30 PM
Mar 3 - McCormick County Library, SC - Character Development - 6:30 PM
Mar 7 - Ann Carlson Georgetown, SC Book Club - 3:00 PM
Mar 10 - Calhoun County Library, SC - Character Development - 6:30 PM
Mar 14 -21 - EDISTO BEACH, SC!
Mar 22 - Darlington Library, SC - Character Development - 6:30 PM
Apr 7 - McCormick County Library, SC - Successful Editing - 6:30 PM
Apr 14 - Calhoun County Library, SC - Successful Editing - 6:30 PM
Apr 26 - Darlington Library, SC - Successful Editing - 6:30 PM
May 5 - McCormick County Library, SC - Getting Published - 6:30 PM
May 12 - Calhoun County Library, SC - Getting Published - 6:30 PM
May 24 - Darlington Library, SC - Getting Published - 6:30 PM
Jun 23-25 - Midwest Writers Center Conference - Davenport, IA
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
When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.
- Stephen King
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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.
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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SUCCESS STORY
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Hi Hope -
I should say "High Hope" because that's what you have given many writers, including me. I have subscribed to your newsletter for several years and have benefited so much from it. Your encouragement to pursue my dream of publishing my work has resulted in my first book, Seasons in the Garden , a collection of inspirations I have written over 12 years for the garden club newsletter in our community.
I did not seriously devote much time to writing until I retired and moved to South Carolina, and here I found a rich landscape for writing. Through over fifty seasons I've spent here I noted that both nature and humans possess many parallels in life. I was able to present those observations in a monthly newsletter to the garden club and members kept asking me to put them into a book. Thus, Seasons was created. Readers can journey through the seasons and contemplate the likenesses
found within nature and humanity.
I learned so much in the process of publishing and have applied several of the marketing strategies put forth in your newsletter. The reception of the book has been most gratifying to me and I'm grateful to you and your newsletter for the resources you give to writers like me to publish. Thank you!
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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 The Importance of Planning in Self-Publishing
By Joel Friedlander
Fiction writers are sometimes divided into “plotters” and “pantsers” depending on how much advance thought they put into the development of their novels.
The “plotters” like to work everything out in advance. They may develop elaborate outlines, timelines, character portraits, diagrams of pivot points in their story, and know, even before they strike the first key, exactly what the story is and how it will develop.
“Pantsers” get their name from “flying by the seat of their pants." These writers might start with an idea, a scrap of conversation, a setting, or some dramatic situation, then sit down and start writing to see where the story goes, what characters show up, and how the whole thing will work out.
What about self-publishers? They can also be divided in terms of how they approach the publication of their books. Consider:
Planners
As soon as a planner gets going, they have specific dates for all their events. An author may have booked the blogs on which she’ll be appearing during her book launch several months away. She might locate vendors for the services she’ll need, set up a publishing company, and get all her “ducks in a row.”
Although all this preparation is impressive, planners may be driven by anxiety, remaining keenly aware of all the things that can go wrong, and try to avoid unplanned events disrupting the timeline.
Free Spirits
Free spirits approach publishing with a less structured approach, and are more concerned with the task in front of them, not with future events.
A free spirit author may be so absorbed by finishing his manuscript that he doesn't engage an editor in advance. While working with an editor, he may pay no attention to other tasks, content to wait until the moment when they are needed.
Although it sounds slower, these authors may be more open to serendipitous meetings and spur of the moment inspiration. Although they don't get the benefits of advance planning, they may have more fun in the process.
Questions Arise
Most people think that a book is a simple, commonplace object — words on a page, one page after another until you reach the end. What’s complicated about that?
But then, when you decide to publish yourself, the picture becomes murkier. You begin to realize there are many decisions that go into making a book. The questions start, and never seem to stop:
• Hardcover, paperback, ebook?
• How big a book?
• Where to sell, and for how much?
Then it gets even more confusing:
• What should I do first?
• How long will it take?
• How do I stay on track?
Planning to Succeed
Many authors are also teachers, business people, retirees, consultants, electricians, military, lawyers, doctors, and so on.
They have expertise in their own field, but they don’t know how book publishing works. They have no grasp of the whole book publishing process.
Ideally, you could have an expert sitting next to you as you plan your project to explain all the steps and when to do them. That's a great solution, and some authors end up hiring a book shepherd or publishing consultant.
But only a few do that. Most try to figure it out by reading, talking to friends, and asking questions.
Understanding the sequence of events in publishing a book should be your first task when you decide to self-publish.
So if you're thinking of publishing your own books, educate yourself first. Nothing will repay you as much as getting clear in your mind about how the process of turning a manuscript into a book works in the real world. You'll soon be a publishing "pro" yourself!
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NOTE FROM HOPE: A new software program automates scheduling and tracking tasks for book projects. It's called Book Planner and it's discounted during the launch sale through December 14, 2015. A one-year subscription makes a great holiday gift for your favorite
indie-publisher!
I'm a rabid fan of Joel Friedlander products, and this is a great way to jumpstart your own writing for 2016.
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COMPETITIONS
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ALEXANDER AND DORA RAYNES POETRY COMPETITION
http://jewishcurrents.org/poetry2016-39421
$18 ENTRY FEE.
Poets can submit up to three poems related to the theme "Urge." The first prize is $1,000. Two second prizes are given of $180 each. These winning poems will be published in the Spring, 2016 issue of our magazine.
SEQUESTRUM EDITOR'S REPRINT AWARD
http://www.sequestrum.org/contests
$15 ENTRY FEE.
$200 and publication in Sequestrum awarded to one previously-published piece of prose. At least one runner-up will receive $25 and publication. Deadline April 30, 2016. Length and subject are open.
SPLICE TODAY
http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/splice-today-s-political-writing-contest
NO ENTRY FEE.
Top Prize: $1,000. Second Prize is $500. Third prize is $250. Tell us which candidates will win the Democratic and GOP nominations and compete for the presidency next November. The essay can be objective or partisan. Essays must be 1,500-3,500 words. Deadline December 31, 2015.
THE INTERPRETER'S HOUSE POETRY COMPETITION
http://www.theinterpretershouse.com/competition
£4 ENTRY FEE.
First Prize £500. Second Prize £150. Third Prize £100. The winning poems will be featured in Issue 62 of
The Interpreter's House. Deadline January 30, 2016. Poems must be submitted in English and should be a maximum of 50 lines.
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GRANTS
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HAMBIDGE FIELD EXPERIMENT
https://hambidge.slideroom.com/#/login/program/28686
Deadline for Proposals January 5, 2016. In the spirit of nurturing creative research, development, and action, The Goat Farm Arts Center and The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences and have joined forces again to proudly present an unconventional public action project in Atlanta. FIELD EXPERIMENT 2016 aims to bring groundbreaking work to the surface with the following support: $20,000 commission, a residency, and collaborative production assistance to realize a prodigious
vision for Atlanta. Priority will be given to work that is interactive, collaborative, and accessible to the public. We invite artists, scientists, architects, performers, and visionaries to work individually or collectively to create new paths for our city. For more details and information about last year's Finalists, including the winning project by Mel Chin & Severn Eaton, visit fieldexperimentatl.com.
ARTIST PROTECTION FUND
http://www.iie.org/Programs/Artist-Protection-Fund
The Artist Protection Fund (APF) is a three-year pilot program at the Institute of International Education. With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, APF will make life-saving fellowship grants to threatened artists from any field of artistic endeavor, and place them at host universities and arts centers in safe countries where they can continue their work. Deadline January 4, 2016.
INDIGENOUS WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE FELLOWSHIP
http://sarweb.org/index.php?program_indigenous_writer_in_residence
Deadline January 11, 2016. Location Santa Fe, New Mexico. This fellowship advances the work of an indigenous writer pursuing their creative project while enabling them to interact with local scholarly, artist, and Native communities. The seven-week residential fellowship includes a $6,000 stipend, on-campus housing, studio space, supplies allowance, library support, and travel reimbursement to and from SAR. Fellowship runs from mid-June to early August. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com)
NEW HAMPSHIRE QUICK GRANTS
http://www.nhhc.org/forms/GrantForms/2012CommunityProjectGrantGuidelines.pdf
Quick Grants can be quick because the content and format make clear that the humanities are front and center. For example, a Quick Grant might be used to pay for the costs of presenting a single lecture by a visiting professor, author or poet; a panel discussion; or a community conversation series on a book, film or set of materials facilitated by a humanities scholar. Programs don’t have to be stationary or isolated – invite participants to talk while walking with a literature
scholar. Up to $1,000. Individuals must apply through an organization, nonprofit, educational institution, museum, library, etc.
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FREELANCE MARKETS
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LIGHTHOUSE
http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/submit/
We want to hear first-person stories not merely about blindness, but about what it takes to survive and strive as a human. We want to establish a new venue for exploring direct experiences surrounding the often misunderstood and under-appreciated aspects of blindness. Ultimately, we aim to be the most contemporary, honest and passionate source for people to learn about blindness from those who walk our walk. Pays $100.
ESSIG
http://www.essigmagazine.com/submit.html
Opens in January 2016. With every experience, we gain invaluable wisdom. Sharing those experiences gives us the ability to connect, enlighten and inspire others. Submit an article of your personal experience to be featured in a published issue. Themed issues for January through March. No themes after March 2016. Pays $100.
DAME
http://www.damemagazine.com/about
Incisive. Irreverent. Curious. Provocative. That's DAME. We take an unabashed look at the issues our readers are really talking about. And like our readers, DAME is smart, quick-witted, opinionated and unapologetic. Recalling the golden age of women’s magazines, DAME boasts an enviable roster of some of the best voices of our time. Authoritative, seasoned writers breaking stories; crafting eloquent, moving essays; offering expert advice; and weighing in on the conversations of
the moment with their unique takes on relationships, gender politics, sex, race, entertainment, the arts, business, politics, Internet culture, health and everything in-between. We accept narrative-driven reported features, first-person essays, Q&As, op-eds, and humor essays (especially satire). Stories are generally between 800 and 2,000 words, depending on the subject matter and the story format. Pays $200 for essays. Other features are negotiated.
CULTURES AND CUISINES
http://culturesandcuisines.com/submissions/
Seeks first-person or third-person, 800 words or 3,000, and can push the boundaries of the non-fiction genre in terms of style and form (we are not, however, looking for fiction). They cannot be superficial and in most cases, should have some degree of research and reporting involved in their making (and if this is the case, we’ll require materials for fact-checking). They can be about “exotic” places or spots near your own home turf – we interpret
“travel” quite broadly, but you must know them intimately and be able to convey a very clear sense of place. Pays around $200.
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JOBS
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WRITER
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/91723710
The writer/editor is responsible for raising the visibility of Regis University through clear, articulate, lively, consistent, and engaging narratives, stories, copy and/or content across multiple internal and external channels. This position works closely with department creative designers, branding, and the web team. In addition, this position interacts with other campus writers, designers, faculty, staff and administrators. Strong interpersonal communication skills are
required.
FREELANCE AUTHOR
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/85368863
A growing continuing education company is looking for several subject matter experts in a variety of fields, who can write about new, relevant, important, or regulatory topics used for continuing education credit. We are looking for writers that are not only extremely knowledgeable in their respective industry, but also those who are creative and have a talent for making material interesting. The writers we hire will be required to write measurable, relevant learning objectives, develop
course content that is both factual and stimulating, create thought provoking review and test questions, report case studies or write other content that links the material to the real world. Elite Continuing Education - Daytona Beach, Florida Area
AGENTS / PUBLISHERS
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BLOOMSBURY SPARK
http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/bloomsbury-spark/
Bloomsbury Spark is a one-of-a-kind, global, digital imprint from Bloomsbury Publishing dedicated to publishing a wide array of exciting fiction ebooks to teen, YA, and new adult readers. Our outstanding list features multiple genres: romance, contemporary, dystopian, paranormal, sci-fi, mystery, thriller, and more.
EIFRIG PUBLISHING
http://www.eifrigpublishing.com/submissions.html
We are especially interested in children’s books with a positive/environmental message for our kids section, while both novels and historical works fit well in our adult section.
FLASH LIGHT PRESS
http://www.flashlightpress.com/submissionguidelines.html
Flashlight Press only publishes fictional children’s picture books. Make sure your manuscript targets 4-8 year olds, is under 1,000 words, has a universal theme, deals with family or social situations and feels like a Flashlight Press book. Study our books to determine whether your story is a true fit.
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SPONSORS
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44 Key Questions About Your Story
Hi, I’m copywriter Alex Limberg and I blog on www.ridethepen.com to boost your fiction writing skills; we dissect famous authors (works, not bodies). I put together a short free manual so you can check your story yourself.
This ebook is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to self-assess your story:
- No need to pay for consultation or bug people for feedback; just answer these questions honestly
- Do it right away with a neatly arranged checklist of 44 questions
- Make your life as a writer a lot easier: Use the list on all of your future stories, till you grow daisies
- Feel more confident in that you have a good story at hand – or that you need a revision
- See exactly what (if anything) you need to change to get a killer story
For a free copy, just click.
A new software program automates scheduling and tracking tasks for book projects. It's called Book Planner and it's discounted during the launch sale through December 14, 2015.
Are you looking for feedback on your writing? Do you want to develop and deepen your craft? Joining a Writer Workshop is your right next step.
Join Gregory A. Kompes (MFA, MS Ed.) for a 4-week, craft-themed, MFA-style online writer workshop for writers serious about improving their craft.
The Writer Workshop (limited to 8 writers) includes: Feedback & critique; Craft development through lectures and videos; Learning from a diversity of writing; Discussion and Q&A; and Inclusion in a community of writers.
Register Today at WriterWorkshop.org
Enter the Gold Boat Journeys Mind Trips for Writers Contest!
Write 250 words (in any form) about a place that moves you.
Odds are 1 in 50 you'll win a 2-night stay in your dream destination,
on any date you choose.
https://littlegoldboat.submittable.com/submit/47795
Gold Boat Journeys (Creative Cultural Travel Tours)
Where do you want to go? Picture it and set sail.
http://www.gold-boat.com
BookFrenzy Studios provides professional video marketing services for authors including Cinematic Book Trailers, Promotional Videos and Social Media Video Ads. To learn more, visit their website at www.bookfrenzystudios.com
NOTE: This is the company for Jerome McClain who did my book trailer for Edisto Jinx. You should have seen the jaws dropping open as authors, agents, and editors alike saw the quality of the video trailer for Edisto Jinx on a screen at Killer Nashville. AWESOME!
Mediabistro is a bastion of creative professional development for people at any level of learning. We offer classes across all disciplines, from Novel Writing to Marketing, to Public Relations and Social Media.
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. 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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