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Editor’s THOUGHTS

THE STORYTELLER'S HEART

I've been running wide out for weeks. With a new book release, speaking engagements, and an endless number of appearances affiliated with a SC State Library grant, I've had little time to myself. A lot of that is due to the fact that wherever I appear, someone seems to throw another opportunity at me. There is no end in sight. 

Not that I should complain. I preach that an active authorpreneur creates their own opportunity, and it seems the more active I get, the more opportunity jumps in front of me. 

Here lately, however, I've noticed a trend. I'm receiving two repeating comments wherever I go:

1) I love your voice/accent, and
2) I love your attitude/ability to talk from the heart.

I'm from the South, but my accent has been muted by my military upbringing. Like writing dialogue, it's just enough to get the message across that I'm Southern. Travel outside the South, and people seem to drool over it as if it's from Scotland (voted the sexiest accent in the world, by the way). I also have an alto tone. Nothing quiet, nothing loud, nothing shrill. For some reason, people enjoy hearing it. 

I also like to share what I know. Believe me, there's great elation in teaching, educating, and reaching out to assist others. If at any time you feel depressed, just go out and help someone, and some certain sort of hormone or adrenaline kicks in to make you feel better. Add to that being in love with what you do . . . writing stories . . . and something magical seems to work.

I'm not a big-time author, but I am a satisfied author. 
I'm not blatantly selling books, but I make it clear my books are published and available.
I'm not trying to create a job; I'm living what I love to do.

If you enjoy the art of storytelling, and the publishing and writing world that creates those stories, I believe that it comes across as intriguing and intoxicating to the public. It's not an orchestrated method. It's operating from the heart. 

And with current events being so negative, the public yearns for happy and positive. They yearn to see someone who actually loves life and what they do, because that's the world everyone wants.

It's not about writing . . . it's about storytelling . . . and drawing your energy from your soul.

Dare to pull your heart out and share it. It gives you not only a sense of satisfaction, but also gives the world a piece of it, too. Gracious, can you imagine that across the world?




 

PS - C. Hope Clark is starting a newsletter just about the books. Join now to learn about giveaways, new releases, and appearances. Here's where you can raise your hand for review copies (and she does this a lot). Here's where you might find insight on the next book, or what direction Hope might be taking a character. Sign up at http://chopeclark.com/  - see SUBSCRIBE at the top.



WE HAVE 2 NEWSLETTERS - THE FREEBIE and THE PAID SUBSCRIPTION . . . 

Remember that FundsforWriters, this newsletter, is free. Send it to whomever you like and share it liberally. But if you are serious about writing income resources, and your time is limited, consider subscribing to TOTAL FundsforWriters. It comes out biweekly, with 70 contests, markets, grants, retreats, publishers, freelance gigs, magazines and more, It's huge, but it saves you a lot of time searching. It's $18.75 for a year, or 26 issues. To subscribe, simply go to www.paypal.me/chopeclark/18.75 . It will be sent to the email you used unless you specify otherwise.

NOTE TO THE WISE: Send a receipt for one of Hope's books and receive TOTAL for free.    (**and feel free to steal this graphic for your own site!)


 

WORDS OF SUCCESS

Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

- Warren Buffett

Success Story

Dear Hope,

I entered my story "Buddy & Teemus" - excerpted & adapted from an autobiographical novel - in the Hourglass Literary Magazine Contest (Funds 11/16/15 listing) and I won their FREEWRITE AWARD which is ...drum-roll, please... a "FREEWRITE (E-paper digital typewriter, worth $499)"!

So - thank you very much for your work on Funds. I guess I'd add that there's something in Funds for everyone: my work is literary fiction and every week I find at least one contest-or-publishing-company possibility. I've been meaning to sign up for your fuller Funds, but haven't gotten to it yet. But I certainly will now!

Also - since my writing tools and habits are pretty well established, I have no use for the FREEWRITE, so if anyone would be interested in it, please contact me.

Karl Williams
CANNY LARK MUSIC
GREENE STREET RECORDS
cannylark@aol.com
cannylark@gmail.com
www.karlwilliams.com

featured article

Top Ten Tips I Learned about Getting Book Endorsements

By Dorit Sasson

Putting yourself out there as an author feels very scary especially when it comes to requesting endorsements. One of the hardest things I had to deal with when requesting endorsements or “blurbs” for my debut memoir Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces was that of rejection.

However, there’s a real art to getting them. These ten pointers will increase your chances of getting the right blurbs.

1.    Start with people you already know. It is always easier to ask people who feel a personal connection to you or your book for their time without renumeration. They will be way more prone to do you a favor than celebrity authors. Such contacts can also include those you’ve met at conferences, workshops and writer groups. 
 
2.    Find blurbers via subject matter and demographics. As a former New Yorker, I googled 40-something writers from New York who wrote on Jewish subjects. I’m Israeli so I played the “Israel card” and reached out to Danny Ayalon, the former Israel ambassador to the US, who gave me a whopping “yes.” 

3.    Find blurbers from other books. Once I had exhausted all my personal contacts, I started reaching out to people whose endorsed books had a similar subject matter, theme or genre to mine.   

4.    Ask your publisher or publicist for recommendations. They might also be able to make the connection, making the communication easier.

5.    Make your blurbers’ lives super easy. Offer to send a copy of your book in either electronic or print form, audio if you have it. Give guidelines, like a suggested word count, a deadline and where the blurb will be used. If they express time constraints, offer to write a sample blurb they can sign off on.  

6.    Give, give, ask. Figure out what you can do to help potential blurb-writers before approaching them. I began an author interview series for newly featured books. I promoted their work widely. Since I made the effort to do something for them, some of those authors were happy to return the favor by endorsing my book. 

7.    Always point out what you like the best about the potential blurber’s work. Pull the focus away from yourself. After all, you’re asking a major favor!

8.    Expect a 50 percent rejection rate. People are just busy and sometimes they cannot follow through with their initial commitment. Things come up. Don’t take their rejection personally. Authors are human, too. 

9.    Ask experts. Since my genre is memoir, I reached out to Linda Joy Myers, president of the National Association for Memoir Writers. (NAMW) In some cases, you might get a more positive response from a big name expert than a famous author.

10.    Plan ahead. Before your book is published, identify the major players in your niche and carefully cultivate relationships with them. Factor in the time it will take for them to read your book, and write the blurb. 

The key is to stay persistent. I emailed 40 people and got 11 endorsers. With my book just a few months away from publication, I tweet the blurbs as part of my marketing plan. I sent each of the endorsers a copy of the book along with a thank you note. Public thanks can bring awareness to a cause and help you stand out from a sea of authors who are all trying to make a name for themselves. 

BIO
Dorit Sasson is a speaker, podcaster of Giving Voice to Your Courage and author of Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces, which was recently shortlisted for the Santa Fe Literary Awards. Download a free chapter over at www.DoritSasson.com
 

COmpetitions

WHEELBARROW BOOKS POETRY PRIZE
http://poetry.rcah.msu.edu/wheelbarrow-books-poetry-prize.html
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline October 1, 2016. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication in Spring 2018 under the Wheelbarrow Books imprint, with distribution by the MSU Press. Manuscripts are eligible for the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize if the author has published at least one full-length collection of original poetry in English (of 48 pages or more with a press run of at least 500 copies). This round is not open to first books. Manuscripts must be in English and a minimum 64 pages.



SUNDAY TIMES EFG SHORT STORY AWARD
http://shortstoryaward.co.uk/entries
NO ENTRY FEE.
The prize, worth £30,000 to the winner, is an international award, founded in 2010, that is open to any story of up to 6,000 words written in English. Five authors shortlisted for the award will each receive £1,000. The prize is administered by the Society of Authors. Deadline September 29, 2016. The author must have a record of prior publication in creative writing in the United Kingdom or Ireland. This means the author must previously have had works of prose fiction, drama or poetry published by an established publisher or an established printed magazine in the UK or Ireland, or broadcast by a national radio station in the UK or Ireland. 



PHILIP LEVINE PRIZE FOR POETRY
http://fresnostate.edu/artshum/english/levineprize/
$28 ENTRY FEE.
The Philip Levine Prize for Poetry is an annual book contest sponsored by the Creative Writing Program at California State University, Fresno. This contest - open to any poet writing in English (except current or former students or faculty of Fresno State) - offers a $2,000 prize and publication by Anhinga Press, a Florida-based press that has been publishing poetry for more than 25 years. Deadline September 30, 2016.



LARRY BROWN SHORT STORY AWARD
https://pitheadchapel.com/the-larry-brown-short-story-award/
$10 ENTRY FEE.
The winning author will receive a prize of $250 along with publication in the January 2017 issue of Pithead Chapel. Deadline October 31, 2016. The submitted story must be less than 4,000 words. Those selected as honorable mentions will have the chance to be published alongside the winning selection in the January 2017 issue of Pithead Chapel.

 

GRANTS

THE BEN BAGDIKIAN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM - MOTHER JONES MAGAZINE
http://www.motherjones.com/about/ben-bagdikian-fellowship-program
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program offers a crash course in investigative journalism. It also supports emerging journalists and media professionals, allowing them to make invaluable contributions to a high-flying news organization. Our fellows go on to do amazing things. They cover groundbreaking events and write award-winning stories for our magazine. Nearly nine out of ten of them go on to get jobs in journalism. Next deadline October 1, 2016. 



PATRICK HENRY WRITING FELLOWSHIP
http://www.washcoll.edu/centers/starr/fellowships/patrick-henry-writing-fellowship/index.php
The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience invites applications for its full-time residential writing fellowship, which supports outstanding writing on American history and culture by both scholars and nonacademic authors. The deadline for applications for the 2017-2018 Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship is November 1, 2016. The Center’s Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year 2017-2018) in historic Chestertown, Md.



LEON LEVY BIOGRAPHY FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Research-Centers-Initiatives/Centers-and-Institutes/Leon-Levy-Center-for-Biography/Fellowships
The Leon Levy Center for Biography offers four resident fellowships at the Graduate Center for the academic year beginning each September. Awards include writing space, full access to research facilities, and a stipend of $60,000. Fellows devote their time to their projects and participate in monthly seminars and the public events of the Leon Levy Center for Biography, including the annual lecture and the annual conference. Deadline December 15, 2016. Location New York City.
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

BINGE-WATCHING CURE ANTHOLOGY
http://bingewatchingcure.com/submissions/
The first story will be 100 words — anyone can read that. The next, 200 words. Then 500, then longer, all the way to novella length. We’re looking for stellar stories of various lengths for The Binge-Watching Cure. The stories must have strong characters and compelling plots. Genre fiction is okay because great fiction often crosses the genre barrier. No erotica and no stories with excessive violence. We pay $200 for short stories that are under 5,000 words and $500 for stories that are 5,000 words or longer. We will be licensing the non-exclusive print and electronic book rights, including foreign-language rights (but not audio, film rights, or magazine rights). Your name and bio will be included along with your story. Contributors also receive a copy of The Binge-Watching Cure. 



BEHIND THE MASK
http://meerkatpress.com/submissions-open-for-a-superhero-anthology/
Behind the Mask is our next themed anthology and it’s all about superheroes! But not how they saved the world this time. We’re more interested in the ordinary day-to-day challenges facing these extraordinary individuals: growing up, growing old, relationships, career struggles, parenting. How they cope with that age-old desire to fit in when, let’s face it, they don’t. Deadline September 15, 2016. We pay two to eight per word for short fiction. Limit 3,000 to 6,000 words. 



GARDEN OF FIENDS - TALES OF ADDICTION HORROR
http://www.darkmarkets.com/2016/08/garden-of-fiends-tales-of-addiction.html
It’s with great enthusiasm that we invite submissions to an addiction-themed horror anthology with an expected spring/summer 2017 publication date. Garden of Fiends is the working title. Submissions should be from 16,000 to 25,000 words. The publisher will have one title in the anthology, and from three to four additional works will be included. Supernatural elements are welcome. Blood, guts and gore only if it is part of the story. Powerful emotions and visceral elements are expected. Nothing is too challenging or controversial. Tropes such as zombies, werewolves, and vampires are welcome as long as it’s a new take. $500 paid for your story. Deadline January 1, 2017. 

 

JOBS

NEW JERSEY FAMILY OF MAGAZINE SEEKING ALL POSITIONS
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/347443/reporters-writers-editors-full-time-part-time-internships-paid-positions-/
Reporters, Writers, Editors. Full-time Part-time. Internships. Paid Positions. Multiple opportunities to join New Jersey-based, print-centric magazine publisher with growing digital operation. Work remotely and/or in our New Jersey-based offices. We are looking for NJ’s finest reporters, writers and editors to serve NJ’s finest, bravest and brightest. Krurapp Communications, a publisher of full-color magazines serving public service – law enforcement, firefighters and teachers – needs help NOW to meet the challenges of its growing editorial and marketing operations. If you are an ambitious candidate interested in generating content for a print and digital platform that is a hybrid of People Magazine, Wired and Complex, send us your resume and work samples ASAP.



FREELANCE WRITERS - JWC MEDIA
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/JWC-Media/jobs/Freelance-Writer-c7114521997fac7b
JWC Media, publisher of Sheridan Road , Forest & Bluff , Hinsdale Living, Country, and Evanston Magazine , seeks to hire freelance writers for all of its luxury lifestyle brands. Freelance writers will be enthusiastic members of our team, who will aid in production of high-profile publications. They must be self-starters, who are motivated, organized, dialed-in, and driven by deadlines. Freelance writers must also: Have three to five years of magazine writing experience and published clips to share; possess in-depth knowledge of the North Shore and/or the western suburbs of Chicago; be comfortable writing for a luxury lifestyle brand; and be well-versed in writing according to the AP Style Handbook.

Publishers/agents

EVIDENCE PRESS
http://www.totallyentwinedgroup.com/submissions/submission-guidelines/
Crime and thriller fiction. We want you to weave dark, deceptive, intense and utterly gripping tales with strong, dynamic and intelligent characters that your readers will remember. Manuscripts from 50,000 to 100,000 words.



SOHO PRESS
https://sohopress.com/resources/submissions/
Soho Press is not currently accepting unagented, unsolicited submissions for our Crime or YA lists. However, we are open to unsolicited submissions for our literary list. 



PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE UK
http://www.write-now.live/
We want to find, mentor and publish new writers with different stories to tell. Writers from communities under-represented on the nation’s bookshelves. Together we will host 150 writers at one of three insight days in London (Saturday, October 1, 2016), Birmingham (Saturday, November 26, 2016) and Manchester (Saturday, February 4, 2017). During the day you'll hear everything you need to know about getting published, from authors, literary agents and Penguin Random House staff as well as getting one-to-one feedback on your book from one of our editors. After getting to know you and your work, we'll ask 10 exceptional writers to join our new year-long mentoring programme.  While there are no guarantees, ultimately we would love to publish these 10 writers. Deadline September 2, 2016. 



LAURA DIAL LITERARY
http://www.ldlainc.com/about/
The Laura Dail Literary Agency Inc., incorporated in 1996, is a small, full-service literary agency, representing fiction and nonfiction, commercial and literary, for both adults and children. We represent a wide range of diverse authors, including bestselling authors of children’s fiction, award-winning journalists, historians, chefs, and humorists.

 

SPONSORS

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"Shaila is a terrific designer, highly professional and extremely creative and delivers amazing results. Her sense of humor and positive spirit has made the whole process of developing and launching my web site a pleasure. –James Hutchison, playwright, http://jameshutchison.ca/

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Fine print

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
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2016, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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