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Editor’s THOUGHTS

It's still about customer service

The top three US companies leading in e-commerce are Amazon ($111 billion), Walmart ($15 billion), and Target ($2 billion). (http://seekingalpha.com/article/3999570-perspectives-amazons-e-commerce-leadership) That includes both domestic and global sales. It's quite obvious that Amazon leads the pack. 

The piece (it's long in case you don't want to read it) talks about how traditional retailers are fast becoming casualties in the name of e-commerce, namely Amazon. This paragraph particularly spoke to me:

"The demise of traditional retail is not solely an outcome from Amazon and e-commerce directly, but rather a slow shift away from what originally made retail stores great, namely customer service. Today's retail experience is mostly based upon older-looking buildings with less upkeep and improvements, and unmotivated employees (without incentives to work hard a lot of times) which is a perfect equation for lackluster service."

It's no secret that Jeff Bezos is all about his customers first, which in our world means readers/book buyers. Authors and publishers are middle-men. He's forever coming up with specials, tools, memberships, and opportunities for Amazon's potential customers, so when they need ANYTHING, they think of Amazon first.

That's just smart customer service.

As an author, you owe your customers solid service as well. Wait, you're not a store . . . but you are a retailer in many ways. You are selling a commodity, and you are seeking a following that will return to purchase your new and improved products. Your reader is your customer, and here's how you make them happy and eager to return:

1) Write a darn fine book. Not mediocre, not regular, nothing near average. Explode your brain writing each book superbly better than the last.

2) Create a remarkable storefront. Amazon is not your storefront; it's theirs. When someone goes to Amazon, they think of Jeff Bezos et al. When they want to know about you, they want to click on where you're in charge. Make sure you have a darn fine website. As an absolute minimum create a darn fine Author Central Page on Amazon, but still, that's taking it only halfway.

3) Communicate with your customer. Whatever social media or blog you use, own it. Keep it up to date. Post as much or more FOR the reader than ABOUT you. The reader needs to feel there's takeaway value FOR them, FROM you - avoiding any hint that you are trying to take FROM then, FOR you. 

That's it. Some authors use other bells and whistles, but these three key items are what make customers feel you care. Sure, they're hard. Sure, they take time. Sure, they cost a few dollars. But it's what your customer expects. To shortcut any of the three is disrespecting your customer . . . and being less successful as an entrepreneur.




 

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

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

~Winston Churchill

Success Story

Hope, 

My goal this year was to increase my income from my freelance writing.  Faithfully I read your posts every week.  These posts led me to Women in Higher Education who published one of my articles. That sale and your motivation has pushed me to publish elsewhere as well. 

Thank you for all the leads and information you put in your newsletter. It's helped me increase my income and my exposure!  

Eileen Troemel
http://www.dragonsden64.blogspot.com/
http://eileentroemel.weebly.com/​​​​​​​

featured article

The Power of Writing Diaries

by Pascale Duguay 

On January 2 this year, I started a writing diary to find out when and how much time I spent writing. I wanted to prove to myself that I was actually getting work done and not just fantasizing about being a writer. I was also hoping it would help me submit on a regular basis and get published more frequently as my last story had appeared in February 2015.

To keep things simple, I decided to use a spreadsheet. This way, I can quickly log in my tasks as they occur, be they writing, researching markets, querying, or preparing envelopes (yes, some publishers still prefer the good ol' way). I even log in the time I spend promoting myself such as blogging and posting on Facebook. 

My spreadsheet table started off with only two columns: one for the date, and the other for listing what I do that day including the times I start and finish. Unless I am beginning a new month, I don't skip lines (or, in this case, cells), even if I haven't written anything on a particular day. Each entry only takes me a few seconds. I just stick to the facts. This is not the place to embellish my prose or whine about my lousy day. I save that for my personal journal or my spouse!

A few days into my diary, I realized I needed to add another column next to the date so I can tell at a glance how many submissions I have sent out each month. And after my first sale, I inserted an acceptance column right next to it. Although these two columns contain a lot of blank spaces, not only do I feel compelled to try to fill them in, but I get a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I do.

Once I received my first check, I thought it might be helpful to keep track of my income by adding two more columns at the very end of the table for money earned and received. I find this acts as extra motivation to get me writing and submitting.

So, did my writing diary accomplish its original goal? In January alone, I sent 14 queries. Nine editors responded in the same month with three acceptances and one maybe. After not having sold or published anything in ten months, my self-esteem climbed way up as I proved to myself that I really am a writer.

I also discovered an unexpected benefit to this diary when during the entire first week of February my writing ground to a halt as I focused on a large translation assignment. By the time I was finished, my brain had about as much thinking power as a blob of jelly, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember what stories or articles I had been working on. But I took one look at my writing diary and it all came back to me in a flash.

If you feel your writing could use a boost, why not give the writing diary a try? No matter what format you choose, keep it simple. After all, you want to spend your precious writing time, writing!

BIO
Pascale Duguay is the creator of ThePartTimeWriter.com. She lives in the Quebec Eastern Townships where she writes for both children and adults. She is also a translator (French/English) and a school librarian. Visit her personal website at pascaleduguay.com



 

COmpetitions

SPLIT THIS ROCK POETRY CONTEST
https://splitthisrock.submittable.com/submit/61127
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline November 1, 2016. First place $500; 2nd and 3rd place, $250 each. Winning poems will be published on www.SplitThisRock.org and within The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database. All prize winners will receive free festival registration, and the 1st place recipient will be invited to read the winning poem on the main stage at Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2018. Submissions should be in the spirit of Split This Rock: socially engaged poems, poems that reach beyond the self to connect with the larger community or world; poems of provocation and witness. Submit up to three unpublished poems, no more than six pages total, no more than one poem per page, in any style.



SENTINEL LITERARY QUARTERLY POETRY CONTEST
http://sentinelquarterly.com/competitions/poetry/
£4 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline August 31, 2016. Poems may be on any subject or style and must not have been previously published, or posted on a website or blog. Maximum 50 lines per poem. First: £200, Second: £100, Third: £50, Highly Commended: £20 x 3, Commended: £10 x 3. The winning and commended poems will be published in Sentinel Literary Quarterly magazine (October to December 2016 on 31st October 2016).



KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR EMERGING WRITER AWARDS
http://www.kwls.org/awards/emerging-writer-awards/  
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline September 12, 2016. Three Emerging Writer Awards are presented each year. The Merrill Award recognizes a poet, while fiction writers may apply for either the Johnson Award (for a short story) or the Russo Award (for a novel-in-progress). Winners receive full tuition support for our January Seminar and Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and the opportunity to appear on stage during the Seminar. Runners-up for each award will also be offered financial assistance packages. Poets and writers living in the United States who have not yet published a book with a major publisher are eligible to apply.



CORNWALL CONTEMPORARY POETRY FESTIVAL
https://cornwallcontemporary.wordpress.com/competition/
£5 ENTRY FEE.
1st prize: £600. 2nd prize: £150. 3rd prize: £50. The competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over. Poems must be typed and no longer than 40 lines. Deadline September 3, 2016. 
 

GRANTS

EILEEN FISHER WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES GRANTS
http://www.eileenfisher.com/grants/women-owned-business/grant-program-guidelines/
The EILEEN FISHER Women-Owned Business Grant supports innovative, women-owned companies that are beyond the start-up phase and ready to expand their business and their potential for positive social and environmental impact. Presently, we award $120,000 in grants for up to 10 grant recipients (minimum grant $12,000) on an annual basis. In addition, grant recipients are invited to New York City in the spring following their award for two days of learning and celebration with the EILEEN FISHER community. 



MORELAND SCHOLARSHIPS
http://www.milesmorlandfoundation.com/#!faqs-/c11el
The Miles Morland Foundation awards African writers a one-year stipend that allows them to make out time to finish a piece of work. Last year, the winners in the fiction category received £18,000 while non-fiction writers were awarded £27,000. Deadline October 31, 2016. The purpose of the Scholarships is to promote literature and good writing. Submissions, including non-fiction submissions, will be judged solely on literary merit. 



FAIRHOPE CENTER FOR THE WRITING ARTS
http://www.fairhopecenterforthewritingarts.org/
Wollf Cottage provides a quiet and attractive environment in which a writer can work on his or her professional projects. Located in one of the most charming communities in the South but just minutes away from Mobile and the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores, residents are afforded the opportunity to experience Fairhope, Alabama’s unique history and rich literary tradition while exploring this environmentally and culturally diverse region. With assistance from the FCWA, writers will be asked to make a monthly community presentation. This can take the form of a reading or a talk about your work, a classroom visit, or other public activity of your own design. Other than this, every effort is made to ensure a disturbance free stay. Writers, in all genres and from any state or country, are invited to apply for this residency.  Writers must have had their work published and submit a sample of their published writing along with a completed application. Applications received before September 30 of any given year will be given first consideration. Applications received after September 30 will be given consideration once earlier applicants have been scheduled if there are openings. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com)

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

YANKEE MAGAZINE
https://newengland.com/press-contact/submission-guidelines-writers-photographers/
Yankee Magazine covers the six New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Our Feature articles, as well as the departments of Home, Food, and Travel, reflect what is happening currently in the region. Writers interested in working with us should read several current issues of Yankee before querying us or sending an unsolicited manuscript. Yankee welcomes freelance submissions in the areas of home, travel, food, and non-fiction editorial. We are not currently accepting poetry, fiction, or cartoons. 



ALASKA MAGAZINE
http://www.alaskamagazine.com/articles/contact/submission-guidelines-for-freelance-writers/
First and foremost, Alaska magazine is a publication about experiencing Alaska, for those who love and dream about Alaska, by authentic Alaska experts. Our main feature stories range between 700-2,000 words long. Departments will range between 800-1,200 words. Our pay rate is between $200 and $700, based on the word count of the published version, with additional pay for use of any photos by the author. A total maximum payment of up to $1,500 goes to writers/photographers who submit both for publication and are accepted.



ZOOMER
http://www.everythingzoomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Zoomer-writers-guidelines.pdf
Zoomer magazine is published nine times a year and is a lifestyle glossy dedicated to the issues of Canadians 44 and up. From health to finance, politics to style, entertainment to family, fashion to food, beauty to sex, Zoomer is the societal and cultural zenith — a magazine that offers its readers in-depth and provocative stories as well as the up-to-the-moment service journalism that are relevant to them. Writing must be smart, clear and when suitable, witty. Canadian content is, of course, critical. Articles range from 500 to 2,000 words. Payment allows use of the material in the magazine and online at www.zoomermag.com. 



AMERICAN CRAFT
https://craftcouncil.org/magazine/writers-guidelines
We value freelancers who can write for a general creative audience with clarity and insight. We love good storytelling that explores a craft artist’s struggles, doubts, determination, and triumphs. We like to read about how craft shows up in modern life, particularly if the writing is bright and accessible. When touching on craft theory or history, writers should take special care to write clearly and for a non-academic audience. 
 

JOBS

WRITER
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/346423/writer-reporter-education-/
LRP is seeking a Writer/Reporter to develop timely, advice-driven articles for itsTitle1Admin® website and accompanying newsletter, Title I Report/Title I Monitor. Our products provide high-quality, in-depth information, practical advice and news to Title I administrators at the state and local levels. The Writer/Reporter works within an assigned subject area to translate national education department policy, the latest research and proven innovative solutions and ideas into usable, ready-to-implement best practice content for administrators. Pays $40,000-$45,000. Deadline August 26, 2016. Location Palm Beach. 



SPEECHWRITER
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/346287/independent-publisher-seeks-speechwriter/
Independent book publisher seeks speechwriter to provide freelance support writing keynote speeches for authors. The speechwriter is responsible for collaborating with the author and publisher's teams to fully understand the goals for the presentation, as well as any nuances that may be important for the author. The speechwriter is also responsible for being completely familiar with the contents of the author's book in order to pull content and anecdotes from that source. Content spans genres of business, leadership, finance, and lifestyle. Deadline August 21, 2016.

Publishers/agents

BRANDT & HOCHMAN LITERARY AGENTS
http://brandthochman.com/
Currently, our staff of senior agents and developing younger agents handles a wide-ranging roster of writers in numerous genres, from literary fiction and memoir to mystery and thriller to history/biography and narrative nonfiction, as well as children’s books. Rob Kirkpatrick's specialties include memoir, biography, sports, music, pop culture, current events, history, and (on a very select basis) literary fiction.His areas include memoir, biography, sports, music, pop culture, current events, history, and pop science. 



THE STUART AGENCY
http://www.stuartagency.com/
Andrew Stuart focuses on titles in the areas of history, science, narrative nonfiction, business, current events, memoir, psychology, sports, and literary fiction. Specializing in literary fiction and nonfiction, Christopher Rhodes is actively seeking queries in the following areas: literary and up-market fiction (including thriller and horror); connected stories/essays (humorous and serious); memoir; creative/narrative nonfiction; history; religion; pop culture; and art & design. 



FUSE LITERARY
http://www.fuseliterary.com/about-fuse/
Fuse Literary (formerly Foreword Literary) is a full-service, hybrid literary agency based in the Silicon Valley with offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Vancouver and San Diego. We blend the tried-and-true methods of traditional publishing with the brash new opportunities engendered by digital publishing, emerging technologies, and an evolving author-agent relationship. Fuse manages a wide variety of clients, from bestsellers to debut authors, working with fiction and non-fiction for children and adults worldwide. 



SHORT FUSE
http://www.fuseliterary.com/short-fuse/
Short Fuse Publishing is a digital-first provider of groundbreaking fiction and nonfiction across many genres. A division of Fuse Literary, Short Fuse Publishing boldly provides an outlet for creative works that traditional publishers shy away from, giving voice to new kinds of writing. Our curators are literary agents whose clients seek publication of their short stories, novellas, novels, flash fiction, poetry, nonfiction, multimedia, and more. In addition to our general Short Fuse imprint, we offer Teen Fuse for Young Adult and Middle Grade works and Pure Spirit Creations for the space where spirituality sparks creativity. Short Fuse Publishing accepts submissions from agents and traditionally published authors. The pieces we select tend to be works of prose between 10,000 and 25,000 words long. 
 

SPONSORS

Creative Writing Institute's Annual Short Story Contest
Entry fee $5

First place: Professionally designed Gold eMedal and $100, plus publication
Second place: Striking Silver eMedal and $50, plus publication
Third place: Brilliant Bronze eMedal and $25, plus publication
Fourth-Fifth places: Finalist eMedal, plus publication
Seven Judge’s Choice: eRibbon, plus publication



This is a themed contest and this exact sentence must appear in the story: "Explain how that happened."

Open genre. Limit 1,500-2,000 words. No swearing, profanity, explicit sexual scenes, graphic violence, etc. Must be unpublished. Creative Writing Institute has first, non-exclusive, electronic rights to publish the winners and Judge's Choice stories in our anthology. All other rights return to author upon publication. ONE submission per person. Deadline September 15, 2016, midnight, USA EST. No early or late submissions, please. Entries will only be accepted through the form at https://CreativeWritingInstitute.submittable.com/submit 

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Shaila Abdullah has designed websites, book designs, marketing materials, and email campaigns for over 60 authors, writers and speakers. Being an award-winning author herself, she understands the industry, and will provide you with designs that reflect your unique style, genre, and personality. 

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EXISTING CLIENTS EARN 8% REFERRAL FEE FOR SENDING IN NEW CLIENTS 

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http://wagnerjulia.com/
http://lisakwinkler.com/
http://kbhyde.com/
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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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