SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest 

14th year. $4,000 in cash prizes, including $1,500 for a poem in any style and $1,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Both published and unpublished work accepted. All entries that win cash prizes will be published on WinningWriters.com and announced in the Winning Writers Newsletter, with over 50,000 subscribers. Final judge: Soma Mei Sheng Frazier. Entry fee is $10 per poem. Each poem may have up to 250 lines. Submit by September 30. Winning Writers is one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest). See guidelines, past winners, and enter online at www.winningwriters.com/tompoetry

 

Editor’s THOUGHTS

LOOK FOR THESE ITEMS IN YOUR BOOK PUBLISHING CONTRACT

I recently received a Facebook message asking me to tell that person what to watch for in a publishing contract. Of course I could not respond adequately to them for several reasons:

1) It was a FB message. There was no way to cover everything in that tiny a space.
2) I am not an attorney. While I know a lot of what's needed and can identify many red flags, I default to the powers-that-be to get it right.
3) They didn't even have the book finished yet.

So I promised them I'd do an upcoming editorial about the subject, so I could educate more than them as well as add a piece to the FundsforWriters archives of material. (Read past issues at: http://archive.aweber.com/fundsforwriters)

Concerns to look for in your contract are:

1) Rights - Run from Exclusive Rights. Make them get specific about rights. You want to grant Nonexclusive Rights and negotiate specific rights they will use, reserving all other rights not specifically granted for yourself. One example of reserving rights might be for movies, limiting the publisher to only publishing rights.

2) Royalties - Though difficult to acquire, attempt to negotiate your royalty percentage on the cover price, not a net. Sellers like Amazon can require a 50 percent discount, and if you receive royalties based upon net, that means your eight percent royalty will be based on half the price of the book.

3) Marketing - When the contract states you have to market and your publisher does not, renegotiate. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, to use an old saying. Also avoid verbiage that mandates the sales of a certain number of books. 

4) Termination - Like a prenup, you need to know how this relationship will be terminated if things don't go well. You want to know what happens when your book goes out of print, ceases to sell, or the company goes under.

Of course there's a slew of other issues with a contract. Take a look at the link below to see a more detailed listing of what to watch for when you decide to sign on the dotted line.

http://www.copylaw.com/new_articles/final.three.html

And this one by Kathryn Rusch, an author I highly respect. http://kriswrites.com/2016/07/27/business-musings-protecting-your-content-and-your-name-contractsdealbreakers/



 

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

"In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking."

~Sir John Lubbock

Success Story

Hi Hope,

Thanks for your newsletter announcement a couple of months ago concerning Killer Nashville. I attended the conference, and it was packed with information that I hope to put to good use. Also made a point to seek out Rona Simmons who won your FundsforWriters scholarship and get acquainted with her.  

My goals in participating were met and I'm highly satisfied by the experience. I wanted to expand my network among other writers and get some tips on encouraging some of the characters I've known to emerge with a story to tell.

Marie Shadden

featured article

When Time is Money: Charging by the Hour

By Alex J Coyne
 
As a freelancer or copywriter, charging per hour rather than per word (or page) seems daunting – especially with projects that take up several weeks of your time. But, time is money. Here’s how to figure out which payment method is best:
 
Setting a Rate
Pricing yourself by the hour means considering: (1) how much work you average in an hour’s time, (2) how many hours you work in a week, (3) your expenses, and (4) what others are charging.
 
Sites like LinkedIn, PeoplePerHour, Freelancer and fellow-freelancer’s websites will help you gauge the market. 

Use this Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator from All Indie Writers (http://allindiewriters.com/freelance-hourly-rate-calculator/) to help you calculate your rate. I started small, charging $10 an hour at first, then worked myself up to $25 when I suddenly realized I had more clients and less time. Experience matters. People will pay for it. 
 
Per hour?
Charging per hour can benefit both you and your client. A 10,000-word project at 50 cents per word will run your client $5, 000, but at $20 per hour (assuming you go through 500 words per hour), it would be $400 (20 hours). You might also decide to go with per-hour because the final word count is unsure or you’re working within a time-frame.

I started charging per hour when singer-songwriter Rea le Roux came to me for a press release to announce the start of a new hip-hop dancing group to encourage the local youth. We couldn’t agree on a word count, and the piece had to be translated into Afrikaans. So, I charged per hour, for two hours of work: One hour of interviewing and research, and an hour of writing, translating and editing.

For you, charging per hour could make it easier to calculate (and reach) your goal salary: The more hours you put in, the better you can get paid.
 
Time: What factors into that measurement?
Time is money, but what is time? Think about what will factor into your per-hour charge beforehand: Time spent writing, editing and proofing are obvious, but what about your travel time and any additional research?
 
Account for weekends and off days: How many hours aren’t you working? Incorporate these when issuing quotes, progress reports and statements. You might also need more time, say, if you or your client ends up in the hospital, or if your laptop crashes. Both have happened to me.
 
Run a timer when actively working to include researching, writing and translating. Keep a list of what you did, when you did it, and how much time you put into it. Send this break-down to your client to show them what they are paying for.
 
Bathroom breaks, trips to the store, and feeding the cats aren’t deductible.
 
Be willing to negotiate, but decide beforehand how much room for negotiation you will allow, as you would negotiating for a car. You don’t want to be out-negotiated. In other words, know your budget.
 
What’s your type?
When you’re typing against the clock, speed matters. Learning to type quicker will save you time, too. Use Wapsilon.com to test and improve your typing speed;  Typingstudy.com  and  Typingclub.com are great places to learn touch-typing, which can make you work faster, more effectively, giving you time for more clients.

BIO:
Alex J Coyne is a South African-based freelance journalist and writer. His work has appeared in People Magazine, The Investor, Writers Write, The Penny Hoarder and Tafelberg's horror anthology "Skrik op die lyf" (2015), among others.
 

COmpetitions

STORY SHARES CONTEST
http://www.storyshares.org/contest
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline December 31, 2016. Eligibility to participate in the Promotion or to win prizes is limited to individual persons who are legal residents of the United States or its territories and possessions. Limit one registration per individual. Registered users must submit a story between 1,000 and 10,000 words (“Qualifying Story”) and designate the story under one of the following categories: i) Diversity, ii) Historical Fiction, iii) Fantasy, iv) Horror /
Suspense, or v) Teens by Teens. The winner of the diversity category wins $3,000. Winners in the other categories receive $500. 



THE WONDER ESSAY PRIZE
https://www.wonderessaycontest.com/
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Submit an original, unpublished essay on the topic of “What is Your Life’s Purpose.” Length 1,500 words or fewer. Contest deadline is November 1, 2016. Entries must be postmarked by this deadline or submitted online by midnight. First Prize is a check for $1,000 dollars and publication on The Wonder Institute website. Honorable mention(s) will be selected at the discretion of the final judge, Linda Durham. Honorable Mention entries may also be published on the Wonder Institute website.



NEW YORK ENCOUNTER 2017 POETRY CONTEST
http://www.newyorkencounter.org/poetry-contest-2017
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline November 1, 2016. The Encounter is an annual three-day public cultural event in the heart of New York City. The Encounter's poetry contest invites all poets writing in English to submit up to three poems (maximum 30 lines each), related in some way to the theme, Reality Has Never Betrayed Me. Prizes of $300, $200 and $100 will be awarded to first, second and third place poems. The winners will be invited to read their poems on the NYE stage during the Encounter January 13-15, 2017. The first place poem will be printed in the program. 



SANDY CRIMMINS NATIONAL PRIZE FOR POETRY
http://www.philadelphiastories.org/sandy-crimmins-national-prize-poetry
$12 ENTRY FEE (INCLUDES ONE-YEAR MEMBERSHIP).
The first-place winning poet will receive a $1,000 cash award for an individual poem, an invitation to an awards event in Philadelphia and publication in the Spring issue. Three runners up will receive $100 cash awards for individual poems as well as publication in our Spring issue. The winning poet and runners up are invited to submit chapbooks to be considered for publication by PS Books. All submitted poems may be selected by the editors for publication in our Spring issue. Deadline November 15, 2016. 

 

GRANTS

RHODE ISLAND PROJECT GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUALS
http://www.arts.ri.gov/grants/Individuals/pgiguidelines-fy17revised.pdf
Project Grants for Individuals (PGI) are available to Rhode Island resident artists and do not require a non-profit 501(c)3 umbrella. Through PGI, RISCA supports highly creative and talented artists who seek to produce, perform, teach, or share their work with the public. Projects might include the coordination of community arts events, public performances, arts workshops, creative collaborations, and exhibitions and installations with a strong public component. Deadlines April 1 and October 1. Applicants may request up to a maximum of $5,000. Be aware that grants are frequently awarded at less than the requested amount.



AMY LOWELL POETRY TRAVELLING SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.amylowell.org/
The American poet Amy Lowell died in 1925. Her will established an annual scholarship to support travel abroad for gifted American-born poets. Submit two copies of the completed application. You may also, but need not, submit a two to three-page curriculum vitae (again, two copies). A sample of your poetry, consisting of either up to 40 typed pages (two copies) or two copies of a printed volume of your poetry and two copies of no more than 20 additional typed pages. Completed applications and attachments must be received by us by October 15, 2016. 



WEST VIRGINIA INDIVIDUAL GRANTS
http://www.wvculture.org/arts/grantbook/direct.htm#individ
Deadlines February 1 and October 1 each year. Eligibility: Individual artists, who are at least eighteen years old and legal residents of West Virginia for at least one year before the application deadline. Emerging and professional artists are eligible to apply. Applicants creating work under the supervision of a master artist or instructor will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Maximum funding is $2500 for individual artist projects and $5,000 for arts organization projects.



VIRGINIA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP IN POETRY
http://www.arts.virginia.gov/
(See right side of screen for links to PDF and DOC files with submission guidelines.) 
Deadline October 3, 2016. Four artists will be selected for fellowships of $3,000 each. Must be legal residents of Virginia and remain a resident during the grant period. 
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

ONLY IN YOUR STATE
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/write-for-us/
OnlyInYourState is always looking for talented writers interested in joining our growing team. If you’re interested, please contact hiring@onlyinyourstate.com with information about yourself, your experience, and, if possible, a writing sample. Pays $750 per month.



POETS & WRITERS
http://www.pw.org/about-us/about_poets_%2526amp%3B_writers_magazine
Poets & Writers Magazine reaches a national audience of 100,000 readers from emerging to established literary writers. For those articles we publish, we buy exclusive worldwide, periodical publication and syndication rights in all languages and non-exclusive reprint rights shared 50/50 thereafter. We pay when the piece is scheduled for production. See various departments for word length. Prefer new writers submit on spec, with the maximum length of 3,000 words. 



SUNSET MAGAZINE
http://www.sunset.com/general/travel-writers
A travel publication covering the 13 Western U.S. states as well as British Columbia and Mexico, publishing five regional editions of the magazine. Writers must submit a query letter to the editor in advance. The letter should explain and outline the proposed story idea, and suggest an appropriate month or season. 



BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES
http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/submissions/
Beneath Ceaseless Skies publishes “literary adventure fantasy”: stories with a secondary-world setting and some traditional or classic fantasy feel, but written with a literary approach. We want stories set in what Tolkien called a “secondary world”: some other world that is different from our own primary world in some way. Limit 11,000 words. No novel excerpts or serials. For standard acceptances, we pay 6 cents US per word.
 

JOBS

JUNIOR COPYWRITER/BLOGGER
Location Irvine, CA.
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/KORE1/jobs/Junior-Copywriter-2b82f1700aa877b4?q=writer
The Candidate needs to be a junior copywriter, perhaps even a blogger, and they should have some experience writing for a health and wellness, or skincare, beauty company.



CONTENT WRITING AND MARKETING ASSISTANT
http://app.betterinterviews.com/careers/SphereInc/vacancies/11688
This is a part time, hourly, freelance position. Range is $20 to $45 per hour based on experience. About 50 percent of the time will be spent on-site at our Chicago office. The other 50 percent can work remotely. 



PROOFREADER
http://www.akqa.co.uk/careers/job/?id=272783
AKQA is seeking a Proofer to join our team in Portland. The Proofer must demonstrate thorough knowledge of grammar, punctuation and copy styles. Located in downtown Portland, as part of AKQA you will have access to world-renowned thought leadership from influential authors, athletes, artists and entrepreneurs. You will work in an environment that fosters a meritocratic culture, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in their fields.

Publishers/agents

SEVENTH STREET BOOKS
http://seventhstreetbooks.com/submissions.html
Seventh Street Books® publishes only mystery and thriller fiction. We are not currently looking for short story collections, anthologies, novellas, or nonfiction. 



PYR BOOKS
http://www.pyrsf.com/
Pyr® is a science fiction and fantasy imprint from Prometheus Books, a leader in publishing books for the scientific, professional, library, educational, popular and consumer markets. Pyr has published in many areas of speculative fiction, including steampunk, epic fantasy, hard science fiction, sci-fantasy blends, alternate history, sword and sorcery, near future thrillers, and space opera. In 2011, Pyr published their first books specifically for the young Adult reader. 



SKY PONY PRESS
http://skyponypress.com/
We will consider picture books, early readers, midgrade novels, novelties, and informational books for all ages. Although we are not searching for YA fiction in particular, we would consider projects that tied in with the subject areas in which we are publishing. We are mainly publishing single titles but are open to series ideas.



SKYHORSE PUBLISHING
http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/guidelines
We are open to receiving submissions for proposed books in the following categories: Sports (Team and Individual), Outdoor Sport (Hunting, Fishing, and Camping), Adventure and Travel, Health and Fitness, House and Home, History, Humor, Military History, Business, Games and Gambling, Horses, Pets and Animals, Nature and Science, Food and Wine, Aviation, True Crime, and Current Events.
 

SPONSORS

Worried That Your Writing Isn't Any Good?
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Determine once and for all if your writing is really any good so you can stop worrying about whether or not you're wasting your time, and focus instead on making sure your writing is as good as it can possibly be.  Learn More and Sign Up Today

NOTE FROM HOPE:
Joan Dempsey is highly recommended from me. Do you want honest, down-to-earth help from someone who cares? This is your gal. I cannot say enough good about her. This training from her is a great way to raise your writing ability AND your confidence.   ~HOPE











The 26th Annual Missouri Review Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize

Awards $5,000 and publication to the prize-winners in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Now open for submissions! Deadline: October 1. Learn more and enter here: http://www.missourireview.com/tmrsubmissions/editors-prize-contest/










The Indiana Writers' Consortium presents its 3rd Steel Pen Writers' Conference!

http://www.inwriters.org/steel-pen-conferenceJoin us Saturday, November 12, 2016 at the Radisson Star Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana for an exciting day of workshops, panels, manuscript critiques, and lunch with keynote speaker Cathy Day.

Whether you are a poet, a writer of fiction or nonfiction, or just need guidance on the business end of writing, there's something here for everyone at all stages in the writing journey. Registration forms and additional information about scholarships and vendor/bookstore opportunities can be found at www.inwriters.org/steel-pen-conference






 

GET WEBSITES THAT ROCK, BOOK COVERS THAT SIZZLE

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. 

MENTION THIS AD AND GET 10% OFF (NEW CLIENTS ONLY)
EXISTING CLIENTS EARN 8% REFERRAL FEE FOR SENDING IN NEW CLIENTS 

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Services for authors: http://myhouseofdesign.com/services-for-authors/

A few testimonials from happy clients:

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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/

"When I first saw Shaila’s work, I was struck by the fact that her designs are not only beautiful but also perfectly reflect the personality of the business it represents. Her suggestions, insight, and artistic talent made the final product much better than what I’d envisioned on my own.” —Jacqueline Adams, writer, http://jacqueline-adams.com/
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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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