SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

HOW TO SELL A MEMOIR

There isn't a writer out there who hasn't considered writing a memoir. Some think their entire life is worthy of publication, while others may have endured a crisis during a pivotal time. We like to think our lives have been worth living, and therefore, worth preserving. But think about it . . . how many memoirs do you purchase each year? How many of those do you seriously read?

Memoir manuscripts are not easily sold, because there is an art to what is marketable. However, that doesn't mean that your memoir isn't one of the potentially marketable ones. 

I recently read an interview with four major literary agents willing to discuss what they seek in a quality memoir. I've  put their comments in a bulleted list:

1) The story has a strong voice.
2) The story makes the reader care.
3) The writing is beautiful and distinctive.
4) The author has a large platform or an area of expertise. 
5) The story is about a larger than life issue, situation, or theme.

What makes a memoir unpalatable:

1) Usually the recovering-from-illness stories don't work or stand out.
2) Stories written primarily as a legacy for family.
3) Stories written more for the author or the author's family than the general readership.
4) A story that reads like a bio rather than a novel.

For more information from these four agents, visit this piece: http://alanrinzler.com/2015/08/what-4-top-agents-desire-in-a-memoir/

And remember, the agents, readers, and publishers can tell why you wrote the story, and who you're writing it for . . . and if you've read enough published memoirs to really have a clue what's good.



 




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 this modern world where activity is stressed almost to the point of mania, quietness as a childhood need is too often overlooked. Yet a child’s need for quietness is the same today as it has always been–it may even be greater–for quietness is an essential part of all awareness. In quiet times and sleepy times a child can dwell in thoughts of his own, and in songs and stories of his own.

Margaret Wise Brown

 

Success Story

Hi Hope,

Eventually, the water pooled deep enough for me to say, Hey—just jump back in the water!

My STAGE IIIA Breast Cancer was dormant for 11+ years, and then cruelly struck as Metastatic Breast Cancer to my bones, October 27, 2015. I lost all interest in writing.

On a whim, I sent a query to Passport America, an online magazine for RVers, when I read they were looking for freelance writers. I basically said, "My husband and I were full-time RVers for eight years and is this a paying market?"

I responded to his very positive reply with a mind map that showed eight topics I could write about it, and he chose three to be published as a series. Here they are: http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/author/elizabeth-hurlow-hannah    

I'm now more motivated to get back to writing. Hope, thanks for all the encouraging that you do, and your publishing success also acts like the proverbial carrot for the rest of us!

Kind regards,

Elizabeth Hurlow-Hannah
301.785.7619
elizabeth@yourexitstrategy.org
http://www.yourexitstrategy.org

featured article

An Interview with Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group – 
The Scoop on Dealing with a Big Literary Agency During These Crazy Publishing Times
(PART 1 of 4)

By C. Hope Clark

Mark Gottlieb is an agent with Trident Media Group, a strong literary agency well known for its successes. FundsforWriters was lucky enough to land him for an interview, and with his great answers, our features for the month of November (National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo) will be dedicated to this interview. This interview is meaty and chocked full of straight-talk. We hope that you find great information here for your writing future.

HOPE: Mark, thanks so much for offering your expertise to our readers. Let’s start off with an easy question. The publishing world continues to shift and recreate itself, unblinkingly fast, as technology creates new ways to publish and promote. In my speaking with writers, they juggle whether to indie or traditionally publish but dealing with agents seems to intimidate them. Please explain how agents can be assets, even this day and time when indie publishing beckons with more and more success stories.

MARK: Yes, it is all too easy for a discouraged author to turn to self-publishing. However, many successful self-published authors shift to traditional publishing in order to take advantage of having a team of professionals who help them take their work to the next level.
 
A literary agency with industry knowledge can bring huge value for an author, evidenced by many of the success stories we've created for our clients, the bulk of which are award-winning and bestselling authors. We've actually built self-published success stories into mega-bestsellers, giving authors a Godzilla-like footprint in the industry.
 
Trident Media Group is a full-service literary agency, handling accounting, legal review, management, foreign rights (books in translation), book-to-film/TV, audio books, etc. We're also a literary agency with tremendous clout in the industry, so we get many things for authors from publishers and film / TV buyers that authors could not on their own.
 
HOPE: Your credentials are remarkable, as are those of the agents in your agency. What should an author seek in an agent's credentials? What is considered a minimal requirement, and what is considered golden?

MARK: I always believed in this saying: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." 

What makes our literary agency unique is that we rank #1 on Publishers Marketplace for fiction, non-fiction and literary agencies, both in overall volume of deals and six-figure+ deals. We've ranked that way for over a decade. That ranking is a result of the tremendous resources at Trident Media Group. For instance, I think one would find it difficult to find another literary agency that has a Digital Media and Publishing department, focusing in large part on digital marketing and publicity strategy for our authors. Many clients of ours have greatly benefited from such a service by hitting the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists.
 
Most literary agencies tend to be very small (several employees in a home office setting), and therefore they farm a lot of their work to third party companies. They are more inclined to give rights away to publishers where they either can't fend the publisher off or just plain don't have the resources to properly sell those rights on their own. However, at Trident, as a company of close to fifty employees with the entire 36thfloor of a Madison Avenue building in NYC (huge for a literary agency and bigger than most independent publishers), we do not farm our services out to third party companies. Trident Media Group's contract review, accounting, foreign rights, audio books, film/TV, etc. is performed within our company walls. We're more inclined to keep communication between departments rather sharp and we hold onto more film/TV, foreign and audio book rights for our clients in order to help them properly exploit those rights with other publishers. The economics are not entirely in favor of the author in sharing those rights with a domestic publisher.
 
Because of the clout of our agency having many #1 New York Times bestselling authors and award-winning authors, and the fact that our business really goes to the bottom line of most publishers, we can get the very best things for our clients in their book publishing deals and contracts. 

(TUNE IN NEXT WEEK . . . for Part 2 of this interview by C. Hope Clark with Trident Media Group literary agent Mark Gottlieb)


BIO
Mark Gottlieb attended Emerson College and was President of its Publishing Club, establishing the Wilde Press. After graduating with a degree in writing, literature & publishing, he began his career with Penguin's VP. Mark's first position at Publishers Marketplace's #1-ranked literary agency, Trident Media Group, was in foreign rights. Mark was EA to Trident's Chairman and ran the Audio Department. Mark is currently working with his own client list, helping to manage and grow author careers with the unique resources available to Trident. He has ranked #1 among Literary Agents on publishersmarketplace.com in Overall Deals and other categories.

 

COmpetitions

THE FOURTH RIVER FOLIO CONTEST
http://www.thefourthriver.com/index.php/announcing-the-1st-annual-fourth-river-folio-contest
$15 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline December 15, 2016. The winning entry will be published as a 10-15-page folio feature in our fall online issue. The author will also receive a cash prize of $500, a subscription to The Fourth River’s print edition, and an invitation to read at the issue launch in Pittsburgh, November 2017. Please submit 10-15, single-spaced pages of poetry in one file. 



SC ACADEMY OF AUTHORS NICKENS POETRY FELLOWSHIP
http://nebula.wsimg.com/e8ecbdc7d604f923963c31723d8467b4?AccessKeyId=59FAC30C768476F57511&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Winner receives $1,500; publication in Fall Lines from Muddy Ford Press; two tickets to the SCAA induction on Saturday, April 22, 2017, and to the awards brunch the following morning; plus hotel accommodations for two for the night of April 22. Applicants must be full-time residents of South Carolina and must not have won this Fellowship in the previous three years. There is no restriction on form or content, but submissions must include no fewer than six poems/ pages and no more than ten, unpublished at the time of submission. 



THE GREGORY O'DONOGHUE INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION
http://munsterlit.ie/Gregory%20ODonoghue%20International%20Poetry%20Competition.html#guidelines
€5 ENTRY FEE.
First Prize €1,000, a week's residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, publication in Southword and a trip to Cork, Ireland. 
Second Prize €500 and publication in Southword. Third Prize €250 and publication in Southword. Ten runners-up to be published in Southword and receive €30 publication fee. The competition is open to original, unpublished poems in the English language of 40 lines or less. The poem can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Deadline November 30, 2016. 



WUNDER SHORT FICTION CONTEST
http://www.wundoreditions.com/wundor-editions---contests.html
£10 ENTRY FEE.
Whether you have a single piece of work, a collection of pieces or a brilliant novella on your hands, we would like to read it. The only stipulation is that the sum total word count of your submission should fall between 5,000 and 45,000 words. The deadline is February 28, 2017 and winners will be announced at the end of March 2017. The winner of our inaugural short fiction contest will receive £500. The winner and two runners up will have their work published in full or an extract will be published on the Wundor website. Their work will be strongly considered for publication in print,
in which case a publishing contract will be offered. The prize is open to anybody writing English, aged 18 or over.

 

GRANTS

2017 WRITER AND/OR STORYTELLER-IN-RESIDENCE
http://umanitoba.ca/centres/ccwoc/media/2017_REVISED_CCWOC_Call_for_WIR.htm
A professional writer and/or storyteller is sought for the position of Writer/Storyteller-in- Residence at the University of Manitoba's Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture. The three-month residency, from September 6 to December 6, 2017, will require the successful candidate to spend approximately 16 hours per week providing mentorship and practical artistic advice to developing writers and storytellers at the University of Manitoba, to give a limited number of readings and/or performances on campus, and to lead an informal non-credit workshop. The remaining time is to be devoted to the writer or storyteller’s own artistic projects. The successful candidate will receive a salary of $15,000 CAD (less taxes), plus rent-free accommodation and return transportation to Winnipeg. Deadline November 18, 2016. 



TICKNER WRITING FELLOWSHIP
http://www.gilman.edu/tickner-writing-fellow
Gilman School, an independent boys’ school, announces its search to award the 22nd Tickner Writing Fellowship to an emerging poet, playwright, or writer of fiction or creative nonfiction. The Tickner Fellowship will be a two year position beginning in the fall of 2017. Applications must be postmarked by December 8, 2016 in order to receive consideration.



WRITERS IN PARADISE CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
http://www.writersinparadise.com/
Located on the beautiful waterfront campus of Eckerd College, this writers’ conference features professional writers at the top of their form spending time with motivated and talented participants who seek an intimate, unhurried climate for learning…in paradise. Deadline November 15, 2016. Location St. Petersburg, FL.
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

CHICKEN SOUP - DREAMS AND SYNCHRONICITIES
http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
Sometimes magic happens in your life. You have a dream that reveals a truth or a course of action to you. You have a premonition that changes your behavior and saves you or a loved one from disaster. You meet someone at just the right time and you can’t believe the coincidence. We’re collecting stories for a second book on this topic. Deadline November 30, 2016. Pays $200 and ten copies for prose up to 1,200 words.



CHICKEN SOUP - MILITARY FAMILIES
http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
We are looking for true stories from soldiers who defend and protect our country — both active and retired — and from their families who make sacrifices when their loved ones are far away. Those families move with them, anxiously wait for them, raise kids and grow up with a parent or child away. We are looking for true stories of no more than 1,200 words from soldiers who defend and protect our country — both active and retired — and from their families. Deadline November 30, 2016. Pays $200 and ten copies. 



CHICKEN SOUP - STORIES ABOUT CATS
http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
We are working on and collecting stories and poems for another wonderful book about our cats. The focus of this book will be on rescued cats that were adopted from shelters or rescue organizations and who luckily found their forever homes. We are looking for true stories of no more than 1,200 words. Deadline January 31, 2017. Pays $200 and ten copies. 



CHICKEN SOUP - STORIES ABOUT DOGS
http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
We are working on and collecting stories and poems for another wonderful book about our dogs. The focus of this book will be on rescued dogs that were adopted from shelters or rescue organizations and who luckily found their forever homes. We are looking for true stories of no more than 1,200 words. Deadline January 31, 2017. Pays $200 and ten copies. 
 

JOBS

CONTENT MANAGER
https://www.nyfa.org/Jobs/Show/a5494aee-db5e-4e1e-aec5-142e30e5bc4d
Location New York. Deadline November 9, 2016. Pays $50,000 to $65,000. The Manager will be responsible for writing and editing copy across print and digital platforms, including publications, email, website, and social media. The Manager will also work across departments to create content and execute social media plans that further the Conservancy’s mission, and promote events and public programs. The responsibilities for the position will focus on content development (approximately 70 percent) and social media (approximately 30 percent).  



COPYWRITER
https://jobs.lever.co/pillpack/2154298d-4ee8-4aeb-92cc-fb7ed6ad6a2c
Location Boston, MA. You’ll work with designers and marketers to communicate the values of PillPack. You'll work closely with teams across the company to understand current messaging campaigns and develop new strategies and programs. You’ll use platforms like Facebook to test messaging strategies, and then scale the best ones across various channels, to reach the people who could most benefit from PillPack.



MANAGING EDITOR
http://lee.net/careers/opportunities/?p=job/oURt3fw1&__jvst=JobBoard&__jvsd=Indeed&nl=1
Location Muscatine, IA. This is the perfect job for a reporter who has always wanted to be an editor, or someone who has seen success as a city editor or night editor and wants to experience the rewards of creating and implementing his or her own vision for a great newspaper. You’ll oversee a staff of five. You’ll live in an engaged community that is hungry for local news. 
 

Publishers/agents

SWOON READS
https://swoonreads.com/submit-a-manuscript/
We’re looking for irresistible, unforgettable, original young adult novels that have never been published before. From heroic epics, to alien adventures, to all-the-feels romance: if our community and editors fall in love with your book, you could land a publishing deal with Macmillan. One of the best things about being part of the Swoon Reads community is having the opportunity to hear from readers and receive genuine, constructive feedback on your work. But don’t stop there. You can also browse other manuscripts and swap tips with fellow writers!



LITTLE PICKLE STORIES
http://www.littlepicklepress.com/a-call-for-manuscript-submissions/
At present, we are most interested in receiving middle grade and young adult submissions. What subjects are most interesting to us at this point? They include (in no particular order and not exclusively): Kindness—the power of it, Dare To Be Different, Choices: It’s Not All Black And White; Most of Life is Gray, Racism—the deleterious effects of it, Refugees, Adoption, Complex Family Structures, Anti-Princess Themes, Creativity­­­—the importance of it, fostering it, etc., Leadership and/or Entrepreneurship, Divergent (vs. Convergent) Thinking, Systems Thinking, Responsibility/Accountability/Moving Beyond Gen M Thinking, Taking Care of Yourself and Your Community/Planting the Seeds of Being a Locavore.



BLUSHING BOOKS
http://www.blushingbooks.com/cms/write_for_us/write-for-us/1.html
Blushing Books is not a new company. We are, in fact, the oldest web-based romance and romance erotica publisher. We currently represent around 350 professional romance authors who have met the RWA minimum guidelines. We pay our authors some of the highest rates in the industry (50 percent royalty rate rising to 60 percent for authors who write for us exclusively), and unlike some publishers who scale rates based on copies sold, we pay our full rate from the first copy out the door. We pay an advance on all titles we accept (anthologies and re-released books excluded.) Books released to all major distributors, including Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, All Romance Ebooks and Smashwords. We publish the majority of our titles to print and audio. (Length restrictions apply.) Top publicity for our releases, including inclusion in a newsletter of 15,000 readers, inclusion in our in-house Advance Reader Copy program, and a full time publicist on staff. Monthly payments for our active and established authors.

 

SPONSORS

Call for Entries: All Poets & Writers are Welcome!

Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest.

Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length on any theme, single or double line spacing, neatly hand printed or typed. No word count.

Writing First Prize: $500.00, 2nd: $250, 3rd: $100
Poetry First Prize: $250.00, 2nd: $125; 3rd: $50.

Entry fees: $5 per poem, $10 per story.
Postmark deadline: January 31, 2017

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for details and enter!








Move From Rejection Notes to Acceptance Letters

Level up your writing at the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers with self-paced classes that will get you in the right mindset for a productive November. Classes include Rachel Swirsky's Old Stories into New, exploring the use of myths, fairytales, and legends in writing, Juliette Wade's The Power of Words, providing you with linguistics tools to use the prose level as well as in worldbuilding, and Cat Rambo's Literary Techniques for Genre Writers, expanding your writerly toolbox with exercises and lecture. 

Short & Helpful
Online Writer Workshops
It’s not too late to sign up!
Purchase Single Workshop
Or set of 3 for FREE workbook
Or all 12 for HUGE SAVINGS

Set1: Premise & Structure, Voice & POV, Setting
Set2: Character, Dialogue, Beginnings & Endings
Set3: Conflict, Backstory, Self-Editing
Set4: Memoir, World Building, Researching
http://sandhbooks.com/online-writer-workshops

ADD  Hope2016 coupon code for 5% off any workshops.












Are you tired of having to go to multiple sites in the 
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http://kbhyde.com/
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ine 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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