SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

THE ANONYMOUS AUTHOR

I read an interesting essay recently, fully expecting to gloss it over and move on to my next email. But the theme grabbed my mind and wouldn't let go, and when that happens, when I see it matters to the writers I love, I usually convert the message into a FundsforWriters post.

"While fame impedes and constricts, obscurity wraps about a man like a mist; obscurity is dark, ample, and free; obscurity lets the mind take its way unimpeded. Over the obscure man is poured the merciful suffusion of darkness. None knows where he goes or comes. He may seek the truth and speak it; he alone is free; he alone is truthful; he alone is at peace." ~Virginia Woolfe

Imagine being able to write without worry as to what the world thought of you? Imagine writing not caring how many books sold? Imagine just focusing on leaving your deepest thoughts on paper with no ramifications or backlash from family and friends?

Virginia Woolfe said it best when she stated, "the delight of having no name, but being like a wave which returns to the deep body of the sea." Oh my goodness, I could envision and embrace that feeling. Isn't that what we crave as writers? To write without repercussions? To write from our most inside place and let it loose into the world then retreat back to our inner self and write again?

When we write solely for profit, our writing often suffers a bit, because we write knowing that it has to be accepted by the masses. We can't write purely from our inner, authentic self, because we want others to feel our words touch their inner, authentic self. So we become soothsayers, trying to forecast what others need rather than ourselves.

When we write solely to release our candid, sincere thoughts, and yes, I'm including with fiction, we feel a sense of relief, release, and self-sustaining integrity. But we risk not making many sales. 

My suggestion is this . . . if you are writing as a career, then you must write somewhat for the public. However, somewhere along the way, write something that is yours. Write something that reconnects with your true being. Feel honorable and principled writing for one person, yourself. You never know . . . that might be your best work.



 




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

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.

- Pablo Picasso

 

Success Story

Hope- 

I thought you could use some good news! My book will be released by my publisher, Moonshine Cove Publisher which you helped me find, on Amazon on November 22nd. Thank you Hope! 

All the best, Laura Reagan
www.lauralreagan.com

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 3 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 is Part 3 of a four-week feature. (Find Part 1 and Part 2 here.)

HOPE:  Indie authors rarely worry about more than print or ebook rights. Talk a little about other rights that an agent can handle for an author. How difficult is it for indie authors to handle these rights themselves? 

MARK: As I write these responses to you, Trident Media Group is gearing up for the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the biggest media events in the world, where publishers from everywhere gather to buy the rights to books for translation. We also attend the London Book Fair, BEA and the Bologna Book Fair, all of which are similarly big events for the sale of rights. Those are expensive and time consuming trips as we take hundreds of meetings per day and send a contingency of at least six literary agents to hand sell. 

On a regular-basis, we have foreign publishers into our offices, audio book publishers, as well as film/TV companies looking to do book-to-film/TV. It is very difficult for an author to navigate these sorts of things on their own, for the written word can take many manifestations that are extremely beneficial to an author's career. For instance, audio usually ends up comprising about ten percent of an author's overall business, and foreign rights often comprise about a third. Foreign, audio and film/TV buyers are more turned on to an author's project when there's a traditional publisher in the picture. Self-published authors usually cannot get into independent bookstores, chains and mass merchandise retailers without a literary agent and traditional publisher.

HOPE: Would you handle these other rights for an indie published author who wants to retain their print and ebook rights? 

MARK: Self-publishing can be complementary in a hybrid publishing model between traditional and self-publishing, especially since traditional publishers aren't much open to publishing novellas and short story collections, even from established authors. 
 
Outside of that, it is very difficult to be in business with an indie author that wants a literary agent to merely sell their foreign and audiobook rights. That's an author afraid to take the risk of trying major trade publishing for a chance at drinking the champagne. It's ultimately of detriment to the author's own career and makes for a difficult time for the literary agent to convince every foreign, audio and film/TV buyer to take on a self-published author. 

HOPE: Most writers start with Writers Market to find an agent. How do you suggest a fledgling author seek out an agent? How do you usually find your new clients? How many new clients does an agent take on per year?

MARK: Writers Market is a good site being tied with Writer's Digest, but I would suggest Publishers Marketplace, considered the gold standard in publishing where industry news and deals are announced in real time. That site is more inwardly-focused on the publishing industry, as opposed to Publishers Weekly, Poets & Writers or Writer's Digest as publications for readers, writers and publishers. Every literary agency worth their salt is listed on that site, scrutinized and ranked. The proof is in the pudding. As I mentioned before, Trident Media Group ranks #1 on that site. 

As for taking on clients, every agent is different. I represent a few dozen authors, all at different points in their careers. Some of those clients might write a book a year, while others complete a book every five or ten years. Other clients might just write one book their entire life! While some agents represent one genre or type of author, I prefer to have many irons in the fire, working on projects and various genres that interest me. With that said, my list tends to skew toward science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels, and I happen to rank #1 on Publishers Marketplace in deals for those categories. I also like a lot of mystery/crime/thriller, as well as some women's fiction, general fiction, creative nonfiction, pop culture, humor, celebrity memoir, picture books, YA, MG, children's fantasy and various nonfiction categories. I would like to see more commercial fiction or a major literary debut on my list, perhaps even some serious nonfiction. I'm open to new clients. 


(TUNE IN NEXT WEEK . . . for Part 4 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

PALOOKA PRESS CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://palookamag.submittable.com/submit
$10 ENTRY FEE.
Please send your best fiction, poetry, nonfiction, graphic narrative, or hybrid genres. Manuscripts should be roughly 35-50 pages, but we're flexible. The $10 entry fee comes with an electronic issue of Palooka. The winner receives publication by Palooka Press (a perfect-bound book with a glossy color cover), $200 honorarium, 20 free copies of the book, a bio and photo featured on our website, and chapbook sent out for review and promotion. Deadline May 15, 2017.



THE FICTION DESK GHOST STORY COMPETITION
http://www.thefictiondesk.com/submissions/ghost-story-competition.php
£8 ENTRY FEE.
Most of the stories we publish at The Fiction Desk are more or less realistic, but we try to stray outside that from time to time: Some genre fiction should be part of any balanced reading diet. One genre that we particularly like to feature is the ghost story. This year, there is a first prize of £500, a second prize of £250, and a third prize of £100. The deadline is Tuesday, January 31, 2017. All stories must be written in English, and be entirely the author's own work. All entrants must be aged 16 or over at the time of entry; there is no upper age limit. Entries must be between 1,000 and 7,000 words in length.



DEVIL'S KITCHEN READING AWARDS
http://grassroots.siu.edu/dkawards.html
$20 ENTRY FEE.
One book of poetry (book-length work or single-author collection of poems), one book of fiction (novel, novella, or single-author short fiction collection) and one book of prose nonfiction (literary nonfiction, memoir, or single-author essay collection) will be selected from submissions of single-author titles published in 2016, and the winning authors will receive an honorarium of $1,000 and will present a public reading and participate in panels at the Devil's Kitchen Fall Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. The dates for the 2017 festival will be October 25-27, 2017. Travel and accommodations will be provided for the three winners. Entries must be postmarked December 1, 2016 - February 2, 2017.



ROMANCE ME
https://www.authors.me/romance-contest/
Be it historical or contemporary, a grand love story or the gripping tale of a torrid affair, through December 15 submit your Romance novel for the chance to win prizes and be read by judges from Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Hachette Book Group. This is an open call for writers of romance novels targeted towards an adult audience or a young adult/adult crossover audience. The submission must be a Romance novel, i.e. a narrative that is driven by a romantic relationship and has a satisfying ending. Deadline December 15, 2016. First prize $200, second prize $100, third prize $50. All three winners become featured submissions to the partner publishers and agents. Fill out the forms and upload a minimum of the first 30 pages. Complete manuscripts are welcome.
 

GRANTS

SC ARTS FAST TRACK GRANTS
http://schumanities.org/grants/howtoapply/
Fast Track Literary Grants are intended to support new or existing public literary programs such as (but not limited to) writers series, festivals, conferences, workshops, or writer's residencies at schools. Fast Track Literary Grants are accepted quarterly. Awards are $3,000 or less. The next deadline is Monday, November 14, 2016. Submissions are accepted by email until 5:00 p.m. on the deadline.



SWEDEN RESIDENCY
https://balticwritingresidency.submittable.com/submit
The Baltic Writing Residency is currently accepting applications for the a month-long residency in Stockholm, Sweden. The deadline of December 15th has been extended to January 15th. Applications can be sent via submittable. The BWR provides $1,000, and a cottage in Stockholm for one poet, playwright, or writer of fiction working in English. Though, neither the writer nor their project need be connected with Sweden. The deadline for the BWR chapbook contest is February 15.



THE FROST PLACE RESIDENCY
http://frostplace.org/
The Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire, invites applications for a six-to-eight-week residency in poet Robert Frost’s former farmhouse, which sits on a quiet north-country lane with a spectacular view of the White Mountains, and which serves as a museum and conference center. The residency period begins July 1 and ends August 31, and includes an award of $1,000 from The Frost Place and an award of $1,000 from Dartmouth College. The recipient of the Dartmouth Poet in Residence at The Frost Place will have an opportunity to give a series of public readings across the region, including at Dartmouth College. There are no other specific obligations. We hope that the residency offers space and time for significant poetic work. Deadline January 5, 2017.



QWF MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
http://www.qwf.org/programs/#mentorship
Call for applications from Quebec English-language writers. Deadline November 21, 2016. The QWF Mentorship program is designed to help promising emerging writers make the transition to the next stage of their careers. Over a period of four months, mentors are expected to devote 35 to 40 hours to reading and responding to their protegé’s work and giving guidance towards the goal of publication or production. Protegés are expected to commit a minimum of 15 to 20 hours per month to the program. Remuneration for mentors is $1,500. The only cost to protegés is a $20 non-refundable application fee. This program is intended for Quebec residents who do not have other resources at hand for professional mentorship. 
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

ACTIVITY MAINE
http://activitymaine.com/submission-guidelines
We focus on outdoor adventures, race events and Maine craft beer. For specific Activity Maine topics, we are looking for various types of content ranging from stories that introduce our readers to new adventures, towns or areas with lots to do, how to’s, travel and gear guide, reviews of places or equipment, adaptive recreation, outdoor event coverage, etc. Manuscripts submitted for feature consideration should be approximately 1,000 words in length. Most of our stories are shorter and more direct and range from 350-750 words as a general rule. Our rates vary with each individual submission and range from $100 per item for shorter pieces up to $250-$400 for feature articles.



LITMAG
https://litmag.com/submit/
We are a literary magazine and look for what moves and amazes us. We are drawn to big minds, large hearts, sharp pens. Print limit 15,000 words. Online limit 4,000 words. Send one story or essay at a time, up to five poems. We do not consider work that has previously been published either in print or online (including personal blogs etc.) LitMag Print: Upon acceptance, we pay $1,000 for fiction or nonfiction; $250 for a poem (or the rare short short). LitMag Online: Upon acceptance, we pay $250. 



101 HOLIDAYS
http://www.101holidays.co.uk/write-for-us
If you are a travel writer, or hoping to get into the industry, we offer a number of ways you can contribute to 101 Holidays. Writers can submit travel articles to our team of editors. We pay between £50 and £100 per article published, depending on its length and complexity. Although we do not have strict word counts, most articles we publish are between 800 and 1,500 words. 101 Holidays runs an internship programme, allowing you to write for us on a part-time remote basis with regular interaction with our experienced editors. Many of our interns have gone on to staff jobs in travel journalism. 



POWDER
http://www.powder.com/contributor-guidelines/
The alternative to the other, uptight skiing magazines. While our staff and regular contributors write a portion of Powder.com content, we encourage freelance writers to submit query emails for web content. It is rare for a writer we are unfamiliar with to break into the magazine, so we suggest you direct your efforts toward establishing a working relationship with us via assignments on Powder.com. We are always looking for new writers and fresh ideas that fit within the Powder voice. As a general rule, pitches should be short and succinct. Tell us what your idea is, why it matters to Powder readers, and why you’re the person to write it.
 

JOBS

WRITER-EDITOR
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/455710500/
Deadline November 21, 2016. This position is part of the Defense Media Activity. The incumbent will serve in the Magazine Branch for a service-unique Production Directorate Production Component. As a senior editor, selects stories intended to increase awareness of service missions and operations, and supports service communication goals. Instructs reporters and photographers on content needed to support stories. Ingests articles, features, commentaries and images. Develops and monitors short- and long-range plans for news and feature content. Location Fort Meade, MD.



PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/455952400/
Locations in Washington DC and Albubquerque, New Mexico. Deadline November 30, 2016. The major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Supports the planning, design, and execution of comprehensive nationwide campaigns to convey information concerning OST programs; establishes and maintains effective working relationships with news media, agency constituents and personnel, tribal organizations, and other stakeholders; produces outreach communication materials including, but not limited to speeches, talking points, social media posts, press releases and advisories, articles, newsletters, fact sheets, presentations, and audio-visual materials. This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST), Office of External Affairs (OEA).

 

Publishers/agents

DOGWOOD PRESS
http://www.dogwoodpress.com/books1.html
You have a leg up if you write good suspense, especially if you’re from Mississippi or if your work is set in the Magnolia State! But we’ll be happy to consider the right nonfiction project, too. We're not interested in sci-fi/fantasy proposals, and the same is true for children’s books and poetic works. We'd be most interested in seeing your book-length work. 



REGAL HOUSE PUBLISHING
http://www.regalhousepublishing.com/
Regal House Publishing offers an appealing alternative for literary fiction authors seeking publication, an alternative to the circuitous, lengthy route of traditional publishing and to the go-it-alone, often expensive, self-publishing avenue. At Regal, we pride ourselves on our open submission policy that doesn’t require an agent (though queries from agents are welcome too), and on the meticulous in-house editing provided by our staff – a perk growing more unusual in the publishing world where the responsibility and expense of editing now routinely fall to authors. We believe that the publication of a fictional work is a collaborative process between author and publisher, one in which both parties contribute from the initial editing process through the implementation of pre- and post-publication marketing campaigns. We are dedicated to the publication and promotion of high-quality literary fiction and are passionate about supporting the writers who pen them.



WOLF LITERARY SERVICES
http://wolflit.com/about/
Wolf Literary Services LLC is a full-service literary agency specializing in dynamic, quirky books written for all ages. As an agency, we have a deep respect for the place where “low” art meets high art. We like a good story, regardless of genre.



EMMA SWEENEY LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.emmasweeneyagency.com/About-us
Margaret Sutherland Brown is particularly interested in commercial and literary fiction, mysteries and thrillers, narrative nonfiction, lifestyle, and cookbooks. Kira Watson is particularly interested in young adult and middle grade books with a strong narrative voice, well-crafted storylines, and memorable characters. Within YA and MG, Kira is actively seeking realistic fiction, speculative fiction, magic realism, thriller/mystery, horror, fantasy, and historical fiction. Stories with folklore elements, complex villains, morally enigmatic (and very flawed) protagonists, medieval literature influences, and taboo subjects. 

 

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!



 

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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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A few testimonials from happy clients:

"Superb work, excellent customer service. Just marvelous overall.” —C. Hope Clark, author, founder of FundsforWriters, http://www.fundsforwriters.com

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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/
http://meredithwargo.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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