SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

READING OUT LOUD DOESN'T FIX IT ALL

I cannot stand submitting to editors without reading my work aloud. Before a novel manuscript goes to the publisher, it's been read aloud three times at least. And when it's returned from the publisher for some level of review, I read it aloud again. Of course, we make it more fun around my house, because the task gives us permission to eat, drink, and smoke a cigar on the back porch overlooking the lake. Sometimes my husband comes by my study and asks, "Got anything to read yet?" when he's feeling like a bourbon. 

And yet, a copyeditor will find things wrong. Every single time. And recently, while reading Echoes of Edisto into the Talking Book Services at the South Carolina State Library (which has books also uploaded into the National Library's inventory for the blind), I found little things wrong. Things I should have caught. That an editor, a copyeditor, and a proofer should've caught. And it frustrates the crap out of me.

It's because editing is human, pure and simple. No computer can completely edit a manuscript.

Any publisher can go back into the system and upload a corrected copy of a manuscript, thanks to the technology of today, but you cannot undo the first impression of a mistake to a reader. I dare say I've never read a book without finding a mistake, but when I see them in my work, that old adage doesn't make me feel any better.

So, when editing an article or short piece, please read it aloud, multiple times. Have other eyes edit it. Have someone else read it to you. Or find an app or program that reads aloud to you as you follow along. Something like ReadAloud or Natural Reader or go to this site that rates several of them. Most are free which is all you need for most projects. 

Trust me, you cannot over-edit, regardless what anybody says. Put it down and reread it after time has lapsed, when your brain has lost its memorization of how you wrote it.

Sure, you want your work to be pristine and correct, but the occasional mistake can arise. Most editors will forgive the one mistake in a short piece . . . maybe two. And a book publisher will forgive the one in 10,000-word error. But, and this is a big but, when a five-hundred-word piece has four mistakes in it, chances are you won't hear from them again. 

Remember that when you submit a query letter. That one should be absolutely perfect. 



 





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 WORDS OF SUCCESS

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”

~Helen Keller
 

Success Story

If FundsforWriters has helped you in any way, please let us know.
We want to share your success with everyone here. Send your
brief (100 words, please) success story to hope@fundsforwriters.com 

featured article

Pitch Perfect

By Lyn Fairchild Hawks

This week my literary agent said she’ll submit my young adult novel to publishers. Her advice to me during this waiting period is “You must be patient. Are you patient?” 

Yes! For me to have gotten to this point, I had to be incredibly patient — over 10 years’ worth of persistence. And I’m beyond excited. Because from where I sat a decade ago, this moment would have seemed impossible. But after an adventurous trek through the wilds of editing, the challenges of slush pile and Twitter querying, and the thrills of face-to-face pitching to agents, I know I’ve not only prepared my best work but also have the best representation for my novel. 

Just as Hope preaches, practice at this writing thing does make perfect. Agents aren’t kidding when they say they want a manuscript that’s ready. They’re not interested in “potential.” I learned this when I queried my manuscript too early over a year ago. My story garnered some partial reads from a few agents, but eventually, over 50 rejections. (Keep in mind I had to query far more agents — over 100 — to get 50 “nos.”)

During the revision process these last two years, my novel has changed titles three times and has improved thanks to feedback from two freelance editors and over 20 beta readers. A former acquisitions editor I found via Editing-Writing.com suggested key changes that ultimately got me the attention from my current agent. 

So this past February with a new title, a much tighter plot, and a whole new query letter, I was ready to pitch again and even travel to Chicago to meet agents. These writing workshops hosted by query guru and author, Chuck Sambuchino, allow you to pitch to several agents. Preparing the ten-minute speech transformed my query. There’s nothing like facing industry professionals to make you rethink your argument for why your book should be marketed to millions. I found I needed a logline—the one-sentence hook or “elevator pitch.” It was the first thing I stated after introducing myself. I also needed to sum up the story in one to two minutes, which is exactly how long the synopsis should be in a query letter. I walked away from the conference with two requests for the full manuscript and three requests for partials. The experience was worth every penny of the plane ticket and hotel bill!

The logline was also the perfect tool for #PitMad, a day of Twitter pitching that happens four times a year, where authors share manuscripts with agents using 140 characters. From the three tweets you’re allowed, I received three requests from agents. Here’s one that worked: “When a friend is sexually assaulted, a teen journalist learns it’s better to go NYT, not TMZ, when reporting the crime. #PitMad #YA.”

But it was the slush pile query that ultimately brought me the pot of gold. While Twitter and face-to-face pitching, I never stopped sending out a revised email query: at least two a week. This one featured the logline, now the hook in my first paragraph. Agent Amy Tipton of Signature Literary asked for my full manuscript in June and made me an offer of representation. We’ve worked this summer on two rounds of revisions (one major and one minor), and now the book is ready for publishers’ eyes.

I got my agent by practicing the pitch—and perfecting the manuscript - until both were pitch perfect. It takes tenacity, humility, flexibility, and an ear for the market. Make sure all notes play well together in both your promotion and storytelling. 

BIO
Lyn Fairchild Hawks writes YA contemporary fiction and literary short stories. She is the author of the novel, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought; co-author of the graphic novella, Minerda; and author of the short story collection, The Flat and Weightless Tang-Filled Future. Lyn is represented by Amy Tipton of Signature Literary Agency. Learn more at lynhawks.com. 

 

COmpetitions

THE BACKWATERS PRIZE
http://thebackwaterspress.com/submissions/
$30 ENTRY FEE. 
Deadline May 31, 2017. This contest is open to anyone writing in English, whether the poet has previous book publications or not. Contest winner receives a publishing contract, $2,500 cash award, professional publication in perfect-bound format with ISBN and LCCN, 30 contributor’s copies, distribution, and assistance with publicity. Submit full-length manuscripts of original poetry in English, between 60 to 85 typewritten pages, not including credits, title page, contents page, in an easily legible font, such as Times New Roman or Garamond, in either 11- or 12-point.



DEGROOT NOVELLA PRIZE
https://www.miamibookfair.com/degroot/
$50 ENTRY FEE.
The winner of the Miami Book Fair/de Groot Prize will receive a $6,000 cash award, publication by Melville House, a critically acclaimed independent press, an expense-paid (hotel, travel, per diem) trip to the Miami Book Fair after publication, and a chance to read/participate in programs at the fair. The two runners-up will each receive $2,000, an expense-paid (hotel, travel, per diem) trip to the 2018 Miami Book Fair, and a chance to read/participate in programs at the Fair. The three winners work will be publicized in print and online media. A novella is a work of fiction between 17,000-40,000 words. All submissions must be received online and paid for by midnight EST on June 15, 2017. 



THE ROMEO LEMAY WRITING CONTEST
http://www.safetyharborwritersandpoets.com/writing-contest.html
NO ENTRY FEE.
Theme: Discovery. We are looking for stories, essays, poems, and photographs that touch upon the theme in some way. Prose, maximum 2,500 words. Poetry, submit up to three poems, with a maximum combined length of up to five pages. Submit July 15, 2017. The Romeo Lemay contest will award one prose winner $150 and one poetry winner $150. Two second place winners, one in prose and one in poetry, will each receive $75. We will also award a prize of $100 for the photograph or art work chosen for the cover of Odet. Two honorable mentions will be awarded $25 and are not limited to specific categories. We are limiting submissions to Florida residents only and ask that you provide a brief bio (40 to 75 words) in the body of your email. Selections of non-winning entries may also be offered publication.



AUTUMN HOUSE BOOK LENGTH CONTEST - POETRY, FICTION, NONFICTION
https://autumnhousepress.submittable.com/submit
$30 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline June 30, 2017. All full-length collections of poetry 50-80 pages in length are eligible. Fiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 pages. All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible. Nonfiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 pages. All nonfiction subjects (including personal essays, memoirs, travel writing, historical narratives, nature or science writing…) or any combination of subjects are eligible. The winners will receive book publication, $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote his or her book. 

 

GRANTS

WRITING BETWEEN THE VINES
http://www.writingbetweenthevines.org/program
Writing Between the Vines offers writers a space to work, a place to create - surrounded by the beauty and majesty of vineyards in locations around the world. Funded through application fees and in partnership with wineries, Writing Between the Vines provides writers the time to focus on works in progress or cultivate new ideas in residencies of up to one week in length at no charge. Writing Between the Vines is open to applicants in all genres including fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and poetry. The program also encourages applications from wine, food, and travel writers. 



NEW ORLEANS WRITERS RESIDENCY
https://www.neworleanswritersresidency.org/faq/
The New Orleans Writers' Residency is a writers' collective in the heart of New Marigny, a culturally rich neighborhood close to the French Quarter. The Residency provides space for writers to step away from their lives and focus on writing in the comfort of a restored 19th century shotgun double. In every culture, writers have played an important role in both society and revolution by voicing unspoken truths. This July, the NOLA Writers' Residency will offer a small group of writers a four week writing retreat to focus on getting better at doing just that. The retreat will cover lodging, airfare up to $500, and a stipend of $200 per week to cover food and entertainment. During those four weeks, you will have complete freedom to plan your time in ways that best support your writing and build lifelong connections with other writers. You will also have the opportunity to receive in-depth personal mentoring in everything from writing routines to the details of your craft, by Kat, our resident mentor, career counselor, and editor extraordinaire.



NOEPE RESIDENCY AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD
http://noepecenter.org/scholarships/
The Noepe Center Residency program, established in 2007 as the Martha’s Vineyard Writer’s Residency, has a simple mission: to provide writers of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and plays a place in which to create or complete new works. Up to 10 writers at a time are invited to take part an intimate community of peers. The colorful gardens, covered porch and ample common rooms provide several venues in which to work, gather, contemplate or simply relax. Writers may choose to stay two to six weeks. Each resident has a private room with a bath in an historic inn in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Scholarships are available.



THE STUDIOS OF KEY WEST
https://tskw.org/studios/apply-for-a-residency/
The Studios of Key West offers up to 35 juried one-month residencies per year to working artists and writers from around the world. Residencies are awarded to visual artists, writers, composers, performers, and interdisciplinary artists. There is no fee for residencies. The Studios provides accommodations and orientation. Travel, food and other incidentals are the responsibility of the residents. There is a $40 application fee. Applications are now being accepted through May 22, 2017 for residencies falling between October 2017 and August 2018. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

PACIFIC STANDARD
https://psmag.com/how-to-contact-us-2fa645e07c7a
We are a great home for writers who can tell deeply reported, gripping tales about issues in the public interest while plumbing the intellectual, theoretical, and empirical context that surrounds them. Every story we tell has a strong connection to one of our four core subject areas: economic, educational, environmental, and social justice. 



PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
https://www.psychologytoday.com/writers-guidelines
PT explores every aspect of human behavior, from the cultural trends that shape the way we think and feel to the intricacies of modern neuroscience. Although many psychologists and mental health professionals read PT, most of our readers are simply intelligent and curious people interested in the psyche and the self. Think of us as a health magazine for the mind.



RODALE'S ORGANIC LIFE
http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/content/work-us
We accept pitches for print and/or online articles that address some aspect of the magazine’s focus on living naturally in the modern world. Pitches for the front-of-book Gather section, the Food, Home, Garden, or Wellbeing sections, feature articles, or the back-of-book Almanac section should be succinct yet detailed. 



UPPER RUBBER BOOT BOOKS
http://www.upperrubberboot.com/about/
Announcing an open call for submissions for Broad Knowledge: 35 Women Up To No Good, an anthology of dark and speculative fiction in the Women Up To No Good book series to be published by Upper Rubber Boot Books. Authors must identify as female, non-binary, or a marginalized sex or gender identity. This anthology will be themed around the idea of knowledge (learning/science/education/training/etc.). Stories may be funny or serious, set anywhere on or off the world, in any time period, but must feature female protagonists whose knowledge is integral to the plot/conflict. Word/page count: Up to 5,000 words/story. Payment: six cents per word. Genres: Dark and speculative fiction encompasses horror, science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism, and we welcome all of these genres.
 

JOBS

Publishers/agents

WAVERLY PLACE AGENCY
http://www.waverlyplaceliterary.com/2013/09/looking-for-writing-with-charisma-for.html
Representing books with charisma for adults, teens and children. Areas of interests are: Narrative nonfiction memoir/biography about extraordinary people and experiences, obsessions, travel, history, home & lifestyle, New York, Americana, pop culture, music and the arts. Not interested in essay collections, topics in medicine, health, psychology, science, technology, finance, business, politics, religion/spirituality, stories of abuse or victimhood, accidents, sports, pets, cooking, food or true crime. Multicultural and international fiction that's relatable to American readers. Mysteries, thrillers, suspense novels with likable heroes or anti-heroes that are satisfying but not predictable. No serial killers or gruesome description. Mainstream fiction, excluding category romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, religious/spiritual fiction, gratuitous sex and violence or the sentimental. Accidents or medical diagnoses as inciting incidents show a lack of imagination. Historical fiction that's relevant to our lives today, rendered in a contemporary style. Literary novels with an emphasis on story, dramatic action and dialogue, set in the indefinite present. Short story and poetry collections with popular appeal. 



RENEE ZUCKERBROT LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.rzagency.com/submission_guidelines.html
The Renée Zuckerbrot Literary Agency is looking for writers with a unique voice. We welcome queries from both established and emerging writers. Renée’s list includes literary and commercial adult fiction; and narrative non-fiction, with a particular focus on science, history and popular culture. We accept queries for short story collections. We do not represent screenplays.



BELLEVUE LITERARY PRESS
http://blpress.org/about/
Bellevue Literary Press is devoted to publishing literary fiction and nonfiction at the intersection of the arts and sciences because we believe that science and the humanities are natural companions for understanding the human experience. 



BLACK MOUNTAIN PRESS
http://www.theblackmountainpress.com/submit.html
Black Mountain Press is a literary press for outstanding emerging writers publishing several different genres of books annually. For the next five years from 2016 through the end of 2021 our focus will be in collections of poetry, memoir, novels, and collections of short stories. Our editors are looking for the highest quality literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that combines a distinct voice and vision.

 

SPONSORS

Short & Helpful Online Writer Workshops
 
STEP IT UP FOR SPRING - April, May, June

Spring Collection : Conflict, Backstory, Self-Editing
Summer Collection: Memoir, World Building, Researching
Autumn Collection: Premise, Voice & POV, Setting
Winter Collection: Character, Dialogue, Beginnings & Endings 
 
Each workshop has a video, pdf work-along, interaction with a published author who answers YOUR questions.
FREE workbook with every collection.
 
http://ShortandHelpfulOnlineWriterWorkShops.com (or use http://showws.com)
 
Use Hope2017 discount code for 15% off any registration.















 
Special Offer: Santa Fe Writers Lab
Santa Fe Writers Lab is a new offering produced by the well-established Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. This May, take your pick of week-long or 1-day workshops with instruction by accomplished writers such as Natalie Goldberg, Tim Cahill, Sally Denton, Douglas Preston, Margaret Wrinkle, and Danny Rubin. Writers of all levels and genres are welcome.
 
Special offer to fans of FundsforWriters: call 505-983-1400 ext 111 and mention FFW200 to receive $200 off tuition for the week-long workshop of your choice. (FFW200 valid for new registrations only, expires April 27.)
 
Join us and be fully present for an experiential educational experience bound to change your life as a writer and as a person. 50 Mount Carmel Rd, 505-983-1400, writerslab.santafeworkshops.com






















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A few testimonials from happy clients:

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Writing a book? Confused about publishing options? Need a marketing plan? Don’t miss the 7th annual Nonfiction Writers Conference—a virtual event unlike any other. Join 15 top speakers May 3-5, 2017 from the comfort of your home or office.

Details and registration: NonfictionWritersConference.com 

“NFWC is the best investment I make each year in my nonfiction author career. The caliber and accessibility of the presenters is unusually high, the topics well chosen and diverse, and I can honestly say that at least half of the presentations would have been worth the cost of the whole conference alone.” – Mary Shafer, Devastation on the Delaware, 55Flood.com

“The Non-Fiction Writers E-Conference is a wonderful event! I’ve attended many in-person writers conferences over the years at considerable expense. It was great to be able to be at home in my office and just participate in the sessions that most interested me — at a very reasonable cost!” – Doreen Pendgracs, Author of “Chocolatour: A Quest for the World’s Best Chocolate,” http://chocolatour.net








 

NOTE FROM HOPE: These Book Design Templates are recommended by so many in the industry for formatting your ebook and print books properly. Highly recommended. I own several of these, and they give your book an extremely polished look. Cannot speak highly enough about them. SIX new templates for genre authors that work for Word, Pages, and InDesign. $30 off this week!!!

How Savvy Authors Publish and Optimize their Books
for Blockbuster Sales on Amazon
Self-publishing expert Tracy Atkins has created an amazing set of tools and methods you can use to publish and optimize your book on Amazon—the right way. By following Tracy's simple, four-phase Amazon Success Method, you'll get an in-depth understand of the real Amazon, and to give your book a significant advantage over the competition.

This toolkit includes step-by-step instruction on how to publish your print book, Kindle eBook, and audiobook using Amazon’s publishing platforms: CreateSpace, Kindle Direct Publishing, and ACX.

Tracy also shows you how to use your Author Central account to take control of your book’s Amazon product page, and then tweak it to perfection.

You'll also get ten excellent worksheets and checklists to make the entire process easy to manage. You'll learn to make powerful choices that will help you sell more books on the world’s largest book retailer.

NOTE FROM HOPE! Get a special 25% off for your list with a coupon code,  AST25OFF

I LOVE THIS LADY!!!!  If you want to improve your writing, she is the person to go to. ~C. Hope Clark
 

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 2000-2017, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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