SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

GET AWAY TO WRITE - SPAIN
July 11-18, 2017, Tavertet, Spain
Led by Peter E. Murphy with Roberta Clipper & Christine E. Salvatore

ARE YOU A WRITER WHO LOVES TO TRAVEL? Retreat to beautiful northern Spain to immerse yourself in a supportive week-long writing experience that will energize and inspire you. Enjoy encouraging workshops, plentiful writing time, panoramic clifftop views, excursions to Barcelona and more.

"Peter is simply one of the finest writing teachers I have ever encountered. His craft talks were inventive, astute and insightful. His imaginative prompts often inspired startlingly fresh and innovative writing. In short, Peter empowers his students to write, while offering instruction and feedback that allows them to make leaps and bounds in their writing."— Patty Paine, Doha, Qatar -  Founding editor of Diode Poetry Journal and author of four books

This retreat will fill. Register now: www.stockton.edu/murphywriting   

WHY PAY CONTEST ENTRY FEES?

I received this email from a reader this week:

"I see an entry that might work for me, but then the publication requests $10, $20, and sometimes more to enter the contest.  Many times I just pass. Why should we pay to present our work? To date, I have paid a few, but generally I balk at anything over $10."

My immediate response is this: Would you fund a contest out of your pocket and would you work for free?

Some contests do not charge a fee, but they are a tiny minority of the contests out there. Why? Because they have the financial means or the sponsorship to avoid having to ask for fees. However, most contests do not have that luxury.

Contests are not cheap to run. I ran a contest for nine years and offered a no entry fee category and an entry fee category. To make a point, I gave the winner of the non-entry fee category a big $50 first prize, then I gave the winner of the entry fee category a big $500 first prize. 

When considering contests, and wondering why you have to pay an entry fee, consider the costs of the contest provider:

1) The prize money. No entity has bottomless pockets. The money has to come from somewhere, and why not entry fees?

2) The judges. If the contest wants a reputable judge (or two or three), then they have to cough up the money to pay said judge(s). No writer should work for free, to include the writers who serve as contest judges. 

3) The advertising. You've never head about a contest if it was not advertised. FundsforWriters accepted money from contests that want to repeatedly promote their competition. That money has to come from somewhere.

4) The publishing. Many of the contests provide publication. Whether online or in print (especially in print), there are expenses. 

In my contest experience, the contests that command entry fees usually acquire the best work. The contest I ran was an experiment with the results being as I expected. The quality of writing improved in the entry fee category. When writers had nothing to risk and paid no entry fee, the writing quality sank horrendously. It wasn't even close. That fact alone can justify a contest charging an entry fee.

Frankly, if I see a contest that charges no entry fee, I dig into them more, hunting how they afford to fund the competition. And I even wonder why they are not using the income stream provided by entry fees to avoid sucking funds away from other needs in their enterprise.

Pay the entry fee. The contest provider seriously has the right and need to charge. Plus, you'll submit a better quality product.









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: Purchase an autographed copy of Hope's book and receive TOTAL for free.    
(**and feel free to steal this graphic for your own site!)
 

 WORDS OF SUCCESS

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.

~Abraham Lincoln
 

Success Story

Dear Hope,

A subscriber for many years, published by you twice, and once a FFW contest winner, I have much for which to thank you. But today, I am thanking you for confirming that a small press I had already known about was looking for submissions. Once I saw it detailed in FFW (or TOTAL), I submitted two of my YA mss. The Heartbeat of the Mountain has just been released and Prison Break will be released, hopefully, this fall. The impetus for me to submit to them was seeing it in FFW. Thanks for your outstanding writing/marketing publications.

Joan Foley Baier
The Heartbeat of the Mountain (just released)
Luvella's Promise
Roar of Revenge
www.joanbaier.com

featured article

Finding Your Markets

By Kathleen Ewing 
 
Before you fork over a chunk of money to subscribe to a writer's market database, try your hand at compiling your own market list by using the power of search engines. You will discover markets better targeted to your specific needs at no cost other than a few minutes on the computer.

At www.thesearchenginelist.com, you will find a list of search engines.  It's a fairly comprehensive list, which includes a brief description of the type of coverage you can expect from each search site. Of course, Google, Bing and Yahoo are the three most popular. Select the one you prefer, or that most closely defines the type of material you are seeking.

Enter a plain language search string such as "fiction markets" or "freelance writing markets" or "magazine editorial guidelines." By placing the quotation marks around your search string, the search should produce only that exact phrase. Try capitalizing "Fiction Markets" to find results for the title of an article or website page.

If you are finding the horror genre markets included in the results and you wish to eliminate them, type this phrase: "fiction markets" not horror. Some search engines will give you different results if you type this: "fiction markets" –horror. For more targeted results, add your genre to the search string: "romance fiction markets" not paranormal or: "fiction markets" +romance. Always try the plain language version before you try the +/- option. When using the symbols, don't leave a space between the symbol and the word you are adding to or deleting from the search.

Experiment with various keyword combinations to find what works best for you and for the search engine you are using. Discard any search strings that yield poor results, but make sure you write down each of your successful search strings so you can apply them later. Each search engine produces slightly different results.

Don't be intimidated by the "Advanced Search" feature of the search engine. It is simply an additional device used to refine your search. Some tools, such as Ask.com, permit you to type a search string in the form of a simple question. (Ex: What is the current population of the world?) In addition, most search sites have a page that offers tips and shortcuts on how to search that are specific to that site. Check these options to assure you are getting the best results.

Finally, to find what method works best for you, try mega-search engines that pull results simultaneously from several search engines. Three of the top meta-search tools, Dogpile, WebCrawler and MetaCrawler, all compile results from a variety of major search sites such as Google, Bing and Yahoo as well as many others.
As a finishing touch, you might check to see who is looking for a writer by typing in "call for submissions." Or skim the sites at zinio.com, magazines.com, mrmagazine.com and tradepub.com for magazines you might never find at your local newsstand.

No more paying someone else a fee to do the searching for you. No more hours wasted sifting through dozens of generalized market lists. Soon you will have your own database of markets, every element of which you targeted specifically for your writing products.


BIO
Kathleen Ewing is an award-winning freelance writer who lives in the central mountains of Arizona. Her feature articles have appeared in Hobby Farms, American Falconry and Living the Country Life among many others. She is currently writing a series of romantic adventure novels set in the deadly international black market of endangered animals. She is online at LinkedIn.
 

COmpetitions

BIOM NARRATIVE MEDICINE ESSAY CONTEST
www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/development/international-osteopathic-medicine/Pages/biom-seminar-2017.aspx
NO ENTRY FEE.
The Bureau of International Osteopathic Medicine (BIOM) at the American Osteopathic Association is proud to announce its inaugural narrative medicine essay competition. Narrative medicine is a form of creative nonfiction that reflects on the lived experience of illness, healing, and clinical care. BIOM invites submissions of narrative medicine essays focused on global health or an international experience of healthcare. BIOM will award $750 for the first-prize winner, $500 for second prize, and a single award of $1500 grand prize across all competition plus public presentation at the annual BIOM International Seminar in Philadelphia, PA, in October 2017. This competition is only open to students and recent graduates (medical residents) of American colleges of osteopathic medicine. Deadline September 5, 2017.




LOUISE MERIWETHER FIRST BOOK PRIZE
http://www.feministpress.org/louise-meriwether-first-book-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE.
The Louise Meriwether First Book Prize is open to women of color and nonbinary writers of color who are residents of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia, and US territories and possessions; 18 years of age or older at time of entry; and who have not had a book published or have a book under contract at the time of submission. First time authors, submit your complete manuscript, either fiction or nonfiction, of 30,000 to 80,000 words, and you could receive a $5,000 advance and publication by the Feminist Press. Deadline July 31, 2017. 



THE GAR LASALLE STORYTELLER AWARD IN FICTION
http://artisttrust.org/index.php/for-artists/money
NO ENTRY FEE.
The Gar LaSalle Storyteller Award in Fiction is an unrestricted award of $10,000 given to a Washington State artist who is engaged in storytelling through their work in various artistic disciplines. The award recognizes an artist who demonstrates excellence in storytelling through their primary artistic discipline. Deadline June 26, 2017. 



V.S. PRITCHETT MEMORIAL PRIZE
https://theroyalsocietyofliterature.submittable.com/submit/78528/v-s-pritchett-memorial-prize-2017
£5 ENTRY FEE.
The author of the winning entry will be awarded a prize of £1,000 and have their short story published in Prospect online and in the RSL Review. There will be an opportunity to appear at an RSL event with established short story writers in autumn 2017. Deadline June 14, 2017. Entrants must be resident in the UK and likely to be available for a prizegiving event in autumn 2017. Any story submitted should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words in length.

 

GRANTS

TAIPEI ARTIST VILLAGE
http://www.artistvillage.org/
Artist-in-Residence Taipei is managed by the Department of AIR, Taipei Culture Foundation and operates in two places, Taipei Artist Village and Treasure Hill Artist Village. Secluded by a serene garden, with vibrant Taipei City as a backdrop for creativity, Taipei Artist Village provides freedom and opportunity for innovation in the making of visual art, music, architecture, literature, curatorial and cultural research, arts administration, interdisciplinary arts and performance art and fosters artistic and cultural exchange between Taiwan and the rest of the world. Deadline June 9, 2017. 



VANCOUVER LIBRARY WRITER IN RESIDENCE
https://www.writersunion.ca/news/vancouver-public-library-writer-residence-graphic-novels
Do you write and illustrate graphic novels? Vancouver, British Columbia, is the perfect setting for working
on your next illustrated masterpiece. Spend the coziest days of the year surrounded by snowy mountain
peaks and crisp water vistas while ensconced in a beautiful library full of surprises and opportunities
guaranteed to spark your creativity. Enjoy four months writing in Vancouver, home to a remarkable natural
environment and a lively cultural community. Vancouver Public Library will host a resident graphic novelist between Aug. 28 and Dec. 15, 2017. The Writer in Residence program promotes Canadian writing and literature to Vancouver citizens. The aims of the residency are to foster greater public appreciation for Canadian writing, provide opportunities to interact with the resident author and to provide the space, time and resources for a Canadian author to write. This full-time position (35 hours/week) requires 40 per cent of the author’s time be spent on library programs or projects, leaving 60 per cent of the work week available for creative writing. Deadline May 22, 2017. 



WRITERS IN THE HEARTLAND
http://www.writersintheheartland.org/Who/
Writers in the Heartland is located in Gilman, Illinois, 90 miles south of Chicago (for more information see tab for directions).  The residency is situated on a secluded lake surrounded by 32 acres of peaceful woodlands and tranquil farmland.  There are hiking trails, meditating gardens and a running track for outdoor use.



CAMBRIDGE WRITERS' WORKSHOP SCHOLARSHIPS
https://cww.submittable.com/submit
https://cambridgewritersworkshop.org/
The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop is offering scholarships in the amount of $100 – $200 for our  Summer Writing Retreat in Granada, Spain (August 2-6, 2017).  Deadline for Scholarship Applications is June 1, 2017 for Granada, Andalucía, Spain.

FREELANCE MARKETS

SMITHSONIAN
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/contact/article-submit-website/
Smithsonian magazine and Smithsonian.com place a Smithsonian lens on the world, looking at the topics and subject matters researched, studied and exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution - science, history, art, popular culture and innovation - and chronicling them every day for our diverse readership.



SOUTHWEST
http://www.southwestthemagazine.com/about-us
Southwest: The Magazine’s mission is to be at the heart of the Southwest Airlines brand, upholding their tradition with impassioned storytelling about real places and real people. Our award-winning editorial dives into business, travel, and lifestyle topics, artfully blending quickhit content with long-form features to create a magazine that appeals to more that 5 million readers each month.



TENNESSEE WILDLIFE MAGAZINE
https://www.tn.gov/twra/article/wildlife-magazine-editorial-guidelines
Our readers appreciate the beauty and drama of wildlife but are primarily interested in what’s happening in Tennessee. Some are hunters and fishermen; others are campers, hikers, birders and nature enthusiasts. For our contributors, the Tennessee angle is all-important. Readers will find beauty, adventure, human interest, an occasional shock, some humor and a little crusading. We strive to be interesting and relevant. We want vital, creative writing that holds the reader’s attention along with dramatic photography and artwork. Payment is $.15 per word on publication.



CREATIVE NONFICTION TRUE STORY
https://www.creativenonfiction.org/submissions/true-story
The Creative Nonfiction Foundation is pleased to announce that, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, we’ve started a new monthly magazine. Each issue of True Story will features one exceptional work of creative nonfiction, and is distributed in print and digitally (though not available online). Submissions should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words long, on any subject, in any style.* Surprise us! The only rules are that all work submitted must be nonfiction and original to the author, and we will not consider previously published work. We’ll pay $300 on publication and give you 10 free copies of “your” issue.
 

JOBS

WRITER-EDITOR
Employer Customer and Border Protection
Location Yuma, Arizona.
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/468983400
This position will allow you to use your expertise in writing and editing to create and revise written information published by the agency. The salary for this position starts at $72,168 (GS-12 Step 1). Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen the Department's ability to communicate its message to target audiences. Deadline May 17, 2017. 



PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST - SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/469209900
Deadline May 22, 2017. Three positions available at Fort Meade, MD for the Defense Media Activity. As a Public Affairs Specialist (Social Media) at the GS-1035-12 level, some of your typical work assignments may include developing content and maintaining DoD's social media presence across social channels to include blog posts, tweets, photos and videos to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and other DoD sanctioned social media sites. Also, developing an editorial calendar, creating, assigning, curating and publishing social media content. And analyzing social media and other communication efforts to identify the most effective direction, application, and strategic technology and outreach practices for meeting identified communications goals.

Publishers/agents

ACADIAN HOUSE PUBLISHING
http://www.acadianhouse.com/submission_guidelines.php
We are a publisher of nonfiction titles that cover a wide range of subjects, both historical and contemporary. These include biographies, histories and business success stories, as well as books that are motivational and inspirational - titles that deal with philosophy, theology and heroism. The books are distributed regionally and nationally.



BARBOUR PUBLISHING
http://www.barbourbooks.com/pages/writersguide.aspx
Barbour publishes in a wide variety of genres, from devotionals to popular Bible reference, from gift books to practical Christian living, from children's books to romance fiction. We have a Christian bent.



DESERT PREEZE PUBLISHING
http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/submissions/
Desert Breeze Publishing is a publisher of romance fiction in a variety of sub-genres, as well as mainstream women's fiction either with or without romantic elements. We also publish both Christian romance and Christian women's fiction, and a variety of young adult and new adult fiction. In those books categorized as romance, romance should be the prevailing theme of your manuscript, not romantic elements. We are seeking manuscripts from novella length (between 25,000 and 35,000 words approximately) to super novel length (exceeding 100,000 words), with a preference for novels between 55,000 and 80,000 words. We are more than willing to accept queries on book series, and will consider a series concept when at least one book is completed, a second novel is at least partially complete, and the series has been thoroughly formulated. We are not seeking anything shorter than 25,000 words, with a strong preference for shorter manuscripts of at least 30,000 words.



HOWARD BOOKS
http://www.simonandschuster.com/about/publishing#manuscripts
Howard Books publishes adult trade fiction and non-fiction books. Our goal is to inspire readers one word at a time. With a reach into both the Christian and general markets, we are the primary imprint at Simon & Schuster for faith-based books and a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. We suggest that prospective authors and illustrators submit their materials through a professional literary agent. Alternatively, should you wish to pursue self-publishing your work, we invite you to explore the services offered by Archway Publishing, from Simon & Schuster. Visit www.archwaypublishing.com for more information.
 

SPONSORS

Great list of professional workshops -
for example, Successful Self-Publishing is on sale for $149. Great deal!




















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 

E-mail Shaila: info@myhouseofdesign.com 
View portfolio: http://myhouseofdesign.com/author-portfolio/
Services for authors: http://myhouseofdesign.com/services-for-authors/

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/
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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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