FundsforWriters - July 14, 2017

FundsforWriters - July 14, 2017 - Getting Credit

Published: Fri, 07/14/17

Volume 17, Issue 28 | JULY 14, 2017

Message from the Editor

It's so dang hot! So more time to write, right? Right. I'm behind my personal deadlines, but still fighting to write daily. I'm dealing with parents going into assisted living and the trauma is reverberating throughout my family . . . which means me, since I am the one handling affairs.

Sometimes it's hard to get into my characters' heads, but I make myself look at the story, read the chapters, and attempt to write new words each day. I think writing's part of my own game plan to remain sane.

So I try to think of positives. My husband is phenomenal at the moment . . . tending to my needs and helping my parents. The pups are being quite understanding being locked in their bedroom for several hours many days. My sons listen on the bad days.

And I am beginning to see sales (and reviews) add up for The Best of FundsforWriters, Volume 1. Here are some snippets that tell you what folks think. It's a concise book of 32 lessons from the FFW newsletters, selected because of their precise messages. Ebook only $3.99 and print $9.99.

I finished the book feeling like I'd gained valuable insight without being overwhelmed. For me , the best part is this is a resource I will continue to use. I am conservative with 5-star ratings, but did not hesitate with this. ~TA Robinson

What Hope offers is more than just a pat on the back for writers. It's information that writers need if they want to make it in this business. Do yourself a favor and buy the book and subscribe to Funds for Writers. Your career is worth the price. ~Rachel Carrington

A great book to keep on your nightstand for bite sized motivation and fabulous real-life advice to keep you on track for your writing career. ~Lisa Kovanda

Say cool, my friends.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
Email Hope | Visit Website | Sign up for Newsletter
Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326
FFW has proudly been on the Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers list every year since 2000

Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. Use information listed at your own risk. FundsforWriters gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the markets, contests and grants although research is done to the best of our ability.

TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
AUTHOR SITE - http://www.chopeclark.com
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
GOODREADS - http://www.goodreads.com/hopeclark
BOOKBUB - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-hope-clark




	Those who haven't read any of C. Hope Clark's books are short-changing themselves. You can't begin a C. Hope Clark book and then put it down." - Clay Stafford, author / filmmaker, founder of Killer Nashville and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

http://winningwriters.com/tompoetryTom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

15th year. $4,000 in cash prizes, including $1,500 for a poem in any style and $1,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Both published and unpublished work accepted. All entries that win cash prizes will be published on WinningWriters.com. Entry fee is $12 per poem. Each poem may have up to 250 lines. Submit by September 30. Winning Writers is one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest). See guidelines, past winners, and enter online via Submittable at winningwriters.com/tompoetry

Editor’s THOUGHTS

GETTING CREDIT

Publishing is hard. No doubt about it. But sometimes authors get so caught up in the publishing aspect of the profession that we forget the reader doesn't give a darn how the book was made, researched, written, published, or promoted.

The point is for a reader to find a good story and feel that it is theirs. They've allowed this story into their life, committed hours and days to reading it, in hope that it's memorable enough to improve their quality of existence. As a minimum, provide a wonderful experience to remember . . . hopefully a book to recommend to others.

While this may sound weird to you, after infusing so much time and effort into the story, the end game is not to get credit for the book. It's to give the world a great story experience.

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ~Harry Truman

For instance, books that I'll usually pass up, are promoted as:

1) free
2) cheap
3) self-published
4) five years in the making (or other number)
5) an author's greatest achievement
6) a great first book

Books I'll give a second glance at, are promoted as:

1) a great story about...
2) an award-winning story about...
3) a poignant story about...
4) recommended by (fill in name of established author)
5) a wonderful beach read, by-the-fire read, vacation read, weekend read, etc.

I want the author to care that I have a great time reading. I want the author to promise me a treat for investing my time. I want the author to make my life better. This is why we write. To fulfill a promise to the reader.

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hope's Appearances

--August 5, 2017 - 1PM - Writer's Digest Online Mystery and Thriller Conference

--September 12 - 1PM - Mark Dawson Podcast Self-Publishing Formula

--September 24 - 7PM - The Writers Chatroom with Hope

--November 3-5, 2017 - Independent Writers Conference - Philadelphia, PA - and guess who is one of the presenters! I'd love to meet a herd of FundsforWriters followers while I'm there. Check it out.

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. Biweekly, with 65 contests, markets, grants, retreats, publishers, freelance gigs, magazines and more. $18.75 for a year, or 26 issues. To subscribe, simply go to www.paypal.me/chopeclark/18.75 or read more at FundsforWriters.com.

NOTE TO THE WISE: Purchase an autographed copy or new copy of Hope's book and receive TOTAL for free. Send the receipt to hope@fundsforwriters.com

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."

~Richard Bach

Success Story

Hi Hope,

After reading the "Success Stories" of the last two weeks, it just might be that the biggest contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul's "My Kind (of) America" book, might be YOU, Hope, and FundsforWriters! Not only did readers Judith Lukin and Natalie N. Rotunda get their stories into the book, but so did I! (I'd love to hear from your readers to see if there are any others of us out there.)

Not only did my story, "Turn-About Thanksgiving" make the book, but this is the fifth Chicken Soup book in which my stories are appearing. Your FundsforWriters set me on a path to success with this market and guided me towards a "real" career in freelance writing with essays in multiple magazines, two Chicken Soup essays this year, a new regular blog gig, and my self-published special ed workbooks. I am a faithful fan of yours and grateful — on behalf of so many of us — for the service you offer to aspiring authors.

Sincerely,
Susan Traugh
Author/Presenter
The Edge of Brilliance
YA Novel, Finch-Books.com
Transition2Life/Daily Living Skills
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Susan-Traugh
HealthyPlace Blog—"Life With Bob"
https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/parentingchildwithmentalillness/
http://susantraugh.com
http://www.facebook.com/susan.traugh.author
susan.traugh@gmail.com

When Content Mills Give You Lemons, Make Lemonade That Pays

By Julie Wilson

A few years ago, I found myself in a bind. I graduated with my MPS in Publishing and had big plans of earning a full-time income from some sort of writing and publishing. As a single mother who has worked from home for over a decade, returning to the traditional workforce was not an option. I had no bylines, no real experience, and a goal to fulfill.

It wasn’t long before my search for a writing opportunity led me to Crowd Content. As far as content mills go, it seemed to be midlevel. I created a writer profile, took a skill level test and started claiming jobs. The general rules are that a writer may accept four jobs at a time, the deadlines are ridiculously tight and inflexible, and gaining “favorite” status from clients is important. If a deadline is missed or a client complains, the writer is demoted.

I quickly accepted jobs of all kinds. I wrote product descriptions for online vape stores, press releases for Las Vegas lingerie parties, and fin tech and legal blog posts. I wrote until 1AM and woke up at 5AM to write some more. Meeting the insane deadlines was an act of futility. But, my skill level was “4 Star” and I was earning 6 to 7 cents per word, so it added up. After a couple of months, I was consistently making $1800/month. Not a full-time salary, but a start.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that even if I worked for eight full hours each day, I would never make more than $3,000/month and that fell remarkably short of my goal. I would have to work smarter, not harder. So, here is what I did:

1. Identify the Big Fish

A few of my content mill clients stood out and with a bit of research, I had a list of seven clients that I would love to work for outside of the content mill.

2. Focus on Relationships

Content mills desperately try to limit contact between writers and clients to preserve their profitable workflow. I worked within their system to build strong relationships based on reliability and high quality work with my seven clients. These clients expressed frustration with the rigidity of the platform and so we had that in common.

3. Pitch

With some research, I contacted my list of seven through either email or social media. (If the content mill knows that you are usurping their platform, they will ban you, so make sure that you are prepared.) My pitch looked something like this:

“I have been writing for your company for a few months. I plan to leave Crowd Content because of the inflexibility of their platform, but would like to continue writing for your company. I am guessing that you pay 12 to 15 cents per word for my blog posts. If you are interested in hiring me outside of Crowd Content, pricing will only be 10 cents per word for future blog posts.”

Five of the seven clients replied and hired me outside of Crowd Content. They are now paying less, and I am making more in fewer hours. I complete complex projects that were not supported by Crowd Content. My income quickly rose to $2600/month writing for my select five clients. Today, I still write for three of the five, but my rate has increased and they are happy to pay it. Since my experience, a new breed of writer friendly content mills have emerged, but when content mills gave me lemons I decided to drink expensive lemonade.

BIO -
Julie Wilson is a serial entrepreneur and regular contributor to several publications, including the “How To Start Up Business Blog,” Golf Car Advisor, and Mobile Cuisine. In addition, she puts brands on the map with content-centric marketing plans.

COmpetitions

LIBRARY JOURNAL'S INDIE EBOOK AWARDS
https://selfe.librariescreate.com/indieawards2017/
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline July 31, 2017. Recognizes indie authors with the best ebooks in the genres of mystery, romance, science fiction, young adult and fantasy. Submissions are judged by Library Journal editors, along with librarians from across America. Winners in each category receive $1,000 and all winners and honorable mentions receive a full LJ review, a promotional ad in the “Best Books” issue of the Library Journal print magazine and recognition at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting.

DRAGONFLY TEA SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://dragonflytea.com/blogs/our-blog/dragonfly-tea-short-story-competition-2017
NO ENTRY FEE.
Deadline July 31, 2017. This year, our theme for the main competition is Journey. Ever since tea chests began travelling along the fabeled spice routes, the little green leaf has been at the heart of many a journey - from journeys of the mind, to journeys of the spirit, and of course grand journeys across the land. Limit 3,000 words. First Prize: £1500. Second Prize: £750. Third Prize: £500.

LET THERE BE LIGHT CONTEST
https://writermag.submittable.com/submit/87902/let-there-be-light
MULTIPLE ENTRY FEE OPTIONS. Deadline August 21. 2017. Write a 2,000-word fictional short story using any nuance, definition, or understanding of the word “light.” Prize is $1,000 and publication in The Writer Magazine. Second place receives $500 and publication, and third-place $250 and publication.

HEMINGWAY PRIZE FOR FLASH FICTION
https://fictionsoutheast.submittable.com/submit
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2017. Limit 1,500 words. Winner receives $200 and publication in Fiction Southeast. Runners-up receive publication.

GRANTS

SLICE LITERARY WRITERS' CONFERENCE
http://slicelitcon.org/apply/
Deadline August 15, 2017. Slice’s seventh annual writers’ conference will draw more than 130 agents, authors, editors, and publishing pros. Our panels and workshops will cover topics from the craft of writing (plotting, dialogue, characterization, poetry, and more) to the business of writing (pitch letters, landing a book deal, and beyond). Top editors, agents, and authors will discuss crucial steps to help launch a writer’s career. Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program may be eligible for a scholarship to attend panels at the Slice Literary Writers’ Conference. (Thanks Erikedreifus.com)

RAIL EUROPE - TALES ON RAILS
https://www.raileurope.com/blog/talesonrail-2017
Deadline July 17, 2017. We want to give two creative individuals the chance to get away and focus on a personal or professional project during an inspiring, creativity-filled train journey through Germany and Switzerland in late September 2017. This opportunity is open to aspiring writers, visual artists, musicians, photographers, videographers, and any other creatives from the US and Australia. The most exciting part? We'll produce a video series about the artists' experience, with episodes to be released online in early 2018.

ARTERRA ARTISTIC RESIDENCE IN PORTUGAL
http://khojworkshop.org/opportunity/open-call-for-arterra-artistic-residence-in-portugal/
ARTErra is a private structure of incentive for artistic creation in a quiet and green small village, which aims to facilitate encounters between different artists and aesthetic disciplines.

BEIJING RESIDENCY
http://www.chinaresidencies.com/news/156
Deadline July 17, 2017. For the fourth edition of the Crystal Ruth Bell Residency, Red Gate & China Residencies are inviting people to apply for a funded residency in Beijing for the months of November and December 2017. We are calling for people of all types of creative practices, of all passports, ages, gender-identities, abilities, and interests to send us proposals for projects to pursue in Beijing this winter around the principle of"care" - in any way the term makes sense to you. The Crystal Ruth Bell Residency covers live/work space in Beijing, funding for travel and visa expenses, airport pickups, welcome dinner and orientation upon arrival, project support and coordination, artist talk and studio visits (optional), USD $1,000 research stipend (enough to cover meals and daily living expenses in Beijing), materials and production stipend (variable based on proposed project), and an open studio exhibition.

FREELANCE MARKETS

ZOETROPE
http://www.all-story.com/submissions.cgi
We consider unsolicited submissions of short stories and one-act plays no longer than 7,000 words.
Zoetrope: All-Story is a quarterly literary publication founded by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997 to explore the intersection of story and art, fiction and film. Pays up to $1,000 per submission.

WOMENARTS BLOG
https://www.womenarts.org/blog/womenarts-blog-submission-guidelines/
We are looking for reporters who can help us cover more of the inspiring work that women artists are doing, the latest research on gender parity in the arts, and the actions women are taking to end gender discrimination in the arts. We are looking for news articles. We are not seeking personal essays at this time. We prefer articles that are 1,000 to 1,200 words in length. It is extremely rare for us to publish articles longer than 1,500 words. Our maximum fee will be $200.

URBAN STAGES
http://urbanstages.org/submissions/
Out of hundreds of submissions a year, we select 15-20 plays for readings. From these, we select 1-3 plays annually to go on to our workshopping phase. Our workshops are meant to prepare a play for our Off-Broadway stage. From our workshops, we select 1-2 plays for full productions, complete with a playwright’s contract and compensation (separate from the award). Our $500 Emerging Playwright Award (coupled with press coverage) is given to playwrights who show excellence and dedication throughout this process – from development to the stage.

NEW MOBILITY
http://www.newmobility.com/magazine-for-active-wheelchair-users/writers-guidelines/
New Mobility covers active wheelchair lifestyle with articles on recreation, travel, people, health, relationships, media, culture, civil rights and resources. Eighty-five percent of our readers have disabilities, most caused by spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. Pays 15 cents per word for new writers.

JOBS

WRITNG INSTRUCTORS
https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-job/d88448ec98384fdcaf67db3aea774f77-writing-instructor-summer-boot-camp-sponsors-for-educational-opportunity-new-york
SEO Scholars is a free eight-year academic program that gets talented, low-income public high school students to and through college. Writing Instructors teach writing classes, lead workshops, and offer individualized writing coaching to aid our 12th Grade Scholars in crafting strong and competitive personal statements. We are currently hiring Writing Instructors for our summer Boot Camp for 12th graders from August 14-23, 1:45-4:45 p.m. each week day. Location New York City.

Publishers/agents

SPEAKING VOLUMES
http://www.speakingvolumes.us/
Speaking Volumes is a traditional publishing house that represents many New York Times, USA Today, National Best-Selling and Award-Winning Authors. We publish a wide spectrum of genres which include Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Suspense, Thrillers, Westerns, Poetry, and more.

SPINSTERS INK
http://www.spinstersink.com/subs.htm
Spinsters Ink’s mission is to publish fiction and nonfiction that deals with significant issues in the lives of lesbian women. Spinsters Ink is committed to publishing works by women of every age and racial or cultural background, writing from every walk of life, including the periphery. We are interested in novels with a solid plot and engaging, fully-realized characters. The main characters must be women and the story must be credible. While there are no length restrictions per se, the manuscript should be no less than 50,000 words, and must fully justify being in excess of 100,000 words. Nonfiction manuscripts should be about topics of interest to lesbian women.

ROSARIUM PUBLISHING
http://rosariumpublishing.com/#about
Rosarium Publishing is a fledgling publisher specializing in speculative fiction, comics, and a touch of crime fiction—all with a multicultural flair.

SHADOW MOUNTAIN
http://shadowmountain.com/
A U.S.-based publisher of children’s fantasy, children’s picture books, inspiration, fiction, history, and business titles. As an imprint of Deseret Book, Shadow Mountain publishes and promotes a variety of books, all of which reflect the values espoused by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.