FundsforWriters - July 7, 2017 - What Attracts a Reader First in a Book?

Published: Fri, 07/07/17

Volume 17, Issue 27 | JULY 7, 2017

Message from the Editor

It's upper nineties outside, but Winnie there in the chair is bored not being outside more. Yesterday I provided the chickens with ice in their water and frozen cucumbers to aid them through the heat. Picked the tomatoes and spaghetti squash so they didn't bake on the vine.

Been a rough week for me due to family issues, but I'm scrambling to remain noble to the writing schedule. I'm enjoying visiting with Slade once again, and I'm hoping you enjoy visiting her again as well. I forgot what a hoot she was. And as usual, I'm getting lost in the mystery, sorting and resorting red herrings, characters, and clues. Each time I write a mystery, I think it's horrible, but it all works out in the end. Hopefully this time, too.

For those who haven't experienced the Carolina Slade mysteries, now's the time to start and get caught up, because Newberry Sin comes out later in the year. And for those worried I've forgotten Callie, well, I felt she needed a rest after all she's been through in the last four books. However....something tells me we'll see her after this book....maybe even in a crossover book between Edisto's Callie Jean Morgan and the illustrious Carolina Slade. We'll see!

Say cool, my friends.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
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	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.

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Editor’s THOUGHTS

WHAT ATTRACTS A READER FIRST IN A BOOK?

I recently posted a Facebook question to 5,000 followers and asked the question: What is the first criteria in your choice of reading material: author, genre, or reputation of the review source?

The results weren't even close. Out of almost 200 responses, the results were these:

Genre = 60%
Author = 25%
Review = 2%
Equally all three = 2%
Other = 11%

OTHER meant people didn't choose via author, genre or review, and instead chose by cover, whim of the moment, length, large print availability, writing style, the first three pages, the last page, setting, or anything else.

As for me? Definitely genre first, then author. I will resort to looking at reviews once I'm pondering the choice.

This simple survey shows that you need to understand your product and market it appropriately. You do not market your book just anywhere, with just anyone. You market it where you think people in your genre will collect, review, and share.

I'm frequently asked if an author may advertise their book in my newsletters. I refuse...unless the book is written directed at writers. Why? Because my readers are writers by trade. They are not seeking romance, science fiction or young adult. They want nonfiction about how to write better and market better. FundsforWriters is one of those places where they collect.

There's truth in the mantra "know your market." It's how Coke, Nike, and Amazon do so well. You know all those little ads you see on Facebook? Ever marvel how you open a website and they know the last sites where you shopped? That's marketing to the customer. That's companies attempting to understand your ways. That's how you need to think.

When you cease writing that book, and it's time to market it for sale, stop and contemplate where those readers are. It's why BookBub and Amazon are so darn efficient. They know what you think and put products before your eyes that they've researched and know you will love.

Facebook, blogs, BookBub, any advertising....lead with genre. Stick to genre. Make your ad feel like your genre. Make your website seem like your genre. You can do this.

Hope's Appearances

--July 11, 2017 - Scribbler to Savant Club, Isle of Palms Exchange, Isle of Palms, SC - 6:30-8:30 PM - CANCELLED

--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

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

~Winston Churchill

Success Story

Dear Hope,

Like Natalie N. Rotunda (in the last issue of FundsforWriters), my brief story was also accepted for Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Kind (of) America. I too learned about the contest in FundsforWriters. Thank you so much for providing this information. This 72-year-old novice is prancing around singing, "I'm published. I'm published." Now, I'm really encouraged.

With appreciation,
Judith Lukin

P.S. Congratulations Natalie

Your Work Adds Value – Start Pricing It That Way

By J.M. Lacey

When I began to inquire about a cleaning service – you know, someone to clean my house so I could have two hours of my life back – I was floored with the going rate. The going rate for cleaning toilets (in my area) is $80 per hour. You want clean laundry? Much more.

This made me reflect on how experts not only price their services, but whether they believe they offer something of value.

This isn't to say cleaning for a living doesn't deserve to be paid. It sure does. But writing for a living is worth at least that, don't you think?

If you search online for the going rate of freelance writers, you'll be disappointed. Those rates are false. If you accept that $30 an hour for a writing project is fair, you'd be better off cleaning toilets for a living.

How do you counteract the low fees as a professional writer?

Quality clients

First, realize you should only accept the clients who will agree to your rates. Clients have to have a substantial marketing budget. There's a reason why cleaning services are typically used by people and businesses of means. They have the funds. The rest of us realize that $640 per month to have someone clean our toilets is out of our budget. And likely you can do that yourself. Prospects who think they can do their own writing and don't need an expert should fend for themselves. And if they question and nitpick your fees, they've shown they don't appreciate your worth. Leave them and move on.

Charge per project

Second, drop the hourly rate. When your plumber is working on a task, are you watching the clock and seeing $100 fly out the window every hour? Don't do that to clients. Give them a set project fee, which corporate clients prefer. Don't cheapen your skill by charging per hour.

Appreciate your value

Third, develop confidence in your rates. Don't leave room for negotiation by your uneasy tone. Email them if you have to. Recognize your value and realize that businesses will pay for good writing. Charging $5,000 - $10,000 for a white paper is normal. Charging $1,200 - $1,500 for a case study is expected. Website copy at minimum should be $450 per page, not including the all-important home page or a landing page. Accepting $50 for a blog post is insulting. Accepting $200 for an article that took you 10 hours to research, interview and complete is mortifying. If you know something is going to take you 10 hours to complete, and you think $100 per hour is fair, tell the client the fee is $1,000 (just don't tell them how many hours you think it will take you). Your other skills, such as marketing, or bringing in your own graphic designer, should increase your fee too.

Say "no"

Finally, say "no" more often. The more work you accept at insulting rates, that's additional work you could lose at better rates. Weed through the undesirable, cheap paying clients. Set yourself up as an expert. Produce quality work and enhance your portfolio. The more quality clients you choose to work with, the more you'll believe you're worth every penny.

Realize that you will always be surrounded by writers who prefer to feed on the scraps. Choose to eat better.

Bio: J.M. Lacey is an internal communications strategist who helps corporations establish clear communication between executives and leaders and their employees. Visit J.M. Lacey Communications (jmlacey.com) for more about her marketing and branding expertise and her work as a B2B and B2C copywriter.

COmpetitions

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS LITERARY AWARDS WRITING COMPETITION
http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/?id=436
$20 ENTRY FEE.
Submissions to the sixth annual Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards Writing Competition are being accepted through October 31, 2017. Entries are accepted in three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Winners will be honored at the 2018 Tucson Festival of Books on Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11. First-place winners in each category will receive $1,000. Second-place winners receive $500, and third-place winners $250. All winners will be awarded scholarships (a $300 value) to the 2018 Tucson Festival of Books Masters Writing Workshop, on both Monday, March 12 and Tuesday, March 13. The top 50 entrants will be invited to attend the workshop ($300). Submit five poems of any length, a short story or novel chapter, or a nonfiction piece or book chapter per submission. Maximum length for prose is 5,000 words per submission.

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS FICTION CONTEST
https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline November 30, 2017. Grand Prize $1,500, domestic airfare (up to $500), and French Quarter accommodations to attend the Festival in New Orleans. VIP All-Access Festival pass for the next Festival ($500 value), public reading at a literary panel at the next Festival, and publication in Louisiana Literature. The top nine finalists will receive a panel pass ($75 value) to the Festival and mention on the site. This contest is open only to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Published books include self-published books with ISBN numbers. Those who have published books in other genres besides fiction remain eligible.

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS ONE-ACT PLAY CONTEST
https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline November 1, 2017. Grand Prize $1,500, professionally-staged reading at the next Festival, VIP All-Access Festival pass ($500 value), and publication in Bayou Magazine. The top nine finalists will receive a panel pass ($75 value) to the Festival. Their names will be published on the site. Plays must not have been previously produced, published, performed, or patronized in any way, including in a formal staged reading.
Workshopped readings are accepted provided that the audience was limited to participants of that workshop.

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS POETRY CONTEST
https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE.
Deadline November 15, 2017. Grand Prize $1,000, VIP All-Access Pass ($500 value) for the Festival, publication in Louisiana Cultural Vistas Magazine, and public reading at the next Festival. The top nine finalists will receive a panel pass ($75 value) to the Festival. Their names will be published on this site.
The contest is open to writers who have not yet published a book of poetry with an ISBN number. Authors who have published in other genres are eligible. This contest is for emerging writers. Please submit work that has not won other prizes or contests (even if poems were unpublished). Submit two to four original, unpublished poems of any style or theme, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.

GRANTS

KILLER NASHVILLE SCHOLARSHIPS
https://killernashville.com/killer-nashville-scholarships/
Killer Nashville happens August 24-27, 2017 and offers multiple full scholarships every year to writers who cannot afford to attend a writing conference. Scholarships cover all out-of-pocket expenses (tuition, travel, lodging, food, manuscript critiques, agent pitches, etc.). The scholarship recipients pay nothing thanks to the generous donations of bestselling author Lisa Jackson, the estate of Jimmy Loftin, and Killer Nashville.

NEVADA ARTIST RESIDENCY EXPRESS GRANT
http://nvculture.org/nevadaartscouncil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/06/Rolling-Jackpot-Guidelines-FY2018.pdf
The Artist Residency Express Grant (AREx) is designed for community and educational sponsors to host a short-term artist-led residency (20 hours maximum), or for an NAC Roster Artist who is a Nevada resident to present a short-term artist residency. The shape and schedule of the residency is up to the sponsor and the artist. An intensive residency may occur over one to three days, or it may be appropriate to have more residency activities of shorter duration, such as two hours a week for six weeks. Up to $1,500 for residency and travel, $1,200 is a residency of up to 20 hours total at a suggested rate of $60 per hour. Travel is for any travel at least 50 miles from artist residency to location. In some cases, an artist may charge more than the grant will support. It is up to the sponsor to ensure the artist(s) receive full payment.

-AND-

NEVADA JACKPOT GRANTS
http://nvculture.org/nevadaartscouncil/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/06/Rolling-Jackpot-Guidelines-FY2018.pdf
Examples of eligible Jackpot Grant projects include, but are not limited to: art exhibitions, performances, readings and concerts, sponsoring of arts-related workshops and conferences, marketing and promotional activities and planning, implementation, and/or evaluation of arts education/learning programs for school-aged students or other targeted participants. An applicant may receive only one Jackpot Grant per fiscal year. Jackpot Grant applications for FY18 second quarter are due August 15. Second quarter projects must take place between October 1 and December 31, 2017.

SLF $500 DIVERSE WRITERS AND $500 DIVERSE WORLDS GRANTS
http://speculativeliterature.org/grants/slf-diverse-writers-and-diverse-worlds-grants/
Deadline July 31, 2017. The $500 Diverse Writers grant is intended to support new and emerging writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. — those whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing / publishing process. The $500 Diverse Worlds grant is intended for work that best presents a diverse world, regardless of the writer’s background. Writers may apply for either or both grants. Please note: your project does not need to center on identity issues.

JAN MICHALSKY FOUNDATION
http://www.fondation-janmichalski.com/en/residence-pour-ecrivains/
Deadline July 14, 2017. The Foundation features an original group of seven residential modules that are available to writers, translators, and other creative individuals for residencies of varying lengths. Hanging from the openwork canopy surrounding the Foundation, these living spaces are called “treehouses” and offer ideal conditions to anyone looking to start, continue, or put the final touches on a writing or translating project. Deliberately open to all types of writing, the Foundation residencies also allow those who are looking to combine writing and other forms of artistic expression the chance to pursue collaborative work with another. The Jan Michalski Foundation lies at the foot of the Swiss Jura Mountains in Montricher. The village is around 30 minutes away from Lausanne and 45 minutes from Geneva.

FREELANCE MARKETS

SUNSET
http://www.sunset.com/general/garden-writers
Sunset is looking for thoroughly researched, well-written stories and ideas for home gardening projects that can be successfully accomplished in a day or over a weekend or growing season. One-page stories usually run from 450 to 500 words, depending on the number of color photographs or illustrations such as charts or drawings. Shorter items run from 150 to 300 words. Garden Guide items are tailored to meet the home gardening needs of readers of Sunset's five regional editions: Northern California; Southern California (Santa Barbara to San Diego; also Hawaii); Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia); Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Clark County, Nevada/Las Vegas) and West Texas (Amarillo to El Paso); Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada except Clark County, Utah, and Wyoming).

CHICKEN SOUP – STORIES OF REDEMPTION
http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
Deadline August 31, 2017. Redemption stories can be amazing. What starts out as a negative force can be turned positive and can change the world of ordinary people. There are countless stories of redemption and we want to hear yours. How did you use the negative in your life to move onto a more positive path? What did you do to make up for the wrongs in your past? We are looking for true stories of redemption that will inspire us, restore us, heal us, and make a positive difference to lead a better, more rewarding life because of the example they set. Pays $200 and ten copies of the book for up to 1,200 words.

AFTERMATH GRIEF ANTHOLOGY
http://radixmedia.org/call-for-submissions/
Deadline August 15, 2017. Radix Media presents AFTERMATH: Explorations of Loss & Grief, an anthology that will examine what it means to face the consequences after tragedy strikes. The theme is left intentionally open, giving contributors the freedom to tell their story as it is most relevant to their experiences. Fiction and nonfiction pays six cents/word.

WRITERS WEEKLY
http://writersweekly.com/writersweekly-com-writers-guidelines
WritersWeekly.com focuses on “selling” the written word. We do not seek articles on how to write. Rather, we seek articles on how to make more money doing what you love….writing! We are also interested in other forms of home-based businesses and self-employment that may result from writing, such as self-publishing, corporate writing, ghostwriting, etc. All ideas that help writers support themselves performing the work they love are warmly welcomed. Pays $60 for up to 600 words.

JOBS

FEATURES WRITER
http://www.simplyhired.com/job/u6jXUXKEzLnzUUZ2ra2fHgm8eWofPmFosL-6RWyPCRmsyTnubGaZEA
The Robesonian newspaper, a six-day-a-week award-winning publication in Lumberton, N.C., is looking for a Features reporter. The primary responsibility of the position is a once-a-week section that includes staff-generated feature stories as well as other items of interest, including engagements, weddings, civic club news, calendar items, etc. The person should be highly organized, and good in dealing with the public. The person will also be asked to contribute with some spot news coverage on an as-needed basis. A journalism degree is preferred, but experience is a wonderful substitute.

COPYWRITER
http://www.simplyhired.com/job/S9h-tZB-vQLYgylIzer3CJfPNLSbNj_bR0hhq9LGPtycniijowqWLg
We’re looking for writers who understand their audience and can write with them in mind; who know when to write smart versus writing cute; who feel that long-form and short-form are just two different ways to tell the story. This individual needs to go beyond just a single execution of a great print ad or a clever social post and think of how the idea translates to a campaign, across a wide range of mediums. Ideal candidates will have at least one to two years of experience in advertising experience. Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred. Portfolio school a plus. Portfolio demonstrating conceptual ability required. Location Los Angeles, California.

ASSISTANT EDITOR
http://www.simplyhired.com/job/olwMeWVS4sAtnZm7vIX04UiuxJPT_ZrHf3Cpfgd3zUK_7mvQBO73yw
Assistant Editors will design and execute a weekly budget of high-interest news articles to engage an adolescent audience, working with freelancers to publish an article every weekday. Also, pitch, write and edit original journalistic articles and adapt existing news articles for a 4th through 12th-grade audience. Fact-check, revise and edit freelance work, providing feedback to writers and ensuring the quality of published content. Write and compile instructional material to go alongside current events articles, including interactive polls, research links, reading comprehension questions and standards-based curriculum materials. Will have at least one to two years experience pitching, writing, editing and making editorial decisions in a journalistic setting.

Publishers/agents

CAPITAL TALENT AGENCY
http://www.capitaltalentagency.com/html/about.shtml
Formed in 2009, Capital Talent Agency, LLC (CTA) represents theater professionals based in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC who work nationally in theater, film, television, and voiceovers. Capital Talent Agency also represents authors in all genres of fiction and non-fiction, as well as playwrights and screenwriters. Created in response to the needs of this growing population of artists in the nation’s capital, CTA was built around the personal and professional needs of our clients, not only providing representation, but also career planning, financial guidance, travel support, and much more.

DONAGHY LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.donaghyliterary.com/
Donaghy Literary Group provides full-service literary representation to our clients at every stage of their writing career. Specializing in commercial fiction, we seek middle grade, young adult, new adult and adult novels.

HOLLOWAY LITERARY AGENCY
https://hollowayliteraryagency.com/
Accepts the following genres for representation: commercial fiction, historical fiction, literary, memoir, middle grade, romance, thriller, women's fiction, and young adult.

ZIMMERMANN AGENCY
http://zimmermannliterary.com/submissions
Currently concentrating nonfiction efforts in health and wellness, relationships, popular culture, women's issues, lifestyle, sports, and music. Also drawn to memoirs that speak to a larger social or historical circumstance, or introduce the reader to a new phenomenon. Always looking for a work of fiction that will keep a reader up at night.