FundsforWriters - October 6, 2017 - A Writer's Deepest Fear

Published: Fri, 10/06/17

Volume 17, Issue 39 | SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

Message from the Editor

Do you have a newsletter? Yeah, I know. You don't have time, you don't know how, and all you want to do is write. Well, in case you've missed the rampant, constant advice out there in the web world, email newsletters are the proper way to court your readers.

Why?

They are more personal.
They are read more than blogs
They draw people to your website
They send people to your books/service
They are a reminder to readers

I've chuckled a lot about how authors are discovering the purpose of emailed newsletters . . . how the blog is now passe. That's because I've done a newsletter since newsletters were a novelty in the late 90's. I kept doing a newsletter when they fell out of favor and blogs seemed the thing to do. Guess that means I hung around until my fashion came back into style.

But personally I will read a newsletter (honestly, it feels more one-on-one) over a blog any day, and I hear the same from most people.

This past week, I read a piece on how to start an email free. http://www.aliventures.com/mailing-list-free/ A good primer indeed. But what if you want more than 1,000 readers and fans? Then you have to pay for the newsletter delivery service.

When you reach that point, please know that I've test driven a whole lot of them. With over 30 thousand on my list, I had to find a service that was cost effective. Most services charge you monthly per email. I could not afford that (stupid ridiculous prices). Then I found a couple that charged per follower (unlimited emails to those followers per month).

Some use drag-and-drop mechanics while others let you create original html. Some have templates. I hired my webmaster to design a template in keeping with the FundsforWriters theme, and it wasn't that expensive.

Study the newsletters out there. And I'd be remiss not to send you to my service that I've found is pretty darn good. But if you want to be a serious author, create a newsletter. And put it out religiously. Your readers will love you for it.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
Email Hope | Visit Website | Sign up for Newsletter
Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326
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	On sale for $1.99 for Oct 1-15.
	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

At FanStory you'll get:

Feedback that will be written on everything you write. Share your poetry, stories and book chapters. All skill levels welcomed.
Contests for free. Over $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded this year. All contests with cash prizes are free to enter with your membership.
Since the year 2000 FanStory has been helping writers of all skill levels. Make connections and friends. Enjoy sharing your writing.

Find out More | Watch The Video

Upcoming Contests

Poetry Contest
Write a poem that follows the 5-7-5 syllable count. So the first line has five syllables, second line has seven, final lin has 5 again. But this is a Katauta poem. So the poem must address a lover. Cash Prize! Deadline is this Monday, October 9th.

Non-Fiction Writing Contest
Share your personal essay, memoir and other types of non-fiction writing to enter this contest with a cash prize. Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 14th

Flash Fiction
Can you write a complete story with only 50 words? Try it out. Enter your writing in this contest for a chance at the cash prize. Deadline is Thursday, Oct. 19th.

Faith Poetry
Share a poem about your faith. Deadline is Saturday, Aug 19th.

Love Poem Poetry Contest
Share your love poem to enter this poetry contest. All forms of poetry welcomed. Deadline is Sunday, Oct. 22nd.

This is just a few of our contests. View our full listing here.

Editor’s THOUGHTS

A WRITER'S DEEPEST FEAR

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

"Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.” ~Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love

I dug out this quote after hearing from a reader. A reader who asked me how to overcome her fear of submitting to agents. She'd received accolades for some of her work, but the final act of hitting send to a potential gatekeeper scared her to pieces. She asked how I overcame that.

Frankly, I decided nobody was going to control me. I wanted to be a writer. To be a writer, I had to submit. Regardless of what someone thought, I had the right to submit. If someone said no, then I moved on. There are so many agents that you can't exhaust the list, because by the time you submit to everyone on your original list, there are more who've jumped into the fray.

I decided if they rejected me, they wouldn't remember me. I'd done the homework and seen that these agents (or rather their editorial assistants) skim work and move fast through their slush piles. No damage done if they hated my work, because they'd quickly forget.

But I also accepted the fact that these people had knowledge I wanted. There was no way to access that knowledge without jumping in and submitting. Sure, some would deny me access to that knowledge by not even responding, but others had the heart to write back. Those words were golden, helping me adapt, edit, and grow. They had something I wanted, and I could not access that information without submitting.

I would submit a query to 12 agents, then wait six weeks. Then I'd query another 12 agents, and wait another six weeks. After 36 queries, I decided the manuscript needed another rewrite. Then I started submitting again, 12 at a time.

As Marianne said above in her book, playing small does not serve the world. You are denying whatever talent may be inside you. And it does not hurt to submit. It does not hurt to try and be successful. Don't be afraid to be good. TRY to be good. March forward and put the naysayers and negative behind you. March into the positive and decide to be the best you . . . and yes, that means with your writing, too.

Hope's Appearances

--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.

NOTE: Type in the word "friend" and they'll give you an extra $20 off the registration. Because after all, you are a friend of FundsforWriters and C. Hope Clark! See you there!

WORDS OF SUCCESS

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.

~American Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher Pema Chödrön

Success Story

Has FundsforWriters helped you in any way in your writing journey? Let us share it here for all to see. Email hope@fundsforwriters.com This is where we learn from each other.

Publishing with a Hybrid Press

By Joan Dempsey

Ever since I signed the contract with She Writes Press for the publication of my debut novel, This Is How It Begins (available now), writers have been asking, “Why did you choose a hybrid press?”

First, what is a hybrid press?

A hybrid press walks the line between traditional publishing (the “Big 5” of HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Macmillan) and self-publishing (CreateSpace, Kindle Direct, Ingram Spark), taking aspects from each.

I chose a hybrid press for several reasons:

•   After 14 months of getting close but not close enough to land a literary agent, I got impatient with the lengthy process and decided to take matters into my own hands.
•   I decided against self-publishing because I wanted traditional distribution to bookstores, and that’s not something I could do myself.
•   I also decided against self-publishing because I knew I wouldn’t have the bandwidth to learn everything there is to learn in a timely fashion.
•   I wanted to work with a publisher who had ample experience with publishing and selling books, and I wanted a team to give my book its best chance.

After much research, I chose the cream of the hybrid crop—She Writes Press (SWP). This innovative press is blazing quality ground in the publishing industry right now. Here’s what their hybrid model looks like:

•   Emphasis on quality books—they carefully curate their list;
•   Traditional distribution through Ingram Publisher Services (IPS)—that means a dedicated sales team from IPS sells SWP books directly to booksellers, so your physical books end up in stores;
•   Generous royalties—You invest up front for editorial, book production and printing, but you get a higher royalty per book sold than you would with traditional publishers (60% of the net profits on print books and close to 80% of the net profits on ebooks);
•   Respect for authors—Authors are partners in the publishing process, get an education in how best to sell books, have a say in how books look, and retain ownership rights;
•   Community—SWP fosters a supportive community of women authors, who learn from each other and support each other throughout the publishing process and beyond;
•   Housekeeping—they take care of all the “metadata,” which goes to all outlets where books are sold, they warehouse books, file copyright and Library of Congress numbers, fulfill orders … all the stuff you don’t want to have to do from home.

One thing I worried about at first was whether working with a hybrid would limit my book in some way — would booksellers consider the hybrid press a poor cousin to traditional publishers? Would I be eligible for the big literary awards and grants?

In the case of SWP, I’ve seen no indication whatsoever that booksellers are thinking twice about carrying my book (my preorder numbers from bookstores were quite high). I’ve easily submitted, and been asked to submit, to many of the big-name book awards. There will be some grants that prohibit me from applying (the NEA Fellowship, for instance), but I’m going to try to blaze a new trail with those institutions by pushing them to reconsider their guidelines! The publishing world is changing, and trailblazers like SWP are leading the way.

Not all hybrids are created equal; there are other models out there to consider. Since I can’t speak about them from experience, I’ll leave you with some good articles for further reading:

•   Not All Hybrid Publishers Are Created Equal: How Authors Should Evaluate Their Choices, Jane Friedman for Publisher’s Weekly
•   The Indie Author's Guide to Hybrid Publishing: Hybrid publishers look to combine the best of traditional and self-publishing, by Nicole Audrey Specter for Publisher’s Weekly

BIO
Joan Dempsey is the author of the novel This Is How It Begins. Learn more at http://thisishowitbeginsnovel.com/.

COmpetitions

ST. MARTIN'S MINOTAUR/MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA FIRST CRIME NOVEL
http://mysterywriters.org/about-mwa/st-martins/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 12, 2018. The competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any Published Novel (in any genre). All manuscripts submitted: a) must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words) written in the English language. Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. If a winner is selected, Minotaur Books will offer to enter into its standard form author’s agreement with the entrant for publication of the winning manuscript. After execution of the standard form author’s agreement by both parties, the winner will receive an advance against future royalties of $10,000. On the condition that the selected winner accepts and executes the publishing contract proposed by Minotaur Books, the winner will then be recognized at the Edgar Awards Banquet in New York City in April 2018.

TOM-GALLON TRUST AWARD
http://www.societyofauthors.org/tom-gallon
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2017. The author must be resident of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The author must have had at least one short story published or accepted for publication. The story submitted must be in English and must not be a translation. Limit 5,000 words. The story submitted may be published or unpublished. Prize money £1,000 and £500 for the runner-up.

NEW YORK ENCOUNTER POETRY CONTEST
https://newyorkencounter.submittable.com/submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 7, 2017. The Encounter’s poetry contest invites all poets writing in English to submit up to three poems (maximum 40 lines each), related in some way to the theme, An 'Impossible' Unity. Cash prizes of $300, $200, and $100 will be awarded to first, second and third place poems. The winners will be invited to read their poems on the New York Encounter stage at Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street during the three-day festival which will take place January 12-14, 2018.

TALKING WRITING PRIZE FOR PERSONAL ESSAY ON WRITING AND FAITH
https://talkingwriting.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 16, 2017. This year's Talking Writing Prize for Personal Essay will spotlight our annual holiday theme. We're looking for honest, unsentimental nonfiction about soul searching through words. How do you tackle life's Big Questions? Writers are invited to address mortality, belief, culture of origin, atheism, or any other issues connected to making meaning in a complicated world. Length up to 2,000 words. Prize $500 and publication.

GRANTS

BAILEY OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
http://www.knoxalliance.com/bailey/
NOTE: Deadline is in May 2018. However, if you are in the Knoxville, Tennessee area, you need to be aware of this grant. It's for anywhere from $500 to $75,000, and you might want to become familiar with it now to prepare a grand project for the next grant cycle. Distributed through the Arts & Culture Alliance, Bailey Opportunity grants provide financial and technical support to individual artists and small, professionally-oriented arts and culture organizations (whose budget is under $100,000). The grants are designed to spur continued artistic and administrative growth in innovative, entrepreneurial artists and organizations at any stage in their development.

FINE ARTS WORK CENTER FELLOWSHIPS
http://web.fawc.org/program
Deadline December 1, 2017. Each year, the Fine Arts Work Center awards ten Fellowships to emerging writers in fiction and poetry. Each Fellow stays for seven months, and is provided with living space and a modest stipend. Fellows do not pay or work in exchange for their Fellowships in any way. The term of the upcoming Fellowship is October 1, 2018 to May 1, 2019. Located at the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the Work Center offers a unique residency for emerging writers and visual artists. Submit 15 pages of poetry or 35 pages of fiction, along with a CV, optional personal statement, and $50 application fee.

LIGHTHOUSE WORKS
http://www.thelighthouseworks.org/fellowship-program/
The program accepts artists working in a wide range of disciplines, but we are best able to accommodate visual artists and writers. Fellowships are six weeks in length, occur year-round and provide fellows with housing, food, studio space, a $250 travel allowance and a $1,500 stipend. Artistic excellence is the primary criteria for acceptance as a Lighthouse Works fellow. We are located in the Annex Building on Fishers Island, NY.

THE MUSE AND THE MARKETPLACE SCHOLARSHIPS
http://museandthemarketplace.com/muse18-scholarship-application/
Deadline October 22, 2017. GrubStreet offers numerous partial need-based scholarships for writers doing great work in the literary community, and for writers from historically marginalized backgrounds. No previous publication or MFA required, and there is no submission fee. The conference is in Boston, Massachusetts April 6-8, 2018.

FREELANCE MARKETS

UNCANNY MAGAZINE
https://uncannymagazine.com/submissions/
Uncanny Magazine is seeking passionate, diverse SF/F fiction and poetry from writers of every conceivable background. We want intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel. Payment is $.08 per word (including audio rights).

PODCASTLE
http://podcastle.org/guidelines/
PodCastle is looking for quality fantasy fiction for its podcasts. If you’re a writer with a speculative short story that you’d like to hear narrated by one of our performers, we’d like to see it. We pay $.06/word for original fiction 6000 words or less, $100 flat rate for reprints over 2000 words, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints (stories less than 2,000 words).

BLOOM MAGAZINE
http://www.magbloom.com/about-us/submission-guidelines/
Bloom Magazine is a culture and lifestyle magazine based in Bloomington, Indiana. Every issue includes articles on home & family, arts & entertainment, food & wine, health & fitness, fashion & shopping, and personal finance—plus all the interesting people, places, and events that make life in this part of south-central Indiana so worth celebrating. We rarely accept stories written “on spec.” If you would like to write for Bloom, please email your résumé and a few of your best published clips, as links or attachments, to carmen@magbloom.com.

SCHOOL ARTS
https://www.davisart.com/Promotions/SchoolArts/Writers-Guidelines.aspx
SchoolArts wants you to share your successful lessons, areas of concern, and approaches to teaching art. Limit 800 words. Pays up to $100 per article, free one-year print and digital subscription, up to six free copies of the issue in which your article was published, and two years of access to Davis Digital (Sign up for a free test drive at DavisArtSpace.com).

JOBS

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Crown, Penguin Random House
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/362766/editorial-assistant-crown/
Location New York. Crown seeks an Editorial Assistant to support two Executive Editors and an imprint Director. This position provides an opportunity to assist with Crown Forum, Convergent, and Image books.

DIGITAL COPYEDITOR
Work from home.
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/362762/digital-copyeditor/
Leading website for K-12 teachers is seeking a digital copyeditor to join our creative team. Quick pace and heavy deadlines—but great rewards too like working from your home office, collaborating with an inspiring team across three time zones, and above all, knowing that you are making a difference for teachers and kids.

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR
Location Louisville, Colorado or remote.
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/362760/acquisitions-commissioning-editor-/
Sounds True, a multimedia publisher of mind, body, and spirit titles, is seeking an experienced Acquisitions/Commissioning Editor to help build our list of innovative and high-quality books in keeping with Sounds True’s mission and publishing strategy. This is a full-time position that is based in our Louisville, Colorado office, but remote applicants will be strongly considered.

WRITER
Southern Environmental Law Center
Location Charlottesville, Virginia.
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/362749/writer-development-and-marketing/
Are you a skilled writer looking to put your talents to work for the most effective non-profit environmental organization in the South? Do you enjoy the challenge of translating complex issues into tight, compelling prose that moves readers to action? We are looking for someone who enjoys brainstorming creative concepts and messaging with colleagues and then shifting gears and transforming these ideas into practical print and digital products.

Publishers/agents

AMADOR PUBLISHERS
http://www.amadorbooks.com/amwanna.htm
Amador Publishers specializes in fiction, biography, philosophy, and mixed-genre literary works of unique worth and appeal, outside the purview of mainstream publishing. We will consider novels and short story collections, creative nonfiction, essays/opinion, satire, biography/autobiography. Manuscripts must be complete and in the range of 75,000-130,000 words. We have established the imprint, Worldwind Books, as the publishing identity for a broader range of titles and author-funded book projects, including poetry.

AMBERJACK PUBLISHING
https://amberjackpublishing.com/submissions/
We are actively looking for commercial fiction, literary fiction, and memoirs. We are also accepting submissions directly through AUTHORS.me. If you'd like to bypass our form, please click the link on the website. Literary agents may submit directly to Kayla Church. Please send your pitch in the body of the email with a sample of the manuscript as an attachment. We are not accepting poetry, erotica, short stories, novellas, any work that has been previously self-published, children's, early reader, or middle-grade manuscripts.

AUNT LUTE PRESS
http://auntlute.com/contact/#submissions
We seek manuscripts, both fiction and nonfiction, by women from a variety of cultures, ethnic backgrounds and subcultures; women who are self-aware and who, in the face of all contradictory evidence, are still hopeful that the world can reserve a place of respect for each woman in it. We seek work that explores the specificities of the worlds from which we come and examines the intersections of the borders that we all inhabit.

BANCROFT PRESS
http://bancroftpress.com/submission-guidelines-2/
We publish trade fiction and nonfiction, and we publish what we like. Virtually every genre is represented by one of our fine authors; this is owed to their individual ability to tell a good story. From classic literature to political memoirs, from illustrated picture books to gripping suspense thrillers – the key is in the quality.