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EDitor’s THOUGHTS
WHY WOULD ANYONE GIVE YOU A GRANT?
A rather cold, slap-in-the-face question but an important one. Why would any person or group want to give a grant to you and your book?
We never think of what we bring to the table. Instead we envision some entity out there with lots of money, eager to hand it out to help people. The thing is, a grant is a two-way street. We don't just take the money . . . we have to show we are worthy and have a lot to offer in exchange.
A grant provider wants to give out grants for several reasons:
1) To aid people.
2) To make a lasting impression on the world.
3) To make themselves look good with the successes they've helped come to pass.
4) To serve a particular purpose (other than just doling out money).
Yes, grant providers have a rather selfish side of wanting to look good, but truth is, they are accountable for how they use their money. They need to give the money out to individuals or groups who are impressive, who make a difference, whose work will impact others in a positive way, who fulfilled the same mission that the grant provider was designed to serve.
It's not just about handing out money.
Let's turn things around. If you had $50,000 to dole out to ten people, what would be your requirements for them? How would they apply? How would you select the ten out of the hundred that applied? And once you gave the money out, would you want to know what they did with it? Of course you would, because you use the success of those people to show the world that you have invested that money wisely....and to collect more money from donors so that you can continue to have grant money in
the future.
When you ask for a grant, you are promising to fulfill duties that come with the funds. You know exactly what and how you will write, and often publish and market. You promise to follow through, and you are vowing to make a difference in the world. It's an earnest mission that the grant provider craves to be a part of.
To be chosen for a grant means donning a mantle of responsibility. Sort of paints grants in a whole new light.
PREVIOUS FAVORITE POSTS:
WORDS OF SUCCESS
"Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing." --E.L. Doctorow
SUccess Story
Hi Hope,
Yvonne Fein from Australia again. Two more pieces published! Both paying.
1) Taunting the Abyss in Hippocampus: http://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/
2) Time Lies in Spineless Wonders: http://smallpressnetwork.com.au/members/spineless-wonders/
Feels good to tell someone other than my husband!
Yvonne Fein
First, do no harm - Galen
www.yvonnefein.net
eatured article
How to Make it as a Freelance Video Game Journalist
By Wiehahn Diederichs
Video game journalism is one of the most competitive and saturated fields for a writer to enter. But if you truly have a passion for weaving words while exploring the enchanting digital landscapes of video games, it can be one of the most rewarding and creatively free careers you can have as a writer.
Below are a few tips to help you get on your feet...
Build a portfolio
Every new editor I've ever encountered has asked me to provide them with some form of writing sample. By now, I provide it even before it's requested. Before the editor of a gaming publication will consider publishing your work, you'll need to prove that not only can you write, but that you're familiar with the topics that you're pitching on.
A great way to boast your portfolio is via a website, which provides links to your previously written articles. This showcases a sense of professionalism and dedication to your craft. If you don't have any prior work to show, make sure to keep some writing samples at hand, preferably written in the style and tone of the publication you're pitching to.
Brush up on your terminology
One essential requirement for a video game journalist is to have a basic understanding of the industry-specific terminology. This glossary on Wikipedia is a great starting point to brush up on your video game jargon and will give you a good idea of the sheer amount of video game specific terms.
Finding work
Finding work as any budding freelance journalist can be a frustrating experience. As a start, try to stay away from freelance jobs found on internet listings such as indeed.com, They usually offer appallingly low rates, if any at all, preying on an aspiring writer's desperation to make a living.
Gamejournalismjobs.com, as its eponymous name suggests, is a website that regularly posts video game journalism job openings. It's a great place to start looking for markets to enter.
But in my opinion, your best bet is to directly pitch to a publication's editor or via the website's submission page. As an example, take a look at Polygon's (a very prominent international gaming publication) submissions page. They are open to newcomers and offer very competitive rates ($300 and upward).
Know your rates
The world of video game journalism is one notoriously fraught with underpaying publications. Whenever I enter a rates negotiation with a new editor, the first thing I do is reference the standard writing rates of the country the publication is based in (easily found via a Google search).
For instance, if I were to negotiate rates with a publication in South Africa (where I'm based), then I'd reference this SAFREA (South African Freelance Association) rates guidelines.
If they want to pay less than the standard, I expect them to make it worth my while, such as offering me a consistent amount of work.
Writer first. Gamer second.
Video game journalists aren't necessarily skilled gamers, but they're always skilled writers. Editors seek writers who are able to effectively translate their experience into words, allowing their readers to make an informed decision when considering the purchase of specific a video game. If you can't write, you can't be a video game journalist.
Pitch Ahead
One thing that is going to get you in an editor's good books is helping them fill up their calendars months in advance.
For instance, a while back I wrote an article "7+ games for the geeky Valentine's Day couple." This is a piece I pitched at the beginning of December.
BIO - Wiehahn Diederichs is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the sunny city of Cape Town, South Africa. Over the last five years, he has written for numerous print and online publications such as NAG, Stuff and LazyGamer, and is currently one of the main contributors at Gearburn.com. When he isn't busy tenderizing his keyboard with a barrage of keystrokes, you will either find him dabbling in narrative design or photography, where he is
constantly exploring their capacity as storytelling mediums. To view more of Wiehahn's work, visit his online portfolio at wiehahndiederichswriter.co.za.
COmpetitions
JEWISH CURRENTS POETRY CONTEST
http://jewishcurrents.org/our-sixth-annual-poetry-contest/
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2017. Theme: Facts, Fakes, Fiction. Up to three poems per entry. $1,000 first prize. Two $180 second prizes. Entry fee includes a subscription. The prize-winning poems will be published in the Spring 2018 issue of the magazine, and between thirty and forty finalist poems will be published in a book by May 2018.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER PRIZE
https://mississippireview.submittable.com/submit/
$16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 1, 2018. Categories fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Poetry entries should be three to five poems totaling ten pages or less. Fiction and nonfiction entries should be 1,000-8,000 words. Prizes of $1,000 in each category. Winners and finalists will make up next summer's print issue of the national literary magazine Mississippi Review.
TONGUE AND GROOVES PROSE POEM PRIZE
https://tonguesandgrooves.com/2017/03/08/international-prose-poem-2017/
£5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 1, 2018. First prize £600, second £200, third £100, with seven commendations £25. Winners will be invited to read at the Square Tower, Portsmouth, in March 2018 as part of Bookfest 2018. Prose poems must be submitted in English and should be a maximum of 50 lines and typed on one side of A4.
PRIME NUMBER FLASH FICTION PRIZE
http://www.primenumbermagazine.com/Flash_Fiction_Contest.html
$7 ENTRY FEE. Deadline the last day of each month. Prize $251 (a prime number) plus publication in Prime Number Magazine with traditional layout on individual page with author photo, bio, Q&A, and the winning story. Submit one unpublished story that is no more than 751 words.
GRANTS
NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS FELLOWSHIPS
http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/rfps/rfp8301-new-york-foundation-for-the-arts-accepting-applications-for-2018-artists-fellowships
Deadline January 24, 2018. The unrestricted $7,000 fellowships are intended to fund an artist's vision or voice, regardless of the level of his or her artistic development. NYFA is committed to supporting artists from diverse cultural backgrounds at all stages of their professional career. In 2018, grants will be awarded in the categories of fiction, folk traditional arts, interdisciplinary work, painting, and video/film. Applicants must be at least 25 years old at the time of the
application deadline (January 24, 2018) and must also be a resident of New York State and/or one of the Indian Nations located in New York State for at least two years prior to that date.
MASTHEADS RESIDENCY
https://www.themastheads.org/apply/
Deadline February 28, 2018. Five writers across disciplines (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, translation) are awarded residencies. The residency runs for the month of July in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Applicants must submit a 10-page Writing Sample, a Letter of Intent, and a CV. Residents receive a $900 stipend, travel reimbursement, a private room in a house shared with the other residents, and exclusive use of one of the Mastheads studios, which are located at new sites each season
throughout the city of Pittsfield, in the heart of the Berkshire and Taconic Mountains. On weekdays, we provide on-call transportation to the studios. The studios are rustic and open air. At the end of The Mastheads residency, we ask each resident to submit a minimum of 1,000 words or two to five poems to publish in the The Berkshire Eagle and to preserve in an ongoing Pittsfield Anthology. For 2018, our focus will be social activism through literature.
WRITERS' ROOM OF BOSTON FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.writersroomofboston.org/fellowship/
Deadline January 15, 2018. The Writers’ Room of Boston is committed to supporting emerging local writers of limited means by providing a secure, accessible workspace with 24-hour access. We are proud to offer our Writers Fellowship Program, which gives four juried writers full access to the workspace for one year. The Fellowships are awarded for any genre or form: fiction, poetry, memoir, biography, journalism, screenwriting, playwriting, young adult and children’s
writing, graphic novel writing, traditional and experimental forms.
NW DOCUMENTARY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
http://nwdocumentary.org/artists-in-residence
NO DEADLINE. The Artist-in-Residence is an opportunity for nonfiction storytellers who have demonstrated a passion and commitment to their craft, an original artistic vision, and a desire to develop their work within a creative community. The term “non-fiction storytellers” is not exclusive to a single documentary medium, but may include: film/video, audio, photography, literary nonfiction, multi-media or other.
FREELANCE MARKETS
THE GOOD JOURNAL
http://thegoodjournal.co.uk/submissions
Deadline January 3, 2018. We’re looking for work by British writers of colour. Either you are a British citizen, born here or naturalised, or you are a resident of Britain. We’re looking for essays, articles, features, creative nonfiction, fiction, short stories, poetry, comics, photo essays, extracts of novels. Prose limited to 2,000 to 5,000 words. You get paid £150.
COSMIC ROOTS AND ELDRITCH SHORES
https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/submissions/
Deadline December 28, 2017. Accepts new work and reprints. Fiction from 1,000 words and up, though shorter pieces are favored. Pays six cents/word for new work. Seeking original science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, or graphic story form. Accepts submissions from around the world.
BOOK SMUGGLERS PUBLISHING ANTHOLOGY
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2017/10/book-smugglers-publishing-open-call-short-stories-submissions-2018-awakenings.html
Deadline December 31, 2017. We’re looking for original English language short stories from all around the world. Our goal is to publish at least four pieces of short fiction–short stories (at least 1,500 words) or novelettes (up to 17,500 words)–unified by a central theme. Each short story will be accompanied by one original piece of artwork, commissioned especially for the work. The theme is AWAKENINGS. We will be paying $0.08 per word up to $800.
JOBS
WRITER/EDITOR
Location Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/364833/writer-editor/
LRP Publications, Inc. has been an industry-leading provider of multimedia solutions for business and education professionals for over four decades, offering world-class content and exceptional customer service. LRP's customers receive the guidance, knowledge, and tools they need in the format they want. LRP is seeking a Writer / Editor who develops advice-driven articles for its Special Ed Connection® website and accompanying print products. Special Ed Connection® is an
online, subscriber-based resource for K-12 school personnel and attorneys.
CONTENT WRITER
Location Lincoln, Nebraska.
https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=assuritys&jobId=217497
Oversees all communications produced by department, which includes working with marketing project coordinators, product specialists, product development and other team members to supply collateral for project assets; researching (consumer and distributor) audiences’ needs and motivations to originate new content ideas; writing engaging articles that are insightful, informative, and entertaining for each audience use in blogs, newsletters, and magazine articles;crafting engaging
e-mail communications and subject lines to maximize open rates and click throughs; and
working with other members of sales and marketing teams to use audience insights learned through social listening to help ensure proper messaging to the right audiences.
WRITER-EDITOR
Location Yuma, Arizona.
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/486000200
This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, Yuma Sector. This position will allow you to use your expertise in writing and editing to create and revise written information published by the agency. Typical work assignments include performing research to write speeches addressing mission, function, programs, activities, and accomplishments for high level officials; analyzing the impact of new, revised, and
proposed legislation, Executive Orders, and policies and directives for application to potential future speeches; and editing, writing, and publishing pamphlets, handbooks, training materials, manuals, regulations, guidebooks, and a wide variety of other complex written communications necessary for operation.
Publishers/agents
SUNBURY PRESS
http://sunburypress.com/call-to-authors/
Sunbury Press is a rapidly growing publisher of a wide range of categories represented by six imprints. We typically receive approximately 1,000+ proposals a year, publishing roughly 50 of them (about five percent). We choose to invest in those opportunities that we feel have the best chance in the current marketplace. We are always seeking new titles to publish, including: history, historical fiction, police procedurals, crime thrillers, horror, steam punk, young adult, current events,
science, reference, art history, ANY local/regional history, humor, spiritual/metaphysical, self-help, professional, memoirs, etc. If we didn’t mention your category — try us anyway!
ARA PACIS PUBLISHERS
http://www.arapacispublishers.com/submissionscontact/
Ara Pacis publishes contemporary poetry, short fiction collections, and novels. Memoirs, reprints of forgotten modern classics, literary essays and anthologies, as well as art and film criticism are published through its imprint, Bigio Morato. The editorial staff welcomes all published and unpublished authors and accepts submissions for Ara Pacis and Bigio Morato year round.
BANCROFT PRESS
https://bancroftpress.com/submission-guidelines-2/
We publish trade fiction and non-fiction, 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.
BARKING RAIN PRESS
http://barkingrainpress.org/submissions/
Barking Rain Press publishes complete novels or novellas of at least 20,000 words to sell through the BRP website and other partner sites in print and eBook formats. We will also consider: Short story collections (anthologies) with a strong central theme, written by a single author; reprints of previously published works that are out-of-print, so long as the author owns BOTH the worldwide electronic rights and print rights. While we are open to a variety of literary genres, we are NOT open
to submissions containing the following subject matter. These submissions will be automatically rejected: Poetry, a single short story, a single piece of short fiction or a single work of flash fiction, children’s books, erotica, NC-17 / X-Rated / pornographic fiction, and self-published works that are currently available for sale anywhere.
SPONSORS
Jumpstart Your Writing in 2018
Two exciting Remote Writing Workshops: The Visceral Self and Radical Revision
A few spots remain for Elephant Rock's two January 4-week remote workshops! Get your writing off to its best start in 2018 (or give a gift to someone who needs to do the same!).
In The Visceral Self: Writing Through the Body, we'll use powerful craft techniques to access stories that have been living inside us all along. Writing through the body brings our work more fully to life on the page--gives it a stronger pulse, more breath and electricity. We'll go where the heat is, too: s ex, birth, trauma, yearning, numbness. We'll identify and test writing devices that bring the body alive on the page and delve into the ways visceral, embodied writing can link personal experience to the wider world.
In Radical Revision, we'll take deep dives that radically reshape your work and ultimately reveal the heart of it. We'll make daring choices and upend the stories we thought we wanted to tell in order to discover the realer, stranger, more vivid versions lurking beneath them. We'll examine different methods of revision, then try them out on our own work. All
levels and genres welcome, but, of course, you'll need at least one work in progress to revise during Radical Revision.
Don't wait. Elephant Rock workshops sell out. Said one writer about our last remote course, "One of the best writing classes I've ever taken, and that's saying a lot, given that I have taken many dozens."
For more details, visit The Visceral Self and Radical Revision.
Contact: Jeannine Ouellette – elephantrockretreats@gmail.com or call 612-801-2566
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Services for authors: http://myhouseofdesign.com/services-for-authors/
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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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