SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

Santa Fe Writers Lab

Elevate your writing in enchanting Santa Fe with workshops led by some of the world’s most accomplished writers at Santa Fe Writers Lab. In this collaborative and affirming environment, a passion for writing and a hunger for shared experiences are the most important ingredients. Enrollment is now open for May and September workshops.

Learn More . . . 

STAND TALL IN YOUR CREATIVITY

"You aren’t your work, you are its creator — and its protector. Stand tall. You have created and that’s more than most can say.

You see, the hater hates because they were once like you. But way back when, some other hater hated on them. And now they can never do what you have done. They stopped trying to create and they lost the courage to share.

They need some of what you’ve got."

Dave Radparvar
Co-Founder, Holstee
https://www.holstee.com/blogs/reflections/never-stop-creating

Here lately I'm all about the self-assurance, because for a long while last year I lost a lot of mine. It's back and I'm much better in 2018, and those closest to me can tell, but when you are lacking self-confidence, it's so easy to lose your way. 

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."  ~Rosa Parks

That's the reason we need plans, with benchmarks and goals. We need to know what we are intent on accomplishing, not groping in the dark, feeling around, hoping we do well one day as we stumble upon opportunity. That's not how success works. The less organized we are, and the less defined our path, the more easily we are frightened, taken down, and unsuccessful.

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." ~Nelson Mandela

Don't make choices on publishing, marketing, even what you write, based upon peer-pressure, criticism, or the basic fear of getting it wrong. Dig down and do what you hope to do, want to do, crave to do, and just go for it with purpose, plans, and in spite of the naysayers. Don't reach the end of your journey and wish you had. 

http://www.bronnieware.com/blog/regrets-of-the-dying





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WORDS OF SUCCESS

My biggest fear is forgetting why I fell in love with writing. My biggest dream is never allowing that to happen.

~Rudy Francisco
 

SUccess Story

Hope, 
 
I have followed, subscribed and poured over Funds For Writers for years. Thanks to you and your weekly writing tidbits and author advice, I have another success to share. 'A Bountiful and Blessed Meal' will be in Chicken Soup for The Soul: My Crazy Family to be released this year. 

Truly grateful and forever a fan,

Carmen Vande Stroet
Cjwrite.com
 

Featured article

Publishing and Crowdfunding with Publishizer

By Dorit Sasson

Crowdfunding is the perfect medium for today’s author raising funds for marketing and publishing expenses. But there is a hybrid alternative to straight crowdfunding. Instead of querying multiple publishers on their own, authors can raise funds on a platform like Publishizer that also matches authors with publishers based on pre-order milestones of their book. 

After doing much research, I chose Publishizer over Kickstarter, Indiegogo and a number of hybrid crowdfunding/publishing sites such as Inkshares for one main reason: the idea of matching authors to publishers. I didn’t want to send multiple emails to publishers. I wanted them to come to me based on the merit of my proposal. All I needed to do was demonstrate proof of concept of the book by generating at least 250 pre-orders to attract an indie/independent press.
  
Having gone through the experience growing my platform by crowdfunding my first memoir, I was prepared to deal with an unsuccessful campaign that did not reach its funding goal. This time, however, I knew I would need to explain to my network the importance of what it would mean to reach 250 preorders for purposes of reaching my publishing goal.  And that meant creating a product and project that was attractive to both reader and publisher.

With Publishizer, you write a proposal outlining your book’s marketing plan for approval. You not only set a date to launch your campaign, but you also reach out to readers for pre-orders. The number of pre-orders lets Publishizer know that you are a serious writer and that there’s a following out there willing to buy the book. Then Publishizer queries publishers on your behalf based on number of pre-orders signed up by the end of the campaign. If the pre-order numbers look good, you receive a range of offers and enter negotiations to select the best one. And of course, you receive payment based on the number of pre-orders. 

Throughout the campaign, I worried whether I could even reach the 250 pre-order milestone needed to attract an indie/independent publisher, my ideal publishing goal. Acquiring 250 pre-orders takes endurance and stamina! To help me stay accountable, Guy Vincent, founder of Publishizer and his team set up weekly strategy calls (at no extra charge) via Skype and Zoom calls. They are big on helping you think outside the box in terms of getting supporters and talking about your book to sponsors to increase your marketability. Since I had an already established fan base, I reached out to those supporters first – most of whom supported this second crowdfunding campaign.  

I held contests, offered enticing rewards, did giveaways on social media, did several Facebook live videos, shared milestone updates – in short I built a lot of book buzz. At the end of the intense, three-month campaign, Sand and Steel: The Spiritual Journey Home was queried to 98 publishers thanks to 253 preorders that also included a very generous sponsor, growing my platform and fan base by 50 percent. 

Out of the seventeen publishers who expressed interest, I ended up signing a contract with Mascot Books who, from the start, resonated very strongly with the themes and messages of my memoir about what it means to find a home in the United States as a returning American struggling with Reverse Culture Shock. It was a perfect match. 

Like publishing, the crowdfunding world is changing, and Publishizer is matching reputable publishers with authors like myself who otherwise, would not have known about these publishers.


BIO
Dorit Sasson is a copy editor, book coach and a copywriter based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She’s written for numerous print and online publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Digest and SheKnows.com. She’s an award-winning author of Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces. Her latest memoir will be published by Mascot Books. To learn more about Dorit and her services, visit her at www.DoritSasson.com
    

COmpetitions

DIVINE CONNECTIONS SPECIAL EVENTS ESSAY CONTEST
https://dcspecialevents.net/essay-contest/
$8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 30, 2018. The topic for this Essay is “What Would Life Be Like Without the Arts & Entertainment”. Cash prizes (First, $500; Second, $100; Third, $50) will be awarded for the best essays in 500 words or less. First Place Winner will also have their essay published on our website along with their photo and bio. Entries must be yours, original, and unpublished. 



BRISTOL SHORT STORY PRIZE
https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/rules/
£8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 1, 2018. The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words (does not include title); there is no minimum length. Stories can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style including graphic, verse or genre-based (Crime, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Children’s etc.). Open to all published and unpublished writers. There is no geographical restriction on entry. All entrants must agree to have their work published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 11, in both print and ebook formats, should they be the author of one of the 20 stories that are shortlisted for the 2018 Bristol Short Story Prize. First prize £1,000, second prize £700, third prize £400. Each of the 17 remaining shortlisted writers will receive £100. 



2018 LUMMOX 7 CONTEST & POETRY ANTHOLOGY
http://www.lummoxpress.com/lc/2018-lummox-7/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2018. The winner will receive a cash prize of $500 and the option of a chapbook, published by Lummox Press (20 copies are given as part of the prize – but if you don’t have a manuscript, you can opt for just the money); plus a mini-feature (along with first and second runners up) in the anthology. Contact for questions. There is no theme for LUMMOX 7 or the Poetry Contest.



2018 PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE AWARDS FOR POETRY AND SHORT FICTION
https://press53.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 15, 2018. Submit one unpublished poem or story. Poems should be no more than three pages in length, spaced according to the poet’s intended style. Short story should be 53 to 5,300 words, double-spaced in 12-pt. type with numbered pages. Writers may enter either or both categories. Open to any writer anywhere in the world whose entry is unpublished and written in English. Each poem will contain no more than 80 lines (including spaces between title and stanza/verses).


 

GRANTS

TINKER MOUNTAIN WRITERS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WORKSHOPS
https://www.hollins.edu/academics/workshops-online-writing-courses/tinker-mountain-writers-workshop-residential/scholarships/
Three partial scholarships will be awarded to writers who register for a workshop. Scholarships are $500 each and are applied to the $795 registration fee. Scholarship participants also serve as faculty assistants during the conference, introducing the faculty at readings, helping assist with the distribution of materials, and performing other small tasks (not at all burdensome). The awards will be made at the discretion of the scholarship board based on the merit of the work. Recipients must cover the balance of the registration fee, travel, lodging, and food. There's also a full scholarship of $795. Workshop is being held June 10-15, 2018 in Roanoke, Virginia.



HUB CITY WRITERS HOUSE FELLOWSHIP
https://hubcity.submittable.com/submit
The Writers House offers three residencies per year in an historic cottage in downtown Spartanburg, SC. The program is open to emerging writers in the United States who have completed a college degree in creative writing within the past five years or are pursuing a graduate degree in writing. Residents receive lodging, utilities, and a stipend; they are responsible for their own transportation and meals. Our residencies include a community service component of 15 weeks with the Hub City Writers Project and offer a stipend of $150 a week. A 15-week fall residency from September 4, 2018 to December 18, 2018. Please submit: a writing sample of 10 poems, one novel chapter, a short story, or an essay of up to 20 pages; a one-page project description that includes what you want to accomplish with your own writing and your ideas for community literary service in Spartanburg; a résumé; and the names and contact information for two references.



ADVANCING BLACK ARTS IN PITTSBURGH
http://www.heinz.org/UserFiles/File/Black%20Art%20in%20Pittsburgh/2018_ABAP_Guidelines.pdf
Deadline March 1, 2018. Individual artists in the Pittsburgh area and working in any discipline whose work focuses on black art — defined as the art of African Americans, Africa, and the larger diaspora — may apply for grants of up to $15,000 in support of their creative and career development, the creation of new works, and self-production of new works. Presentation of a fully realized work is not required. Also, for the first time, project grants will be given to qualifying Pittsburgh-area artists interested in presenting their work at the Three Rivers Arts Festival (June 1-10, 2018), a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.



LONGLEAF FELLOWSHIPS - SEASIDE, FLORIDA
https://culturalartsalliance.submittable.com/submit/95683/longleaf-fellowship-application
$22 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2018. Conference is May 13-20, 2018. Each conference a select number of writers are awarded fellowships in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.  These competitive fellowships include a full conference tuition waiver, as well as free housing for the duration of the conference.  Fellows will have full access to all conference activities and events and will have a fellow reading with reception.  Fellows will be responsible for their own travel and food costs. In return, the fellows will be responsible for assisting the core faculty in their respective genre workshops, including responding to conference attendee work during the workshop session.  Additionally, the fellows will participate in the “Writers in the Classroom” portion of the conference, where they will spend a couple hours in the classrooms of local schools (Seacoast Collegiate High School, 9th – 12th grade) delivering a short craft lecture and interactive exercise on basic aspects of creative writing.
 

FREELANCE MARKETS

THE PARTIALLY EXAMINED LIFE
https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/write-for-us/
The Partially Examined Life will pay exceptional writers for essays related to philosophy, culture, and ideas. We’d love to see queries from writers who can contribute:

=> Philosophy-related essays, personal essays, and interviews. See The Stone for great examples of this sort of content: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/the-stone/
=> Book reviews of philosophical texts.
=> Review essays about any genre and medium, including thoughtful takes on literature and film. These need not explicitly be about philosophy and philosophers.
=> Thoughtful pieces related to politics and culture, especially pieces that analyze current issues by way of political philosophy, social thought, moral philosophy, moral psychology, and psychoanalysis.
=> Pieces related to the intersection of philosophy and popular culture (as in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series).
=> Anything else you think you can persuade us is suitable to our site - pitch away.



SMITHSONIAN.COM
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/contact/article-submit-website/
Smithsonian.com accepts unsolicited proposals from established freelance writers. This form has been developed to give you the most direct and timely access to our editors. It also allows you to provide all of the basic information we need to make an initial determination about your proposal. Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee a response to all inquiries, but if we are interested in pursuing a story, we will contact you. The travel section consists of inspiration, journey guides, news, how-to’s and essays. 



WORLD HUM
http://www.worldhum.com/info/submissions/
World Hum is dedicated to publishing travel stories, videos and slideshows of the highest quality. We post several types of features:

=> Travel Stories are first-person travel narratives.
=> Speaker’s Corner essays feature rants or raves about any travel-related subject.
=> Travel Interviews are interviews with travelers, writers, artists—anyone with something interesting to say about travel.
=> Lists explore a wide range of travel-related topics.
=> Audio slideshows explore travel through photographs, sound and narration.



OUTPOST MAGAZINE
https://outpostmagazine.com/contribute-to-outpost-magazine/
We take pride in covering travel in a unique and insightful way. We especially love inspiring longform travel journalism, beautiful high-resolution photos from around the world and comprehensive travel guides to little-seen destinations. While we are a Canadian publication, and much of our content has a Canadian slant, we have a strong mandate to accept stories from authors anywhere in the world. We expect most articles to be between 800 and 1,500 words for online, and between 2,000 and 4,000 words for print, unless otherwise specified. Due to the large volume of submissions we receive, we only accept pitches on spec.

 

JOBS

CONTENT WRITER - San Diego, CA
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=5a2cd9db9edd996e
As a Content Writer, you will be required to write at least one new article per week related to the credit card debt industry. You will manage our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) by posting content and links to our website. You will email our active clients, former clients and prospective clients periodically with the goal of generating leads for our counseling team. Experience with Word Press, writing in HTML format and knowledge of Search Engine Optimization are a plus. 



CONTENT WRITER - Lincoln, NE
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.

Publishers/agents

MARTIN LITERARY MANAGEMENT
https://www.martinlit.com/submission-policy
We are a full service literary and media management agency representing adult nonfiction and children's books, including picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction and nonfiction. We do not accept poetry, short stories or screenplays.



HOLLOWAY LITERARY AGENCY
https://hollowayliteraryagency.com/agents/
The Holloway Literary team of agents consists of a knowledgeable and experienced diverse group of book lovers. Nikki is mad for gritty down home southern fiction but also seeks historical fiction, young adult, women's fiction, literary fiction, some cozies, scifi, African American fiction, nonfiction related to mindfulness/health/food. Rachel is on the prowl for emotional domestic thrillers. Joe wants literary and creative nonfiction, travel and nature writing, current events, history, biography, long-form journalism and scholarly work written for a general audience, and contemporary (post-1945) American literary fiction.



LUPINE GROVE CREATIVE
https://www.lupinegrove.com/submissions
Jennie Kendrick is looking for well-researched, character-driven YA and MG fiction, particularly Own Voices works. She is particularly fond of historical fiction, paranormal fiction, classic 90s teen horror, and magical realism, but will gladly accept submissions from all YA/MG genres. Please submit your query along with the first 10-15 pages of your manuscript. She is accepting submissions immediately at: submissions@lupinegrove.com



NANCY GALLT LITERARY AGENCY
http://mysteries.galltzacker.com/
The Nancy Gallt Literary Agency was founded in 2000 specializing in children’s books and represents some of the best-known writers and illustrators in the field. Now we are pleased to be expanding the list of writers we represent to mysteries written for adults. Thrillers, police procedurals, noir, romantic and cozies are welcome. No true crime at this time.

 

SPONSORS

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

"The site captures my spirit and passion, and it honors my dream since childhood." —Lyn Fairchild Hawks, author, http://lynhawks.com/

"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://lisakwinkler.com/
http://kbhyde.com/
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C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
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ISSN: 1533-1326

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