SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

WHEN THEY ASK ABOUT YOU

In reading a recent Janet Reid post ( http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-we-want-to-find-you-on-google-earth.html ) I felt the need to expound on the topic of agents, publishers, even readers wanting to know who you are. The bottom line is this:

Don't state anything negative, accent your positive, and don't give them your life's story.

The Negative

Avoid words like unemployed, retired, homeless, single parent, senior, disabled (I know, it's nothing against you, but the person on the other end may not be enlightened enough to see it that way), and don't list your age, religion, or political affiliation. You never know if the recipient or audience will interpret any of these in a negative light. Querying, pitching, or promotion should be about the writing and your applicable qualities for producing that work. Don't give someone a reason to pass you by. 

The Positive

What employment, education, and life's experiences accent your ability to write and make sales? As shallow as that may sound, the other person doesn't care about the other stuff. At least not initially. Reel in folks and get their approval and acceptance before giving them access to personal info. You wouldn't tell a stranger about all that stuff, so don't tell agents, publishers, or readers. . . at least until they love your work and want to know more about you as a person.

Your Life's Story

On the heels of what was said above, avoid giving information that doesn't apply to the job you're pursuing, the manuscript you're pitching, or the sales you hope to acquire. Your bio has to assist your effort, not distract from it. Only use things from your life in your bio that aid you and add to your salability. If you were a plumber for a few years, don't list it. If you are divorced, who cares? Your bio should be about what defines you for this role as writer.







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WORDS OF SUCCESS

"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." 

—Napoleon Hill
 

SPONSOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

SUccess Story

If you've found success via FFW newsletters, tell me! Email hope@chopeclark.com with a brief description so we can all share!
 

Featured article

Advertising for Freelancers: Making it Work

By Alex J. Coyne

Advertising can make or break a freelance writer’s career. If the way you advertise isn’t working for you, it’s directly working against you in reaching potential clients and readers. Here’s how to breathe life into your advertising when things hit a quiet spell.

Cold Calling

Build fresh contacts by simple cold calling: Hi, I’m an experienced writer, and this is what I can offer your business or website. Keep it under 200 words and include writing samples. Target magazines, blogs, PR companies and business websites with blogs. These usually need regular content. Hook the right one and you could be hired.

Guest Post Advertising

Guest posts are great advertising opportunities, whether you’re getting paid for them or not. It's a great way to inspire word-of-mouth advertising among a new readership. Aim for high-traffic markets that have an existing fan-base and include a referral to your website. Word of mouth is responsible for the majority of regular work, and no amount of paper advertising will replace people talking about your business and sharing your work. 

Advertising and Your Clients

You can advertise to existing clients by launching special offers, like "Book for December and get 15% off!" or hooking them with new ideas, like suggesting a regular blog to a novel ghostwriting client. Clients (existing and previous) can be asked for referrals and recommendations to showcase on your website. Also send past clients an e-mail to check-in: Many times, there are new projects waiting.

Facebook Advertising

Successful Facebook advertising lies in targeting the right groups. For sale and community groups are a hit-and-miss; job groups have very few writers or people in need of them. But there are many FB groups for professional journalists, writers, translators and transcriptionists where you can post your services like Cult of Copy Job Board , Triple Threat Scoping Job Board, Freelance Writers Job Board and Journalism South Africa.


Paying for Advertising

Yes, sometimes it's worth paying for ads – but only if potential returns and the market you’ll reach justify the cost. Advertising’s golden rule for capital is to get more out than you put in. A professionally set up website is worth paying for, so are ads in trade publications like Writers Digest. Advertise to your target demographic or you'll be wasting your money.

Promoting Yourself

Don’t just advertise services: Promote yourself. Good ways of getting people to know you better are radio interviews about hot article topics, local newspapers, business cards, guest posts, attending writing events, being active on writers’ forums (Writer’s Digest, Writers Forum, All Freelance Writing) and contributing pieces to books.

Writers’ Ad Resources

Find clients seeking writers on job boards. Check these daily. Some of the most active ones include include Writers Weekly, Writing Career, MediaBistro, Freelance Writing Gigs, The Writer’s Job Board, All Freelance Writing, ProBlogger, Blogging Pro, Journalism Jobs and Poets & Writers.

About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, writer and language practitioner. His contributions have appeared in publications including Moneyweb, People Magazine, Great Bridge Links, Funds for Writers and many others.

COmpetitions

EZRA JACK KEATS FOUNDATION NEW WRITER AND ILLUSTRATOR CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS
http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/h/about-the-ezra-jack-keats-book-award/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. The awards are designed to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators starting out in the field of children's books who share Ezra Jack Keats' commitment to children and diversity. The award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of picture books for children (nine years of age and under). The award includes an honorarium of $1,000 for each winner. A new writer is a person who has had no more than three books published.



MSLEXIA WRITING AWARDS
https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/
Deadline October 1, 2018. Categories of:

Flash Fiction - £5 ENTRY FEE. 1st Prize: £500. Three other finalists will each receive £50. All four winning stories will be published in the March issue of Mslexia. The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country and welcomes flash fiction of up to 300 words in length.

Children's Novel - £25 ENTRY FEE. 1st Prize: £5,000. The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country, and welcomes the first 5,000 words of completed, unpublished novels for children or YA readers, of at least 15,000 words in length.

Short Story - £10 ENTRY FEE. 1st Prize: £5,000. Plus two optional extras: a week’s writing retreat at Gladstone Library, and a day with an editor at Virago Press. Three other finalists will each receive £100. All four winning stories will be published in the March 2019 issue of Mslexia. Welcomes stories of between 300 and 3,000 words

Novella - £15 ENTRY FEE. 1st Prize: £1,000, plus publication by Mslexia. The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country and welcomes the first 5,000 words of unpublished fiction for adults or YA readers, of between 10,000 and 40,000 words in length. 



MSLEXIA POETRY AWARD
https://www.poetrybooks.co.uk/pages/poetrycompetition
£10 ENTRY FEE FOR THREE POEMS. Deadline September 14, 2018. As well as being published in Mslexia and the PBS Bulletin poetry magazine, poetry winners land cash prizes of up to £2,000, plus the chance to be mentored by PBS Book Selector Sandeep Parmar and attend Scotland’s International Artist Residency Centre at Cove Park. 1st Prize: £2,000 (plus optional mentoring and writing retreat). 2nd Prize: £400. 3rd Prize: £200. 17 finalists win £25 each. All winning poems will be published in Mslexia and selected winners featured in the PBS Bulletin and on the PBS website. Special Prize: £500 for the best poem by an unpublished woman poet. Poems may be in any style, of any length, on any subject. 



FRONTIER AWARD FOR NEW POETS
https://www.frontierpoetry.com/poetry-awards/
$20 ENTRY FEE FOR THREE POEMS. Deadline September 15, 2018. The winning poet will be awarded $3,000 and publication on Frontier Poetry. Second and third place will win $300 and $200 respectively, as well as publication. The top 15 finalists will also be recognized. We do not hold preference for any particular style or topic—we simply seek the best poem we can find. Send us work that is blister, that is color, that strikes hot the urge to live and be. We strongly invite poets from all communities. Submissions are open to new and emerging writers (poets with no more than two full-length published works forthcoming at the time of submission).



OCTOBER HILL LITERARY CONTEST
http://www.octoberhillmagazine.com/submissions
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 15, 2018. Entry fee is for one short story or three poems. First prize $1,000. Second prize $500. Third prize $250. Limit 3,500 words of prose. Limit three poems. 



STORIES OUT OF SCHOOL FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://academyforteachers.org/stories-out-of-school/call-for-submissions/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 16, 2018. Teachers have the most fascinating, difficult, and important job on the planet, and their work days are filled with stories. Yet teachers seldom appear in fiction. This yearly contest, a joint venture of The Academy for Teachers and Tin House, was created to inspire honest, unsentimental stories about teachers and the rich and complex world of schools. There are two criteria for submissions. The story’s protagonist or its narrator has to be a teacher and the story has to be between six and 749 words. First-prize winners receive $1,000; second-prize winners, $500. Both will be published online by Tin House.



THE ARCANIST CONTEST FOR GHOST STORIES
https://thearcanist.io/calling-all-ghost-stories-enter-now-1e2960f70f27
EARLY ENTRY FEE $5 with deadline of August 25, 2018. In short, we want ghost stories. Tales of haunted places. People trapped between. Exciting adventures into the underworld and the dark corners of our minds. What’s lurking under the stairs? What’s that figure at the foot of your bed? You get the gist. Limit 1,000 words. First place prize is $200. Second place prize is $100. Third and Fourth place prizes: $75. 



3 MILE HARBOR PRESS POETRY BOOK CONTEST
https://3mileharborpress.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 28, 2018. Winner receives $500 and publication. Send a manuscript of 48-88 pages in a single document. Must be in English. 



LILITH'S FICTION CONTEST
https://www.lilith.org/blog/2018/07/submit-to-liliths-fiction-contest/
NO MENTION OF ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2018. Lilith Magazine—independent, Jewish and frankly feminist—invites submissions of quality short fiction, 3,000 words or under, for our Annual Fiction Contest. When selecting what you’ll submit, please remember our tagline. The magazine proudly spotlights both emerging and established writers. Winner receives $250 and publication. 
 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

ALFA FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.journalismjobs.com/1647147-alfa-fellow-funded-work-experience-in-russia-alfa-fellowship-program--cultural-vistas
Deadline November 15, 2018. The Alfa Fellowship Program is a distinguished international initiative that each year offers up to 18 accomplished young Americans, Britons, and Germans the opportunity to complete a high-level professional development program in Russia. Gain professional experience at leading organizations in business, media, law, policy, and other related areas through this 11-month, fully-funded fellowship in Moscow. The Alfa Fellowship Program begins with language training in the fellow’s geographic location followed by a language course in Moscow starting in mid-June. Throughout the summer, Alfa Fellows attend a seminar program with key public and private sector officials to discuss current affairs in Russia. Fellows then work at prominent organizations, including private companies, media outlets, think tanks, and foundations. Eligible candidates must have a graduate degree and professional experience in business, economics, journalism, law, public policy, or a related field. Russian language proficiency is not required but is preferred. The Fellowship includes a generous monthly stipend, language training, program-related travel costs, housing, and insurance.



NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ARTS AND CULTURES
https://www.nalac.org/programs/nalac-grants/nfa 
Deadline September 6, 2018. The NFA Artist/Ensemble grant program is for U.S. and Puerto Rico-based Latino artists, in all disciplines, working individually or as part of a Latino ensemble, arts collective, or community-based arts group. Grants available for individuals are: $5,000 NFA Artist Grant; $5,400 NFA San Antonio Artist Grant; $10,000 Adán Medrano Legacy Award in Film [Emerging Filmmakers]; and 
$25,000 Mentorship Award. 



START GRANT FOR ARTISTS IN TUCSON AND SOUTHERN ARIZONA
https://artsfoundtucson.org/grant/start-grants/ 
Deadline August 23, 2018. The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona’s stART Mini-Grants provide awards of $500 – $1,000 through two alternate tracks of support. The Community Impact track provides financial support to individuals, groups or organizations for projects that will positively impact a community through an artistic endeavor. The Artist Resource track provides financial support to artists for whom a specific, practice-related capital resource will make an impact on their artistic practice. They are inviting applicants to submit an application to the stART Mini-Grant 2018-2019 in the form of a simple video. Amount awarded will range between $500 to $1,000.



FURTHERMORE GRANTS
http://www.furthermore.org/ 
Furthermore grants in publishing, a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund, supports publication of nonfiction books that concern the arts, history, and the natural and built environment. Grant applications are accepted twice a year with deadlines of March 1 and September 1.



VIBRANT CITY GRANTS - TEMPE, ARIZONA
http://www.tempe.gov/artsgrants 
Vibrant City Grants are intended to activate Tempe through the inclusion of arts and cultural participation, celebration of diversity, building community connections, and supporting local arts. This grant is available to individual artists, nonprofit organizations, and community groups to produce arts-related performances, festivals, and activities that encourage community participation in the arts. Eligibility: Artists, collectives, community groups, cultural groups, nonprofit organizations.



KIMMEL HARDING NELSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
http://www.khncenterforthearts.org 
$35 APPLICATION FEE. Deadline September 1, 2018. The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts offers up to 70 juried residencies per year to visual artists, writers, composers, and interdisciplinary artists from across the country and around the world. Location Lincoln, Nebraska. 



SPARK BOX STUDIO RESIDENCY IN CANADA
http://www.sparkboxstudio.com 
Spark Box Studio’s Artist Residency Program provides live/work space to accommodate both emerging and professional printmakers, photographers, painters, illustrators and writers. Artists-in-residence have access to professional studio and resources. The Residency Program affords artists the space and time to support the advancement of their careers and to strengthen their practice. Spark Box Studio can facilitate up to three residents at any one time. Residents receive a bedroom and a dedicated semi-private studio space. Location Ontario, Canada. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

LILITH
http://www.lilith.org/about/writing-for-lilith/
Lilith Magazine welcomes submissions of high-quality, lively, original writing: reporting, analysis, opinion pieces, memoir, fiction and poetry with a feminist take on subjects of interest to Jewish women. Features usually run 2,500 words, news briefs 500 words or less. Fiction should be under 3,000 words. Back-page pieces run 800 words. For poetry, please submit no more than five poems. Writers and artists are paid for their work in Lilith, in print and on the blog.



GROWING AMERICA
https://www.journalismjobs.com/1647135-writer-growing-america
Looking to hire folks around the country that can conduct interviews over the phone and through email. Our goal is to capture all kinds of stories about farming and American Agriculture. 500-750 words per story. They should be reviewed by the interviewee for clarity and accuracy before they are published, and they will need to submit two or three photos that you pass along to us that can be included in final copy. These stories are for online Ag publication. You don't have to know farming, but you need to be able to write an interesting and engaging story that touches people.



RISK & INSURANCE
https://www.journalismjobs.com/1647149-staff-writer-
A staff writer produces digital and print content on a weekly basis for Risk & Insurance, a trade publication covering the commercial property/casualty insurance industry. Travel a minimum of twice yearly for lengths of up to five days. Candidate is expected to interact professionally with a broad range of insurance and risk management professionals. Generate story ideas for both the magazine and electronic products. 



ROCKSTAR BUSINESS WANTS FREELANCE WRITER
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/377497/rockstar-business-freelance-writer-wanted-recurring-contract-remote/
We write stories for top publications and specialize in crafting exquisite feature profiles on extraordinary entrepreneurs that tell their life story or share their expertise. Pays 30 cents/word and $30 an hour for editing. At least $1,000 per month to start. Everything is ghostwritten, and your byline will not appear (articles publish under our organization's name), but you'll get to learn from and interact with some of the smartest entrepreneurs on the planet (our clients). And your work will leave a legacy that inspires thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs (our articles get 100k+ views on average). This is a flexible remote position.



PROACTIVE INVESTORS
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/description/377384/seeking-financial-news-writers-and-editors-for-growing-global-news-portal/
Proactive Investors is a global financial media portal that’s expanding its busy digital news desk in Manhattan. We're looking for writers and editors who are excited about joining a team that's redefining how small-cap stocks and markets are covered. This is an opportunity to make your mark with a fast-growing company. You are financially savvy, good at turning a phrase, have an eye for detail, and should be able to quickly deliver high-quality copy under demanding deadlines in a fun but fast-paced digital newsroom. The ideal candidate has at least three to five years of experience writing and/or editing for a newspaper, newswire, or specialized website covering public companies, financial markets or both.



NATURAL HEALTH WRITERS
https://www.bloggingpro.com/job/natural-health-writer/
The topics that we mainly focus on are keto living, natural and organic beauty, non-toxic living and essential oils. We post three times a week (around 12 posts per month) and we’re looking for someone to take on a portion of that workload (four to six articles per month). We are looking for talented writers to write as “ghost writers” on our site. You are the right candidate for this opportunity if you are:
– an above average writer with English being your first language (being born and raised in US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, or another English as first language country – ex-pats welcome).
– able to match our conversational tone, style, and audience and be in line with our health philosophy (these guidelines will be provided to you)
– able to handle a good workload and produce exceptional work under pressure/deadlines.
– health conscious and interested in researching and writing about a variety of topics in natural health, natural beauty, nutrition, high performance and fitness that truly solve problems for our readers 

 

Publishers/agents

MARTIN LITERARY MANAGEMENT
http://martinliterarymanagement.com/
Martin Literary Management, founded in 2003, is a full service literary and media management agency. We focus on representing authors of adult nonfiction and books for children and young adults. Our clients’ titles have appeared on the New York Times bestseller and other national bestseller lists, earned strong reviews, received many awards, and garnered national media attention. Many of our clients’ works have been optioned and developed for film and television projects and have helped promote speaking engagements.



ALICE WILLIAMS LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.alicewilliamsliterary.co.uk/
A specialist literary agency proudly representing writers and illustrators of picture books, young fiction, middle-grade fiction, YA and nonfiction. Located in London. 



HARLEQUIN DARE
https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit
Harlequin Dare stories push the boundaries of sexual explicitness while keeping the focus on the developing romantic relationship. Come meet the sexiest men alive! The heat level is explicit and graphic. The hero and heroine have a powerful sexual and emotional connection. We’re looking for authors who have a distinct, memorable voice and write stories with a high level of sexual tension as well as graphic sex. A word count of 50,000 means stories must be fast-paced and plot-driven.



MIRA BOOKS
https://www.MIRABooks.com
MIRA Books publishes binge-worthy reads and bestsellers from rising stars and established authors. Its extensive list includes multilayered relationship and family dramas, voice-y contemporary reads, thrillers and psychological suspense, sweeping historicals, speculative novels and more. 



PARK ROW BOOKS
https://www.ParkRowBooks.com
Park Row Books is the home for literary voices and powerful, well-crafted stories with broad, mainstream appeal. From literary fiction and book club fiction to suspense and narrative nonfiction, Park Row publishes an exclusive list of voice-driven and thought-provoking books that truly move readers and ignite discussion.



HANOVER SQUARE PRESS
https://www.HanoverSqPress.com
Hanover Square Press publishes the fascinating stories of our world that readers can’t wait to talk about. Guided by a search for engaging ideas, unique subjects and fast-paced stories, its list encompasses a broad range of genres — from crime, thrillers, and high-concept fiction to narrative history, journalism, and memoir.



HARLEQUIN TEEN
http://www.harlequintradepublishing.com/brand/harlequin-teen.html
Harlequin TEEN is exciting and authentic, capturing the teen experience with stories that are edgy, courageous and relevant. Genres include contemporary, fantasy, literary, dystopian, paranormal, historical, romance and horror.


 

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/

Other websites:
http://bapsisidhwa.com/
http://wagnerjulia.com/
http://lisakwinkler.com/
http://kbhyde.com/
http://meredithwargo.com/
 

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 2000-2018, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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