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WHY WRITE IN A NICHE?

If you write long enough, you develop a niche. You become notable as a particular type of scribe. Even freelancers build reputations for specialties: health writer, medical writer, health writer, sports writer, food writer, grant writer, resume writer. They do that to be deemed an expert, respectable, and more highly marketable when they pitch for a new assignment. 

But you don't start off that way. Newbies write all over the board, hunting for what works, what is accepted, and what pays. After a little while, they stumble over, or choose, however it happens, a particular arena to ground themselves in, and then they own it. That last part is the most important part. They. Own. It.

Put a name with what you write in ten words or less. Chances are if you cannot, you might be overextended in your niche selection or haven't settled into one yet. You want people to be able to recall who you are by what you write. Actually, it's a dream, a goal, to be remembered by what you write. It makes your work easier for them to find or relate to you. Craft your website with that niche.

Same goes for novelists: romance, mystery, sci-fi, literary, women's, children's, and so on. How many times have you entered a library or bookstore, wanting a book, but could not recall the title? The next question the librarian or bookstore manager will ask is, "Who's the author?" Maybe the name doesn't come to mind. Instead, you fumble with a synopsis of sorts that is tight enough and unique enough in hopes the person can zone in on what you seek. 

What if that author writes with such a niche that you can say: "She writes mysteries on Edisto Beach." or "She writes mysteries set in South Carolina with strong woman characters." or even "She writes South Carolina Lowcountry mysteries." That reference person instantly pares the search down, possibly even able to nail the author, even the latest book. 

Think of yourself as the result of a Google search. How would someone searching for you, find you? 






NOTE: FundsforWriters is seeking submissions. See our submission guidelines at www.fundsforwriters.com/submissions. Topics considered include (but are not limited to):

1) Grant successes. 
2) Crowdfunding successes.
3) Unusual freelance successes.
4) Successful marketing ideas for either freelancing or creative writing (novels).
5) Combining speaking and writing.
6) Success with Amazon Rocket.
7) Success with indie publishing to include newsletters and funnel marketing.
8) Successful experiences with Patreon. 
9) Using short stories to further your long story career. 
10) How contests helped your career or opened doors. 
11) How you mastered the local market in your area.
12) How a unique way of querying opened a door for your writing.
13) How your day job aids your freelance career.
14) How you picked your niche and owned it, becoming a success.
15) How you are making a full-time living at writing.



PREVIOUS FAVORITE POSTS:

• Five Ways to Upsell Your Writing Services
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• How to Write to Market and Improve Your Income
• Writing for the Health Markets
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• Long Run or Short Run?
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Featured article

The ABCs of School Visits with an Independent Bookstore

By Hannah Sheldon-Dean

If you write for children or young adults, you probably already know that school visits can be an excellent way to supplement your income, get to know your audience, and introduce new readers to your books. But did you know that organizing school visits in partnership with your local independent bookstore can make the experience even easier and more productive? Here are four reasons to consider partnering with your local indie.

1. Especially if you've moved recently or are newly published, you might not have personal connections with the schools and educators in your community. Local bookstores often have existing partnerships with schools, and you can benefit from those connections when you work with a bookstore on organizing your visit. Bookstores can introduce you to teachers, librarians, and parent leaders, and they're likely to know which schools or even classes might be the best fit for you and your books. This is particularly helpful if you live in an urban area with a lot of different schools nearby.

2. If you're visiting a school, you'll want to give students and teachers a way to buy your books, but the purchasing process can be complicated. When you're working in partnership with a bookstore, the store will likely handle a lot of the legwork for you, including coordinating order forms, getting books from the publisher and transporting them to the school, and processing payment. In many cases they will also promote your books to the school and do their best to make sure sales are high. Different stores have different policies, but most will be able to make the sales process much easier for you. This applies even if your books are self-published; many stores are still willing to coordinate sales of self-published books in exchange for a share of the revenue.

3. Schools are chaotic places with a lot of moving parts, and sometimes handling logistics can be as challenging as presenting to students. Many bookstores will send a representative to the school on the day of your visit to help out with all the little details, from troubleshooting tech to assisting you with signing and personalizing books. This leaves you free to focus on your biggest fans—the kids!

4. Partnering with a bookstore on school visits is also a great way to build a relationship with the store itself, which might lead to in-store events in the future. As an added bonus, some school events will include more than one children's author, which means you might get to know some wonderful new colleagues in the process.

Lots of independent bookstores around the country have school visit programs, and even those that don't might be glad to develop one in partnership with you. If you're interested in visiting schools through a bookstore, it's always a good idea to send the store an introduction about you, your books, and what your presentation can offer a school. Know that some stores have limited resources and might not be able to work with you right away, but chances are they'll still be happy to keep your contact info on hand. To find a store near you, check out indiebound.org.

Author Bio:
Hannah Sheldon-Dean is a writer, editor, and educator specializing in publications for children and young adults. She is the author of several licensed activity books with Penguin Random House, with additional works in progress. Hannah also has a background in education policy and social work and has worked extensively in socio-emotional and literacy programming for young people, most recently as the manager of school partnership programs at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. She received an MSW from New York University and a BA in Literary Arts and Education Policy from Brown University. Learn more about her work at www.hannahsheldon-dean.com.

COmpetitions

VANDERMEY NONFICTION PRIZE
https://www.ruminatemagazine.com/pages/nonfiction-prize
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 15, 2018. Essay/short memoir must be 5,500 words or less. Entry fee also includes a complimentary digital copy of Ruminate. First place winner will receive $1,500 and publication in Ruminate Magazine. Publication and $200 will be awarded to the runner-up.  



STRINGYBARK EROTIC SHORT FICTION AWARD
http://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/open-the-stringybark-erotic-short-fiction-award-2018.html
A$12.50 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 9, 2018. The maximum length of each entry is 1,800 words, excluding the title. To meet the theme for this competition the story must contain erotic elements and be suitable for readers 17 years and older (the age of consent in Australia. First prize A$350 cash + publication. Second prize A$250 cash + publication. Third prize A$125 cash + publication. 



PIGEON PAGES ESSAY CONTEST
https://pigeonpagesnyc.com/essaycontest/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2018. The winner will receive $250 and publication in Pigeon Pages. Honorable mentions will receive $50 and publication. Previously unpublished creative nonfiction pieces of 3,000 words or less are eligible for this contest. 



PETER PORTER POETRY PRIZE
https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/peter-porter-poetry-prize/current-prize
AU$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 3, 2018. The Porter Prize is one of Australia’s most lucrative and respected awards for poetry. It honours the life and work of the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010), an honoured contributor to ABR for many years. Open internationally. First Prize: AU$5,000 and Arthur Boyd’s etching and aquatint The lady and the unicorn, 1975. Second Prize: AU$2,000. Three other shortlisted poets: AU$500 each. Entries must be an original single-authored poem of not more than 75 lines written in English. 



INKSHARES MYSTERY AND THRILLER COMPETITION
https://www.inkshares.com/contests/mysterycomp
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 14, 2018. Projects will be selected on both the basis of unique pre-orders and by independent evaluation by Inkshares. The contest will come to a close at 12 p.m. PST on December 14, 2018. At that time, the top three projects as determined by the highest unique reader pre-order counts (as long as they have a minimum of 250 unique readers) will remain on the contest leaderboard in first, second, and third place. Inkshares will evaluate all submissions for publishing and representation, even if they haven’t sold any pre-orders. The purpose of the contest is to publish and represent at least three novelists in the mystery-thriller space. The last published mystery by Inkshares receives a starred review in Publishers Weekly, was featured in the Washington Post, and is being developed for television. (NOTE: There is also a Horror Contest at https://www.inkshares.com/contests/horrorcomp with the same due date and conditions.)



THE GREGORY O'DONOGHUE INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION
http://munsterlit.ie/Gregory%20ODonoghue%20International%20Poetry%20Competition.html
€5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2018. First prize: €1,000, a week's residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, paid travel expenses (up to €600) and four nights' accommodation in Cork city during the Cork International Poetry Festival (March 20-23), publication in Southword Journal. Second Prize €500 & publication in Southword. Third Prize €250 and publication in Southword. Ten runners-up will be published in Southword and receive €50 publication fee. The competition is open to original, unpublished poems in the English language of less than 40 lines. 



FISH PUBLISHING SHORT STORY PRIZE
http://www.fishpublishing.com/competition/short-story-contest/
€20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2018. Word limit 5,000. Top ten stories will be published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2019. First prize: €3,000 plus five-day Short Story Workshop at the West Cork Literary Festival. Second prize: a week at Anam Cara Writers’ Retreat and €300. Third prize: €300. Seven Honourable Mentions €200 each.



BALTIMORE REVIEW
https://baltimorereview.submittable.com/submit/6231/contest-submissions-poems-short-stories-creative-nonfiction-submit-here
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2018. Categories poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction. The theme for the winter contest is Tools. There is a 5,000-word limit for fiction and creative nonfiction (may submit two or three flash fiction or flash CNF pieces). We're strict about word limits for contest submissions. One to three poems in an entry. 



SHERWOOD ANDERSON FICTION PRIZE AND JAMES WRIGHT POETRY PRIZE
https://casit.bgsu.edu/midamericanreview/fallcontests/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2018. First prize $1,000 in each category and publication. Submit one story of up to 6,000 words or up to three poems. 



OWL CANYON PRESS SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.owlcanyonpress.com/hackathon
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2018. Writers are invited to create and submit a short story consisting of 50 paragraphs. The contest provides the 1st and 25th paragraphs, and the short story writer crafts the rest. First prize is $3,000, second prize is $2,000, and 3rd prize is $1,000 with the winning short stories published in a short story anthology, as well as an invitation to give a public reading at Inkberry Books in Niwot, CO. The 24 Finalists will also have their short stories included in this anthology.
 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

LUCO-AMERICAN FELLOWSHIPS
https://disquietinternational.submittable.com/submit/16460/luso-american-fellowship-application-2019
Deadline January 10, 2019. To be eligible for the fellowship, entrants must be residents of the United States or Canada who have a genealogical link to a Lusophone country. The four winners will receive accommodations, a travel stipend, and full tuition to the 2019 ILP in Lisbon to attend the multi-genre workshop “Writing the Luso Experience” with other writers from Portugal and North America. Runners-up will be offered partial tuition discounts.



THE STUDIOS AT MASS MoCA
https://massmoca.org/event/studios/
Deadline January 7, 2019. Hosted by MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists program, selected artists receive private studio space on MASS MoCA’s campus, newly renovated housing, free access to the museum’s galleries throughout the residency, optional financial and business coaching from Assets for Artists staff, and a daily group meal. We are currently accepting applications for our 2019 spring/summer season. One communal meal per day, in the company of other artists-in-residence. The full-price residency fee is $650/week, but many participants receive need-based and merit-based financial aid. There is no application fee.



DOROTHY CANNELL SCHOLARSHIP
https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Cannell
Deadline December 31, 2018. The Dorothy Cannell Scholarship offers $1,000 annually to enable one member of the Sisters in Crime Guppies chapter to attend Malice Domestic. The scholarship is for $1,000.00 to subsidize the costs of attending Malice Domestic. In 2019, the conference will be held on May 3-May 5, at the Bethesda North Marriott & Conference Center. How to apply: Guppy members should send a statement via e-mail of no more than 200 words about how attendance at Malice Domestic will support their writing goals. Address the entry to Sisters in Crime at admin@sistersincrime.org. The subject line must be "Dorothy Cannell Scholarship." You can join the Guppies at http://www.sinc-guppies.org/ For information on Malice Domestic, follow this link: http://malicedomestic.org/



INDIANA INDIVIDUAL ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM
https://www.in.gov/arts/3024.htm
Deadline February 7, 2018. Indiana artists with eligible projects in the disciplines of dance, literature, music, theatre, folk arts related to these traditional disciplines, and artists with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Artists with disabilities may apply either through the discipline directly or through the access category. Artists may request up to $2,000 in support for projects that will help advance their career and have public benefit.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

FLASH FICTION MAGAZINE
https://flashfictionmagazine.com/submissions/
We accept fiction stories between 300 and 1,000 words. We pay $40 (USD) for stories selected to be in Flash Fiction Magazine anthologies. You retain all rights to your work. However, we kindly ask that you not publish your story online — including your own website. 



CATAPULT
https://catapult.submittable.com/submit/45654/website-fiction
Catapult is an innovative publisher that celebrates extraordinary storytelling. We promote American and international fiction and narrative nonfiction that is insightful, stirring, and surprising by way of unique voices—whether emerging or established—that honor the craft of writing. Catapult is accepting fiction submissions during the month of October 2018. As always, we welcome short stories, novel excerpts that stand on their own, and translated fiction. We pay for all pieces that we publish. We are particularly interested in fiction under 1,000 words. 



ISABELLA MEDIA
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=ddcd9388104f8725
We are looking for writers to provide some short stories for children. The target age can be from two to ten, and they should be 10-15 pages long with a line or a couple of lines of text on each page depending on the topic and target age. Each page will be fully illustrated so it can be partly told through illustrations and each page should have a line or two about what is envisioned for the illustration. It’s great if the story ideas are a little unusual, wacky or with a funny twist. We can do stories one by one or in batches if you have several ideas.



PASO MAGAZINE / COLONY MAGAZINE
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=f99bd6a749ebdba6
Location Atascadero, California. Local magazines seeking articles about local business, nonprofit organizations, local events, human interest pieces, and personal profiles. Coverage area is North SLO County communities to include Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Creston, San Miguel, and others. 



CONLEY MEDIA - WISCONSIN
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=1197d7a3dc937983
Southeastern Wisconsin is brimming with news and the Waukesha Freeman and West Bend Daily News need some talented freelance writers to help get it all covered. We're looking for accurate, reliable writers who are detail oriented and have news or media writing experience. If you're interested in helping us cover the news in Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee and Milwaukee counties, send a cover letter and samples of your work.



THE NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=35daa16d609dd992
Every year, The New York Times recommends 52 places to go - one place to dream about exploring each week. This year, Jada Yuan earned the chance to take a trip of a lifetime. We are inviting intrepid travelers to follow in her footsteps. We are seeking visual-first reporters and writers to go to every destination on our list and tell us the story of each place and the story of life on the road. The ideal candidates will know how to share without oversharing, will bring destinations to life through the people who inhabit them and are logistical masters. Media experience is required, as is fluency in English, expertise in social media and facility with digital devices. Familiarity with languages beyond English is a plus though not a requirement.



RICARDO STEAK HOUSE - NEW YORK
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=0c1125f26ba4de19
Looking for a descriptive content write who will be able to bring the experience of Ricardo Steak House to life through words. The tasks will include a rewrite of our "About Us", and a fun and new Special Events and Experience tab/summary on our website. In addition to our website changes we would like to have our menus looked at for correction in grammar, punctuation and an addition of descriptive selling techniques.

 

Publishers/agents

SEVENTH STREET BOOKS
http://www.seventhstreetbooks.com/submissions.html
Seventh Street Books® publishes only mystery and thriller fiction. We are not currently looking for short story collections, anthologies, novellas, or nonfiction. 



TELL-TALE PUBLISHING
https://www.tell-talepublishing.com/guidelines.html
Dahlia Imprint: Romance: Romantic Suspense, Gothic Suspense, Regency, Single Title Contemporary.
Stargazer Imprint: Fantasy: Paranormal, High Adventure Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk.
Nightshade Imprint: Horror.
Casablanca Imprint: Mystery.
Thistle Imprint: Middle School, Young Adult, New Adult.
Déjà Vu Imprint: Republication from all genres.



CROOKED LANE PRESS
http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/about/
Crooked Lane Books publishes the highest quality crime fiction titles in both print and electronic editions. From editorial and production to promotion, distribution, and sales, we are a house that focuses on working with our authors to reach readers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense.



SOFT SKULL PRESS
https://softskull.com/submission-guidelines/
Soft Skull Press is an independent publisher of books that engage art, culture, and current events in new and radical ways. During the month of October 2018, Soft Skull Press is accepting proposals for single-authored book-length works of nonfiction. Please submit a proposal that includes one to three sample chapters (maximum word count: 10,000).



REGAL HOUSE PUBLISHING
https://regalhousepublishing.com/
We are governed by our imperative to support and sustain the literary efforts of the authors we work with. With this in mind we take on a limited number of new clients a year and are always interested in discovering new talent within the genres of literary fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and short story collections. Through our imprint Fitzroy Books, we publish Children’s, MG, YA, and NA fiction, and Pact Press, our social impact imprint, publishes works that promote diversity, inclusion, and acceptance. Unlike many publishing houses we accept manuscripts directly from the authors, without requiring an intervening literary agent.



CLARE SONGBIRDS PUBLISHING HOUSE
https://www.claresongbirdspub.com/manuscript-submissions/
Clare Songbirds Publishing House will begin accepting essay and short fiction collections in January 2019.  Submission requirements for these manuscripts will be available as we begin to move into publishing those genres. We are not accepting full-length fiction or memoir at this time.



PAGE STREET PUBLISHING
https://www.pagestreetpublishing.com/submission-guidelines
We publish young adult (YA) fiction (for ages 12 and up), in all genres, and a variety of nonfiction books in such categories as cooking, sports, science, nature, interior design, crafts, and parenting. We also publish children’s books focusing on new talent and artist-led narrative picture books in all genres for ages four to eight, biographies for ages eight to twelve, occasionally board books for ages zero to three, and visually driven concept books. 


 

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