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GOING FULL-TIME OR NOT

Part of the reason so many people want to write full-time is to escape the responsibilities of the day job, the commute, and all the baggage that comes with working for someone else. Truth is, writing full-time is not all it's cracked up to be. 

You experience the pressure of juggling when you have a day job and then attempt to write at night, during lunch, or on weekends. If you wrote full-time life would be so much less stressful, or so you think.

But writing full-time means you also have to squeeze writing into your day, because once you become your own boss, you are faced with:

1) estimated taxes, more serious bookkeeping, and administrative duties consuming 10 to 20 percent of your day;
2) marketing, which consumes a minimum of 20 percent of your day;
3) researching business techniques, keeping up with the industry, learning how to publish differently, vetting publishers/agents/clients - consuming 10 to 20 percent of your day if not more.

Suddenly you realize most of your day is still committed to items you don't enjoy doing . . . just like when you worked the day job. 

As a full-time writer, I cannot keep up with the changes in freelancing, blogging, podcasting, publishing, and marketing. As hard as I try, I end the day a little frustrated, feeling like I lag behind so many others. 

The truth is, you cannot learn it all nor do it all. You write what you like, and you publish the best you can. You market intelligently instead of just checking it off your to-do list. But you cannot be like all the other writers out there. They are also ignoring aspects of the profession, because they, too, cannot work everything into their day. 

You have to remember to keep this profession fun. When it ceases to be enjoyable, stop and rethink what you are doing. Better to work the full-time day job and enjoy your writing at night than be dragged into a full-time writing business and have it suck the life out of your joy.








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Featured article

Beyond The Writer’s Market: Seven Ways to Find New Magazines

By Carol Tice

Feel like you’re out of ideas to pitch the magazines you know? Then find new magazines. There are more magazines out there than you can imagine. Despite what you may have heard, new titles continue to evolve (over 130 in 2017 alone, Statista reports).

You’ve dog-eared your copy of The Writer’s Market, but keep in mind it does not list every magazine – just ones willing to fill out its listing form. It tends to be strong in consumer mags, not in online magazines, trades, or custom pubs. New titles may take years to be included.

In the meanwhile with a bit of sleuthing, you can turn up many fresh magazine titles. 

1.    Check for a Portal

Seek portals with a comprehensive list of titles. Faves of mine including Tradepub.com for trade publications – these are industry-specific magazines, such as Ad Age for advertising execs, or Variety for showbiz people. Or check out the manufacturing category for low-glamour titles that get fewer pitches. Examples include Modern Materials Handling and Industrial Heating. Due to their more specialized target audiences, trades tend to pay well.

Another little-known but great-paying type of glossy are company magazines, known in the mag trade as custom pubs. The best-known of these is Costco Connection magazine, along with all the airlines’ in-flight mags, but there are more. Find more at the Custom Content Council’s site with its handy members’ directory search tab to sort by industry topic.

2.    Get Organized

Nonprofit organizations and professional associations should be your next stop. Many organizations create a magazine for their members with few people outside the group knowing about it. A prime example would be Stores Magazine, by the National Retail Federation.

Make a sale by picking up on an industry trend they haven’t reported yet – or revisit a big piece of industry news of five to ten years back and see whether predictions came true.

3.    Read Magazine News

The magazine industry itself has trade pubs and organizations. Scope out announcements of new titles and editor changes by reading FOLIO or Editor & Publisher). The Association of Magazine Media puts out an annual Factbook chock-full of interesting magazine-trend info. Learn which categories of magazines are on the rise, and which aren’t worth your time. These sites also crank out news updates. Subscribe and use them as your road map to find even more magazines.

4.    Go Back to School

Many top universities have alumni mags for each college (check out Harvard Medical School’s mag,, for instance), along with one for the whole institution. Some also produce daily bulletin content online about their grads, professors, and programs. 

Start with your alma mater and higher-education institutions based in your town. Get your hands-on copies or read online editions. Profiling interesting grads is an easy way to break in.

5.    Keep Your Eyes Peeled

Do you ever go to a doctor or therapist’s office without scanning their magazine rack? How about the gym, or the grocery store? Many businesses put out magazines for customers that you won’t find in a bookstore, so keep your eyes peeled.

Regional chains especially stand out with customer magazines. Great examples here include Tractor Supply Co.’s Out Here magazine, and PCC Market’s Sound Consumer.

6.    The List You Want Already Exists

My big tip: Search online for a list. Google something along the lines of “Top 100 X Type of Magazines.” I recently turned up a fascinating collection under the search “top 100 magazines of 2018” in the form of a 100 Best Independent Magazines roundup from shopping site InsideHook. Many such lists will combine physical and digital magazines, cluing you in on more online markets.

7.    Think Digital

Many former print-only magazines have become multi-media powerhouses. Other magazines thrive entirely online. The Association of Magazine Media Factbook notes that all-digital WebMD Magazine and Allrecipes rank in the Top 10 ‘magazines’ today. 

Some magazines are mobile-Web stars. Among the fast-growers online are underdogs including Dirt Rider, In-Fishermen, home-design title Veranda, and outdoorsy Backpacker. 

To sum up: Whether you crave a physical-mag byline or just want to find the highest-paying article markets, a wide world of new magazines is waiting to be discovered, with only an extra bit of quick research.



BIO: Carol Tice's Her most recent magazine article was for Delta Sky. She invites Hope's readers to come to her award-winning site at Make a Living Writing.

COmpetitions

MAGICAL MAIL WRITING CONTEST
https://horrortree.com/taking-submissions-magical-mail-writing-contest/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 15, 2018. One First Place winner will receive $500, one Second Place winner will receive $250, and one Third Place winner will receive $100. We may select up to 11 Honorable Mention winners (one for each month). Any Honorable Mentions will receive $25. Read the example letter from Santa Claus to get an idea of what we are looking for. Choose one of the characters and holidays listed. Research your character and holiday so you know interesting details to include about your life as that character. As the character you’ve chosen, write your letter to Jessie Jones using the information provided below. (This is all you know about the child.) Letters should be three to four paragraphs long and 200-300 words each. Reread your letter but replace Jessie’s information with that of a child you know. Does the letter work for any child the same way Santa’s does? If not, edit your letter. We encourage you to submit one letter per category for your best odds of winning a prize. (NOTE: you are giving up all rights to this letter upon entering the contest.)



BLUE MOUNTAIN ARTS POETRY CONTEST
http://www.sps.com/poetry/index.html
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. First prize $350. Second prize $200. Third prize $100. Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better. We suggest that you write about real emotions and feelings and that you have some special person or occasion in mind as you write. Poems are judged on the basis of originality and uniqueness. English-language entries only, please.



AUTUMN HOUSE PRESS RISING WRITER CONTEST
https://www.autumnhouse.org/submissions/rising-writers/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2019. Must be author’s first full-length collection (previous publications of chapbooks or self-published books are fine). Authors must be 33 years old or younger in this calendar year. The winner will receive book publication, $500 advance against royalties, and a $500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book. All finalists will be considered for publication. Poetry submissions should be approximately 50-70 pages.



MIKROKOSMOS FICTION AND POETRY CONTEST
http://mikrokosmosjournal.com/mikrokosmos-fiction-and-poetry-contest/
$5 ENTRY FEE. First Prize Fiction and Poetry: $200. Second Prize Fiction and Poetry: $100. Third Prize Fiction and Poetry: $50. Fiction: Submit up to three pieces totaling no more than 6,000 words. Poetry: Submit up to five poems or ten pages of poetry. All non-prize-winning submissions will also be considered for our online publication, mojo. 



FARMER'S ALMANAC ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.almanac.com/form/2019-essay-contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 25, 2019. Cash prizes (first, $250; second, $150; third, $100) will be awarded for the best essays in 200 words or less on the subject “Kids Say the Funniest Things.” Entries must be yours, original, and unpublished. All entries become the property of Yankee Publishing, which reserves all rights to the material. Winners will appear in the 2020 Old Farmer’s Almanac and on Almanac.com.



FOOD AND DRINK SHORT STORY PRIZE
https://www.mogfordprize.co.uk/
£10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 7, 2019. Winning prize £10,000. Sponsored by the Mogford Hotels and Restaurants Group. Food and Drink must be at the heart of the winning tale. The short story could, for instance, be about crime or intrigue; about a chance meeting over a drink; a life-changing conversation over dinner; or perhaps the details of a relationship explored through food or drink. Both published and unpublished writers are invited to enter but all stories must be previously unpublished. Limit 2,500 words. 



RETREAT WEST THEMED FLASH FICTION CONTESTS
http://www.retreatwest.co.uk/competitions/quarterly-themed-flash/
£8 ENTRY FEE. Next deadline December 30, 2018. Theme: Running Away. Winner Prize: £200. Two Runner-Up Prizes: £100. Word count 500. Stories must be your own original work and not have been published online or in print. By entering the competition. you agree to your story being published on the Retreat West website.



DANAHY FICTION PRIZE
http://www.ut.edu/TampaReview/TRDetail.aspx?id=12481
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. The Danahy Fiction Prize is an annual award of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review. All entrants receive a one-year subscription to Tampa Review. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished short fiction. We generally prefer manuscripts between 500 and 5,000 words. 



BUZZ WORDS SHORT STORY PRIZE
http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com/p/prize.html
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2018. The Buzz Words Short Story Prize is a new annual prize of $1,000 awarded to recognize excellence in short story writing for children. The story must be suitable for readers eight to eleven years. Must be written in English by an Australian adult.
 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.nyfa.org/Content/Show/Artists'-Fellowships
Deadline January 23, 2019. The unrestricted fellowships of $7,000 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 careers. In the 2019 cycle, grants will be awarded in the categories of architecture/environmental structures/design, choreography, music/sound, photography, and playwriting/screenwriting. Applicants must be at least 25 years old at the time of application 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 the date. 



LEEWAY FOUNDATIOM ART AND CHANGE GRANTS
https://www.leeway.org/grants/art_and_change_grants/
Deadline March 1, 2019. Art and Change Grant provides project-based grants of up to $2,500 to women and trans artists in the Delaware Valley region in support of social change arts projects. The program is open to individual artists and cultural producers working in any medium, including traditional and non-traditional, as well as multimedia and experimental forms. The grant may be used for any project-related expenses (e.g., documentation, artist stipends, or the purchase of equipment or materials). Applicants must be a woman or trans artist with an art for social change project or opportunity that will impact a larger group, audience, or community; have financial need and limited or no access to other financial resources; have a project supported by or in collaboration with a change partner (a person, organization, or business that is part of the project in some way); and live in the Delaware Valley area, including Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties.



ARTS MIDWEST TOURING FUND
https://www.artsmidwest.org/programs/touringfund/apply
Deadline April 24, 2019. Arts Midwest invites organizations that contract artists/ensembles to perform in their own or a community venue to apply to the Arts Midwest Touring Fund. Engagements must run between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020. The maximum award is generally $4,000, with a minimum award of $500. Support from the Arts Midwest Touring Fund must be used to offset the artist's contracted fee and may not be used for other purposes or costs. To be eligible, applicants must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, a unit of state or local government, or a federally recognized tribal community or tribe and be located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.



SINC EDUCATION GRANT
https://www.sistersincrime.org/default.aspx?page=EdGrant
SinC wants to help, by giving you $150 - that's cold hard cash - for writing education!  We will award grants to at least 100 members in 2019 on a first-apply, first-served basis. You must submit a grant application and receive approval. Must be a current member of SinC. Applications will be accepted starting December 1, 2018 for education grants to be used in 2019. Education can be a conference, a community college, or even a how-to class online. 



UNBOUND
https://unbound.com/how-it-works
Unbound is a crowdfunding publisher that gives people the tools, support and freedom to bring their ideas to life. To date, our community has funded everything from an anthology on race and identity in contemporary Britain to a compilation of terrible old video games you’ve probably never heard of. We’re a team of publishers, writers, editors, designers – you name it – helping people bring their ideas to life. And we take care of the whole process, from manuscript editing to shipping the first editions. Pitch your idea to our commissioning editors – if it has the makings of a great book, we’ll launch it on our site.



KICKSTARTER PUBLISHING CATEGORY
https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/publishing
Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, writers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.



INDIEGOGO WRITING/CREATIVE WORKS CATEGORY
https://www.indiegogo.com/explore/creative-works
This is where new and groundbreaking ideas take flight – where you find and fund the next big thing as well as market it. With thousands of crowdfunding and InDemand campaigns launching every week, there's great innovation around every corner – often with special perks and pricing for early backers. This is how you can fund your writing goal. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

FIRESIDE MAGAZINE
https://firesidefiction.com/submissions
Our next short story reading period will be from the 15th to the 31st of December 2018. We accept short stories up to 4,000 words. Our budget allows us to pay for up to 7,000 words per month, which means we are always going to buy more shorter fiction than longer stories. We especially love to see very short pieces that still tell great stories and make us laugh, cry, or transport us to new worlds. Pays 12.5 cents per word for accepted stories.



ZIZZLE
https://zizzlelit.com/submit/
Deadline December 31, 2018. At Zizzle we look for stories that will surprise, move, and amuse both young and mature imaginative minds. We seek flash fiction that not only appeals to children as young as age 10 (grade five), but to grown-ups as well. Length: 500 to 1,200 words. Only one story per submission. After receiving a decision from us, please wait at least 30 days to submit a new story. We pay a flat rate of US $100 for each accepted flash fiction piece. 



FOOD & WINE
https://boards.greenhouse.io/timeinc/jobs/1326549
Food & Wine, a lifestyle super-brand that delivers expertly curated content to discerning consumers, is looking for a whip-smart, energetic Digital Reporter/Writer to create sharp, entertaining, visually robust content for foodandwine.com and the brand’s social media channels. The candidate must be able to quickly report stories, write clean copy, make data-based editorial decisions and package content for maximum impact on multiple platforms. This digital staffer will collaborate closely with the audience engagement lead to drive the most traffic and engagement to each story produced.



DISCOVER
https://penandthepad.com/how-5117085-submit-discover-magazine.html
http://discovermagazine.com/magazine/contact/editorial-contact-form
http://discovermagazine.com/ourstaff
Discover magazine is a popular science magazine made available to the general public in doctor’s offices, schools and libraries. It has a large home-subscriber base as well. The subject matter covers exciting breakthroughs and research in medicine, technology and science, written in language an educated layman can comprehend. The magazine's breadth of science topics also includes paleontology, space travel and physics along with many other science-related topics. The magazine is not accepting pitches for the following columns or departments: Better Planet, The Brain, ThinkTech, Mind Games and Field Notes. Discover magazine does not accept manuscripts sent without a query first. Send your query or pitch to: editorial@discovermagazine.com. 



EARLY AMERICAN LIFE
https://www.ealonline.com/editorial/guidelines.php
We cover a diversity of topics, all centered around America from its founding through the mid-1800s. Although we cover academic topics, we don't want academic writing. The best sign of a writer's skill is to be able to present solid information in a readable, entertaining manner. We appreciate a deft touch with a bit of humor or word play to keep things interesting. Our average reader is about 55 years old, knowledgeable, well-educated, often experts in the fields you will be writing about. But they see as an Early American Life as a friend, so the tone can be conversational. Payment starts at $500. 



ENROUTE
http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/articles/writers-guidelines/
Air Canada enRoute is a travel magazine with a Canadian perspective that speaks to an international readership. The magazine is read by over one million travelers a month and can be found in the seat pockets of Air Canada aircraft and in Maple Leaf™ Lounges and select Star Alliance™ lounges around the world. It is also distributed at more than 100 upscale outlets across Canada (hotels, boutiques, health clubs, restaurants and lounges). We look for articles with unique, unexpected angles and for subjects that will remain fresh during our four-to-six-month lead time. Air Canada enRoute commissions travel stories that focus on everything from food and drink, wellness, design and architecture to style, arts and culture, technology, social trends and sports.

 

Publishers/agents

BLACK SPOT BOOKS
https://www.blackspotbooks.com/submit.html
We publish titles in speculative fiction, including genres of fantasy, dark humor, thrillers, and paranormal. We rarely consider pure science-fiction or young adult titles but are open to reading them. We are interested in full-length (65,000 word plus) novels by US-based authors. We do not publish work in mainstream romance/erotica, cozy mystery, political fiction, religious fiction, children, poetry, memoirs, cook books, or screenplays. 



PUBLAUNCH
https://publaunch.com/how-it-works-writers
At PubLaunch, you choose your publishing plan, which experts to use up to even hiring someone to handle it all, and you are guided through the publishing process. You even have the option of paying or crowdfunding. For the writer who likes to choose a la cart how to put their book together, this is the place. 



PUBSLUSH
https://www.pubslush.com/
At Pub Slush we connect aspiring writers both new and established with publishers who can help bring your content into the light. If you are a writer or blogger and you have already written a piece of content that you would like to get exposure to and share with the world then please fill out the form because we would love to hear from you! If you are a publisher or a website owner and you are looking for high quality content to publish for your magazine, book or website then we can help connect you with the right writers that will give you the fresh quality content that you need!



NELSON LITERARY AGENCY
https://nelsonagency.com/submission-guidelines/
Accepting queries after January 2, 2019. Query one agent at a time. Each agent accepts different genres. We do not represent nonfiction (except Quressa, who considers select passion projects in narrative nonfiction—see above—but does not represent abuse narratives or political works), Memoir, Screenplays, Short-story collections, Poetry, Material for the Christian/Inspirational market, Children’s picture books, or Early-reader chapter books. 



IRENE GOODMAN AGENCY
http://www.irenegoodman.com/
The Irene Goodman Agency has been in business for almost 40 years and represents bestselling authors in commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction. We are always looking for the finest in commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction, including mysteries, romance, women's fiction, thrillers, and suspense. We do not represent poetry, inspirational fiction, screenplays, or children's picture books.



THE BENT AGENCY
http://www.thebentagency.com/agents
First, review our agents’ bios and decide which of us you’d like to query. Please do not simultaneously query our agents; submit your work to only one of us. If that agent passes, feel free to contact another. The Bent Agency is the home of eleven agents: Jenny Bent, Nicola Barr, Victoria Cappello, Gemma Cooper, Heather Flaherty, Louise Fury, Molly Ker Hawn, Rachel Horowitz, Sarah Manning, John Silbersack, and Laurel Symonds. Together we represent a century of experience in the publishing industry, with backgrounds in editorial, marketing, and subsidiary rights. Our list is diverse, which means we represent what we love, including writers of history, humor, lifestyle, inspiration, memoir, literary fiction, children’s books and commercial fiction.
 

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Welcome, Funds for Writers Readers!

Please check out my blog.

My blog exists to help writers earn more money. Paying markets, blogging, articles, writing craft…it’s all covered here.

Since I know you’re into tools and resources to earn more from your writing, here are a few posts you might want to get started with:

• How to Blog: The Ultimate Guide to Mega-Useful Tools
• Pitch Story Ideas to These 99 Markets for Freelance Writing Jobs
• 12 Proven Ways You Can Still Earn Well From Article Writing
• How to Clear the Phlegm From Your Blog Posts
• 5 Tips for Getting the Lead out of Your Stiff Prose

These will get you started — but there are over 1,000 more free posts to browse, here at Make a Living Writing.

If you’d like a free useful report, customized to where you’re at in your freelance-writing journey, subscribe to my blog! You’ll also get updates when new posts are published.

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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
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