FundsforWriters - April 26, 2019 - 10 Ways to Blog Your Book to Increase Sales Without Being Pushy

Published: Fri, 04/26/19

Volume 19, Issue 17 | APRIL 26, 2019

Message from the Editor

Didn't even think about taking pictures at tonight's event, but I wish I had. The Chapin Women's Club Flamingo Fundraiser at the Timberlake Country Club. I was invited by a book club I try to attend periodically, that consists of ladies who are the movers and shakers of charitable fundraising in my neck of the woods on this side of Lake Murray.

And they asked if I'd donate a set of books for the auction. I was so honored!

Hubby and I enjoyed the food immensely and the dinner conversation as well. I won a couple things in the silent auction and watched people dance, listened to the band, had one glass of wine and came home to do newsletters.

But people came up to me throughout the evening saying, "You're the author, aren't you?" And you know what? I owned it. "Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing."

We are often afraid to own being writers and authors. When someone throws one of those labels at you, catch it, tuck it in your pocket, and accept it. Thank the person, and say how much you love what you do.

C. Hope Clark
Editor, FundsforWriters
Email Hope | Visit Website | Sign up for Newsletter
Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326
FFW has proudly been on the Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers list every year since 2001

Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. Use information listed at your own risk. FundsforWriters gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the markets, contests and grants although research is done to the best of our ability.

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SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

44 Key Questions about Your Story

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You can download the checklist instantly by clicking here. Have a good day!

EDITOR’S THOUGHTS

INFO OVERLOAD

Seth Godin, a management guru you've probably noticed I enjoy reading, recently spoke about how we're enduring cognitive overload. Too many choices. I wholeheartedly agree which is why I recently withdrew from three professional organizations.

I also canceled a cruise to the Baltics. What started as the trip of a lifetime turned into chaos. Too many choices. Charters, places to visit in each port, too many ports, meal selections, a long list of chores to take care of before leaving. . . I was exhausted and hadn't left home. Then when the tour agent threw an unforeseen choice at me, one that would take a few more dollars, I canceled. Surprised her. She found all these choices fun. To me, however, they threw a burden on the whole experience that was meant to epitomize relaxation. Turned into anything but.

Publishing is like that. Marketing is like that. And if you let it, writing can be like that if you cannot decide what project to focus on.

What do you want to do with your writing? Not sure? Talk to writers. Go to a conference. Give yourself a month or two to read everything you can get your hands on. Then shut it off and make your plan. Once you design a path, quit letting more ideas filtrate in that will only make you second guess yourself.

Everyone has a better way. Better ways are endless. The nature of humans is to develop a better or easier way to accomplish something. The cycle never stops. Your job is to choose a path, develop the plan to the best of your ability, and follow it. If you follow every piece of new advice out there, you'll spin in circles forever.

AND A NOTE: I hope to see you in St. Louis!

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

An IndieReader Discovery Award Winner

FundsforWriters readers save 20% using coupon code FFW20 at our online store at www.EcoLitBooks.com.

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

April 27 - 11 AM - Main Street Read Bookstore, Summerville, SC
May 23 - 6:30 PM - Irmo Book Club, Irmo, SC
June 14-16 - GatewayCon, St Louis, MO
August 24 - 9-4:30 PM - Sylva, NC - North Carolina Writers' Network West conference

SUCCESS QUOTE

"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life--think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success."

~Swami Vivekananda

SUccess Story

Hi, Hope
Thanks to you and Fund for Writers, I learned about - and scored! - a residency at the Wildacres Retreat in North Carolina, where I'm headed at the end of May for uninterrupted writing time. (Somebody, pinch me.) I have been dreaming of this kind of opportunity and cannot wait!!! Thank you again for your invaluable work. Happy Spring!

Best,
Larissa Kosmos

www.larissakosmos.com

- - -

If FundsforWriters has enabled your writing career in any way, let us know so we can share. Email hope@chopeclark.com

10 Ways to Blog Your Book to Increase Sales Without Being Pushy or Annoying (Part 1)

By Amanda Zieba

A lot of people think that once a book is written, the work is done. Often times, especially if you are a self-published author, the work is just beginning. After the brainstorming and drafting, writing and revising, editing and publishing comes the… selling.

There are only so many times you can say, buy my book! But the fact of the matter is, you need to continue placing your book in front of your audience if you have any prayer of selling copies. To help, I’ve come up with a list of ten ways you can blog about your book.

I am breaking this article up into two parts, so read on for the first five suggested ways to blog about your book and then check back in next week to learn the second set of ways to increase your book sales through your blog without being pushy or annoying.

The Inspiration

Every story has to start somewhere. If you write about the inspiration behind the story, you don’t even have to wait until it’s published to engage your audience. Readers will feel like they are getting a behind the scenes sneak peek at your work in progress and endear them to the project right from the start. In this post, I shared all about how I turned my friend’s reality into inspiration for a fiction story.

Writing Tips

Another topic you can talk about before you publish are the techniques you are using to write the story. For example, for my most recent book, I wrote about outlining, writing sprints, and using YouTube for research.

First Chapter and Cover Reveal

A few weeks before you publish, give your readers a little teaser by revealing the cover and also the first chapter. This will create a big buzz of excitement for your forthcoming title and also let people know in a non-aggressive, non-annoying way that THAT THING YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON will soon be ready.

Music Play Lists

Mark Parsons wrote Road Rash, a “band-on-the-road” story about growing up—and growing into yourself. There probably isn’t a better scenario on the planet for a novel playlist. Being both a writer and a musician, Mark wrote this article for Huffington Post: 10 Best Road Trip Songs.

Your book doesn’t have to be about music though to pull this off. Wisconsin based author Valerie Biel created playlists for her YA historical fantasy novels. Playlists are a great content addition to her website and also an excellent way for readers to create the atmosphere of the book to enhance their reading experience.

Book Trailers

Another way you can engage readers is by creating and sharing a book trailer.

“As authors, we want to give readers as much information as possible about our books so they can decide if it’s worth their precious time and money because let’ face it, this is a busy and expensive world. A book trailer can do this in 60 seconds or less using visuals and music. If a picture says a thousand words, adding tone and music says ten thousand.” – Teri Case, author of the award-winning novel Tiger Drive and forth-coming title, In the Dog House

Once the trailer is finished, you can write a post about the creation process, including how you chose the images and music, how you scripted the video and any tips and tricks you’d recommend for other’s looking to give a book trailer a try.

Okay! That’s it for today! Be sure to come back next week for the second half of the list!!

Bio
Amanda Zieba is a self-proclaimed word nerd, college writing instructor and author of eight books. She also blogs weekly on all sorts of word nerd topics, is the creator of a six-week fiction writing program called Story Seedlings and presents writing workshops across the Midwest. You can connect with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amandazieba/ or via her website. www.amandazieba.com

COmpetitions

GHOST STORY SUPERNATURAL FICTION AWARD CONTEST
http://www.theghoststory.com/tgs-fiction-award
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2019. Ghost stories are welcome, of course—but your submission may involve any paranormal or supernatural theme, as well as magic realism. What we’re looking for is fine writing, fresh perspectives, and maybe a few surprises in the field of supernatural fiction. Story length should run between 1,500 and 10,000 words. TGS awards $1,000 and both online and print publication to the winner. Two other writers receive Honorable Mention awards that include publication and cash prizes of $250.

CRAFT FICTION PRIZE
https://www.craftliterary.com/short-fiction-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2019. Limit 5,000 words. We review literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles—our only requirement is that you show excellence in your craft. Winner: $2,000 award and a subscription to Journal of the Month. Runners-up: $500 and $300 award respectively for the second and third place finalists. Publication of the top three stories in CRAFT, each with an introduction by Elizabeth McCracken.

HOWLING BIRD PRESS PRIZE
https://augsburghowlingbirdpress.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2019. Howling Bird Press, the publishing house of Augsburg University’s MFA in Creative Writing, offers an annual prize that results in book publication. The competition is open to all writers in English living in the U.S., whether published or unpublished. Manuscript word counts should be in the 20,000 to 50,000 range. The winner receives $1,000 and book publication in fall 2020.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS PRESS PRIZE
http://www.unopress.org/lab.aspx
$28 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2019. The selected author will receive a $10,000 advance on royalties and a contract to publish with UNO Press. The work does not have to be regionally focused. The contest is open to all authors, regardless of publishing history. The finalists are read by students at our publishing institute in the fall of 2019, and one is chosen to become a book. The class will focus on making the book a critical and commercial success upon its release in the fall of 2020.

PHILLIP H. MCMATH POST PUBLICATION BOOK AWARD
https://arkansaswriters.wordpress.com/philip-k-mcmath-post-publication-book-award-genre-unlimited/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 15, 2019. Any publisher, author, agent or any legal representative or an author may enter full-length books published in the 2018 calendar year. Submissions may be made in ANY GENRE. Submissions may NOT be self-published. Entering the title indicates the author’s willingness to attend and give a reading at the UCA Arkatext Literary Festival spring 2019. The winner will receive a $500 honorarium and a travel stipend to the festival. We will offer two awards, one for prose and one for poetry. We encourage you to read our guidelines below before submitting.

SHORT STORY LAND
http://www.shortstoryland.com/
$19 ENTRY FEE. There are two contests per year which run from April 1 to September 30 and October 1 to March 31. Winners are announced, and prizes are awarded 15 days after each contest’s closing date. The prizes for each six-month competition are: First Place: $500, Second Place: $250, Third Place: $100, Fourth and Fifth Place: refund of $19 entry fee. Story of the Month: $25. Entries are limited to stories by unpublished writers. Stories must be submitted in English. In addition to cash prizes, placed winners and Story of the Month winners are eligible to be published in Short Story Land’s annual Anthology of Short Stories, published by Myakka Press and distributed worldwide in print and ebook formats by IngramSpark. NOTE: This is a new contest, so there is no track record for this entity. Entrants can use coupon code, SHORTSTORY19, to lower the entry cost to $15.

THE LAUX/MILLAR RR POETRY PRIZE
https://www.raleighreview.org/laux-millar-rr-poetry-prize.html
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2019 at 5 AM EST. First Prize includes $500 and publication in the Fall 2019 issue. Finalists will receive standard $10 payment along with publication. Honorable Mentions will be considered for publication and standard payment. All Finalists and Honorable Mentions will receive a one-year subscription to Raleigh Review. All entrants will receive the Fall 2019 issue of Raleigh Review. Submit up to five pages of unpublished poems per entry.

PALOOKA PRESS CONTEST
http://palookamag.com/palooka-press
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 15, 2019. Please send your best fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, graphic narrative, or hybrid work. Manuscripts should be roughly 30-50 pages, but we're flexible. The winner receives publication by Palooka Press (a perfect-bound book with a glossy or matte color cover), $200 honorarium, 20 free copies of the book, and a bio and photo featured on our website.

COSMONAUTS AVENUE NONFICTION PRIZE
https://cosmonautsavenue.submittable.com/submit/136132/2019-nonfiction-prize
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 20, 2019. We love writing that is personal, necessary, darkly funny, unfunny, candid, unique, upsetting, untold, and writing that is deeply good and deeply you. The winner will receive $500 and publication in Cosmonauts Avenue. Maximum 20 double-spaced pages. We accept (and encourage) entries from all ages and countries.

BLUE LYNX PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://lynxhousepress.submittable.com/submit
$28 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2019. The Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry pays $2,000 plus publication for a full-length poetry collection. The prize is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad. Entries must be at least 48 pages in length.

THE MUSE/A DIP THE RAT PRIZE IN POETRY
http://www.museajournal.com/contest/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 1, 2019. This contest for a first or second full-length poetry collection is open to any poet writing in English who has not yet published more than one full-length book in poetry (poets with multiple chapbooks are eligible), and offers a cash prize of $1,000 and publication by Publishing Genius press, as well as ten free copies of the published book. Manuscripts should consist of 48 – 75 pages of poetry.

FLASH LEGEND CONTEST
https://themolotovcocktail.com/flash-legend-contest/
$7 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 5, 2019. This contest encourages writers to take well-worn urban myths and repurpose them in clever, compelling, and shocking new ways. First prize $250, second $125, and third $75. We also give mad props to fourth through tenth place, publishing them in our Flash Legend mega-issue and in a future print anthology, with contributor copy included. All submissions must absolutely be under 1,000 words, and we tend to look more kindly on 750 or fewer.

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

GRAYWOLF PRESS CITIZEN LITERARY FELLOWSHIP
https://graywolfpress.submittable.com/submit/112396/graywolf-press-citizen-literary-fellowship
Deadline April 30, 2019. The Citizen Literary Fellowship is a paid, comprehensive fellowship over ten months designed to support a person who is interested in learning more about the publishing industry through an introductory, hands-on experience.

NEVADA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
http://nvculture.org/nevadaartscouncil/grants/professional-development-grant/
Arts education professionals, educators, and teaching artists; arts consultants or coordinators of arts/cultural programming employed by non-arts nonprofit organizations; and individual artists of all disciplines, including folk and traditional artists. Submit at least one month prior to the activity for which funds are requested. Available on a first-come, first-served reimbursement basis throughout the year while funds are available. Up to $650 for out-of-state activities, up to $500 for in-state opportunities and up to $350 to attend NAC sponsored activities. Individual applicants must have U.S. citizenship or legal resident status, be at least 21 years old, be a Nevada resident for 12 months prior to the date of application and not be enrolled as a degree-seeking student in the area for which they are requesting NAC funds.

NEVADA ARTIST RESIDENCY EXPRESS GRANT
http://nvculture.org/nevadaartscouncil/grants/arex-grant/
Up to $1,200 to support artist fees and $300 for travel (at least 50 miles one way) for a residency. In some cases, an artist may charge more than the grant will support. It is up to the sponsor to ensure the artist(s) receive full payment. The Artist Residency Express Grant (AREx) is designed for community and educational sponsors to host a short-term artist-led residency (20 hours maximum), or for an NAC Roster Artist who is a Nevada resident to present a short-term artist residency. The shape and schedule of the residency are up to the sponsor and the artist. An intensive residency may occur over one to three days, or it may be appropriate to have more residency activities of shorter duration, such as two hours a week for six weeks. Submit 30+ days before the residency.

KILLER WOMEN MENTORSHIP SCHEME
https://killerwomen.org/mentoring-scheme/
Deadline July 1, 2019. Killer Women, an author collective of 20 female crime writers, opens its new mentoring scheme on Wednesday for unpublished women from under-represented backgrounds who want to write crime or thriller novels. Entrants must submit a synopsis and sample chapters of their writing, and the four winners will receive mentoring and support from writers including the award-winning Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan series, and Emma Kavanagh, police and military psychologist turned crime author. The Killer Women 2019 Mentoring Scheme is open to UK women (18+) from BAME and/or working-class backgrounds who have the ambition to write a full-length novel in the crime, psychological thriller or suspense genres. Entry is free.

POND FARM ARTIST IN RESIDENCY
https://www.stewardscr.org/pond-farm-artist-in-residence.html
Deadline May 1, 2019. A unique opportunity for artists of all kinds to be immersed in nature, to be inspired by the spirit of past Pond Farmers, and to have the space and time to create. A partnership between California State Parks and Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.

FREELANCE MARKETS

EDITOR NEEDED FOR BIOGRAPHY
Editing opportunity for a historical book about the Kennedys. Draft written by Sandy (Henry Augustus) Williams, longtime editor of the northern New Jersey Morning Call and son of New Jersey senator, Henry A. Williams. Father and son were very close with the Kennedys. The book is a historical work about them, starting with Joseph, and their political friends and acquaintances. Manuscript is approximately 275 two-sided, letter-size, typed, single-spaced pages with blank lines between paragraphs. In addition, book contains approximately 26 pages of photographs of Williams with the Kennedys, Kennedy family members, and other well-known political figures. Working title: The Rise and Fall of the House of Kennedy. If interested, send background summary, credentials, motivation, estimated fee, and reference to email: SWKBook@gmail.com

THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR
https://theamericanscholar.org/contact-us/
The American Scholar is a magazine of articles and essays covering the humanities, science, and current events, plus works of fiction and poetry. Published quarterly for the general reader by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Scholar considers nonfiction by known and unknown writers; unsolicited fiction, poetry, and book reviews are not encouraged. The typical Scholar article is about 4,000 words, although longer and shorter pieces are welcome. Contributors need not be scholars. We pay up to $500 for accepted pieces.

MIXTAPE.LGBT
http://www.mixtape.lgbt/submissions
Our goal is to build an inclusive, respect-centered space where LGBTQ+ voices can be heard. We publish writers of all levels of experience, and we're always interested in new voices. Our rates are ten cents per published word, and we pay upon acceptance. We're interested in writing that ties together media (meaning art, music, games, film, theater— anything creative) and LGBTQ+ experiences. This issue's theme is Joy. In particular, we really enjoy personal stories that touch on media and your own experience - 600-1,800 words, $60-$180.

BACKCOUNTRY
https://backcountrymagazine.com/magazine/submission-guidelines/
Send us researched, timely, original ideas with a strong backcountry hook, from current events to prolific characters to unique destinations. We are always looking for Feature ideas, as well as Destination stories for our On Location department. Pitch us Profiles and Newsworthy items, Mountain Skills pieces and Accounts of avalanches and other mountain mishaps. Our standard payment for manuscripts is $0.35 per word.

DEFENDERS
https://defenders.org/submission-guidelines-defenders-magazine
Defenders magazine is published quarterly for the membership of Defenders of Wildlife, a national nonprofit organization devoted to wildlife conservation. Issues contain a mix of full-length features as well as shorter departments focusing on North American wildlife. We emphasize current threats to wild species and habitat, worthwhile action to save wildlife and informed discussions of government programs and policies. Department stories run from 500-800 words, features from 1,200-2,000 words.

ARCHAEOLOGY
https://www.archaeology.org/writer-s-guidelines
ARCHAEOLOGY magazine examines the discipline of archaeology through the lens of the discipline of journalism. The engine that drives all of our narratives is careful reporting and analysis of the archaeological record. Stories for the magazine have a strong narrative line. Essentially, our stories build out from the “finds”—the physical evidence—and narratives derive from those finds.

THE PROGRESSIVE
https://progressive.org/about-us/writers-guidelines
The Progressive publishes investigative reporting, pieces on current events from a progressive perspective, and reports on activism and social movements. We also publish pieces on foreign policy as long as there is a strong U.S. angle. We are happy to receive concise pitches, which should include substantiating sources, at editorial@progressive.org.

NATIONAL PARKS MAGAZINE
https://www.npca.org/resources/3151-magazine-submission-guidelines-for-writers-and-photographers
National Parks magazine publishes articles on topics related to the more than 400 units in the National Park System, from the sweeping landscape parks to urban parks, historic sites, seashores, battlefields, rivers and trails. The possibilities are vast: We cover culture, arts, politics, legislation, conservation, wildlife, history, science, and travel. This can include news stories, profiles, essays, long features (up to 3,000 words) and short features.

Publishers/agents

ACRE
http://www.acre-books.com/about-us/submissions/
Please submit a sample of no more than ten pages using the form online and include a brief bio in the description block. We will contact you if we would like to see more of your manuscript. NOTE our submission periods: January 1 through May 31 and August 1 through November 30 (we do not consider new submissions in December, June, or July). Acre Books is the book-publishing offshoot of The Cincinnati Review, a semiannual literary journal based at the University of Cincinnati. Anthologies, fiction, hybrid forms, and poetry.

BAEN
https://www.baen.com/submit
We publish only science fiction and fantasy. Writers familiar with what we have published in the past will know what sort of material we are most likely to publish in the future: powerful plots with solid scientific and philosophical underpinnings are the sine qua non for consideration for science fiction submissions. As for fantasy, any magical system must be both rigorously coherent and integral to the plot, and overall the work must at least strive for originality. Those manuscripts which survive the "first cut" as outlined above are then judged primarily on plot and characterization. Preferred length: 100,000 - 130,000 words.

BLACK & WHITE PUBLISHING
http://blackandwhitepublishing.com/submissions
What we publish: commercial women’s fiction (e.g. chick lit, saga, romance), general fiction, including historical, commercial literary and contemporary, crime and psychological thrillers, Young Adult / New Adult fiction, celebrity memoirs, sports books (with a particular focus on the UK and Ireland), lifestyle, humour, gift and activity books, food and drink titles. We do not publish poetry, short stories, drama, work written in languages other than English.

HEAD OF ZEUS
http://headofzeus.com/about-us
Head of Zeus opened for business in 2012, published our first books in July 2012 and won Independent Publisher of the Year in 2017. Our list is a mix of general and literary fiction, genre fiction and nonfiction. In 2016, we launched Aria, a digital fiction imprint, and in 2017, we started a children's imprint, Zephyr.

JOFFE BOOKS
http://www.joffebooks.com/submissions/
Joffe Books is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers of best-selling crime and mystery fiction. We accept submissions from agents, authors who have previously published or self-published their books, first-time writers, and anyone in between. Mysteries, Crime Fiction, Psychological Thrillers, Detective, Thrillers, and Suspense are favourite genres.

REAGENT PRESS
http://www.reagentpress.com/about.htm
Reagent Press products fall into five major categories: Children's Fiction, Teen Fiction, Adult Fiction, Nonfiction and Specialty Merchandise. Our core imprint publishes original works. Typically, we publish books within 6 – 12 months after manuscript acceptance. Through our strong partnerships with global distributors and wholesalers like Ingram, Baker & Taylor, The Brodart Company, Book Wholesalers Inc., Whittaker, and Follett Library Services, your book will be available for purchase in the US, UK, Canada and elsewhere. Reagent Press Echo handles select reprinted books. We can bring your out-of-print book back to life. Reagent Press Signature Editions handles select hardcover and collector's edition printings. If your book becomes one of our top-sellers, we may decide to publish a Signature edition of the book in hardcover to attract additional specialty sales from retailers and book buyers. RP Audio publishes audio editions of our top-selling books. All of our audiobooks are digitally mastered and produced by professional voice actors.