SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

The Path of Consciousness second annual spiritual and writing conference and retreat will help you transform your writing life with the help of various ancient, sacred and creative teachings, including writing and storytelling. This year we're including a screenwriting workshop by Dr. Stanley Williams, an award-winning veteran filmmaker, story consultant, and author. Choose to stay for the one-day conference or the 3-day all-inclusive retreat.

The event is October 4-6, 2019 at the Colombiere Conference & Retreat Center, which is nestled on beautiful 420 rolling acres of mature pines and hardwoods in Clark ston, Michigan.

For more information, and to register, visit www.ThePathofConsciousness.com  


 

WANT TO VERSUS NEED TO 

A month or two ago, I read a blog that covered the difference between "accountability" versus "responsibility." I am ever the one to love pithy, succinct sayings, and since the blog was incredibly short I eagerly took it in. I was not disappointed. I immediately saw how this general lesson could be applied to writing. 

Accountability is what you do for someone else's feedback/opinion.

Responsibility is what you do for yourself. 

In writing, I see those words boiling down to this:

Accountability - This is when you expect others to pressure you into doing your writing, editing, submitting, and marketing. You need groups, mentors, social media, friends, etc. to remind you to stay on task.

Responsibility - When you carry forward your own urge to write, edit, submit, and market. When you can't end your day without following through with your obligations. 

I see social media as a great place to be responsible and promote yourself, but when sign in as a writer, seeking someone to motivate you, it turns into more of an accountability activity. 

As I've always said, you and only you decide to write, edit, submit, and market. 




 

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

Get a landing page on all the sites in the BookGoodies Network with just one form and one payment. 

**Special coupon code for 50% off just for FundsforWriters newsletter subscribers: FUNDSFORWRITERS

You need a landing page that has links to all the formats your book is available in and all the places it is for sale. We can help. Fill out our Mega Submit form and you will get a landing page for your book on at least 5 sites and probably more depending on your book genre.

What you get:

-Book page that lists all the places your book is for sale, you can include a book trailer, book excerpt, link to your author website, author mailing list, all of your social media and it will encourage readers to follow you on Amazon and social media

-All books will go on at least 7 sites - 6 general and at least one specialty site

-All of the information about your book on one page you can then promote to your readers. There are social links on each page. You can post comments to update your book post plus you can send your readers to leave comments to help elevate your book post in the search engines.

-Inclusion in the newsletters that go along with all the sites your book is listed on.

-Social sharing of your landing page - We have over 250,000 followers between all of our social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumbler. Your post will be posted once to every account that is applicable to your genre and re-posted to the main BookGoodies and genre specific Facebook accounts.

Start here!



 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 

SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

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

 

Featured article

How to be a Welcome Guest Poster

By Dan Brotzel

Posting on guest sites is a great way to increase your profile, develop your personal brand – and subtly plug a product or service. Here's how to increase your chances of getting your posts accepted...

Writing guest posts is a great way to promote your work and build your personal writer's brand. I've done a lot of this recently, to promote my book, Kitten on a Fatberg. I've spent quite a lot of time sending off ideas, reading submissions guidelines, and liaising with editors. Here are some of the things I've learned along the way...

Have something to say 

Start by sitting down and thinking of a few topics that you could write about. These need to hit the content sweet spot – that happy overlap between the things you want to talk about, the things people might want to hear about, and the things the blog or website might actually want to publish.

Look for topics that are editorial in nature but aligned with your product. My book is a comic novel written with two co-authors, for example, so I've pitched various ideas to do with writing humour, crowdfunding a novel, collaborating on a book and so on.

Research your markets 

It's important to make sure there's a good fit between what you want to say and where you might be able to post it. A sci-fi forum may publish lots of guest posters, for example, but if you're a chick-lit author you're probably unlikely to become one of them. You may have a great piece about a popular topic such as productivity or writer's block to offer, but if the site has already covered this area extensively, you'll probably be unlucky there too.  

Turn topics into ideas 

When presenting ideas, try to entice your editor with a real attention-grabbing headline and a standfirst – that catchy intro para that magazines and newspapers use to lure people into reading the full article. Then, even if you are addressing a popular topic, you can show you have a unique angle on the topic, and you may be in luck.

So rather than offering the dull and generic-sounding 'Top productivity tips', try "7 ways to slay your inner procrastinator', followed by a catchy standfirst, e.g. 'Top tips for putting off the putting off and getting down to writing that book at last – from someone who took 30 years to complete their first novel..." For titles, numbers and questions work well. For more inspiration, look at the way they do titles on a site like Buzzfeed.

Keep it personal

Don't blast out the same email to a big list of blogs and websites. Send out a few at a time, personalizing each one, with a brief intro about who you are (which you might also want to tweak each time). Focus on why your ideas might be of interest to readers, get recipient's names right, and always...

Follow the guidelines

The biggest bugbear of writing blogs is, quite understandably, submissions from people who haven't followed their guidelines. These are always supplied clearly and in lots of detail, so it will seem quite discourteous to an editor if you ignore their requests about formatting, imagery, subject matter, word count, use of links, etc. Some popular blogs will simply reject your ideas or submission out of hand if the guidelines haven't been followed.

Do as you're told!

Editors will almost always want to make a few tweaks to your words. They may want some additional copy from you or ask for words to be cut. They will very often tweak the intro and opening section to make it sit better with their style and approach. Remember editors know their markets and their titles inside out, and if they want some tweaks, it means they want to publish you very soon. So, this is no time to be precious about your writing – go with their editorial decisions and turn any requested amends round asap.

Final thought: Keep the promo stuff to a minimum 

There's a quid pro quo in guest posting – you give the editor some content of value, and they'll let you plug your book. But don't overdo the promotional element – if your piece is crammed full of references to your book, it will just come across as one big advert, and it won't be accepted. Writing something that's useful or entertaining for people is the best advertisement for your work, after all.

BIO: Dan Brotzel (@brotzel_fiction) is co-author of a new comic novel, Kitten on a Fatberg (Unbound). As a reader of this newsletter, you can pre-order Kitten on a Fatberg for a 10% discount – simply quote promo code KITTEN10

 

COmpetitions

THOMAS AND LILLE D. CHAFFIN AWARD
https://www.moreheadstate.edu/caudill-college-of-arts,-humanities-and-social-sci/english/chafin-award
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2019. The Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing provides students the opportunity to interact with a published writer who is writing from the region. The award, which includes a cash prize of $1,000, recognizes outstanding Appalachian writers in all genres. During the award ceremony, readers read from their work and will often present a craft talk, teach a workshop, or speak about writing as an Appalachian. Each year nominations are accepted between September 1 and December 1.  Information regarding the nominee and four copies of a book written by the nominee should be sent. 



WOW! QUARTERLY CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2019. The mission of this contest is to inspire creative nonfiction and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally, age is of no matter, and entries must be in English. Your story must be true, but the way you tell it is your chance to get creative. We are open to all styles of essay—from personal essay to lyric essay to hybrid essay, and beyond! Word count 200-1,000 words. Open topic. Contest closes at 300 entries. First prize $500 and publication. Second prize $300 and publication. Third prize $200 and publication. Seven runners up receive $25 Amazon gift cards. 



Ó BHÉAL FIVE WORDS INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION
http://www.obheal.ie/blog/five-words-poetry-competition/
ENTRY FEE 5 EUROS. Every Tuesday around noon (UTC), from the 16th of April 2019 until the 28th of January 2020, five words will be posted on the competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week. A prize of 500 euros is awarded to one winner, who, if available will be invited to read at Ó Bhéal’s twelfth-anniversary event, on Monday the 13th of April 2020. An additional travel fee of 100 euro plus B&B accommodation will be provided for this. The winner also receives a physical award, hand-crafted by acclaimed glass artist (and poet) Michael Ray. The shortlisted poems and winning entry will also be published in Five Words Vol XIII – the next annual anthology of five-word poems, to be launched at the same event. Entry is open to all countries. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed during this week. 



QUEEN MARY WASAFIRI NEW WRITING PRIZE
http://www.wasafiri.org/new-writing-prize
£6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 28, 2019. Open for submissions in the categories of Fiction, Poetry, and Life Writing. The winners of each category will be published by Wasafiri in print and online and receive a £1,000 cash prize. They will also be offered the Chapter and Verse or Free Reads mentoring scheme in partnership with The Literary Consultancy (dependent on eligibility). The word limit is 3,000 maximum (or a maximum of five poems). The competition is open to any nationality and any age group. The competition is open to anyone who has not published a complete book in the category entered.



CRABBE POETRY COMPETITION
https://suffolkpoetrysociety.org.uk/crabbe
£3 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 29, 2019. First prize £600. Second prize £300. Third prize £150. Entrants should either have been born, or educated, work or be resident in Suffolk, or be a member of Suffolk Poetry Society. Poems should be in English and a maximum of 50 lines.



UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE
http://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/competitions-and-awards/vcpoetryprize
AUD$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2019. The winner will receive AUD$15,000. The runner-up (second-placed poem) will receive AUD$5,000. Four additional poems will be short-listed. All poems entered for the prize will be single poems that have a maximum length of 50 lines. Open internationally. 



LEDBURY POETRY FESTIVAL COMPETITION
https://www.poetry-festival.co.uk/ledbury-poetry-competition/
£5.75 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 18, 2019. First prize £1,000, a residential course at Ty Newydd Writing Centre and an invitation to read at the winners’ event in the 2020 Festival. The length of each poem must not exceed 40 lines. The winner of the adult first prize will be expected to provide for his/her own transport arrangements in order to attend the Ty Newydd course in North Wales, regardless of whether he/she is a UK resident or not.



AESTHETICA CREATIVE WRITING AWARD
http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/
ENTRY FEE Short Fiction: £18; Poetry: £12. Deadline August 31, 2019. The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize that is a hotbed for new talent in Poetry and Short Fiction. The winners receive the following: £1,000 cash prize for poetry and short fiction, consultation with literary agents Redhammer Management, Membership to The Poetry Society, a subscription to Granta and books courtesy of Bloodaxe and Vintage. Poetry entries should be no more than 40 lines. Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. International. 



THE MOTH INTERNATIONAL SHORT STORY PRIZE
http://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=8227&page=23
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2019. First prize €3,000. Second prize week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus €250 travel stipend. Third prize €1,000. The Prize is open to anyone (over 16), as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is a word limit of 5,000.

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

KIRA RESIDENCY
https://www.kingsbraegarden.com/kira/
Each year KIRA awards 15 artists with a one-month residency in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. Artists are provided with individual studio space, comfortable housing, up to two prepared meals each day and a stipend. Artists live on a historic property in a beautiful seaside town and work in studios located on the property. 



PORCHES WRITING RETREAT - MICHAEL KENNETH SMITH FELLOWSHIP
https://www.porcheswritingretreat.com/new-page-2
Deadline June 30, 2019. One-on-One Intensive Novel Workshop (with either Greg Michalson or Nancy Zafris). Open to anyone 35 and older who has not yet published a novel. Length: three days, four nights. The fellowship covers the usual $3,000 fee. Required Submissions:  The first 20 pages of your novel (double-spaced, twelve-point font); 200-300-word synopsis of the novel; 300-500-word personal statement; resume and cover letter. If you are a finalist, you will be asked to submit your full manuscript.  Please note that your draft should be at least two-thirds completed. Location on the James River, near Norwood, Virginia.



TENNESSEE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
http://tnartscommission.org/grants/individual/
Fellowships provide monetary awards to outstanding professional artists, i.e., those individuals who by education, experience, or natural talent engage in a particular art form or discipline, and live and work in Tennessee. To qualify, an artist must be financially compensated for his or her work, and this compensation must be a significant source of support for their livelihood. No matching funds are required and no specific project has to be carried out with the funds. The Commission anticipates that each fellowship will be awarded $5,000. In a year, the Tennessee Arts Commission may award up to two fellowships each in Craft, Media, Visual Art, Dance, Music, and Theater, as well as three in the Literary category.



WEST VIRGINIA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ARTISTS
http://www.wvculture.org/arts/grants.html
Deadline October 1, 2019. Provides support for professional and emerging artists of West Virginia to expand or improve their work or share their expertise. At least 18 years of age and a legal resident of West Virginia for at least one year. Funds up to 75 percent of eligible costs for the first year, not to exceed $2,500; Up to 50 percent of eligible costs for subsequent years, not to exceed $2,500. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

HAKAI MAGAZINE
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/submission-guidelines/
Hakai Magazine explores science and society in coastal ecosystems. Our editorially independent, web publication examines the ties between the ocean, land, and human societies through long- and short-form journalism, illustration, photography, and video. Pitches can come from a variety of perspectives—archaeology, ecology, biology, geology, oceanography, anthropology, environment, business, technology, policy, engineering, history, and more—but they must pertain to marine coastal environments in some way. 



GUIDEPOSTS
https://www.guideposts.org/writers-guidelines
Guideposts publishes true stories about people who have attained a goal, surmounted an obstacle or learned a helpful lesson through their faith. A typical story is a first-person narrative with a spiritual point that the reader can apply to his or her own life. The story may be your own or someone else’s. Payment for full-length stories (about 1,500 words) is made when the story is accepted for publication. Please do not send essays, sermons or fiction. We rarely use poetry and do not evaluate book-length material.



BLUE RIDGE COUNTRY
https://blueridgecountry.com/business/editorial-guidelines
Blue Ridge Country is a bi-monthly, full-color magazine embracing the feel and spirit of the Blue Ridge region – the traditions and recipes, the husbandry and farming, the country stores and cabins in the woods, the things to visit and learn about. Our territory extends from Western Maryland south through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley of Virginia down into northern Georgia, and includes all territory within about a half day’s drive of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It includes the mountain regions of Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. We pay from $25 (for department shorts and book reviews) up to about $250 for major pieces. Original photos (shot by writer) are paid $50 per photo published. Payment is upon publication.



MOTHER JONES
https://www.motherjones.com/contribute/writer-guidelines/
Mother Jones magazine and MotherJones.com will consider solidly reported, hard-hitting, groundbreaking news stories. We’re also open to thought-provoking, timely opinion and analysis pieces on important current issues. We’re interested in just about anything that will raise our readers’ eyebrows, but we focus especially on: national politics, environmental issues, corporate wrongdoing, human rights, and political influence in all spheres.



MARIE CLAIRE
https://www.marieclaire.com/about/news/a2709/contact-us/
Please make sure you are familiar with our content by reading previous issues. We prefer to receive story proposals rather than completed work, so please send a query letter detailing your idea to the address below for the magazine. If the editors find the subject suitable, they will contact you. Please enclose clips of your previously published materials, which we are unable to return to you. Please allow four to six weeks for a response. Through a lively mix of reported features, thoughtful essays, voicey news coverage, and clever fashion and beauty service, we serve smart women the content they want. 

 

Publishers/agents

 
STOREY PUBLISHING
https://www.workman.com/work-with-us/author-submissions#algonquin
The books we select include nonfiction titles for adults and children on gardening, home reference, crafts, cooking, beer & wine, nature, raising animals, horses, building, farming, homesteading, and mind/body/spirit. We are always pleased to review new proposals on these topics directly from authors and agents. (Note: no fiction, poetry, or children’s picture books, please.)



DOMINICK ABEL LITERARY AGENCY
http://dalainc.com/wordpress/
An independent agency located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The agency represents authors of fiction (especially mysteries and suspense novels), narrative nonfiction, and business books. It is a full-service agency, with co-agents in all major countries and Hollywood. Among the agency’s clients are New York Times bestselling writers as well as winners of Edgar, Malice Domestic, Shamus, Anthony, Dilys, Bram Stoker, and other awards.



ALLEN O'SHEA LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.allenoshea.com/contact
We work primarily with nonfiction writers and are especially interested in projects in the following areas: Cooking and Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Parenting, Sports, Science, Fitness, Pop Culture, Finance, Business/Career, History and Politics, Crafts, Gifts. 



ANDERSON LITERARY AGENCY
http://andersonliteraryagency.com/
We are a full-service boutique literary agency representing a broad range of authors of nonfiction, with a focus on business, psychology, history, science, and religion.



REGAL HOFFMANN & ASSOCIATES LLC
http://rhaliterary.com/
REGAL HOFFMANN & ASSOCIATES LLC, a full-service agency based in New York. We represent works in a wide range of categories, with an emphasis on literary fiction, outstanding thriller and crime fiction, serious narrative nonfiction, works in translation, and children's books. 



GOLDEN WHEAT LITERARY
https://www.goldenwheatliterary.com/
Golden Wheat Literary is a faith-based literary agency with a little bit of a twist. Manuscripts that are submitted do not need to be overtly Christian but must exist within the realities of Christian faith. If your manuscript's elements can all be true without any part of God's Word needing to step aside or be discounted, it is acceptable for submission. We have sold books to both secular and Christian publishers. Our agents represent nearly all genres and readerships, with the exception of erotica. 



TRIADA US
http://www.triadaus.com/
We are always open to strong fiction and all nonfiction projects. Check the agents page and submission guidelines to find the right Triada agent for your project.



PUBLICATION RIOT GROUP
http://priotgroup.com/
Publication Riot Group, Inc. represents both fiction and nonfiction with special interest in general fiction/mainstream, literary fiction, mystery and suspense, thrillers, historicals, contemporary women’s fiction, biography and memoir, history, business, finance, psychology, and popular science.



CURTIS BROWN, LTD. 
http://www.curtisbrown.com/
Curtis Brown, Ltd. is one of the world’s leading literary agencies, representing a wide variety of established and emerging authors of all genres since 1914. With 16 agents in our New York and San Francisco offices and a staff dedicated to handling film, translation, audio and digital media rights, we provide the highest standard of literary representation in all aspects of our clients’ careers.



BARONE LITERARY AGENCY
http://www.denisegwen.com/BaroneLiteraryAgency/submissions/
Currently accepting manuscripts in the following categories: Horror, Romance, Category, Single Title, Historical, Young Adult, New Adult, Erotic Romance, Woman’s Fiction. Does NOT accept: Plays or Screenplays, Picture Book, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Nonfiction. 



STERLING LORD LITERISTIC
https://www.sll.com/about
We represent a wide range of authors, including National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times bestsellers, literary and commercial novelists, politicians, journalists, scientists, and noted writers in children’s literature.

 

SPONSORS

Your publishing success is just as important as your writing success, and you deserve a return on your investment when it comes to both.

There's literary success and there's financial literary success, and you can achieve them both.

There's why you write, why you publish, and why you sell books, and you should know your 'why' for each.

There's the craft of writing, the business of publishing, and the skill of marketing, promoting, and selling your book, and you should learn them all if your book is a business and not just a hobby.

The road to publication and building your literary career isn't a joyride, it's a journey; one you shouldn't travel alone.

Register for the "Act Like an Author, Think Like a Business" 2019 Conference, where your literary companions, experts, and fellow Pathfinders await to both chauffeur you and join you along your literary journey!




 

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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
Chapin, SC 29036
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Copyright 2000-2019, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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