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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

THE FIRST ONE TO THE TROUGH FEEDS - KINDLE VELLA

I may be aging myself with such a one-liner, but this was a saying from my grandparents' day. My grandparents were farmers in the Mississippi delta, and they had cows, pigs, goats, chickens, cotton, corn, pears, and so on. When it came to feeding hogs, you poured the slop in the trough, and they came running, shouldering each other aside, with an instinct to eat first because those who wait their turn go hungry. On a humorous note, my neighbor with six children said their supper was pretty much the same way. 

In case some of you haven't heard of Kindle Vella, here's a general overview of it. US-based authors publish serialized stories, one short episode at a time of 600 to 5,000 words. They receive 50 percent of what readers spend on the Tokens used to unlock episodes. Writers are eligible for a launch bonus based on customer activity and engagement. The first few episodes of every story are free. The number of Tokens needed to unlock an episode is determined by the episode’s word count at the rate of one token per 100 words. In the next few months, readers will be able to access Kindle Vella stories in the Kindle iOS app and on Amazon.com. In the meantime, writers are rapidly writing and posting episodes in preparation for the release.



Authors are quivering at this new opportunity to show their work. The pandemic hurt self-publishing and bookstores alike, and KDP isn't the wonderchild anymore for the self-published. Writers are seeking something new to get rich with, for as little upfront cost as possible. 

Yeah, Amazon isn't the leader for nothing. From their loftiness, they analyzed the pandemic, technology, the desperation of writers and the busyness of readers who only have time to read a page or two at a time. It's Amazon temptation at its best, just so you know.

However, without a doubt, the extremely savvy author willing to sacrifice it all to be the first to the trough and utilize Vella will achieve the biggest reward. Like any new product or service, those with initiative as well as smarts will excel the most. Where things go from there, however, will be anyone's guess. There will be how-to books, classes, and blogs about how to get rich with Vella. People will swear by it. Then downstream glitches will happen. The great writers will hold their positions while the mid-list to entry level will fuss at how it has lost its luster . . . eventually.

Thus is the nature of publishing. 

There isn't ever going to be one great fix for you in publishing your book. If you want consistency, then self-publish yourself or go traditional. If you love the exciting fix of the latest drug along with its lure to make money quick (for a while), then give Vella a go. A select few will own the system. A lot more will do okay. Even more will be met with crickets. It's up to you; all depends on how you like to live. 

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hope - 

I retired four months ago and am grateful for finally having more time to write. I'm not sure where my writing will take me, but I'm ok with that and am just taking my time and letting spirit guide me. So far I've spent quite a bit of time writing poetry.

I recently saw Janna Maron's advertisement in your newsletter and decided to look at what she had to offer and am so excited about her services. I subscribed to her newsletter and downloaded her "30 Days of Write Prompts" and am enjoying 30 minutes of free flow writing each day. She also mentioned the "750 words in 20 minutes" strategy, and I tried it as well and immediately thought about your practice of writing 1,000 words a day. Before I retired I thought "who has time to write 1,000 words a day. That's a lot of words," but after using Janna's writing prompts and her 750 words in 20 minutes, I realized it really isn't hard to do at all.

 I don't know that I ever would have learned this valuable lesson were it not for FundsforWriters, so thank you, Hope, for your priceless contribution to writers. In each weekly publication I find something that encourages me to write on!

In gratitude,
Myrtle Russell

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If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to hope@chopeclark.com 

 

Featured article

Synchronicity


By Tiffany Doerr Guerzon
 
All writers have experienced synchronicity—two or more people coming up with the same idea at the same time. If you write long enough, synchronicity will happen to you, too. Historically, many inventions and theories have surfaced simultaneously, often from people on opposite sides of the globe. For example, two scientists came up with the theory of the evolution of species in 1858. Darwin just published his version first. And in 1876, both Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell filed patents for the telephone on the very same day.
 
For freelance writers, this phenomenon occurs when several others have already published articles based on that fabulous idea you just pitched. In the world of fiction writing, this unlucky coincidence happens when you're chatting with another writer and figure out that you're both writing novels with similar plot lines and characters—or worse—your book is launched and a similar title hits the shelves in the same month. For essayists who write about the human condition and current times, synchronicity may be even more common.
 
Recently I opened my computer to find a published essay frighteningly similar to the piece I'd submitted the night before. My essay, "An Open Letter to the Mom with the Toddler and the Baby," was my response to seeing an exhausted mother in the grocery store wearing a baby in a sling as a toddler ran around her legs while she tried to shop. Seeing that mom brought back memories of those tiring days were when my kids were small. I was so certain that my piece was fresh and unique that I was shocked when I opened my Facebook newsfeed to see an essay eerily similar to mine–published on the very blog I'd pitched!
 
That other essay referenced a mom the writer saw in a warehouse parking lot. This mom also wore her baby in a sling and had older kids running around. Although the titles were different, the essays both adopted a similarly soothing tone, told from an "I've been there" perspective. That writer made several of the same points and ended the piece in almost the same way. I wanted to hate that imposter article, but it was actually really good.
 
Synchronicity happens. Blame it on the internet, the collective unconscious, or just plain bad luck. I would argue that, when synchronicity strikes, writers experience five stages of grief. 

Denial
 
That essay isn't exactly like mine. Maybe a different editor at the publication will see my creation, be overcome by my brilliance and publish it anyway since mine is so much better.
 
After Denial, anger takes over

This is not fair. Just because that writer turned in her article sooner, she got hers published. If I wasn't so busy with all of the stupid stuff I have to do, I would've written mine earlier, too.
 
Anger burns out and thus begins Bargaining 

Maybe if I tweak my prose just a little, it will still work? I'll rewrite the whole thing, if they would just accept my essay. I'll even let the magazine print my piece for free; I don't need a paycheck. I'll do it for the glory and the writing credit. Bargaining usually doesn't last long, especially since you won’t get what you want, and on second blush, the thoughts sounds silly.
 
Depression hits next

I. Will. Never. Write. Again. Ever. Why do I even try? The freelance market is oversaturated anyway. What's the point? I'll never make it as a writer. I suck.
 
Finally, Acceptance 

Hopefully, the Depression stage will be short, and with Acceptance comes renewed hope. There are lots of other markets. I'll rework my query and send it elsewhere. 
 
The next time synchronicity slams you in the ego, just remember it happens to all writers. Work your way through the stages of grief, then resend your work. Repeatedly. Take comfort in the fact that great minds think alike.
 
Bio: Tiffany Doerr Guerzon is a freelance writer who lives in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains near Seattle. She experiences synchronicity on a regular basis.


 

COmpetitions

ANGELA C. MANKIEWICZ POETRY CONTEST
https://www.lummoxpress.com/lc/a-c-mankiewicz-poetry-prize/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2021. Lummox Press has been sponsoring this contest (ACM for short) for the last four years. This year's prize is $1,000. Winner takes all. Submit your three poems (100 lines or less per poem), a short bio, and your email address to poetraindog@gmail.com.



OPRELLE MASTERS POETRY CONTEST
https://oprelle.com/pages/masters-poetry-contest-rules-and-regulations
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 18, 2021. Ten Authors will get to showcase their personal works in a “Poetry Masters Anthology.” Enter with only one poem. The Top Three Winners receive a Crystal Trophy, featured position on Oprelle’s Site, and $1,500, $1,000, or $500.



BLUE LYNX POETRY PRIZE
https://lynxhousepress.submittable.com/submit/184069/2021-blue-lynx-prize-for-poetry
$28 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 16, 2021. The annual Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry awards $2000 plus publication for a full-length poetry collection. The Prize is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a US author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the US and US citizens living abroad. Manuscripts may include poems that have appeared in journals, magazines, or chapbooks. Poems that have previously appeared in full-length, single-author collections, are not eligible. Entries must be at least 48 pages in length.



THE MACGUFFIN POETRY PRIZE
https://schoolcraft.edu/macguffin/contest-rules
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2021. First place will receive $500 and publication. Two honorable mentions. An entry may consist of up to five poems.



RATTLE POETRY PRIZE
http://www.rattle.com/prize/about/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 15, 2021. The annual Rattle Poetry Prize offers $15,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $500 each and publication, and be eligible for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by subscriber and entrant vote. Additional poems from the entries are frequently offered publication as well. In 2020 we published 24 poems that had been submitted to the contest from over 3,000 entries.

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

PEN/JEAN STEIN GRANT FOR LITERARY ORAL HISTORY
https://pen.org/jean-stein-oral-history-grant/
Deadline June 1, 2021. Through the program, two grants of $15,000 will be awarded to support a literary work of nonfiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. Grants may be used to help maintain or complete an ongoing project and oral history must be a significant component of the project and its research. The submitted project must be the work of a single individual, writing in English, and must be a work of literary nonfiction an unpublished work-in-progress work of literary nonfiction (scholarly/academic writing is not eligible).



PEN/PHYLLIS NAYLOR GRANT FOR CHILDREN'S AND YA NOVELISTS
https://pen.org/pen-phyllis-naylor-grant/
Deadline June 1, 2021. A single grant of $5,000 will be awarded to an author of children’s or young adult fiction for a novel-in-progress. To be eligible, applicants must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics but have not generated significant sales; in addition, the writer’s previously published book(s) must have been published by a US trade publisher. Self-published works are ineligible. Self-nominations are allowed.



LEF FOUNDATION NEW ENGLAND NONFICTION FILMMAKER GRANTS
https://www.lef-foundation.org/MovingImageFund/Guidelines/tabid/162/Default.aspx
Deadline June 4, 2021. Pre-Production — Up to six grants of $5,000 each will be awarded for research, travel, location scouting, script or storyboard development, experimentation with shooting picture and sound, distribution planning, fundraising, trailer creation, and schedule and budget development. Early Development — Up to six grants of $2,500 each will be awarded for research, travel, location scouting, script or storyboard development, experimentation with shooting picture and sound, distribution planning, fundraising, trailer creation, and schedule and budget development. To be eligible, applicants must have a fiscal sponsor with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and have main creative personnel (director and/or producer) living in one of the six New England states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine).



BARBARA AND CARL ZYDNET GRANT FOR ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES - NEW YORK
https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/the-barbara-and-carl-zydney-grant-for-artists-with-disabilities/
Deadline June 15, 2021. The program will distribute unrestricted cash grants of $1,000 to artists with a disability who have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis. The program is open to visual, media, music, performing, and literary artists who live in New York City (five boroughs). (Thanks https://www.erikadreifus.com/)



ELEANOR TAYLOR BLAND CRIME FICTION WRITER AWARD
https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/EleanorTaylorBland
Deadline May 15, 2021. An annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer of color. This grant is intended to support the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. The grantee may choose to use the grant for activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work. Submit an unpublished work of crime fiction. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript-in-progress, 2,500 to 5,000 words.
 
 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

ZOOSCAPE
https://zooscape-zine.com/guidelines/
Opens on June 1, 2021 for submissions. Pays eight cents/word up to 1,000 words with a flat rate of $80 for longer stories. Pays $20 for reprints. Stories limited to 10,000 words. All stories must be furry. That means an anthropomorphic animal figure should be significantly featured in your story — it could be anthropomorphic in body or only intelligence. We’ll consider any type of furry fiction from secret life of animals to fox in Starbucks. We love science-fiction with animal-like aliens and fantasy with talking dragons, unicorns, or witch familiars. (Thanks to WritersWeekly) https://writersweekly.com/this-weeks-article/6-paying-niche-short-story-markets-for-writers-by-avery-springwood



CONSEQUENCE FORUMS
https://www.consequenceforum.org/submissions
Submissions are considered for either the print journal or an online feature and are welcome during the spring and fall reading periods: January 1-May 1, and July 1-November 1. We are interested in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews, visual art, and translations focused on the human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence. Fiction: Short story (up to 5,000 words), Flash (up to three pieces or 1,000 words), and Excerpts (up to 5,000 words). Nonfiction: Interviews, Reviews, Essays, and Narrative Nonfiction (all up to 5,000 words). Poetry: Up to five poems of any form (please label the file with the number of poems, e.g. “Three_Poems”). Print Prose: (1-4 pages) $25 | (5-10 pages) $50 | (10+ pages) $75. Print Poetry: $25 per piece. Online Prose: $100 per piece. Online Poetry: $50 per piece. Reviews: $50 per piece. 



AFRICA RISEN - AN ANTHOLOGY
https://www.shereereneethomas.com/copy-of-africa-risen
Deadline May 14, 2021. Ideal contributors will craft tales that reveal all the rich cultural diversity found on the African continent and every corner of the world, for Africa's reach is wide and expansive, revealing that African is not rising; it's already here. Submit 5,000 words or less. Pays eight cents/word. 



BRIARPATCH MAGAZINE
https://briarpatchmagazine.com/submissions
Briarpatch Magazine publishes writing and artwork on a wide range of topics, including current events, grassroots activism, electoral politics, economic justice, ecology, labour, food security, gender equity, Indigenous struggles, international solidarity, and other issues of political importance. Our standard rates of pay for articles are as follows: $100 – Profiles, short essays, reviews, online-only articles, and parting shots (generally <1,500 words); $200 – Feature stories, photo essays (generally 1,500-2,500 words); $300 – Research-based articles and investigative reportage with extensive primary research (generally 2,500-3,000 words). (Thanks https://authorspublish.com/)



THE GEORGIA REVIEW
https://thegeorgiareview.submittable.com/submit
Deadline May 15, 2021. For consideration, send six to ten pages of poetry or one long poem. The Georgia Review publishes literary fiction. Please submit only one story. Although we are willing to read work of any length, we rarely publish prose works 9000 words or longer. Book reviews considered and paid for. Pay is $150 book reviews, $50/page prose, and $4/line poetry. (Thanks https://authorspublish.com/)
 

 

Publishers/agents

Plan Your Books
The Way You Think

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CAMEL PRESS
https://camelpress.com/submissions/
Strong voices in genre fiction: mystery/suspense, cozy mystery, mystery thrillers, romantic suspense, and romance (contemporary and historical). We also consider general fiction, historical fiction, and Westerns particularly if you have a strong promotional plan. Your story must have likable characters and a happy or at least hopeful ending. Series proposals are welcome. We prefer the word count to be between 70,000 and 100,000, but books between 50,000 and 70,000 words will still be considered.



LEVEL BEST BOOKS
https://www.levelbestbooks.us/submissions.html
We are seeking crime fiction novels in the following categories: mystery, thriller, suspense, historical, traditional, and contemporary. We are also interested in nonfiction works related to the mystery and crime writing community, or collections of short stories or multi-authored anthologies. Both authors represented by agents and un-agented writers are welcome to submit.



NEW ARC BOOKS
https://leelofland.com/new-arc-books-is-open-for-submissions/
We are actively seeking submissions, from agents or authors, of novels between 70,000 and 100,000 words. Again, we are also seeking quality works of nonfiction. We will not consider manuscripts that are currently on submission to another publisher, or previously published manuscripts. Fiction: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Literary Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Fantasy, Science Fiction. Works of fiction should be complete and have undergone extensive editing and revisions. Submit query letter, synopsis (maximum three paragraphs) and Chapter One. Nonfiction: Police Procedure, Forensics, Narrative Nonfiction. 



HISTORIA
https://www.levelbestbooks.us/submissions.html
We are actively seeking mysteries, thrillers, and crime fiction novels that take place in any time period up to the 1970s for our Historia imprint. We are passionate about historical fiction and are members of the Historical Novel Society. 



OCEANVIEW
https://oceanviewpub.com/submissions/
Oceanview Publishing is accepting manuscripts of original adult fiction with a primary interest in the mystery/thriller genre. Any manuscript that has been published elsewhere, no matter the format, will not be considered. Submissions will be accepted only if they meet one of the following criteria:

An author represented via a literary agent.
An author who has previously been published by a traditional publishing house (not self-published or published by a vanity press)
An author specifically invited by an Oceanview representative or an Oceanview author.
An author who has met with one of our Oceanview representatives at a mystery and thriller conference.

 

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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
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2020, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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