SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

The Rhythmic Heart: Equinox in Ixtapa Retreat for Writing & Yoga, March 21-28 

Early-Bird Pricing through November 30!

Crack open your fierce, original voice in a seaside paradise at renowned Present Moment eco-retreat! Buoyed by stunning natural beauty & the pulsing rhythm of Pacific waves, you'll tap deep below the surface to supercharge your writing practice & surprise yourself on the page. Five spots left for writers of all levels & genres. This retreat offers profound creative catalyst along with potent, unconventional & incredibly effective tools of writing craft to bring your words alive in brand new ways. The ocean's edge is a potent threshold between one thing & another, and equinox embodies deep tension between dark and light. We'll channel that visceral energy into our writing, uncovering exciting new undercurrents and fragments in our stories. Workshops and individual writing support by award-winning author and teacher Jeannine Ouellette. Retreat includes ground transportation, room & board with all fresh gourmet meals, daily writing workshops with guided craft discussions & readings, expertly guided yoga & meditation, eco-adventure, individualized feedback & more. Inquire soon! Space is very limited. We would love to write with you!

For all retreat details:  http://elephantrockretreats.com/equinox-in-ixtapa-writing-retreat

Contact: Jeannine Ouellette – [email protected] or  612-801-2566

PARTNERING WITH AN INFLUENCER

In my years with FundsforWriters, and as an author, I marveled at the trends and buzzwords. I recall when blogs were fresh and were EVERYTHING. I remember when self-publishing became INDIE to soften the stigma. The list of terms and ideas were and are endless, and I always chuckled when I read posts about a writer's unique spin on something I'd already read 25 times. It's fun when we discover a fresh tool, thinking we're on the cusp of something different, which we all know can make a huge difference in achievement of success.

And in the last few weeks I've noticed the increasing frequency of the phrase "partner with an influencer." Everyone uses the same words. It's no longer: rubbing elbows, brown-nosing, or riding the coattails of. The term now is influencer. The meaning is to latch hold of someone more successful than you.

As if that's something new. 

Once upon a time, every author wanted to be chosen for Oprah's Book Club. Without a doubt, her magic touch catapulted authors to success. Today it's Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club or Jenna Bush Hager's Read with Jenna. My books are traditional mystery, so don't expect to see them in any of those clubs. The genre doesn't fit, so that isn't an option for me.

There are mystery contests I can enter where the odds are ridiculously against me, like the Edgars. Or I can attempt a mention on top-shelf mystery blogs or attempt short stories in mystery magazines. However, I want to make a point I've always felt was understated about partnering with influencers. 

Readers are my influencers. That old-fashioned, word-of-mouth way of spreading the word, to me, involves loving, impressing, and respecting readers. Just this week someone asked me what advice I would give to emerging writers. I responded: 

Respect your readers. 
Answer their queries. 
Sign their books with your heart.

While a famous influencer or two would be nice, I much more cherish readers, even if it means finding them one soul at a time. Influencers come and go, often forgetting who you were. Loyal readers hold their breath for the next book. . . and while doing so, tell others why.







 

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

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Editors Gregory Austin and Kimberly Mintz are published authors and instructors with a history of helping writers polish their prose and enhance their voices.

We offer one of the best deals in online editing. Your manuscript will be evaluated by both Kimberly and Gregory, offering two unique perspectives.

Our developmental, line, and copy edits are the same price as, or even cheaper than, most online services provided by solo editors.

Our Holiday Special starts today—Black Friday. If you order any of our services before the end of 2019, you’ll receive 15% off the entire cost.

Contact us today for your free consultation.

There’s a war on purple prose, and we will help you win it!

https://writinglodge.com/
[email protected]

 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Dear Hope,

I was a 2019 United Arts grant recipient. I received the grant to help me complete my first historical fiction novel set in the 1930s.

I am fully persuaded I'd never have learned of this opportunity had it not been for your wonderful newsletter, always chock full of great resources for writers.

So, thank you, Hope, for consistently offering encouragement, tips, information, and ideas for writers of every genre, every level, everywhere.

Mari Fitz-Wynn
www.marifitzwynn.com      
www.heartforhomeschoolministries.org

If FundsforWriters has aided you in your writing success, share it with us!
Email [email protected] . We'd like to tell the world right here!
 

Featured article

Websites vs. Online Portfolios for Clips

By Bernadette Geyer

Freelance writers are typically asked to provide clips of previous publications when they pitch articles to a new publication. No matter if it's for a print or online magazine, the editor wants to see that you have a good track record and to check out your writing style. 

Published writers should always have a selection of clips on hand to provide to potential publishers. With the wealth of online media, it's likely that you have a list (somewhere?) of articles you've published and links to their online versions. But is that list accessible somewhere for publishers so they can scan through the list themselves and not be limited to the few examples you provided to them in your pitch cover letter? 

There are two main options for keeping a list of your previous publications – with links – available for easy access by an editor: a website or an online portfolio. Some have free basic services, while others are fee-based. If you want a particular website address, such as your name, you should expect to pay an annual fee. 

Website Options 

Having a website is a good way to provide more than simply a list of your previous publications. If freelance writing is just one of the many things you do, you may want to have a website with a page for your online portfolio of previous publications, as well as pages for your editorial services or workshops that you offer. Here are a few of the major companies that writers use to build their websites. 

Blogger.com is best known as a space to host blogs, but you can also create separate additional pages, one of which can feature links to your articles that have been published online. 

Squarespace.com is a website design platform with themed templates specifically aimed at online portfolios for creatives. You can also host a blog on a Squarespace website. 

Weebly.com promotes itself mainly to online shops, but the website design platform also has some themed templates good for online portfolios or blogs. 

Wix.com is a general website design platform that has many themed templates geared toward online CVs and portfolios for writers, visual designers, and other professionals. 

WordPress.com is primarily used to create websites, and the company offers several template options that are geared toward online portfolios. You can also host a blog on WordPress sites. 

Online Portfolio Options 

Perhaps you don't feel the need to have a whole website for your clips. You could opt to have an online portfolio that you can send a link to in your pitch cover letters, or that you can link to from your social media channels or your LinkedIn profile. 

Clippings.me promotes itself specifically for journalists and writers and has a free basic option. 

Contently.net is part of a platform that connects freelance talent with businesses who need help for their content marketing campaigns. You have to apply to freelance through their platform. 

JournoPortfolio.com is specifically for journalists and writers and serves as an online platform for writers who want to publish original content. 

MuckRack.com is a platform that connects journalists and public relations professionals. Journalists set up a standard profile on the platform's database. 

Many writers will opt to have either a website or an online portfolio, while some will choose to have both. Depending on the point you're at in your career, or the level of time/effort you want to spend keeping these updated, you can decide which is best for you. 

BIO:  Bernadette Geyer is a freelance writer, editor, and translator living in Berlin, Germany. Her writings have appeared in the 2015 Poet's Market, Funds for Writers, Oxford American, The Writer, and elsewhere. Geyer has copy- edited more than 20 books and teaches the "Streamline Your Book-Writing Process with a Book Style Guide" workshop through WOW! Women on Writing. You can find out more about her editorial services and workshops through her web site at https://geyereditorial.com.
 

COmpetitions

HAMLIN GARLAND AWARD FOR SHORT STORY
https://www.beloit.edu/fiction-journal/hamlin-garland-award/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 10, 2019. Limit 7,000 words. Winners receive $2,000 and publication. Any theme. All entrants considered for publication. 



THE SUNDAY TIMES SHORT STORY AWARD
https://www.shortstoryaward.co.uk/awards/2020/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 13, 2019. The prize is for stories up to 6,000 words in length and there is no entry fee. Stories can be either unpublished or published. If published, the work must not have appeared before January 1, 2019. Writers can enter regardless of their nationality or residency, but they must have a track record of published creative writing in the UK or Ireland. In 2020 the Award attracted over 1,300 entries from 40 countries. A feature of the 2020 award will be an Audible audiobook anthology of the shortlisted stories which aims to “dramatically broaden the audience for the short story”. Shortlisted authors will receive an extra £1,000 fee, on top of a prize payment of £1,000, for being included in the anthology.



SHERWOOD ANDERSON FICTION PRIZE
https://casit.bgsu.edu/midamericanreview/fallcontests/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 15, 2019. First prize $1,000 and publication. Limit 6,000 words. 



JAMES WRIGHT POETRY PRIZE
https://casit.bgsu.edu/midamericanreview/fallcontests/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 15, 2019. First prize $1,000 and publication. Limit three poems. 



ICELAND WRITER'S RETREAT PRIZE
https://www.icelandwritersretreat.com/win-spot-iceland-writers-retreat-2019-3/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 16, 2019. We have partnered with the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel to offer one person a free spot at the Iceland Writers Retreat in April-May 2020.  The winner will receive admission to all events for the Iceland Writers Retreat, as well as four nights accommodation at the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel. Submit a 350-word story, essay or poem inspired by this photo, which we’ve captioned: “Iceland: ethereal, exhilarating, sublime.” Given that our competition is to attend the Iceland Writers Retreat, we recommend that you mention Iceland somewhere in your entry. The prize does NOT include airfare to Iceland, airport transfers, or any expenses not itemized in the delegate description.



RUTH RENDELL SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.interactstrokesupport.org/ssc2020
£15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 22, 2019. Writers are requested to write a piece, in any genre, in no more than 1,000 words. The winner of the competition will write four further stories for InterAct Stroke Support over the course of one year and will receive £1,000.



THE DANAHY FICTION PRIZE
https://tampareview.org/the-danahy-fiction-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE, Deadline December 31, 2019. 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. Winner receives $1,000 and publication. 



GEORGE GARRETT FICTION PRIZE
https://texasreview.submittable.com/submit/1487/the-george-garrett-fiction-prize
$28 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. Winner receives a $1,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book. Open to anyone writing in English. Manuscripts may be novels or short story collections with a total word count of between 40,000 and 120,000 words.



BOULEVARD SHORT FICTION CONTEST FOR EMERGING WRITERS
https://boulevardmagazine.org/short-fiction-contest/
$16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. Boulevard’s Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers is only open people who have not yet published a book of fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction with a nationally distributed press. Stories may be up to 8,000 words and must be previously unpublished. Winner receives $1,500 and publication. 



LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN POETRY PRIZE
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr/2019/10/announcing-the-opening-of-the-laurence-goldstein-poetry-prize/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2019. Please submit up to five previously unpublished poems with a total page count of no more than ten pages. Poets at all stages of their careers are welcome to submit. The winner will receive $500 and publication.


 

 CALL FOR ENTRIES!
 THE DREAM QUEST ONE POETRY & WRITING CONTEST

 https://www.dreamquestone.com 

 Entry fees: $5 per poem/$10 per story. 
 Postmark deadline: DECEMBER 28, 2019.

Open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful literary art of poetry and/or writing a story that is worth telling everyone. 

Guidelines: (1) Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, form or style. And/or (2) Write a short story, five pages maximum length, single or double line spacing, on any subject or theme, fiction, nonfiction or creative nonfiction. Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted. Prizes: Writing First Prize is $500; Second $250; Third $100. Poetry First Prize $250; Second $125; Third $50.  How to enter, visit: https://www.dreamquestone.com 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

COMPANY ONE THEATRE'S S21 PLAYLAB UNIT
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehaij_nrg3nkYHfHZn7Yb2KgByT0GBpHAWdC-F7EjounoydQ/viewform
Deadline December 9, 2019. Through a combination of personalized dramaturgy, group workshops, and professional development classes, Company One Theatre’s expansive PlayLab initiative is an incubator of new work for writers of varied experience levels and backgrounds. Each season, we provide mentorship opportunities for emerging playwrights to practice and enhance their craft while actively engaging with our mainstage programming. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their understanding of the craft of playwriting in a supportive lab-style setting. Tuition for the season-long program is $200. A limited number of scholarships are available. Members of the Unit will be selected by application, with preference given to dedicated early-career writers. We seek Boston-area playwrights of diverse backgrounds who connect with C1's mission, and who may not have had access to the kinds of residencies or fellowships available to artists further along in their careers. While Unit members do not need extensive professional experience, we are looking for writers who are driven, passionate, dedicated to actively growing their craft, and possess a generous, collaborative spirit. 



JEROME HILL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.jeromefdn.org/jerome-hill-artist-fellowships
Applications will open for the next round of Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships with the publication of new detailed guidelines no later than February 4, 2020. In 2019 they selected 60 early career artists with ten fellowships in each of the disciplines of dance, film/new media, literature, music, theater and visual arts. $50,000 per Fellow. $20,000 per year for two years, plus $10,000 to award to partner organizations. 



WRITING BETWEEN THE VINES
https://www.writingbetweenthevines.org/
Vineyard retreats for writers in all genres including fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and poetry. Writing Between the Vines offers writers a space to work, a place to create - surrounded by the beauty and majesty of vineyards in locations around the world.  Funded through application fees and in partnership with wineries, Writing Between the Vines provides writers the time to focus on works in progress or cultivate new ideas in residencies of up to one week in length at no charge. Locations California, Oregon, and Canada.



NEW JERSEY ARTIST IN EDUCATION RESIDENCY GRANTS
http://njaie.org/apply/
The Artists in Education Residency Grant Program (AIE) places highly qualified professional artists in classrooms for 20 days or more during the school day through a program of residency grants.  Any New Jersey public, private, charter or parochial school serving grades PreK-12 is eligible to apply. NOTE: As an artist, contact them to see if you must qualify for a roster, or if the school can request you regardless. 



PAT CONROY LITERARY CENTER WRITER'S RESIDENCY for SPRING 2020
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Announcing-Conroy-Center-s-First-Writer-s-Residency.html?soid=1124256585060&aid=vAnjYPdtcEI
Email: [email protected] with the subject line CONROY CENTER WRITER'S RESIDENCY. 
Deadline January 5, 2020. In Spring 2020, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will offer our first Conroy Center Writer's Residency, available to writers seeking an inspirational, creative space in the heart of Pat Conroy’s beloved lowcountry for a stay of seven to ten days to March Forth in their writing. The residency location is a guest cottage on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, approximately 15 minutes from downtown Beaufort and 15 minutes from the beach at Hunting Island State Park. The residency stay will begin on Saturday, February 29, and includes complimentary admission to the Conroy Center’s 4th annual March Forth day of learning at historic Penn Center on Sunday, March 1. The residency is open to both published and unpublished writers. Pat Conroy was a mentor to writers in all stages of their careers and we wish to honor that legacy. But if you have not been published, here’s your chance. At the end of the residency, the writer will submit a piece of 800 to 1,000 words for editing and subsequent publication in the Lowcountry Weekly.  

1. Tell us a story. What is your work in progress? Let us know in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.

2. Let’s talk time and place. How will being in the lowcountry for a residency benefit your writing? Be specific and tell us in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.

3. Who are you? Send us a short bio of no more than 100 words, along with your contact information, also in the body of the email. 

4. Do you have a favorite Pat Conroy book? If so, tell us which one, and why, in approximately 50 words in the body of the email. Don't have a favorite Conroy book? Then tell us which book by another author is closest to your heart and why.

5. Let’s have a look. Include a writing sample of your work, double-spaced, attached as a PDF. For prose, send us three to five pages. For poetry, send us three to five poems (in no more than 10 pages total).

FREELANCE MARKETS

THE PARIS REVIEW
https://www.theparisreview.org/about/submissions
Please submit no more than one short story, one nonfiction piece, or six poems at a time. Publishes literary fiction and poetry. Highly esteemed. 



ANALOG
https://www.analogsf.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/
Analog’s Science Fiction and Fact magazine is an established market for science fiction stories. Analog pays eight to ten cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), six cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), nine cents per word for fact articles, and one dollar per line for poetry. We buy First English Language serial rights plus certain non-exclusive rights explained in our contract. 



The APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK ANTHOLOGIES
https://jpskewedthrone.dreamwidth.org/499730.html
Deadline for all is December 31, 2019. Limit 7,500 words. Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of eight cents per word. The anthology will be published as an ebook and an exclusive mass market paperback edition, distributed to the Kickstarter backers. The book would be available after that to the general public in ebook and trade paperback formats. Advances would be immediately earned out by the success of the Kickstarter. Royalties on additional sales beyond the Kickstarter will be 25 percent of ebook cover price and ten percent of trade paperback cover price, both split evenly (not by word count) between the authors in and editors of the anthology.

 

Publishers/agents

 
A.M. HEALTH LITERARY AGENTS
https://amheath.com/submissions/
We are a London literary agency still very much driven by a passion to help writers who want to shift, shape or enrich the wider cultural conversation, and provide irresistible entertainment. We have all found exciting new talent through the unsolicited submissions and are keen to continue doing so. We want to hear from you and look forward to reading your work. They have a stable of agents, each with interested of their own. Pitch your manuscript through an online form.



DAVID HIGHAM AND ASSOCIATES
https://www.davidhigham.co.uk/submissions/
Established in 1935, we represent an outstanding range of writers of commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction, in all media and languages, and are the leading agency for children’s authors and illustrators. Our Film, TV & Theatre department looks after talented writers originating and scripting material for stage, screen and new media, as well as selling screen and stage rights to the books we handle. Please refer to the guidelines in the links on the website according to the nature of your work (‘Books’, ‘Children’s / YA’, or ‘Scripts’ for potential Film, TV and Theatre clients).



BELL LOMAX LITERARY AGENCY
http://belllomaxmoreton.co.uk/
The Bell Lomax Moreton agency represents a wide range of distinguished authors and illustrators, writing and illustrating adult fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with our authors and their books! We are happy to consider most fiction, nonfiction and children’s book proposals – to find out more about our agents and what they are currently looking for, please go to each individual agent's bio on the website. We specifically do not represent poetry, short stories or novellas, educational textbooks, film scripts or stage plays, science fiction.

 

SPONSORS

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FINE PRINT

Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact [email protected] for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.

C. Hope Clark
E-mail: [email protected]
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

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

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