SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

 Do you struggle to:
+Overcome distraction and write?
+Silence the inner critic
+Stop procrastinating
+Overcome self-doubt and fear
+Finish the work you start
 
Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination, and Increase Productivity by Rochelle Melander presents quests to help writers tackle their most common creative challenges. These short adventures challenge writers to investigate their life and habits to discover their ideal work rhythms, design a life that supports their productivity, and overcome any obstacle they face.
 
Rochelle Melander is a speaker, certified professional coach, and the bestselling author of 11 books, including Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It) Rochelle Melander coaches writers to overcome distractions and procrastination, design a writing life, turn their ideas into books, navigate the publishing world, and connect with readers through social media. Visit her online at writenowcoach.com. 

 

THE AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

I'm going to be daring in making a statement. I don't think author newsletters work. 

Most of us get them. We've visited an author's website, looking for more intel on a book, and we see the signup for the author's newsletter. We sign up, with our goal only to hear about the next book when it is released. 

Instead, we get a newsletter telling us about the author's trips, family, dogs, and latest accomplishments. Maybe an update about writing the next book. 

News flash: Not every reader is a groupie. As a matter of fact, most don't want their privacy violated. Most don't care about an author's personal life.

Am I exaggerating? Read Anne R. Allen's blog post Is a “Personal Relationship” with Authors What Readers Want?

Readers want another good book, not a new buddy. 

Dr. Lin Stepp, author of the Christian romance Claire at Edisto, had this to say in a Facebook discussion on the topic: "What I love as an author is meeting my readers in person at signings and events... and I’m so with this writer (Anne R. Allen) on the invasion of privacy with email lists - I’m on none!! To keep from invading my readers’ privacy I put both my monthly blog and my monthly newsletter on my website where readers can read them when and if they want."

Prolific freelance writer Kris Meldrum Denholm stated: "As for author newsletters, meh. Why do we need to keep in 'constant contact' with authors we like? They’ll announce their next book on FB. If they’re in my city or at a conference, then it's great to hear that on FB and then I could see them. I don’t need any more emails in my inbox...it usually will get deleted without opening."

Newsletters are time consuming to write and distribute. . . difficult to keep unique and intriguing. Think twice before adding one to your marketing plan. Not everyone cares what you had for dinner.




 

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

Get the cure for your creative troubles - the existential funk, the inconsistent writing, the creative doldrums - with the FREE booklet Writing Without Tears. 

Writing Without Tears helps you create favorable circumstances for your creativity and make writing a practice that gives you more writing and better writing - and also a deeper and more fulfilling life!

Each section highlights common challenges experienced by writers, then gives you precise solutions so you can spend less time struggling and more time writing. 

In three simple steps, Professor Marya Summers guides you on the path to writing contentedly, creatively, and consistently. 

Get your FREE copy. 


 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 


SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hope- just a note to say thank you for all you do. I am still a wannabe, still equally fearful of criticism or praise, still intimidated by the masters (I just revisited The Pilgrim Hawk, for crying out loud), etc. That aside, you have consistently wiped the mystique from the window and allowed me to peer the craft that lies beyond. Your no-nonsense approach has kept me in the game, a victory of sorts, and now, at this late date and having, with your help, used up every excuse possible, I am looking forward. Should I ever write something worth a read, it will, in my mind, be an homage to you. I'm sure I speak for others as well.

Most Sincerely-
Bruce White (old and in the way)

- - - 

If FundsforWriters has helped your writing efforts, please, let us know and we'll share with others! Email [email protected] 

 

Featured article

Potential Contract Traps for Writers

By Alex J. Coyne 

Contracts should be watertight, and writers who sign up new clients have to be especially careful to ensure they aren’t making a deal with the devil – it can waste time, cost money and sometimes cause lawsuits. Here are potential loopholes to clarify before taking any writing job.

Deadlines

Project deadlines should be clearly stated, and if not, ask. You can’t know how to meet a deadline if you don’t know what it is. Also, ask for the publication date.

Capping Edits

How many edits can the copy go through? Specify this, or you can get caught in an endless loop where the client is never happy – and you never stop writing. Cap the number of edits clearly, and if that doesn’t cut it for the client, agree to refund them their deposit so they can find another writer.

The Health Clause

Include a physical health clause in long-term writing contracts: What happens if you (or your client) get sick? Include a clause to extend the deadline, just in case, and state by how much.

Chapter Length

State approximately how long each chapter or section should be. If not, you risk a client saying, “I wanted this to be three times the length” without a viable, legal defense.

To By-Line or Not

Is the article published with or without a by-line? Find out beforehand, or you’ll find yourself an unexpected ghostwriter – or on the other hand, putting your name on something too far outside your niche that’ll be stuck on Google forever.

The Right Rights

Always ask what rights you’re selling to the client or publication, and never assume that you know. This avoids trouble later if you were to sell the piece to another publication under something that isn’t first-use rights.    

When to Refund

If a copywriting client isn’t happy with the result, ask if they would like changes or edits. Most issues can be fixed within one to two rounds of changes. Sometimes clients refuse this option, and if they’ve already paid, it can sometimes be easier to refund the money they’ve paid.

Deposits

Refunds are one reason why partial deposits are important. Always keep a paid deposit separated from other funds so that it can be refunded if needed, and so that you don’t lose out on any money if it’s a client who skips out on paying after the job is done.

Language? 

Especially for books, have contracts state the manuscript’s language. I’ve had a writing client expect a full manuscript translation without being willing to add it to the contract – or pay. They weren’t a client for long, and I moved on from the job.

Media Creation

When working on posts and ebooks, ask who is responsible for the cover design and images. Sometimes, it’s you. Don’t bite off more than you can chew and get stuck with a job you don’t want.

Probation Work

Never accept a gig that has you working on unpaid probation – whether two weeks or thirty days. You’re providing work without pay, with no guarantee that you’ll be paid by the end. (Hint: You usually won’t.) 

Common writing traps can hide in places you least expect, and from clients you’d never dream of. If something feels “off” it’s always better to pass.

Bio: 
Alex J. Coyne is a writer and journalist with more than ten years’ experience writing for publications including People Magazine, CollegeHumor and Great Bridge Links.

 

COmpetitions

The Missouri Review invites entries to its 29th annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize!
www.missourireview.com/contests/jeffrey-e-smith-editors-prize/
Winners in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be awarded $5000 each, plus publication and an invitation to a reading and reception to be held in their honor. In return for the entry fee, each writer who enters will receive a 1-year digital subscription to TMR and a print copy of Jason Brown's new collection of linked stories, A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed. For guidelines, please visit the TMR website. Deadline: October 1.




MSLEXIA AND PBS WOMEN'S POETRY COMPETITION
https://www.poetrybooks.co.uk/pages/mslexia-pbs-womens-poetry-prize
£10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 16, 2019. First prize £2,000 (plus optional mentorship and writing retreat). Second prize £400. Third prize £250. 17 FINALISTS: £25. Unpublished poet £250. Winning poets will also be featured in the Mslexia magazine and a selection in the PBS Bulletin. 



MSLEXIA AND PBS WOMEN'S PAMPHLET COMPETITION 
https://www.poetrybooks.co.uk/pages/mslexia-pbs-womens-poetry-prize
£20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 16, 2019. Women poets who have not previously had a full collection published are invited to submit a new poetry pamphlet. The winning pamphlet will be selected for publication by Seren Books.



MSLEXIA FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
https://mslexia.co.uk/products/uncategorised/mslexia-fiction-competition-2019-flash-fiction/
£5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2019. First prize £500. Three other finalists will each receive £50. All four winning stories will be published in the March 2020 issue of Mslexia. The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country and welcomes flash fiction of up to 300 words in length (not including the title). 



MSLEXIA ADULT NOVEL COMPETITION
https://mslexia.co.uk/products/uncategorised/mslexia-fiction-competition-2019-adult-novel/
£25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2019. As well as the top prize of £5,000 and the option of representation by agent Charlotte Robertson, the winner, and four finalists will receive manuscript feedback and introductions to agents and editors at a special event held in London. The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country and welcomes the first 5,000 words of completed, unpublished novels for adult and young adult readers, of at least 50,000 words in length (not including the title).



MSLEXIA SHORT FICTION COMPETITION
https://mslexia.co.uk/products/uncategorised/mslexia-fiction-competition-2019-short-story/
£10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2019. Not only will the winning writer get £3,000, they will also have the prestige of being published in Mslexia, a credit shared with writers like Costa winner Angela Readman and novelist Peggy Riley. In addition, there is the opportunity to spend a week working on their writing at the stunning Moniack Mhor retreat and mentoring with an editor at Virago – an experience that money can’t buy and one that could really help you take your writing to the next level. The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country and welcomes stories of between 300 and 3,000 words in length (not including the title). 



SLACKJAW HUMOR WRITING CHALLENGE
https://medium.com/slackjaw/slackjaw-humor-writing-challenge-aa8064c0f93b
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 21, 2019 (but you need to enter ASAP). Slackjaw is Medium’s most-read humor publication with 90,000+ followers, and we want your funny writing! We also want to support humor writers — and aspiring humor writers — everywhere. We’ve got $2,000 in cash prizes for the winners, plus the chance to get your work in front of our judges panel: comedy writers for The Onion, Comedy Central, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, etc. We don’t just want any old humor. We want sharp, well-crafted writing where you follow a proven formula. In this Challenge, we’re going to have you follow a precise idea-generating and re-writing formula to craft a hilarious humor piece. 



HACKATHON CONTEST
https://owlcanyonpress.submittable.com/submit/139181/owl-canyon-press-short-story-hackathon-3
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2019. Writers are invited to create and submit a short story consisting of 50 paragraphs. The contest provides the first and 20th paragraphs, and the short story writer crafts the rest. First prize is $3,000, second prize is $2,000, and third prize is $1,000 with the winning short stories published in a short story anthology, as well as an invitation to give a public reading at Inkberry Books in Niwot, CO. The 24 Finalists will also have their short stories included in this anthology. Open internationally. No maximum word count, but each paragraph needs to be at least 40 words – this isn’t flash fiction so feel free to use as many words as you need to tell the story. 



VICTORIA LITERARY FESTIVAL SHORT STORY CONTEST
http://www.victorialiteraryfestival.com/short-story-contest-2019/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 30, 2019. Criteria: Up to 1,800 words, taking into consideration the theme of the 2019 VLF festival: Hats Off. The short story must not have previously been published or won a prize. One of the finalists will be selected from Island writers. The winners will be published in the 2019 Victoria Review in November of 2019. First prize will receive $350 CDN with four runners up receiving $50 CDN each. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

HODSON TRUST - JOHN CARTER BROWN LIBRARY FELLOWSHIP
https://www.washcoll.edu/centers/starr/fellowships/hodson-brown-fellowship.php
The Hodson Trust - John Carter Brown Library Fellowship supports work by academics, independent scholars and writers working on significant projects relating to the literature, history, culture, or art of the Americas before 1830. Candidates with a U.S. history topic are strongly encouraged to concentrate on the period prior to 1801. The fellowship is also open to filmmakers, novelists, creative and performing artists, and others working on projects that draw on this period of history. The fellowship award supports two months of research and two months of writing. The stipend is $5,000 per month for a total of $20,000, plus housing and university privileges. The research is conducted at the John Carter Brown Library on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 



MASSACHUSETTS ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/artist-fellowships/
Mass Cultural Council’s Artist Fellowships recognize exceptional work by Massachusetts artists across a range of disciplines. Poetry - deadline October 7, 2019. Fiction/creative nonfiction - deadline January 27, 2020. Last year they proudly supported 67 artists with grants totaling $441,000.



ARKANSAS INTERNATIONAL EMERGING WRITER’S PRIZE
https://www.arkint.org/prize
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 19, 2019. The Arkansas International Emerging Writer’s Prize is open to works of fiction up to 7,500 words in length. All entrants must not have yet published a full-length book and have no book forthcoming before May 1, 2020. Writers with chapbooks or self-published books with a print run of under 500 copies are allowed to enter. Winner receives $1,000 and publication. 



2019 SILVERS GRANTS FOR WORK IN PROGRESS
https://silversfoundation.org/grants/
Deadline September 30, 2019. The Robert B. Silvers Foundation herewith invites applications for the 2019 Silvers Grants for Work in Progress. Authors working on long-form essays or full-length book projects in the fields of literary and arts criticism, the intellectual essay, political analysis, and social commentary that require financial support for travel and/or research may apply. Grants will be awarded in amounts between $1,500 and $10,000. Applications should take the form of a one-page description of the project, a brief statement of estimated costs, and one sample of the writer’s work. 



BOSTON CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS
https://www.assetsforartists.org/blog/2019/8/21/2020-boston-capacity-building-grants
Deadline September 27, 2019. Artists selected for the Boston, MA grant program benefit from the following: A capacity-building grant that serves as working capital to be invested in the artist’s creative practice. Participants are provided with a $1,000 mini-grant to be invested in accordance with the artist’s personal goals. Funds are awarded at the completion of the program. Free artist-tailored workshops on a range of financial, business, and professional topics. These trainings – mandatory for participants in the grant program  – will be held in locations throughout Massachusetts in fall 2019 through spring 2020. Free one-on-one coaching, including support in crafting a plan to guide the investment of the artist’s grant. A peer-network cohort of other Boston A4A alumni and regular alumni networking opportunities.



MASSACHUSETTS CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS
https://www.assetsforartists.org/blog/2019/8/21/2020-massachusetts-statewide-capacity-building-grants
Deadline September 27, 2019. Note: If you live or keep a studio practice in Boston, please apply instead for our Boston Artist opportunity. This is a capacity-building grant to be invested in accordance with the artist’s three- to five-year goals. Participants will receive grant funds after participating in free artist-led training and coaching on financial/business planning and goal-setting. Free artist-tailored workshops on a range of financial, business, and professional topics. Participants will be required to take at least one workshop but can participate in as many as desired. Workshops will be held in locations throughout Massachusetts in fall 2019 through spring 2020. Free one-on-one coaching, including support in crafting a basic plan to guide the investment of the artist’s grant. The plan - which will outline goals and action steps - must be finalized before participants receive their grant funds.



RHODE ISLAND CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS
https://www.assetsforartists.org/blog/2019/8/21/2020-ri-capacity-building-grants
Deadline September 27, 2019. A capacity-building grant that serves as working capital to be invested in the artist’s creative practice. Participants are provided with a $1,000 mini-grant to be invested in accordance with the artist’s personal goals. Funds are awarded at the completion of the program. Free artist-tailored workshops on a range of financial, business, and professional topics. These trainings – mandatory for participants in the grant program – will be offered in Rhode Island in winter/spring 2020 (dates TBD). Participants will also have the opportunity to attend other optional professional development workshops offered by Assets for Artists. Free one-on-one coaching, including support in crafting a plan to guide the investment of the artist’s grant.



ARIZONA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANT
https://azarts.gov/grant/artist-research-and-development/
Deadline October 25, 2019. Research & Development (R&D) Grants provide funding support to Arizona artists as they work to advance their artistic practice, expand their creative horizons, and deepen the impact of their work. Grants are for artists working in any discipline who live and work in Arizona. Whether you’re just getting started or you have already experienced many career successes, the R&D Grant is available to help you take your artistic practice to the next level. 

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

THE COMPASS MAGAZINE
https://thecompassmagazine.com/about/writers-guidelines
The Compass Magazine is an online-only magazine. We focus on an audience of educated Seventh-day Adventist laypeople. Our goal is to provide solid biblical content dealing with important issues in the church and society in a way that supports the church and Adventist beliefs. Most published articles are between 800 and 2,500 words, are written in a general or conversational style, and cover topics that are relevant today. We pay up to $200 for original, unpublished articles.



MOTORHOME
http://www.motorhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/WritersGuidelines.pdf
We are devoted to covering all aspects of the RV lifestyle, including travel destinations, activities and events, the newest motorhomes on the market, do-it-yourself projects and RV service and repair recommendations. Payments for articles with photos: Major Travel $500 – $700, Getaway $400 – $500, Crossroads $100, Personality $400 – $500, Technical $500 – $900, and Do-It-Yourself $400 – $600.



McSWEENEY'S
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/tendency
We publish fiction and nonfiction. There are no rules. The best way to get a sense of what we’re interested in publishing is to read the Quarterly. Read articles online and note the quirky sense of humor required in the stories accepted.



MOTORCYCLE MOJO
http://www.motorcyclemojo.com/editorial-guidelines/
We are proudly Canadian and one of less than a handful of Canadian motorcycle magazines on the newsstands in a sea of American titles. We are a family-oriented motorcycle magazine that focuses on all types of road-going motorcycles, touring, history and destination articles. Destinations, meaning somewhere you can ride to for a weekend (or longer) and take in an event or a festival of some nature. A travel story may be a weekend trip just to ride the roads of a certain area; it could be a two-hour ride or a two-week ride, or longer. We are especially interested in travel within Canada or south of the border – someplace Canadians can actually ride to. Small stories can be 600-800 words while travel features might run into 2,000 words.



RANGE MAGAZINE
http://www.rangemagazine.com/guidelines/index.htm
RANGE magazine is an award-winning quarterly devoted to the issues that threaten the West, its people, lands, and wildlife. RANGE needs (1) stories about working family ranches successfully tending land and livestock, (2) solid profiles of working cowboys and sheepherders, and (3) interviews with government employees and environmentalists who have made a positive difference for people on the land. Regular features, tightly written, run 1,200-2,000 words; mini-features 600-1,200 words. Columns and "Confessions of Red Meat Survivors" (great nostalgia about people over 80) run 500-650 words. Payments are from $50 to $400 per article. RANGE buys First North American serial rights.



PASTE
http://www.pastemagazine.com/paste/2012/03/writer-guidelines.html
PasteMagazine.com focuses on signs of life in music, movies, TV, videogames, comedy, books, design, tech, drink and all things geek. We focus on a variety of musical genres — whatever else we think will grab music-lovers seeking something a little deeper. Paste strives to cover the best music in this eclectic mix, devoting space to independent musicians alongside more established artists. The tagline, “Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture,” refers to the depth and meaning we feel the best art is capable of conveying.



THE TABLET
http://www.tabletmag.com/about
Tablet is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture. Tablet welcomes submissions from freelance writers. Please submit a full pitch — including a detailed description of what you’d like to write, a brief biography, links to previously published stories, and, if necessary, a short writing sample — to the appropriate section editor. Do not submit a completed piece.



SLICE
https://slicemagazine.org/submit/
Slice magazine welcomes submissions for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We're looking for anyone with a fresh voice and a compelling story to share. In each issue, a specific cultural theme becomes the catalyst for articles and interviews from renowned writers and lesser-known voices alike. Along with these pieces, we publish fiction and poetry that isn’t bound by the theme — we simply look for works by writers who promise to become tomorrow’s literary legends. We offer all contributors of Slice a monetary award for their work ($250 for stories and essays and $75 for poems).



MAKING A LIVING WRITING
http://www.makealivingwriting.com/why-i-pay-writers/
Pays $75 to $150 per post on topics about making a living as a writer. A list of needed topics is posted on the website. Posts are usually around 500 words, but there are some topics where the editor requests longer posts.



PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE
http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/Writers-Guidelines/
Pittsburgh Magazine has celebrated the people, places, and happenings in our region for 40 years. Built on a foundation of independent quality journalism, the Pittsburgh Magazine brand is a trusted information partner for our most engaged residents and visitors.

 

Publishers/agents

UNNAMED PRESS
http://www.unnamedpress.com/about
The Unnamed Press publishes literature from around the world. Whether it's fiction, memoir, or something in between, we are always interested in unlikely protagonists, undiscovered territories, and courageous voices. We are distributed by Publishers Group West. Our sister nonprofit press is Phoneme Media. Queries and submissions can be addressed to [email protected]. 



C&R PRESS
https://www.crpress.org/submissions/
C&R Press is open for submissions of full-length manuscripts in every category for our 2020 and 2021 catalogs. Novels, poetry, short story collections, creative nonfiction, memoir, essay, experimental and hybrid work are all considered and we’ve published multiple books in each genre. We’ve published over 60 books and 12 chapbooks, and we want to publish more. 



RED HEN PRESS
https://redhen.org/contact-2/submission-guidelines/
Red Hen Press is an independent, non-profit press that publishes about 20 books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry every year. We’re looking for novels, memoir, creative nonfiction, hybrid works, and story, essay, and poetry collections of exceptional literary merit that demonstrate a high level of mastery.
 

SPONSORS

www.fundsforwriters.com/advertising 

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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