SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

WOMEN READING ALOUD , founded seventeen years ago by award-winning writer, Julie Maloney, is an international organization dedicated to the support of women writers.

WRA provides space for artistic growth through workshops and retreats modeled after the Amherst Writers and Artists Method. All genres are welcome. 
 
In 2020, WRA returns to Greece for our tenth anniversary retreat. We encourage writers to cherish their own voices, as well as the voices of others.
 
Visit our website: www.womenreadingaloud.org to see our USA and international writing retreats, testimonials, and photo gallery.

OWNING YOUR POCKETS OF TIME

How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here for ever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.   ~Virginia Woolf

I'm an advocate of alone time, and nothing soothes me more than walking in nature or sitting at the keyboard composing a story. An extrovert I am not, and solitude energizes me.

But when my grandson started kindergarten at a school three miles from my house, and my husband quickly volunteered the two of us to pick him up every day, I wondered if I could afford to lose that time in my already packed schedule. Sure, we could switch off days, but still, that school line of cars meant a solid hour or more out of my day. . . with nothing productive to show for it. 

The first week I arrived 45 minutes ahead of schedule, parked in line, and tackled editing a manuscript that was already on a tight deadline. Before I knew it the cars started moving, and I had completed a major chunk of the document. The week after that, I had a book to read for book club. Again, time flew and mission accomplished. 

Yet another time, I needed to jot ideas for the next book on my plate. Radio off, an autumn day outside, I shut off the truck, opened the windows, and daydreamed thoughts to my paper. 

On a Facebook post recently, someone mentioned they only wrote during certain parts of the year when their day job was less hectic. Someone else complained to me that they struggled to get their writing gears lubricated and functioning, fussing that for 15 minutes they struggled to even get a sentence down. 

My challenge to you is to own the pockets of time you have. Even create pockets of time amidst the chaos that is your life. Not only does it soothe you, but it enables if not empowers you over time. Dare yourself to sink into the writing and reading world when you are doing little more than waiting in line. Instead of it being a waste of time, make it quality time. You'll start looking forward to it. And you'll start owning those minutes. Soon you will have accomplished more than you ever imagined. 

We have partnered with the Nonfiction Authors Association to bring you a special discount off the fall Nonfiction Writers Conference, happening November 7-8, 2019. This event is completely virtual—all sessions conducted via webinar—no travel is required!

Attendees can also register for the popular Ask-a-Pro sessions, free 15-minute consultations with literary agents, marketing and publishing pros, and other industry experts. A private Facebook group is also available for attendees to gather and exchange ideas.

If you’re ready to accelerate your author career, this is a must-attend event!

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

Learn HTML and CSS by Punching Zombies

That’s right. Learn the basics of HTML and CSS with this free, fun, quick start guide targeted to writer needs: Punching Zombies: An HTML & CSS QuickStart Guide for Writers, Designers, and Beginners.

Laughing and learning should go together like zombies and the apocalypse. When you’re up against a dry, boring subject like computer coding, a little humor can be the difference between mastering the material and curing insomnia.

The zombies aren’t just a throwaway gimmick either. They help you learn through analogies and good old-fashioned silliness.

What are you waiting for? Sign up for our newsletter and get Punching Zombies today!

P.S. After you sign up stay tuned for a special boxed set deal only available to subscribers.

 

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Featured article

Interest a Publisher with Children's Nonfiction Ideas - 
Top Tips on Getting Your Ideas Commissioned 

By Alex Woolf, author of over 100 books for young readers

As a writer of children’s nonfiction, I’ve enjoyed a fairly steady flow of work over the years. The usual pattern is that publishers come up with ideas for new books, then approach me to write them. Occasionally though, when work is thin on the ground, I’ve had to adopt a more proactive approach by going out and selling myself as a writer for hire. I’ve found the best way of doing this is to come bearing gifts in the form of juicy new ideas for books.

1. First approach

It’s important to avoid giving the impression that you’re desperate for work. A common formulation, when writing to a publisher, might be: ‘Dear X, I hope all is well with you. Just to let you know, I’m coming to the end of a big project and should be free to take on new commissions from [insert month after current one].’ You might then go on to mention that you’ve got a few ideas, and suggest a meeting to discuss them. 

2. Ideas? What ideas?

If you don’t actually have any ideas at this stage, now would be a good time to come up with some. For inspiration, look in your local bookshop or on Amazon to see what’s trending in children’s nonfiction. Also check the publisher’s catalogue to see what they’re strong on and where they have gaps. 

3. Think global

Most children’s publishers will want to be reassured that the book you are offering has potential for foreign rights sales, so think big, broad subjects like the Romans, dinosaurs, robots, climate change, animals and space, and maybe leave that history of your local railway or that planned book of your granny’s recipes at home. 

4. Jump on any passing bandwagon

Narrative nonfiction, books of lists, infographics, cutaways, 3-D, augmented reality: children’s publishing is full of fads and gimmicks, and whatever the latest one is, see if you can somehow work it into your proposal.

5. Find a new spin

Most subjects have already been written about, especially popular ones. It’s unlikely you’ll ever hear a publisher say: ‘Wow, what a brilliant new subject: I’ve never thought about doing a book about that before!’ So the trick is to find a new approach that makes a familiar topic feel like a fresh idea. This is probably how we ended up with ‘The 3-D book of Rocks’ and ‘The Pop-Up Book of US Presidents’ ¬ both, believe it or not, real books. 

6. Feeling blocked?

If you really can’t think of anything, you can always offer them a book about poo: there appears to be an endless appetite for children’s books on this topic (I myself have penned a couple). Recent additions to the genre include ‘Daddy and the World’s Longest Poo’, ‘Vesuvius Poovius,’ and ‘What’s Your Poo Telling You?’.

Final thought: Look after your ideas! 

Whatever idea you end up proposing, make sure you get something in writing from the publisher acknowledging that it was your idea and that they will offer it to you if they decide to publish it. I say this because publishers, believe it or not, have been known to steal ideas. It happened to someone I know, and I don’t want it to happen to you.

BIO: Alex Woolf (@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

DISQUIET LITERARY PRIZE
http://disquietinternational.org/the-program/contests-scholarships/the-disquiet-prize/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 3, 2020. Contest winners in the categories of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction will have their winning work published in North America’s leading publications. Additionally, one grand prize winner will receive a full fellowship (airfare stipend, tuition, and housing included) to the 2020 DISQUIET International Program in Lisbon, Portugal. Runners-up and other outstanding entrants will be considered for financial aid. Only previously unpublished work in English can be submitted. We accept entries from all ages and countries, by authors who have not yet published more than one book. Prose limited to 25 pages. Poetry limited to six poems and 10 pages. 



ACCENTI WRITING CONTEST
https://accenti.ca/writing-contest/rules/
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 3, 2020. The topic is open. Prose only. Entries can be fiction, nonfiction, or creative nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished and not under consideration by any other publication. Entries must be original and not a translation of a previously published work. Maximum length: 2,000 words. No poetry, plays, reviews, and scholarly essays. No footnotes and endnotes. No pseudonyms. Top prize: $1,000 (CDN) and publication in Accenti. Two runner-up prizes: $100 (CDN) each and publication in Accenti. Popular Vote prize: $100 (CDN) and publication in Accenti.



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.



JIM BAEN MEMORIAL SHORT STORY AWARD
https://www.baen.com/contest-jbmssa
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2020. Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. Entries can be from any country. All entries must be original works in English. The GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at the normal paying rates for professional story submittals, currently .08/word. The author will also receive an engraved award, free entry into the 2020 International Space Development Conference, a year's membership in the National Space Society and a prize package containing various Baen Books, and National Space Society merchandise. Second and third place winners will receive free entry into the 2020 International Space Development Conference, a year's membership in the National Space Society, and a prize package containing various Baen Books and National Space Society merchandise.



ADA LIMON AUTUMN POETRY CONTEST
http://newlimestonereview.as.uky.edu/gurney-norman-summer-fiction-prize/
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 15, 2019. First place winner receives $500 and publication in New Limestone Review. Second place winner receives $250 & publication in New Limestone Review. Third place winner receives publication in New Limestone Review. All submissions will be considered for publication. Maximum of three poems and seven total pages per submission.



FRONTIER POETRY OPEN
https://www.frontierpoetry.com/poetry-awards/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 15, 2019. In our pursuit to recognize today's best poets, we want to celebrate one outstanding piece of poetry, OPEN to all poets, with a $5,000 award and publication. Ten finalists will also receive $100 each, and all winners will earn publication with Frontier Poetry. We look forward to offering this annual prize where emerging and established poets are considered in equal measure. Submissions are open to all poets.



MINERVA RISING PRESS CHAPBOOK CONTEST
https://minervarising.com/submissions/chapbook-submissions/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 10, 2019. This year’s contest seeks stories — fiction and creative nonfiction — we don’t tell about our health issues and healing. Chronic pain. Autoimmune disorders. Invisible illnesses. Depression. Mental Health. Treatment. Healing. Recovery. Submit 20 -50 pages of prose. Prize $250 and 10 copies. 


 

 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

FINE ARTS WORK CENTER FELLOWSHIPS
https://web.fawc.org/program
Deadline December 2, 2019. Fine Arts Work Center Fellowships are open to writers in the emerging stages of their careers. Through the program, fellowships for a seven-month residency are awarded to five poets and five fiction writers annually. The 2020-21 residency will run from October 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021. Fellows are required to reside full-time in Provincetown during the seven months of the fellowship and are provided with an apartment and a monthly stipend of $750. Applicants may be a citizen of any country. Writers who have published a full-length book of creative work (or have a contract to publish a full-length creative work) in any genre are not eligible.



LEFT COAST CRIME SCHOLARSHIPS
https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2019/10/left-coast-crime-scholarships.html?m=1
Deadline November 30, 2019. The Left Coast Crime National Committee is offering FIVE scholarships to Left Coast Crime #30 in San Diego, California, March 12-15, 2020. The LCC Scholarships include free registration to the convention in San Diego (currently $215) plus $500 expense money. LCC Scholarships are intended for anyone needing financial assistance to attend the convention and seek to encourage fandom and talent in crime writing of all types.



SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION (SLF) GRANTS
http://speculativeliterature.org/grants/
The SLF currently offers six grants: The A.C. Bose Grant, the Older Writers Grant, the Diverse Writers/Diverse Worlds Grants, the Travel Grant, and the Working Class Writers Grant.  All of our grants are free to apply and are designed as ‘gateway’ grants, with easy and straightforward applications that should be quick to complete.  We hope that they will both serve the community directly, and also encourage genre writers to explore the wide variety of grants, awards, and residencies available in the larger writing community.

NOTE: The SLF utilizes teams of volunteer jurors drawn from the community for their grants process; each juror receives a small honorarium of $25 for their service.  If you’re an ardent reader of SF/F, a writer or editor, a teacher or academic or librarian, and are interested in becoming a juror; please send a brief e-mail with a sentence or two of your bio to our Grants Administrator.







 

FREELANCE MARKETS

ALASKA PARENT
http://www.alaskaparent.com/write_for_us.html
Alaska Parent magazine is looking for freelance writers who demonstrate a fresh, engaging writing style and a keen sense of the topics that matter to local parents. As Alaska’s exclusive, all-in-one parenting resource, our readers include parents with children ages newborn through teens, as well as expectant moms. Features are 800 to 1,200 words. Original articles can command $40 to $200. Authors willing to localize their reprints with interviews with local parents and experts can expect more.



HOWLROUND
http://howlround.com/participate
We're looking for writers who are deeply invested in and committed to the theatre field. You could be a current student or a seasoned professional, but if you're actively involved in theatre and performance, we'll be thrilled to hear from you. We do not publish personal attacks, promotional material, or material that has been previously published. We pay an honorarium to each author based on the length of the published piece. Knowing that many people do not have enough free time to volunteer their perspectives and experience to benefit the overall theatre community, we fundraise to compensate you for the time it entails to make this essay contribution to the commons.750-1,000 words: $50 USD1,000-1,500 words: $100 USD1,500-2,000 words: $150 USD



NATURE FUTURES
http://blogs.nature.com/futureconditional/2015/04/19/how-to-write-for-nature-futures/
Futures is a venue for very short stories or ‘vignettes’ of between 850 and 950 words. The subject is typically near-future, hard SF, although this can be interpreted liberally. If accepted, you will receive a (non-negotiable) fee of £85 or US$130.



THE PARTIALLY EXAMINED LIFE
https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/write-for-us/
The Partially Examined Life will pay exceptional writers for essays related to philosophy, culture, and ideas. We’d love to see queries from writers who can contribute:
=> Philosophy-related essays, personal essays, and interviews. See The Stone for great examples of this sort of content: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/the-stone/
=> Book reviews of philosophical texts.
=> Review essays about any genre and medium, including thoughtful takes on literature and film. These need not explicitly be about philosophy and philosophers.
=> Thoughtful pieces related to politics and culture, especially pieces that analyze current issues by way of political philosophy, social thought, moral philosophy, moral psychology, and psychoanalysis.
=> Pieces related to the intersection of philosophy and popular culture (as in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series).
=> Anything else you think you can persuade us is suitable to our site - pitch way.



SMITHSONIAN.COM
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/contact/article-submit-website/
Smithsonian.com accepts unsolicited proposals from established freelance writers. This form has been developed to give you the most direct and timely access to our editors. It also allows you to provide all of the basic information we need to make an initial determination about your proposal. Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee a response to all inquiries, but if we are interested in pursuing a story, we will contact you. The travel section consists of inspiration, journey guides, news, how-to’s, and essays.



WORLD HUM
http://www.worldhum.com/info/submissions/
World Hum is dedicated to publishing travel stories, videos, and slideshows of the highest quality. We post several types of features:
=> Travel Stories are first-person travel narratives.
=> Speaker’s Corner essays feature rants or raves about any travel-related subject.
=> Travel Interviews are interviews with travelers, writers, artists—anyone with something interesting to say about travel.
=> Lists explore a wide range of travel-related topics.
=> Audio slideshows explore travel through photographs, sound, and narration.



PACIFIC STANDARD
https://psmag.com/page/write-us
We are a great home for writers who can tell deeply reported, gripping tales about issues in the public interest while plumbing the intellectual, theoretical, and empirical context that surrounds them. Every story we tell has a strong connection to one of our four core subject areas: economic, educational, environmental, and social justice. Our writers should want to make readers think about how society works—and about how it could be working better.



YANKEE
https://newengland.com/press-contact/submission-guidelines-writers-photographers/
Yankee Magazine covers the six New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Our Feature articles, as well as the departments of Home, Food, and Travel, reflect what is happening currently in the region. Yankee welcomes freelance submissions in the areas of home, travel, food, and nonfiction editorial. We are not currently accepting poetry, fiction, or cartoons.



THE PEOPLE'S FRIEND - FICTION
https://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk/guidelines/
OUR stories are 1,200, 2,000, and 3,000 words long, although stories of 4,000 words are welcome for our specials. And don’t forget our famous 10,000-word crime thrillers, featured in every second special! Our readers like reading about people of any age. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking we only use stories about grans and grandads, widows and widowers. Our readers also enjoy stories with up-to-date, young themes. And remember, romance isn’t only for the young! There’s always a place for the lighthearted and humorous, too.



ASIA TIMES
http://www.atimes.com/write-for-us/
Asia Times welcomes unsolicited news articles, analysis pieces and op-eds. For paid content, we are seeking original reporting and analysis, but will also consider commentary from time to time. We will also consider packages or series of stories addressing a common theme or topic. If you seek compensation, please indicate this clearly in your pitch, and whether the article has been published elsewhere, and if so, in what language and in which publication. Any payment must be agreed by the newsroom in advance. With a clean aesthetic and unique functionality, Asia Times stands apart as the only all-digital, pan-Asian site aimed specifically at English-speaking users. It is widely read not only in Asia but also in Europe and in North America, where nearly half of its readership is based, regarding it as the must-read on Asian politics and finance.



THE BOLD ITALIC
https://thebolditalic.com/how-to-write-for-the-bold-italic-ba920cb87631
The main mission of The Bold Italic, an online magazine owned by Medium, is to celebrate the freewheeling spirit of San Francisco and the Bay Area at large. We want to be a place where locals—including natives, those who have been here for a while, and new transplants—can turn for fresh, compelling, and unexpected stories about where they live. We share perspectives that people can relate to, inspire them, make them laugh, and challenge them to think about something differently. We pay $200–300 per story depending on the research required for the piece.





The Fall Nonfiction Writers Conference returns November 7-8, 2019, featuring Barbara Winter, author of “Making a Living without a Job” – Grab your seat! A completely virtual conference from the comfort of your home. 



 

Publishers/agents

 
KOEHLER BOOKS
http://www.koehlerbooks.com/
Offers both traditional and co-publishing options. Traditional is normally only for seasoned writers (with or without an agent) with superb work and a verifiable track record of sales and marketing success. Co-publishing is best for emerging writers with high-quality work desiring a professional-level publishing experience. Writers accepted into our Emerging Author Program are positioned to land a traditional deal on subsequent books. We only review completed manuscripts with a preferred target range of 20,000 – 90,000 words. Children’s books may be much smaller, of course, and children’s books must include text and ALL illustrations for consideration.



RED ADEPT PUBLISHING
https://redadeptpublishing.com/submissions/
We accept all fiction genres, with the exception of Erotica, Young Adult/Teen, Middle Grade, and Children’s books. We do not accept nonfiction, short story collections, or poetry. We do not accept previously published works, including self-published works. We do not accept mid-series books, only first books in a series. Minimum length is 50,000 words.



APRIL GLOAMING PUBLISHING
http://www.aprilgloaming.com/about.html
April Gloaming Publishing is a Nashville-based independent press that aims to capture and better understand the Southern soul, Southern writing, and the Southern holler. April Gloaming is a refuge for the small and the weird. Our impetus is our authors and artists and ensuring that they have a voice at every step of the publishing process. We seek the formless and sublime, the chaotic, and the devastating. April Gloaming celebrates the genre-benders, those rare works that bring the old and the new together into something entirely transcendent. 



CAFFEINATED PRESS
https://www.caffeinated-press.com/
Caffeinated Press, Inc. was established in 2014 as an independent small press serving the authors and readers of the West Michigan community. We publish books of all types, plus an annual anthology and a semiannual literary journal. We also offer seminars, online education, and manuscript-review services.



INVISIBLE PUBLISHING
https://invisiblepublishing.com/submissions/
Invisible Publishing is currently accepting literary manuscript submissions, including works of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. All narrative works with contemporary themes will be considered; however, we are not interested in genre fiction or YA projects. Leans toward Canadian authors.



CLOCKWISE PRESS
https://www.clockwisepress.com/submissions
Clockwise Press publishes middle-grade, young adult, and children’s books with a focus on diversity and global themes. Please note that we do not publish adult books. Tends to publish Canadian authors.



FREEHAND BOOKS
https://freehand-books.com/submissions/
Freehand publishes innovative and literary novels, short story collections, graphic literature, and works of creative nonfiction.  We do not currently publish poetry, young adult fiction, or children’s books. We only publish Canadian authors. We are particularly interested at this time in submissions of graphic literature (memoir, etc.).
 

SPONSORS

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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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