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WHAT ARE HYBRIDS?

Hybrids are publishing entities that offer traditional services in publishing your book while sharing the expense with the author. So, what is the difference between a hybrid and a vanity press? Excellent question. As one author puts it, "The hybrid press has a dangerous doppelganger called the vanity press and it can be hard to tell the two apart."

A hybrid press claims to have more scruples than a vanity press, though they possess the same business model. You pay both to publish your book. However, the difference that is supposed to set them apart from each other is that the vanity press only makes money off its authors. Hybrid presses supposedly care about authors, their successes, and their sales to readers. 

However, I haven't seen hybrids really take off like everyone thought they would. Why? Because they charge the same as vanity presses. A lot of the hybrids say they are a better quality deal. . . that they edit, promote, and produce a better quality book. They care about what they are producing because they promote with more sophistication. I've known two women who published books with SheWrites, and they paid strong five figures, with the standard contract being $7,500. A price SheWrites doesn't try to hide. The books are gorgeous, well done, and distribution went behind them to bookstores and libraries. You won't get that support with self-publishing or with vanity presses. The thing is, I don't see my two friends publishing with that hybrid again because of the cost. 

The best description of a hybrid publisher I've ever seen is here and maybe you can see the difference. Frankly. . . I see it as a compromise for those authors who are afraid of the details of self-publishing yet fearful of the odds of rejection by traditional. You do get more respect. Hybrids give you more than vanity does. Hybrid wants your book to sell. . . vanity doesn't care. 

But be careful. I would not be surprised if a vanity press doesn't call itself a hybrid to gain some credibility. Vanity presses are a slinky lot with their business model only being to acquire money from the author.  






 

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

MASS MoCA Ekphrastic Poetry Retreat, North Adams, Massachusetts • August 12­–18, 2020.
 
Explore the many ways that visual art can open your poems and perceptions, and help you access and articulate emotions and memories that would otherwise be unavailable. Enjoy daily discussions, workshops, prompts, readings, and explorations of the galleries at MASS MoCA and The Clark Art Institute. Writing time in the museum and in your private studio. 60-minute manuscript consultation included. Visit www.janfreeman.net. Contact [email protected] to reserve your space by January 30, 2020.
  
Manuscript Consultations and Editing Services with Jan Freeman.
 
With 40 years of editorial experience, Jan Freeman offers in-depth reviews of prose and poetry, including full-length manuscripts, new and selected collections, and chapbooks. Evaluations focus on a manuscript's literal and emotional narratives, organization, texture, shape, tension, emotional flow, and thematic coherence.
 
Jan Freeman was founding director of Paris Press (1995­–2018), publisher of groundbreaking yet overlooked literature by Emily Dickinson, Ruth Stone, Virginia Woolf, Bryher, Muriel Rukeyser, and others.

She is the author of three acclaimed collections of poetry and editor of 
Sisters: An Anthology. Contact [email protected]
 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
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SUccess Story

Send us your success story, telling us how FundsforWriters made a difference, opened a door, helped you get someplace you wanted to be. 

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Featured article

Top Tips for Rocking Your Public Book Reading 

By Dan Brotzel

As a writer of short stories with a new collection out and a few competition successes under my belt, I’ve been doing a few readings at small literary events recently. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up about how to read to best effect, overcome nerves and leave a memorable impression… 

Check out the reading space 

If at all possible, I like to get to the event in time to be able to stand in the actual spot where I’ll be reading. It calms me to visualise that moment in advance, and it’s also a chance to look out for any obvious issues to do with acoustics and sightlines. If there’s a lectern but it creaks and wobbles, I probably won’t use it. If the stage is quite a distance to the audience, I’ll know to raise my voice a little more than usual.

Remember you’re not taking an exam (and you’re not the centre of the universe) 

When we’re nervous, it’s easy to see our audience as some kind of adversary, scrutinising us coldly and trying to catch us out. But the people who come to readings are book lovers, a wonderful breed (you are one yourself) who love stories and are on your side. Take a moment to think yourself into the head of someone listening to you read too – yes, they’re interested and wish you well, but they also have all sorts of other preoccupations and priorities of their own. 

Don’t be afraid to tee up your reading 

A little context or introduction before you start can really help your audience. A few words explaining where the passage comes in the context of your book, for example, or letting people know if your story has an unusual structure can help avoid a lot of head-scratching when you begin. 

Look up…

Readings are much more powerful if the reader can make a connection with their audience as they read. Simply raising your head every now and giving a smile or making eye contact with someone in the audience is all it takes.  

…And slow down

People almost always underestimate how fast they are going when reading out loud. Try to consciously increase your pauses, and especially mark a longer silence before you begin and between sections. Even small moments of silence can be very powerful. 

Cut your cloth to the occasion 

Some events insist on a strict time limit per author, such as three minutes, especially where there are several people reading. This is tricky as most pieces don’t automatically lend themselves to this limit. In such situations, try to abridge your story so the audience gets the beginning, middle and end, otherwise, the reading could end up feeling quite abrupt and disjointed. 

Final thought: Love your audience

So much of our anxiety about public speaking is tied up with a past that we can’t change and a future that will probably never happen. Once the day starts, let go of rehearsing. Don’t over-think your reading – instead, take an interest in the rest of the event, and make a point of talking to others and listening to their stories too. It’s hard to stay nervous if you remember to breathe, stay in the moment and adopt a loving attitude to your listeners. 

It’s great to tell yourself, ‘All will be well’ – but even better to say, ‘All is well’…

BIO - Dan Brotzel (@brotzel_fiction) is co-author of a new comic novel, Kitten on a Fatberg (Unbound). To pre-order Kitten on a Fatberg for a 10% discount, quote KITTEN10  


 

COmpetitions

ARIZONA MYSTERY WRITERS JIM MARTIN MEMORIAL STORY CONTEST
https://www.arizonamysterywriters.com/?page_id=1449
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2020. For adults 17 and over. Send in your short story in mystery, suspense, or thriller style. Entries may be up to 2,500 words (about ten double-spaced pages). Prizes: $200 for First, $100 for Second, and $75 for Third. PLUS, winners receive a certificate of acknowledgment from the club, admiring applause at the awards luncheon, the winning story posted on the AMW website, and validation as a writer.



THE MASTERS WINTER SHORT STORY AWARD
https://mastersreview.com/short-story-award-for-new-writers/
https://themastersreview.submittable.com/submit/153502/2019-2020-winter-short-story-award-for-new-writers-judged-by-kimberly-king-pars
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2020. The winning story will be awarded $3,000 and publication online.  Second and third place stories will be awarded publication and $300 and $200 respectively.  All winning stories and any notable Honorable Mentions will receive agency review. Stories under 6,000 words. 



QUANTUM SHORTS FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
https://shorts.quantumlah.org/news/announcing-new-call-flash-fiction
NO ENTRY FEE, but required you signing in to submit. Deadline February 29, 2020. We want stories of up to 1,000 words long that take inspiration from the mind-blowing world of quantum physics. The Quantum Shorts competition is free to enter, offering prizes of up to $1,500.



BAYOU MAGAZINE JAMES KNUDSEN PRIZE FOR FICTION
https://bayoumagazine.submittable.com/submit
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 2, 2020. Winner will receive $1,000 and a year's subscription to Bayou Magazine. All submissions will be considered for publication. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished work of fiction, no longer than 7,500 words.



BAYOU MAGAZINE KAY MURPHY PRIZE FOR FICTION
https://bayoumagazine.submittable.com/submit
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 2, 2020. Winner will receive $1,000 and a year's subscription to Bayou Magazine. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished poetry. Limit three poems per entry. 



MISSISSIPPI REVIEW COMPETITION
http://sites.usm.edu/mississippi-review/contest.html
$16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 1, 2020. Our annual contest awards prizes of $1,000 in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Winners and finalists will make up next summer's print issue of the national literary magazine Mississippi Review. Contest is open to all writers in English except current or former students or employees of The University of Southern Mississippi. Fiction and nonfiction entries should be 1,000-8,000 words; poetry entries should be three to five poems totaling ten pages or less. 



THE AMERICAN SHORT(ER) FICTION PRIZE
http://americanshortfiction.org/2019/11/05/now-open-the-2020-american-shorter-fiction-prize/
$17 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2020. The prize recognizes extraordinary short fiction under 1,000 words. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 prize and publication. Previous winners of the Short(er) Fiction Prize have gone on to be anthologized in places such as The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses. All entries will be considered for publication.



MALAHAT REVIEW NOVELLA PRIZE
http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/novella_contest/info.html
CAN $35 for each entry from Canada. US $40 for each entry from the USA. US $45 for each entry from Mexico or outside North America. Deadline February 1, 2020. The Malahat Review invites entries for its biennial Novella Prize, for which one award of $CAN 1,500 is given. The contest is open to Canadian and international writers anywhere in the world. Writers may submit a single work of fiction per entry, with a minimum length of 10,000 words and maximum length of 20,000 words. There are no restrictions as to form, subject matter, or aesthetic approach.



RED HEN PRESS WOMEN'S PROSE PRIZE
https://redhenpress.submittable.com/submit/68507/red-hen-press-womens-prose-prize
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 29, 2020. The Women's Prose Prize is for a previously unpublished, original work of prose. Novels, short story collections, memoirs, essay collections, and all other forms of prose writing are eligible for consideration. Awarded manuscript is selected through an annual competition that is open to all writers who identify as women. Award is $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press. Word length 45,000 to 80,000. 



PUCHI AWARD
http://puchiaward.com/en/guidelines
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 23, 2020. The competition is open to books in any genre or form: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, novels, comics, picture books, essays, cookbooks, geography books, combinations of the above or any other type imaginable. We’re looking for a one-of-a-kind book, or even a whole new kind of book. This competition is open to literary and graphic projects of any kind that stand out by virtue of their premise, literary and graphic quality, originality, unconventionality or mould-shattering conception. A book can contain everything and anything, and that is precisely what this contest wants: fiction and nonfiction, essays, informative literature, poetry, illustration, comics, cookbooks, geography books, combinations of the above or any other type of work. All authors of legal age from Spain or any other country are eligible to submit one or more original, unpublished works. The winner will receive a cash prize of €8,000 (VAT and all other taxes included, as an advance on the rights of the published work) and have his/her work published and distributed by Fulgencio Pimentel.



 

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful literary art of poetry and/or writing a story that's worth telling everyone! And welcome to all, having the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00. All works must be original.

Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed. And/or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme; fiction, nonfiction or creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, and screenwriting). Also, all entries must be either typed or neatly hand printed.

Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Postmark deadline: December 28, 2019. All contest winners will be published on February 29, 2020

Writing First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees: $10 per story, $5 per poem.

Include title(s) with your story(ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the cover sheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: "DREAMQUESTONE.COM"

Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654

Visit https://www.dreamquestone.com for details!

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

SOUTHARTS EXPRESS GRANTS
https://www.southarts.org/grants/apply-for-a-grant/express-grants/
South Arts’ new Express Grant program is an opportunity for presenting arts organizations in rural Southern communities (with populations of 50,000 or below) to receive fee support to present Southern guest performing or literary artists from outside of the presenter’s state. These quick turnaround grants offer more flexibility for programming that may not fit within South Arts’ annual grantmaking schedule. Touring support is awarded to theater, music, opera, musical theater, dance, fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry projects that contain both a public performance or reading and an educational component. The maximum request is 50 percent of the artist fee, up to $2,000. These grants are very limited and awarded on a first-come/first-served basis. Express Grant applications must be submitted online by at least 60 days prior to the project start date.



THE PHILIP ROTH RESIDENCE IN CREATIVE WRITING
https://www.bucknell.edu/academics/beyond-classroom/academic-centers-institutes/stadler-center-poetry-literary-arts-3
Deadline February 1, 2020. To be eligible for the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing, an applicant must be at least 21 years of age, reside in the United States, and not be enrolled as a student in a college or university. Some record of publication is desirable and there is no application fee. 



DJERASSI RESIDENCIES
https://djerassi.org/about/
Deadline March 16, 2020. The mission of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program is to support and enhance the creativity of artists by providing uninterrupted time for work, reflection, and collegial interaction in a setting of great natural beauty, and to preserve the land on which the Program is situated. The next deadline to apply is Monday, March 16, 2020, for residencies in 2021. Location California. 






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

Crack open your fierce, original voice at one of the year's most intensive writing retreats at the renowned and secluded Present Moment seaside eco-retreat! Buoyed by stunning natural beauty & the pulsing rhythm of Pacific waves, you'll dive deep below the surface of "the usual" to supercharge your writing practice & surprise yourself on the page.  

Three spots left for writers of all levels & genres. This retreat offers profound creative catalyst along with unconventional & incredibly effective tools of the 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. Writing workshops and feedback on your work-in-progress by award-winning author and teacher Jeannine Ouellette.

Retreat includes ground transportation, room & board with all fresh gourmet meals, daily writing workshops with facilitated craft discussions & readings, expertly guided yoga & meditation, optional eco-adventures, individualized support & more. Inquire soon! Space is limited; payment plans available. Join us!

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

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

FREELANCE MARKETS

CATHOLIC DIGEST
http://www.catholicdigest.com/writers-guidelines/
Catholic Digest offers daily support for everyday Catholics who want to enrich their personal faith lives as well as bring a Catholic perspective to their life, work, family, and relationships. Queries submitted must be strongly focused on a definitive topic and hold a national appeal. Print features are approximately 1,500 words. Web articles are approximately 1,000 words. We follow Associated Press style, Catholic News Service style, and our own house style.



EARTH ISLAND JOURNAL
http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/page/writers-photographers-guidelines
Earth Island Journal is always looking for compelling and distinctive stories that anticipate environmental concerns before they become pressing problems — stories that scan the horizon for the next big threat to our environment. We want articles that will surprise, provoke, and entertain our readers and that explore new territory overlooked by other publications. We cover the entire spectrum of environmental issues, including, wildlife and lands conservation; innovations in science and technology; public policy and the politics of environmental protection; climate and energy; animal rights; public health; environmental justice and cultural survival; and environmentally related film, music, and books. We pay writers 25 cents/word for print stories. You can expect to earn about $750-$1,000 for an in-depth feature story (about 4,000 words). For online reports, the fee is $100. 



THE NATION
https://www.thenation.com/submission-guidelines/
We are a weekly journal of left/liberal opinion, covering national and international affairs as well as the arts publishing in both print and digitally. We run comments (approximately 750 words), which are brief analyses of news developments, e.g., a Supreme Court decision or a change of government in Mexico; and articles (typically 1,500-2,500 words), which combine reporting and analysis to provide in-depth looks at issues and investigative reports (usually 2,000 to 6,000 words). Pays $250 to $500.



ONE STORY
https://www.one-story.com/?page=submit
One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone. One Story pays $500 and 25 contributor's copies for First Serial North American rights. All rights will revert to the author following publication.



NOTE: Here are some valued, well-paying Federal full-time positions. I post these periodically as they come available.



WRITER-EDITOR
Location Maxwell AFB, Alabama
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/554848000
Writes materials on a variety of subjects such as reports, articles, pamphlets, scripts, or speeches. Edits manuscripts and other written materials prepared by others. Assists subject-matter experts to meet required publication standards. Manages individual or serial publications from initial conception and content determination through to distribution, and coordinates the activities of other publishing personnel. U.S. Citizenship is required. Pays $51,440 to $66,868 per year. 



PLAIN LANGUAGE WRITER
Location Alexandria, VA
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/554324200
Generate and implement new written communication approaches and methods in order to enhance public understanding of complex programs, legal information, and important initiatives affecting a large and diverse domestic and international set of audiences. Serve as an expert consultant and authority for plain writing strategy, development, and management, and advises other business unit managers and staff thereon. Draft, review, and edit new content for external stakeholders. Conduct periodic reviews of existing written content to ensure it is user friendly, current, and relevant, and routes such for updates on a periodic or as-needed basis.Pays $83,398 to $128,920 per year.



WRITER-EDITOR
Location Suitland, MD
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/554257800
Serve as an editor for the Public Information Office. Review, analyze, and edit draft reports and other forms of communications for logic and conformance with style (The Gregg Reference Manual or, for the newsroom, the Associated Press Style Book, etc..) and Census Bureau requirements. Collaborate with subject matter experts to identify and tell the story of newsworthy content in Census Bureau statistics and programs. Write clear, concise text about statistics and Census Bureau programs for internal and external audiences.Pays $57,510 to $74,759 per year. 

 

Publishers/agents

SAPERE BOOKS
https://saperebooks.com/about/submissions/
We are looking for full-length Crime Fiction, Mysteries, Thrillers, Women’s Fiction, Romantic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action and Adventure (Military, Naval and Aviation Fiction) and History. At the moment we are not looking to publish any Short Stories/Novellas, Children’s Fiction, YA, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Erotic Fiction or Poetry. Include a synopsis of about 1,000 words detailing the full plot of your book (including all the spoilers!). Feel free to use bullet points. Include the first 10,000 words of your manuscript, with a title page included. Please add a quick note letting us know how you heard about Sapere Books.



NEON LITERARY
https://neonliterary.com/
https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2019/12/briefs-neon-literary-bloomsburys-china-jv-and-more/
The second link is the press release about this new literary agency established by two exiting literary agents. "Anna Sproul-Latimer and Kent Wolf have joined to launch Neon Literary, with offices in New York and Washington, DC. Sproul-Latimer has been at the Yoon Ross Agency for almost 15 years, and Wolf has been at the Friedrich Agency." 



BEAMING BOOKS
https://www.beamingbooks.com/about.jsp
Beaming Books publishes high-quality children’s books that help kids thrive in every part of who they are–emotionally, socially, and spiritually. With topics ranging from self-esteem to kindness, ethics, and faith, our books are designed to spark the imagination and equip kids and families to live full and flourishing lives, together. Beaming Books is an imprint of 1517 Media. 1517 Media creates multimedia resources and distinctive books for Christian communities, higher-education learning and scholars, and the general reader. 1517 Media’s imprints include Augsburg Fortress, Beaming Books, Fortress Press, and Sparkhouse.



BAKER BOOKS
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bakerbooks
We publish titles for lay Christians on topics such as discipleship, apologetics, spirituality, relationships, marriage, parenting, and the intersection of Christianity and culture. We also publish books and ministry resources for pastors and church leaders, concentrating on topics such as preaching, worship, pastoral ministries, counseling, biblical reference, and leadership.



EERDMAN'S PUBLISHING
https://www.eerdmans.com/
Eerdmans publishes excellent books by well-qualified authors in biblical and theological studies and in religious approaches to philosophy, history, art, literature, ethics, and contemporary social and cultural issues. Target readerships range from academic to semi-popular. We are publishing a growing number of books in Christian life, spirituality, and ministry. Eerdmans does not undertake subsidy publishing for individuals.



SLANT BOOKS
https://wipfandstock.com/imprint/slant-7
Call it spirituality, mystery, or intuition, we desire to know the unknowable. Slant publishes literary fiction expressing this infusion of mystery in our daily experience. Compelled by characters of dimensionality, textured prose, and innovative plot, we are compelled by writing that most mirrors what it means to be human: the everyday confluence of human passion and the sacred.



FRONT PORCH REPUBLIC BOOKS
https://wipfandstock.com/imprint/front-porch-republic-28
Front Porch Republic Books publishes works about place, localism, community, decentralism, and conservation. Titles include significant works on politics, economics, and culture, as well as new editions of previously published works that deserve a new audience. Other titles provide practical advice on how to enact and embody a localist ethic. 



DOVE CHRISTIAN PUBLISHERS
https://www.dovechristianpublishers.com/publish-with-us/
Dove Christian Publishers currently has two brands under which your book may be submitted for publication. Dove Christian Publishers is our traditional publishing imprint, while Inscript Books is a newer imprint that accepts books for author-subsidized publishing. Our traditional Dove Christian Publishers imprint is intended for authors with established social media and/or email followings of at least 500 people. Our Inscript imprint is primarily for new authors with no established platform or smaller followings. See our article, Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing versus Self-Publishing for more information on the two publishing methods.
 

SPONSORS

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

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ISSN: 1533-1326

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