SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

THREE TIPS FOR SUBMITTING GRANTS TO ARTS COMMISSIONS


When artists of all types seek grants, I direct them first to their state arts commissions. Canada has province and city arts commissions, and the UK and Australia have their own national and local commission. (Our knowledge does not branch into Africa, Middle East, or Far East, sorry.) While those are pretty easy to locate, the savvy in how to submit evades a lot of folks. 

This very brief YouTube video could apply to just about any arts commission grant anywhere. The program manager covers the top three tips for submitting. https://youtu.be/YH4w-SVboLM

Bottom line?

1) Follow the guidelines. See if you are a good fit for what the grant provides. They don't just throw out money. They have a mission. Your mission as a writer has to match their mission as a grant provider.

2) Watch the deadline. Sounds stupidly elementary, but people will push the deadline, or let it slip away from them. Allow ample time to do your paperwork, collect documentation, and speak to people you may need to for advice.

3) Reach out to the program manager. These commissions have intelligent people who know grants and understand the process. Meet them. Call them. Get to know them. They will help you present the best grant application you can. 

Sounds elementary, but an amazing number of applications fall short because of details rather than qualifications. 

To find your arts commission, consider these links:

https://www.arts.gov/partners/state-regional
https://canadacouncil.ca/ 
https://www.rlf.org.uk/
https://societyofauthors.org/Grants/Grants-for-works-in-progress
https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/

Or Google: Location AND literary grants. Location can be country, state, province, region, or city. Each will come up with different results.

(NOTE: We have little knowledge about grants in Africa, Middle East, or Far East.)















Due to popular request, you'll find autographed versions of The Edisto Island Mysteries at my website, or through the online store.

 

SUPER SPONSOR WORTH NOTING

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Here’s a secret no one tells you about writing—survival (and also success) has nothing to do with talent or technique. It’s all about mindset and attitude. This is true whether you are just starting out or have been writing for decades. This is why I am so excited to share this FREE master class from Gabriela Pereira, founder of DIY MFA.

Join her on Tuesday, February 25th at 1pm ET for How to Survive and Succeed as a Writer (without Breaking Your Heart or Losing Your Mind).

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Hi Hope,

Thank you for your weekly suggestions to submit to publications. My story, The Rosary in Mom's Purse, was recently included in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Believe in Miracles book.

I read Funds For Writers each week, (thank you so much for sending it to me) and I scour through every word looking for things that pertain to me and my writing. You never disappoint!

Thank you and Bless you and continue on with your wonderful novels, stories, and FundsforWriters!

Best,
Gloria Pape (Carnevale) Caviglia

- - - -

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

Email [email protected] 





 

Featured article

21 Tips for Building Your Author Brand on Twitter 

By Dan Brotzel

Twitter is home to a lively and supportive community of writers, editors, publishers and readers. Here are 21 ideas for making your presence felt…  

Think about what you stand for as an author. Is humour your stock-in-trade or are you a cozy mystery type? Do you write about immigration issues or cyber-erotica? Do you set stories in Ancient Rome or Venezuela? This will help you focus on which people and hashtags to engage with.  

Work your bio hard. Make every word count. Don’t list every publication or comp, just the ones you’re proudest of. 

Update your pinned tweet regularly. It’s your calling card, so keep it current and compelling. 

Celebrate, compliment, commiserate. Make a point of retweeting other people in your network on the things that matter to them. Aim to add more value than you receive. 

Go little and often. No one can keep up with it all. Better to dip in and out rather than binge-tweet. 

Try for the 4:1 rule. That’s four tweets that are focused on others – information, inspiration, conversation, etc. – for every tweet that’s self-promotion. 

When you get a new follower, retweet their pinned tweet as above. 

Don’t over-think it. If you have a thought that tickles you, just put it out there. Chances are it’ll tickle others too. 

Think about timing. There’s endless and often contradictory data about the best time to tweet, but over time you’ll see a rhythm emerge. Teatimes, evenings, and weekends seem to work best for me.  

Don’t draft and redraft tweets. The odd typo or clunkiness is part of what makes them real.

Keep it feline. Cats (and other animals) rule the internet; this is a universal law. You may have an important thought about democracy or a clever new theory about Dickens to share, but engagement-wise it is likely to be destroyed by that video of a kitten snuggling up to a gosling. On Twitter, fun, quirky, and cute will always have the edge. 

Think feels, not facts. (Also, felines, as the cats have asked me to repeat.)

Go visual. Bring your tweets to life with images, gifs, and videos. 

Don’t be afraid to repeat key messages. If you’ve got a lovely new book promo video, people will understand if you feel the need to share it every so often. Just don’t overdo it.  

To connect with someone, start by liking and retweeting their tweets. This is a polite, non-invasive way of getting to know someone, and the conversation will start to emerge organically from there. 

Keep an eye on new followers. If an editor of a litmag you like starts to follow you, send them a story. You don’t want to be too pushy about introducing yourself – many people are turned off by an instant DM – but if you see you’re on someone’s radar, now’s the time to get in touch. 

Say why you shared something. Rather than just retweeting a link to an article or video, add a little line explaining why you think it’s worth a look. 

Copy other people’s styles. Follow lots of other authors, see how they manage things on Twitter, and see what you can emulate. 

Don’t expect tweets or follows to translate into instant sales. You’re building awareness, developing relationships, networking. Like a lot of social activity (as big brands have learned) it’s not easy to quantify commercially.  

But alternate with fresh content too. A competition win, a take on a news story that’s relevant to your book, a link to a guest post.  

Blow your own trumpet! Apparently, it’s poor form to retweet praise, but Pah! There’s too much rejection in the writing life not to give yourself a boost when you earn one. And if you’ve been a generous cheerleader for others, they’ll applaud you right back. 

BIO: Dan Brotzel (@brotzel_fiction) is author of a collection of short stories, Hotel du Jack, and co-author of a new comic novel about an eccentric writers’ group, Kitten on a Fatberg (Unbound). For 10% off your order, quote KITTEN10








 

COmpetitions

SMOKELONG QUARTERLY CONTEST
http://www.smokelong.com/the-smokelong-quarterly-award-for-flash-fiction/
ENTRY FEE: Feb 10-April 26: $13.50 for up to two stories; April 27-May 24: $15.50 for up to two stories. The grand prize winner will receive $2,000, automatic nomination for The Best Small Fictions, the Pushcart Prize, and Best of the Net, as well as publication in our 17th-anniversary contest issue in June. A second prize of at least $200 and a third prize of at least $100 plus publication will be awarded. All the finalists will also be published in our June contest issue and will receive at least $50. In addition, we will publish a long list of deserving stories. Non-Anglo stories accompanied by an English translation will also be considered. Word limit: 1,000. 



WILLIE MORRIS AWARD FOR SOUTHERN FICTION
https://williemorrisawards.org/fiction/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 1, 2020. The Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction is named for the late author, Willie Morris, and the spirit of the winning novel should reflect his words, “hope for belonging, for belief in a people’s better nature, for steadfastness against all that is hollow or crass or rootless or destructive.” The selected book may contain violence and despair and feature terrible events, but in the final analysis must be uplifting, and suggest hope and optimism. The winning book must be a classic novel of at least 50,000 words. The recipient of the Willie Morris Award receives $10,000 and an expense paid trip to Oxford, MS. The author must come to Oxford to receive the award, attend a luncheon with the contest judges and a reception in his/her honor. At the reception copies of the book are given to those attending, and the author is available to sign them. On that same evening, the author makes a few remarks about the book. Last year, more than 100 invited guests attended the reception; and nearly 100 books were given away.



BOOKSIE FLASH FICTION PRIZE
https://www.booksie.com/contest/booksie-2020-flash-fiction-writing-contest-18
$6.95 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 08, 2020. Take a look at the picture at the site. In 500 words or less, write a story about the image. The challenge of flash fiction is to create a thought-provoking story within the tight word constraints of the writing form. The story can be any genre as long as it is based on the picture. One grand-prize winner will receive $500 and receive a gold contest badge. Two runners-up will receive $100 and receive a silver contest badge.



WRITER'S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-book-awards
$99 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 1, 2020. Submit your self-published, printed and bound book in one of eight categories (mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction/reference, inspirational, life stories, early reader/children's picture books, middle-grade/young adult, poetry) for a chance at $8,000, a trip to New York City for the Annual Writer's Digest Conference, a feature article about you and your book in the March/April 2021 issue of Writer's Digest. One First Prize winner in each category will receive $1,000 and promotion in the March 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest. Every entrant will also receive a brief commentary from one of our qualified judges—all who have experience in their respective categories or the publishing world.



ERNEST HEMINGWAY FLASH FICTION PRIZE
https://fictionsoutheast.com/ernest-hemingway-flash-fiction-award/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2020. Entries for the Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize should be approximately 1,500 words or less and unpublished. Winner – $200 and publication in Fiction Southeast. Finalists – publication in Fiction Southeast. 



-1000 BELOW: FLASH PROSE AND POETRY CONTEST
http://midwayjournal.com/contest/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2020. First Prize: $500 + publication in Midway Journal. Second Prize: $250 + publication in Midway Journal. Third Prize: $50 + publication in Midway Journal. Poetry: up to two poems per entry, up to 40 words per poem. No more than one poem per page. Prose (Fiction and Nonfiction): one piece per entry, up to 1,000 words per piece. All submissions will be considered for publication.



HAUNTED WATERS PRESS SHORT SHORTS FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://hauntedwaterspress.submittable.com/submit/152791/haunted-waters-press-short-shorts-flash-fiction-open-2020
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2020. All works accepted for print publication will receive payment plus online Featured Author Interview. Include up to three works of flash fiction in a single submission. The recipient of the 2020 Haunted Waters Press Short Shorts Award for Flash Fiction will receive a $250 cash award, print publication in the 2020 issue of From the Depths, and a Featured Author Interview to appear alongside their work. Open to all genres, themes, and writers. We seek flash fiction of 500 words or less.



STELLA KUPFERBERG MEMORIAL SHORT STORY PRIZE
http://www.symphonyspace.org/selected-shorts/the-stella-kupferberg-memorial-short-story-prize
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2020. The winning work will be performed and recorded live at a Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space on June 10, 2020 and published on Electric Literature. The winning writer will receive $1,000 and a free ten-week course with Gotham Writers. Entrees should be 750 words or less. Stories can be on any theme.



LITERAL LITERARY POSTCARD STORY CONTEST
https://www.geist.com/contests/postcard-contest
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2020. Send us a story and a postcard—the relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. First Prize: $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $150. All winning entries will be published in Geist and on geist.com.

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

NEBRASKA MINI GRANTS
https://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/grants/grant-categories/mini-grants.html
Mini Grants are designed to provide quick access to funds supporting a variety of arts projects. Examples of projects include exhibitions, performances, poetry readings, commissions, or support of new work development, arts festivals, community murals, and cultural heritage projects. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations incorporated in Nebraska that are federally tax-exempt, and public agencies and subdivisions of governmental agencies. Note: Organizations may submit up to two Mini Grant applications per fiscal year. Grant Amounts: $100 - $2,000. Deadline: At least six weeks and no more than 12 weeks prior to project start date. NOTE TO INDIVIDUALS: Set up an event with a school, library, museum, or literary group, and they can apply for this grant to cover your fee. 



NEBRASKA ARTS PROJECT GRANTS (APG)
https://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/grants/grant-categories/arts-project-grants.html
Support arts programming, productions, or events open to the general public. Support is limited to an arts project taking place within a defined period of time. The program or event may have multiple components and/or performances. Eligibility: All non-profit arts and non-arts organizations, as well as public agencies and subdivisions of government. Pre-K-12 accredited schools are encouraged to apply for Arts Learning Project or AiS/C grants. Organizations and college/university departments may apply for either one Arts Project Grant or one Arts Learning Project Grant per deadline. Basic Support grantees may not apply. However, they may be a collaborating partner in an Arts Project Grant application made by another organization. Grant Amounts: $2,000 - $7,500. Deadlines:
Spring Deadline: March 15 (for projects taking place July 1 - June 30)
Fall Deadline: October 1 (for projects taking place January 1 - June 30)
AGAIN WITH THE NOTE TO INDIVIDUALS: Partner with an organization or group. 



SOZOPOL FICTION SEMINARS, BULGARIA
http://ekf.bg/sozopol/page/44
Deadline March 16, 2020. The Sozopol Seminars will take place May 28–31, 2020, in the ancient town of Sozopol, on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, with additional programs between June 1-3 in the southeastern city of Yambol and the capital city of Sofia. Fiction writers from Bulgaria and  English-speaking countries, including but not limited to Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are invited to apply. A total number of ten applicants will be selected for participation—five writing in English, and five writing in Bulgarian. For successful candidates, the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation will cover 50 percent of international travel, as well as provide in-country transportation and hotel arrangements. The foundation will also cover meals associated with the opening and closing ceremonies of the seminar. Fellows are required to pay the remaining 50 percent of the cost of their international travel, as well as a $440 participation fee that covers administrative expenses, a two-night stay in Sofia in a single room with breakfast, a four-night stay in Sozopol in a double-occupancy room with breakfast and lunch, and a one-night stay in Yambol in a single room.



DELAWARE ARTIST ROSTER
https://delaware.gov/artistroster/
The Division’s Artist Roster is a resource for anyone looking for artistic talent in Delaware. You can find visual, literary, and performing artists available to create, exhibit, perform, or present programs in venues across the state and throughout the region. We are currently seeking more artists to register or update their profile to include “Teaching Artist” under the Arts Services category. School administrators, teachers, and organizers of events and programs regularly seek artists to lead art projects and workshops in a variety of disciplines and media. If you like to help people create, let us know!



DELAWARE ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
https://arts.delaware.gov/grants-for-artists/
Artist Opportunity Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to support unique professional and artistic development and presentation opportunities for artists. Examples include materials to complete work for a specific show or program; the cost to rent a facility for a performance; study with a master for a specified period of time. Evaluation criteria include anticipated impact on the artist’s work or career; financial feasibility and need; marketing plans; and uniqueness of the opportunity. Applicants can request up to 80 percent of the opportunity cost not to exceed $750. Quarterly deadlines: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.



UCROSS
http://www.ucrossfoundation.org/residency-program/
Deadline March 1, 2020. The Ucross Foundation provides uninterrupted time, workspace, and living accommodations to competitively selected visual artists, writers, and composers. The foundation currently is accepting applications for its 2020 Fall Residency program, which runs from August through December.



HEINZ ENDOWMENT
http://www.heinz.org/strategic-areas/creativity/small-arts-initiative
Grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded to help Pittsburgh-area organizations or collectives of artists/organizations carry out well-defined artistic opportunities or address meaningful challenges. Examples of previously funded projects include annual productions; guest artists or technical personnel engaged to work with company members in the context of preparing for a public presentation or new work; commissioning or presenting an ensemble or artist who enriches the cultural landscape; and artistic expenses that are important to a pivotal project. A total of $500,000 will be made available in 2020. To be eligible, applicants must be tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be part of a collaboration and have a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) status. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE ARTS IN HEALTH PROJECT GRANTS
https://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/partners/artsinhealthcare.htm
Deadline May 1, 2020. Arts in Health Project Grants support arts activities, presentations and artist residencies that occur in health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, and correctional facilities. The overall goal of this grant category is to utilize the arts to enhance quality of life, facilitate the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional aspects of individual healing, and when applied to public health, promote healthy environments and policies in communities by promoting empathy, awareness and social cohesion through shared narrative and aesthetic experiences. This grant category is in response to the Arts Council’s commitment to meeting the needs of underserved populations, which can include the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with health challenges.



NEW HAMPSHIRE ARTIST ENTREPRENEURIAL GRANTS
https://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/artists/artistentre.html
Quarterly deadlines of May 8, 2020, August 7, 2020, November 6, 2020, February 5, 2021. Artist Entrepreneurial Grants recognize the importance of the creative workforce to New Hampshire’s economy. Artist Entrepreneurial Grants support opportunities that will benefit artists’ careers, including the development of business skills, participation in programs to raise the level and quality of their art, and participation in programs that will bring their art to the widest possible markets.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS

SILK & STEEL: AN ADVENTURE ANTHOLOGY OF QUEER LADIES
https://cantinapublishing.com/submissions/
Deadline February 22, 2020. We’re looking for stories of high adventure that feature one weapon-wielding woman and one woman whose strengths lie in softer skills, but who is just as powerful in her own right. You’re free to choose any setting – from historical to modern to wildly futuristic. Looking for all speculative genres except straight-up erotica or hard-core horror. Aiming for a general audience. We will purchase first publishing rights for inclusion in this anthology (ebook and print) and one year of exclusivity for eight cents/word. Authors retain the rights to the individual stories.



ENTREPRENEUR.COM
https://www.entrepreneur.com/page/276150?_ga=2.74604242.1737486101.1537834177-1865186819.1537834177
Pieces typically run about 700-1,000 words. More expansive pieces that run over 1,500 words are welcome and will do better in search. Please use more than one example of a good company doing good things to illustrate your point (i.e., avoid any press-release-type promotion of one business that reads like ad content). Can pay over $1 per word.



GROOVEWALLET
https://www.groovewallet.com/write-for-us/
Groovewallet seeks practical, actionable advice on money management, making money, and case studies and stories. Our goal is to make money simple and fun. Pitch ideas or submit on spec. Pays up to $200. 



LIISBETH
https://www.liisbeth.com/contributors/guidelines/
We are an online magazine yet publish a bit like a record label-periodically. We release two to five feature articles, update our site and publish one newsletter during the third week of every month (except July).  We try to group articles and submissions by theme when it makes sense to do so. Articles are always about feminism, innovation, enterprise and critiques of policies and systems that drive inequality.  We are trans-inclusive and intersectional feminists-full stop. See website for the pay scale in each department. Pay starts at $250. 



NARRATIVELY
https://narratively.submittable.com/submit
Narratively stories are defined by our style, a particularly immersive, active form of storytelling. We don't publish articles *about* a topic; instead, we take readers inside another world, another life, through vivid scenes and compelling narrative arcs. We pay for stories. Every Narratively story follows either one central character or a group of characters. We explore big ideas and topics, but always through the lens of human experience. Appears to pay ten cents/word and up.

 

Publishers/agents

DAVID HIGHAM ASSOCIATES - AGENT JANE GREGORY
https://www.davidhigham.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Jane-Gregory-submissions.pdf
Please send a one-page synopsis that gives a full explanation of the plot, and the first three chapters or up to 50 pages (double-spaced). Agent Jane Gregory represents crime, family sagas, historical fiction, thrillers, and upmarket commercial fiction at present, but the agency has many other agents and represents all genres in all media. 



THE BLAIR PARTNERSHIP
https://www.theblairpartnership.com/about/
As J.K. Rowling’s agent, we have pioneered a new approach to representation that has helped to create and continues to constantly grow one of the world’s major entertainment franchises. We represent a range of people internationally, from debut and established writers to broader talent across business, politics, sport, and lifestyle. Our range of work spans publishing, digital, dramatic rights and film production. We are currently focused on commercial and reading group fiction, thrillers, crime, historical, horror, women’s fiction, accessible literary, children’s and YA fiction, and nonfiction with an original message or platform. We do not currently represent scripts or screenplays. We are not currently open to short stories or poetry. Select an agent to pitch. 



AEVITAS CREATIVE
https://aevitascreative.com/about/
Aevitas Creative Management is a full-service literary agency, home to more than 20 agents in six cities (New York, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Seattle, London), representing scores of award-winning authors, thinkers, and public figures. Aevitas also provides high-level strategic communications consulting and original content development services to internationally renowned business, political, and cultural leaders, institutions, brands, and estates.

SPONSORS

www.fundsforwriters.com/advertising 

FINE PRINT

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

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

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