TOP SPONSOR 

Stop Wasting Time Looking for Editor Contacts! 

Find editors fast, and marketing managers, too. Then, quickly get their email address. In this free report from Freelance Writers Den founder Carol Tice, you'll discover:

• How to get Twitter to reveal an editor's email address 
• A Gmail tool that confirms if you have the right email
• Advanced Google search tricks for zipping straight to the right contact
• How to decide which editor to pitch at a magazine
• And other no-fail methods for quickly finding the right contacts!

WHEN THEY SHOOT OVER YOUR BOW

Last week I made mention of how authors might want to abstain from making their personal opinions about current events too loud and too public. Publishers, in particular, prefer their authors not to alienate potential readers. To take a political stand, choose a party, downplay a religion, etc. etc. is to lose readers. You are making the conscious choice to state your opinion instead of selling books or landing writing gigs. Especially if you're not Stephen King. That's just a fact. 

Some people can afford to speak openly about their opinions. Others cannot afford to risk losing readers. 

One lady unsubscribed from the newsletter after my post, and that's okay. Another, however, posted loudly and angrily on her Facebook page, tagging me, advising people to unsubscribe as well. I never allowed it on my FB page, and I never replied. This is what is deemed shooting over someone's bow. Meaning, they shoot at you to see if you shoot back.

Don't shoot back.

On a similar note, another author mentioned on her Facebook page how disgruntled she was that a reviewer sold an ARC of her latest novel on eBay yet did not post a review. The author's post ranted about how wrong that was. In doing so, she gave more attention to the background promotion efforts of an author rather than the book itself. She sucked energy away from the positive message that she had a new release. And she painted a different image of herself on social media than that of a professional author.

Not every ARC or review copy of a book will result in a review. Yes, there are trolls who ask for copies and never do the reviews. Just make sure they never get another review copy but keep quiet about how that makes you feel. Book copies are part of the cost of being an author. 

The world is on fire with confrontation. People are itching for a fight. But nothing diffuses an argument faster than for one side not to reply. Better to be known as an author happy in your work than one unhappy with how the process works, how the world is run, or disgruntled because of reviews or contrarians. 

You'd be amazed at how many readers are silently looking for a writer with a great story. . . and nothing else. They are worn out from the world. They crave positive. Consider being the author that fills that need. . . or not.

SUPER SPONSOR 

HOW TO FIND FREELANCE WRITING JOBS IN 2020 - FREE TRAINING!

If you're worried that there aren't clients right now, heads up: there ARE. Loads of businesses are still going full bore or even more. It's not all losers out there.

Discover how to find high-paying writing jobs now. YES — even during isolation, COVID, and recession.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT!
 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

 
SUCCESS QUOTE

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. 

Email [email protected] 
 

Featured article

SEO Tips for Writers in 2020

By Dan Brotzel

The letters SEO (search engine optimisation) strike fear into the heart of many writers. Perhaps your developer has told you to think about the SEO of your author site, or perhaps your latest freelance writing commission involves ‘optimising the content for SEO’. 

SEO relates to a range of activities designed to help your (or your client’s) web content rank as highly as possible in Google. Google has a very complex way of deciding how to rank sites for a given search term. SEO experts work hard to understand these 100+ factors, and to develop websites and create and promote content accordingly. 

Many of these factors are technical, but a few relate to writing. The exact combination is a commercial secret, and Google changes them every so often. Some factors (such as keyword density) don’t matter so much anymore, while others are newer. Below are a few that content writers need to be aware of in 2020. 

Expertise – Authority – Trust (EAT)

As any SEO expert will tell you, writing great content that people want to link to and share socially is the number one SEO tactic, bar none. Google has put more and more emphasis on editorial quality in recent years, and E-A-T is a recent Google definition of what that looks like. In practice, E-A-T means: backing up your content with evidence and references, providing author bios and pics, citing evidence of your expertise, and using original research where possible. More here

 
Featured Snippets – Position Zero 

Search engines are often described as ‘answer engines’ nowadays, especially as so many searches are done by voice now. So, Google will often throw up a ‘featured snippet’ at the top of a results page – below the paid results but above the number one spot in organic (unpaid) rankings (hence ‘position zero’). These slots are common (example above), and often feature bullet points, numbers or a Q&A format. 

Featured snippets are highly coveted because they can pinch traffic from the number one organic result, and are a way for smaller outlets to steal thunder from big players. For its snippets, Google will take the content from anywhere, so long as it thinks it’s the ‘best’ answer to a searcher’s question. 

Many websites have reworked all their content to try and get picked up in featured snippets for specific questions. There’s a whole methodology to it, but it involves a strict character count, working in clear structure into your copy, and writing in a neutral, Wikipedia-style tone. Lots more detail here.

Meta Descriptions

It’s worth spending some time crafting a strong meta description for each web page you’re writing. Though it probably doesn’t affect ranking it can improve click-throughs, as this little bit of text will often be picked up by Google and used as a snippet to tease your content on a search results page. So write something that’s instantly meaningful and engaging. More guidance here.  


Titles 

There’s a huge amount of research now into what makes a good search-friendly title for a piece of content. Numbers (listicles) and ‘how-to’ titles work well, as do titles that begin by explaining the type of content in square brackets followed by a colon, e.g., ‘[New research]: Average freelance pay is down for third year running’. Loads more tips and info here.


Long is Good 

There is a lot of evidence, too, that Google likes comprehensive, in-depth, long-form content. Contrary to a few years ago, when everyone was killing themselves trying to churn out endless pieces of thin, me-too content, it’s probably better now to write fewer pieces but make them longer, unique, rich in authoritative information – and updated frequently, something else that Google likes. More about the SEO benefits of longer-form content here.


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).
 
 

COmpetitions

LASCAUX PRIZE IN FLASH FICTION
https://lascauxreview.com/contests
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2020. Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. True stories and prose poetry are welcome as long as they’re written in a narrative style. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication online in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in the annual print edition of the journal. Two copies of the journal will be supplied to every writer appearing in it.



SUNSPOT LIT
https://sunspotlit.com/contests
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2020. For this contest, all forms of prose are accepted: poetry, plays, stories, essays, memoirs, travel pieces, opinions, rants. Just keep it to 100 words or less. Winner receives $100. No restrictions on theme or category. In addition to receiving the cash prize, the winner will be published. Select finalists will have the chance to be published. Works accepted for publication include bylines and biographies. 



KEY WEST EMERGING WRITER AWARDS
https://www.kwls.org/awards/emerging-writer-awards/
Deadline July 15, 2020. Winners receive full tuition support for our January Seminar and Writers’ Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and the opportunity to appear on stage during the Seminar. Writers of any age who live in the United States and have not yet published a book with a major publisher are eligible to apply. If you are the author of a book that is self-published, published with an independent press, or had a print run of 500 or fewer copies, you may or may not be eligible. An award in each category of short story, poetry, and novel-in-progress. 



LA PICCIOLETTA BARCA COMPETITION
https://picciolettabarca.com/competition/
$10-$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline September 1, 2020. The stimulus for our inaugural competition is the mind map created by the LPB team on the notion of ‘antimatter’. The finalists will be published in a special issue on October 7, 2020, and the three winning entries will receive cash prizes of $400, $200 and $100 respectively. A single submission could include either: (a) a piece of prose (fiction or nonfiction) of up to 5,000 words; (b) up to five poems (up to 300 lines in total); up to five visual art projects (one photograph/project); up to five photographs; or up to five musical pieces (up to 40 minutes in total); or (c) a combination of up to five pieces of the forms stipulated in (b).



SASFEST POETRY CONTEST
https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit/165301/sasfest-poetry-contest-2020-21
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 16, 2020. One grand prize of $500 and two second-place prizes of $100 will be awarded. A list of the top ten finalists will be posted on our website and in our e-newsletter. Finalists will be published in the first-ever Saints and Sinners poetry Chapbook to be distributed at a special reading at the 2021 Festival. The contest is open to all LGBTQ+ writers. Authors who have published in other genres are eligible. Please submit original, unpublished work that has not won other prizes or contests. Submit two to four original, unpublished poems of any style based on our theme of LOVE, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.


 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR WORKSHOP FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
https://www.kwls.org/awards/wfa/
Deadline July 15, 2020. Financial assistance scholarships are available to those who wish to participate in our Writers’ Workshop Program. We aim to support the development of diverse new voices in American literature and provide opportunities to those who may not otherwise be able to attend. Scholarship recipients receive partial or full fee waivers (up to $600) to our Writers’ Workshop Program. Limited financial assistance to offset lodging costs is also available. Priority will be given to those who have not previously received KWLS support.



NEW JERSEY ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.midatlanticarts.org/wp-content/uploads/FINAL-2021-NJSCA-IAF-Guidelines.pdf
Deadline July 15, 2020. The foundation welcomes applications from practicing New Jersey artists for its Individual Artist Fellowship program. Artistic categories supported through the program in 2021 include: crafts, interdisciplinary, photography, and playwriting/screenwriting. Artists may use fellowship awards to pursue work in their artistic discipline, including the purchase of supplies, study in a workshop, rent for studio space, or otherwise freeing their time for creative pursuit. Fellowship funds may not be used for travel out of the country, study as a matriculated student in either a graduate or undergraduate program, or to purchase permanent equipment (equipment with a resale value exceeding $350, or having a life span over three years). Historically, fellowship awards have ranged from $6,000 to $12,000. To be eligible, applicants must be a current resident of the state of New Jersey and be 18 or older.



NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S CULLMAN CENTER FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/center-for-scholars-and-writers/fellowships-at-the-cullman-center
Deadline September 25, 2020. The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers offers Fellowships to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Renowned for the extraordinary comprehensiveness of its collections, the Library is one of the world’s preeminent resources for study in anthropology, art, geography, history, languages and literature, philosophy, politics, popular culture, psychology, religion, sociology, sports, and urban studies.



SIENA ART INSTITUTE'S SUMMER RESIDENCY PROGRAM
https://www.sienaart.org/Residencies/Summer-Residency-Program/Summer-Residency-Description/
Deadline September 30, 2020. The Siena Art Institute’s Summer Residency Program awards accomplished professional artists and writers the opportunity to stay for a month in the beautiful historic city of Siena, in the heart of Tuscany, Italy. The month-long Summer Residency Program grants resident artists a studio space at the Siena Art Institute and a private one-bedroom apartment in the historic city center of Siena, as well as flight compensation for getting to and from Italy. Summer Residents are granted uninterrupted time to pursue their own independent projects, as well as the opportunity to explore the area of Siena, and interact with the local community. Applications are now being accepted for the 2021 residency session.  



WALLACE STEGNER HOUSE RESIDENCY 
https://www.stegnerhouse.ca/eligibility.html
Deadline September 30, 2020. Writers, visual and performing artists from around the world are invited to apply for this residency. Writers must have had their work published; visual and performing artists must have shown their work in a public show or gallery to qualify for residency. A committee of the Eastend Arts Council will review the applications. Our two criteria are: 1) Priority is given to new applicants, and 2) Preference is given to longer stays. One month is the favoured length of stay from April to September, one to two or three months during the winter. Location Eastend, Saskatchewan. 



WALLACE STEGNER GRANT FOR THE ARTS
https://www.stegnerhouse.ca/grantinfo.html
Deadline August 31, 2020. This grant consists of $500 and a free, one-month residency in the Wallace Stegner House in Eastend, Saskatchewan. The winner will select which month. Applicants must be published Canadian writers. Conditions of the grant require the winning writer to give a public reading and provide two workshops/readings in Eastend’s K-12 School, while in residency. Applications should include a resume, a ten-page sample of work, a statement why the applicant wishes to come to Eastend, and two literary references.


 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

FLASH FICTION ONLINE
http://flashfictiononline.com/main/submission-guidelines-flash-fiction/
We accept original, unpublished fiction. Stories published previously may be submitted to our reprint category. Length 500 to 1,000 words. Stories of fewer than 500 words or more than 1,000 words will be immediately rejected. We pay $80 per story for original fiction. For reprints, we pay two cents per word for non-exclusive rights.



THE SUN
https://thesunmagazine.org/submit
We publish personal essays, fiction, and poetry. Personal stories that touch on political and cultural issues are welcome. Pays $300 to $2,000 for personal essays and fiction. Poetry pays $100 to $250. We rarely run anything longer than 7,000 words; there’s no minimum length.



DAILY SCIENCE FICTION
https://dailysciencefiction.com/submit
Daily Science Fiction (DSF) is a market accepting speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,500 words in length. By this we mean science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, etc. We will consider flash series - three or more flash tales built around a common theme. If you are submitting a flash series, please note that it is a series in your cover letter and at the top of the submitted text in the submission box. Each story does need to stand on its own. We do not accept reprints. We pay eight cents per word for first worldwide rights and pay for nonexclusive reprint rights. 



NEW VOICES - MASTERS REVIEW
https://mastersreview.com/submissions/
Our New Voices category is open year-round to any new or emerging author who has not published a work of fiction or narrative nonfiction of novel length. Authors with short story collections are free to submit. We accept simultaneous and multiple submissions but ask that you inform us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere. We pay New Voices authors $200 for short fiction and narrative nonfiction, and $100 for flash fiction up to 1,000 words, and we do not charge submission fees, but are highly selective. To read previously published stories, or to submit a piece of fiction or narrative nonfiction up to 7,000 words, please see our New Voices page.



SLICE MAGAZINE
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, and we are particularly enthusiastic about championing emerging voices. We offer all contributors to SLICE a monetary award for their work ($400 for stories and essays, $150 for flash fiction pieces, and $100 for poems). The maximum word count for submissions is 5,000 words. You may submit up to: five poems, two stories, five flash fiction pieces, and two essays. 



DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY - WRITER-EDITOR
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/571480200
Deadline July 6, 2020. Location Washington DC. Salary $59,534 to $112,240 per year. This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, Washington, District of Columbia. Researching, analyzing, and presenting information that addresses agency mission, function, goals and issues. Gathering information for assignments by studying information, interviewing experts, program managers, and leadership. Observing activities, processes and meeting and organizing the information to present. Editing, writing, and publishing pamphlets, handbooks and various other written communications. Writing and editing content on a wide variety of topics. 



STAFF WRITER – CORONAVIRUS INVESTIGATIONS - FULLTIME
https://www.americanoversight.org/careers-2#staffwritercoronavirus
American Oversight is looking for a talented, versatile Staff Writer to join our team and help us shine a light on the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. We’re a non-partisan, non-profit watchdog that uses targeted public records requests and litigation to expose evidence of corruption, abuse of power, or conflicts of interest. We’ve launched a wide-ranging investigation into the federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus pandemic, and we’ve filed more than 600 public records requests and seven lawsuits seeking answers. American Oversight is normally based in downtown Washington, DC, in an office that is easily accessible by multiple metro and bus lines. Given the current pandemic, American Oversight’s team is working remotely for the foreseeable future. This position is open to candidates across the United States and could continue as a telework role even after the main office reopens. 



WRITER-EDITOR - FULLTIME
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/571704100
Deadline July 3, 2020. This position is located in the National Park Service (NPS) within the Natural Resource Office of Communication (NROC), and is duty-stationed in Fort Collins, Colorado. The incumbent serves as the directorate's principal writer-editor and produces Park Science, the NPS journal of science-based park management. For each issue, the editor solicits, reviews, and edits articles, solicits and reviews photos, tables, graphics and, artfully, presents this information online-format.



WRITER-EDITOR - FULLTIME (TWO VACANCIES)
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/571642600
Deadline July 7, 2020. This position is located on the Publishing Services Branch in Information Services Division for the Economic Research Service in Kansas City, MO. In this position you will edit manuscripts, produce tables, charts, and camera copy, and manage the production process for various types of publications.


 

Publishers/agents

UNNAMED PRESS
http://www.unnamedpress.com
The Unnamed Press is a leading independent publisher of fiction and nonfiction, based in Los Angeles. Our books represent a diverse list of voices—ones that challenge conventional perspectives while appealing to a broad general audience: exciting, radical, urgent. We nurture emerging talent and partner with more established authors to help their platform grow.



THE STORY PLANT
https://www.thestoryplant.com/
Dedicated to publishing good fiction. Our books regularly receive rave reviews (click on any of our titles to check for yourself), and since our launch, nearly a third of our novels have appeared in the top 100 of one major bestseller list or another – and often several at once.



FREEHAND BOOKS
https://freehand-books.com/
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.).



DIVERTIR PUBLISHING
http://www.divertirpublishing.com/about.html
Divertir Publishing is an independent publisher located in Salem, NH. Our goal is to provide interesting and entertaining books to our readers, as well as to offer new and exciting voices in the writing community the opportunity to publish their work. We seek to combine an understanding of traditional publishing with a unique understanding of the modern market to best serve both our authors and readers. Categories include Young Adult, Mystery, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Short Stories, and Poetry. 



BOROUGHS PUBLISHING GROUP
https://www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/submit
We are a Romance and Women's Fiction publishing house with digital and print on demand distribution. We accept nonagented and agented submissions. Subgenres include Contemporary, Dystopian, Erotica, Fantasy, Historical, LGBTQ+, Multi-cultural, New Adult, Paranormal, Regency, Suspense/Thrillers, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult. 

 

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

**Note that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter, ALL ads being related to writers and the business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. But the mailing list is not sold to third parties. You will not receive this newsletter without your permission. It's physically impossible since recipients must opt-in, giving us permission to send the newsletter. If at any time you no longer with to receive the newsletter, click the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each newsletter. We want you to enjoy this newsletter at your pleasure, not be forced to read anything you do not wish to receive. The website is not advertised using unsolicited messages by Aweber, affiliates or other third parties. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and accolades to Hope Clark at [email protected]. We are an anti-spam site.