TOP SPONSOR 

AMAZON REVIEWS CAN BE A TREASURE TROVE

Many hate Amazon, and some small enterprising companies have tried to take a chunk out of it, a mouse trying to nip the beast, so to speak. I am not for or against those small entities doing something they feel the need to do. 

I, however, have always been an Amazon fan. Why? Because I remember a world without it. 

Whether reader or writer, imagine not having Amazon. You might cope just fine, but you know what? You'd be coping. So, instead of fighting it, consider using it to your advantage. In this essay, let's consider using its reviews to assist you as an author. 

1) Reviews can tell you what worked in a book. If readers repeatedly mention the same strengths or same weaknesses in the story, you now know what readers prefer or hate. . . to either adopt or avoid. 

2) Look for repetitious keywords in the reviews. They can help you find like books or properly keyword your own. They also might help you identify with certain styles, certain subgenres, certain settings so that you can use those words for readers to find your book better.

3) Do the reviews show a book heavy in plot, character, or setting? Or is it just the prose or voice? Which do you prefer in your story? This is how you find successful authors to use as guides to mold your own work. 

4) Read all the one-star reviews and seek substance in the wording. What exactly turned them off to take such a hard stance?

5) Read the Amazon Top Reviews and the Hall of Fame Reviews. These reviewers have resonated with readers, have earned respect, and been deemed the most useful. Try to understand why. Not to mention some of these folks can be contacted to request they review your work.

https://www.amazon.com/review/top-reviewers
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/guidelines/top-reviewers.html

Sometimes it isn't about the stars in the reviews. It really can be about the discussion, which can tell you, the writer, how to tweak your work to better sell, better write, and better understand the reader.

SUPER SPONSOR 

We didn’t build our Copywriting Course Bundle for ourselves. We built it for you, because we want to help you create the life you dream of—a life where you aren’t chained to a desk or lorded over by supervisors.

Created by a team of passionate creative professionals in partnership with veterans in the educational field, our Copywriting Course Bundle gives you tips on writing better, learning SEO, and so much more. You’ll complete exercises and receive real feedback from our team. When you graduate, you’ll earn a certificate proving to employers that you bring real value to the table.

There’s nothing to it but to do it, right? We’ve made that even easier. You can get started now for free.

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Dear Hope,

It's a pleasure and inspiration to see how you keep moving forward with joy in your work and life.

I first learned of the Able Muse Poetry Book Contest through FundsforWriters, and my poetry manuscript, Beyond Repair, was selected for publication as the runner-up in their 2019 contest. It will be published in late spring of 2021.

Thank you for the resilience your newsletter encourages. It helped me to stick with revising this manuscript of poems about the effects of war and its aftermath on women.

Wishing you well,

J. C. Todd



- - - 

If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to [email protected] 
 

Featured article

How to Find Freelance Clients in a Recession 

By Jess Amy Dixon

I panicked when I lost my job earlier this year. The current jobs market is not exactly stellar amidst COVID-19 and the resulting recession. In the last few months, though, I’ve grown my freelance business from a side-hustle to a sustainable, full-time source of income. I love it and can’t see myself returning to traditional employment.

Contrary to understandable fears, 2020 does not have to be a terrible time for freelancers. Here are four strategies that have helped me find freelance clients during this period of recession. Feel free to use them to find yours.

Join a networking group

Many business networking groups are meeting online during the pandemic. I joined a regional group that hosts weekly Speed Networking sessions via Zoom, and have gained one regular client and several one-off jobs. Check out large organizations like Business Networking International, look for relevant meetings on Eventbrite, or use LinkedIn and Facebook to find smaller groups in your region.

Visit a few groups to see which one works for you. Many will let you attend as a guest for free before you commit to joining.

Expand your focus: think global

One of the biggest mistakes freelance writers make is only targeting prospective clients in their backyard. Thanks to the internet, you can theoretically work for anyone in the world as long as you share a common language. So cast your net wider!

I found my first international client using Gumtree Freelance Jobs, and that has led directly to referrals to clients as far away as Australia and Thailand. You can also use LinkedIn job alerts, job boards like Glassdoor, freelancing sites like Upwork, and the amazing Freelance Writing Jobs website and newsletter to find clients globally. Don’t forget to set your search parameters appropriately.

Go hyper-local

On the other side of the coin, your immediate local area can be lucrative. If there is a local newspaper or magazine, even one distributed for free, see if they accept pitches. I recently landed a gig writing for the free ad circular in my town, simply by sending them a brief introductory email letting them know that I was a local writer open for work. The rate of pay was surprisingly good.

Here are some strategies that have helped freelancers I know to find local work:

    - Place an ad in a local newspaper.
    - Ask your local business-owning friends if they need your services (or know anyone who does).
    - Which local businesses do you patronize regularly? Leave your business card with the owner, and ask if they’ll let you put a flyer up on their noticeboard.
    - Send an introductory email to businesses in your town. Explain what you do, how you can help them, and invite them to get in touch for a no-obligation quote.

Without devaluing your services, consider offering a small discount or introductory offer for local businesses that have been adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Share your skills in online workshops

I recently taught my first online workshop on self-editing skills, and it was huge fun as well as lucrative. Do you have a skill you can teach? If so, why not organize a class?

I partnered with a local writing studio to run my virtual class. But if you do not have such an entity in your area, you can do it by yourself. This is a useful resource on how to run an online writing workshop. I recommend Zoom as an easy-to-use, affordable platform. Eventbrite is great for selling tickets, contacting participants, and collecting payment.

The great thing about developing a class or course? You only have to create the materials once, but you can teach it again and again.

Whatever strategies you use, I wish you the best of luck. We’ll get through this!

Bio:
Jess Amy Dixon is a British freelance writer and editor. She’s passionate about helping her clients achieve their goals through the power of the written word. She has won prizes for short fiction and is currently working on her PhD at the University of Winchester and trying to finish her first novel. When she’s not writing you can probably find her knitting, reading, or sipping coffee. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @JessAmyWrites. Her email is [email protected] - https://jessamywrites.com/ 

COmpetitions

QUANTUM SHORTS
https://shorts.quantumlah.org/news/quantum-shorts-film-festival
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2020. We are seeking films up to five minutes long that draw inspiration from the quantum world. Check out our A-to-Z guide of quantum ideas from the act of observation to zero-point energy, with entanglement, computing and more in between. Quantum Shorts offers a $1,500 First Prize, $1,000 for Runner Up, and a People’s Choice prize of $500. The People’s Choice will be decided by public vote on the shortlist. All shortlisted films will also receive a $250 shortlist prize and a one-year digital subscription to Scientific American.



BOULEVARD SHORT FICTION CONTEST
https://boulevardmagazine.org/short-fiction-contest
$16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Offers $1,500 and publication in Boulevard to the winning story by a writer who has not yet published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction with a nationally distributed press. We accept works up to 8,000 words.



WRITERS BUREAU FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wbcompetition.com/competition/rules.html
£5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 30, 2020. Stories must not exceed 500 words and must be typed using double spacing. All work must be in English. First Prize - £300. Second Prize - £200. Third Prize - £100. 



RIVER STYX MICROFICTION CONTEST
http://www.riverstyx.org/submit/microfiction-contest/
$15-$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Submit up to 500 words per story. Up to three stories per entry fee. First, second, and third place winners will be published. All stories will be considered for publication. First prize $1,000. 



THE DISQUIET PRIZE
http://disquietinternational.org/the-program/contests-scholarships/the-disquiet-prize/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2021. Contest winners in the categories of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction will have their winning work published in North America’s leading publications: fiction in Granta.com, poetry in The Common, and nonfiction in NinthLetter.com. If circumstances permit, one grand prize winner will receive a full fellowship (airfare stipend, tuition, and housing included) to the 2021 DISQUIET International Program in Lisbon, Portugal. In the event the 2021 Lisbon program can’t be held due to coronavirus restrictions, genre and grand prize winners can choose to delay the prize trip to a future year or accept a substitute cash prize of $1,000 each. Prose is limited to 25 pages. Poetry limited to six poems and ten pages. 



NEW YORK THEATRE FESTIVAL
https://newyorktheaterfestival.com/how-submit-theater-festival/
OPTIONAL PARTICIPATION FEE. Deadline Ongoing. All genres/submissions accepted from playwrights that live no further than 30 miles from Manhattan and provided submissions are between five and 90 minutes long. Productions must run with a complete cast and crew from NYC. Equity productions are welcome to participate. Categories Shirt, One Act, and Full Length. All genres accepted. Winterfest $3,500 prize. Summerfest $4,500 prize. In addition to the Best Play or Musical there will also be several nominations: 

Best Actress $500
Best Actor $500
Best Director $500
Singer $500 
Best Music Score $300
Best Short $500
Most Creative Play or Musical $500
Choreography $200

If your play/musical is accepted in our festival, there is a payment to you of $75 if it is a SHORT, $150 if it is a ONE ACT, and $250 if it is FULL LENGTH. 



WOODWARD/NEWMAN DRAMA AWARD
https://www.newplays.org/opportunities/submissions/woodward-newman-award/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2020. The Woodward/Newman Drama Award is an exclusive honor offered by Bloomington Playwrights Project, remembering the many great dramas Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman performed in together. It presents the best unpublished full-length drama of the year with a cash prize of $3,000 and a full production as part of the BPP’s Mainstage season, along with travel reimbursement. “Full-length” plays should have a complete running time of between 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 2 hours 15 minutes (135 minutes).



URBAN STAGES EMERGING PLAYWRIGHT AWARD
https://urbanstages.org/submissions/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline Ongoing. Out of hundreds of submissions a year, we select 15-20 plays for readings. From these, we select one to three plays annually to go on to our workshopping phase. Our workshops are meant to prepare a play for our Off-Broadway stage. From our workshops, we select one to two plays for full productions, complete with a playwright’s contract and compensation (separate from the award). Our $500 Emerging Playwright Award (coupled with press coverage) is given to playwrights who show excellence and dedication throughout this process – from development to the stage. Plays may have been developed or produced elsewhere, but never produced in New York City. Plays from overseas and throughout the US are accepted and considered, but special attention will be given to playwrights who live in or near New York.



CRAFT CREATIVE NONFICTION AWARD
https://www.craftliterary.com/craft-cnf-award/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Submit up to 6,000 words of unpublished creative nonfiction. Three pieces will be selected with each awarded $1,000 and a complete set of Graywolf Press's The Art Of series. Open internationally. Submit one creative nonfiction piece from 1,001 to 6,000 words OR up to two flash creative nonfiction pieces of 1,000 words or fewer each. If submitting two flash pieces (2,000 words maximum combined/1,000 words maximum each), please put them both in a SINGLE document. 



LIFE WRITING PRIZE - UK
https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/enter-spread-the-words-2021-life-writing-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. Free to enter, the Prize is open to writers who have yet to publish a full-length work or have a literary agent. The winner of the Life Writing Prize will receive £1,500, an Arvon course, a writing mentor, two years’ membership of the Royal Society of Literature, and an optional development meeting with an agent or editor. Two highly commended writers will each receive £500, a writing mentor and an optional meeting with an agent or editor. The top 12 writers will be offered publication on the Spread the Word website and in a Life Writing Prize booklet designed to showcase the Prize’s top writers to the literary world. To enter the Prize, please send us an unpublished piece of life writing that is up to 5,000 words. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

AMANT RESIDENCY
https://www.amant.org/new-york/open-call-2020
Deadline December 18, 2020. The NYC Residency Program for international artists has three iterations—Fall, Winter, and Spring—and is the central focus of all our in-house activities. Four artists’ studios enable practitioners to pursue their individual artistic goals while also being closely integrated into the organization’s wider community programming during their three-month New York City visit. Amant takes pride in hosting artists at all stages of their careers and across a wide array of disciplines from the visual arts, literature, performance, filmmaking, and cultural theory with the singular belief that exchanging ideas and experiences about art production will enhance everyone’s work. Artists who are currently based in NY cannot apply to the residency. Includes travel, space, and $3,000 stipend. 



RAUSCHENBERG EMERGENCY GRANTS
https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/programs/grants/rauschenberg-emergency-grants
An emergency grant program that provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for medical or dental emergencies. The grants are available to visual and media artists, and choreographers living anywhere in the United States or U.S. Territories.  



PATRICK HENRY HISTORY FELLOWSHIP
https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/starr/Fellowships/patrick_henry_fellowship/index.php
Deadline December 1, 2020. The Center’s Patrick Henry History Fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year 2021-22) in a historic 18th-century house in Chestertown, MD. Applicants should have a significant project currently in progress — a book, film, oral history archive, podcast series, museum exhibition, or similar work. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the U.S. founding era and/or the nation’s founding ideals.



ARTIST RELIEF
https://artistrelief.submittable.com/submit/175482/artist-relief-cycle-viii
Deadline November 18, 2020. Artist Relief will distribute $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19. 



MAINE FARMLAND TRUST
https://www.mainefarmlandtrust.org/artist-residencies-2/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2021. At the Fiore Art Center, we hope to cultivate the cross-pollination of different creative disciplines— farming and gardening, the visual arts, writing, performance and research— all weaving together to inform the continually evolving dialogue between humans and environment. We offer one-month-long writing residency in either July, August or September, depending on the applicant’s availability. For 2020, our residency will be focused on essays/nonfiction.



ARTIST RELIEF GRANT - NEVADA
https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/ARTIST-RELIEF-GRANT-GUIDELINES-V7-10.28.20-FINAL.pdf
The Artist Relief Grant (ARG) from the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) provides financial assistance for artists in Nevada who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications open January 1-29, 2021. Limit $1,000. 



COVID 19 ARTS RESILIENCE GRANTS - TN
https://tnartscommission.org/grants/special-opportunities/
The Tennessee Arts Commission is proud to introduce the Special Opportunities: COVID-19 Arts Resilience Grant for Fiscal Year 2021. This new opportunity provides non-matching funds for nonprofit organizations and local governments (ranging from $500-5,000) to support creative responses to COVID-19 through the arts. Projects may occur between December 5, 2020, through June 15, 2021. NOTE: Individual artists can contact nonprofits or local government entities and partner with or suggest a program for them to sponsor. The entity has to apply, but you can be a part of their application/program. Program will expire when funds are depleted.



THE LYCEUM - EDINBURGH
https://lyceum.org.uk/work-with-us/vacancy/l20-artist-attachment-programme%20
Deadline November 29, 2020. The programme, where 20 creative people from Edinburgh and the surrounding areas are invited to join The Lyceum for a year. The programme is for all kinds of theatre artists including, but not limited to, writers, directors, choreographers, composers, creative producers, designers, digital creatives, and more. Core activities offered to the L20 will include shadowing placement on a Lyceum project, for which they will receive a £1,000 bursary; quarterly Saturday workshops that focus on bespoke skills development; one-to-one advice and support sessions with Artistic Director, Associate Directors, Producer, Literary Associate; invitation to join Lyceum readings, workshops, and rehearsals where appropriate; opportunity for access to Lyceum staff able to advise on specific areas, such as press, communication, marketing, fundraising, production, and creative learning.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE PRETEEN SOUL
http://www.chickensoup.com
Deadline December 15, 2020. We're collecting up-to-date stories written by preteens, teens, and men and women under age 35. We want these stories to represent how the world is today for preteens, and we're hoping for stories about the pandemic, technology, social media, and other modern-day concerns. Pays $200 and ten copies for 1,200 words. 



SLICE
https://slice.submittable.com/submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 1, 2020. Rates: $400 for stories and essays, $150 for flash fiction, and $100 for poems. Maximum word count for prose is 5,000 words. The theme for that issue is “Levity.”   



HOUSE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION
https://www.simplyhired.com/job/lErROrXeBDN11zU6oCx0V8bjy7zYQMQwS5NkSrVxJu4iF8nl73JsDA
The House Research Organization, a nonpartisan research staff of the Texas House of Representatives, is seeking full-time researcher/writers for the 2021 legislative session. The positions begin in late January and last through the end of May. The salary is $3,600 a month. During legislative sessions, the HRO publishes the Daily Floor Report, which includes analyses of bills scheduled for debate by the House. Between sessions, the HRO produces reports on issues of interest to the Texas Legislature.



NORTH CHARLES STREET DESIGN ORGANIZATION
https://www.facebook.com/ncsdo
https://www.simplyhired.com/job/MgsqJbUL_Z3ppHYFQhCl9CmJmZ5s2-1zVlz1SGf6iymURDOCkfKN8w
The North Charles Street Design Organization specializes in brand development for the nation’s best and most interesting schools, colleges, and universities. Throughout our 48-year history, our work has been recognized for excellence in our category more than any other agency. ay: $65,000 - $92,611 per year. You must know how to ask good questions and not be satisfied with surface answers. You might rightly call this craft creative nonfiction, but there's a layer of investigative journalism involved. You must be willing to park personal writing style at the door. We’re specialists. Our work for no two clients must ever seem the same. One-trick ponies will struggle here. You should understand content strategy and how to change your spots (and stripes) when moving among media channels.

 

Publishers/agents

STORM LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/submissionguidelines
Melissa Richeson is open and accepting picture books, middle-grade books, and for young adult, Melissa typically looks for high concept contemporary or historical manuscripts, but a light scifi or a fantasy in a fresh world can draw her in, too. Also sweet romances with authentic dialogue and page-turning stakes. Nonfiction projects for all ages are welcome as well. Melissa is not a good fit for horror, paranormal, or graphic violence. Less nightmares, more daydreams, please. Our response time may be anywhere from two to eight weeks (and possibly longer), depending on the projects at hand. If we find that we are not able to represent your project, we will always attempt to provide appropriate feedback of some sort, realizing the path to publication is a journey, and not always a fast one!



STONESONG LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.stonesong.com/about
Stonesong is a dynamic, forward-thinking, yet traditional literary agency, whose agents represent a wide range of authors, genres, and books, with particular strength in lifestyle, nonfiction, health and wellness, personal development, popular culture, illustrated books, business, humor, and culinary, and with a strong presence in children's, middle grade, young adult fiction, and nonfiction. Please review the individual agent biographies and submit your query addressed to one agent. 



EINSTEIN LITERARY
https://www.einsteinliterary.com/
Einstein Literary Management is a full-service independent literary agency. We represent a broad range of literary and commercial fiction, as well as books for children and young adults. We also handle select nonfiction including cookbooks, memoir and narrative.



HARVEY KLINGER LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.harveyklinger.com/submission-guidelines
Has a long list of agents, each with submission desires of their own. Pitch to one agent at a time.
 

SPONSORS

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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

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