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SELLING TO A PUBLISHER

A major reason many self-publish is control of the publishing process. Another strong reason is the long, hard experience of rejection from traditional publishing houses. Sometimes I think writers profess the former when the truth is more likely the latter. Rejection is painful. 

A lot of writers fuss about the arrogance of traditional publishing, or the unjustified ignorance of debut and novice authors by traditional publishers, as if traditional only likes certain types of personalities. These complaints ring hollow to me. 

Traditional presses want a book that generates serious money. In other words, they buy and sell to make a profit. The items being bartered just happen to be books. 

But they don't give new authors a chance. . . or so many say.

If you hire someone to fill a vacancy in your business, you seek experience. If you are a small enterprise, you might need someone more niche experienced, or you will accept someone with fewer years in the business. If you have a strong brand and a larger enterprise, you can be more selective. You have the power to choose those most seasoned, most awarded, and most talented. 

Writing and publishing are no different. 

Sure there is the occasional Marilyn Monroe moment of discovery, where a New York press or agent stumbles across a newbie who demonstrates strong potential. But the odds are very similar to winning the lottery. 

Your goal as a writer is to write . . . write a lot. If you have traditional aspirations, then put your work where it can be seen by traditional professionals. Enter contests until you place or win. Apply for writing residencies (published all the time in FundsforWriters). Submit shorts to magazines or wide-reaching online publications. Strive to climb. 

In this day of self-publishing, why would I bring this up? Because there are still thousands that prefer to publish traditionally, and there are publishing houses still needing excellent stories. But realize that you need to be earnest in your writing efforts. 


Case in point is the Mansfield Press posted in today's newsletter. Found this in their submissions guidelines: 

<<It is unlikely that Mansfield will publish a first book by someone with no publishing history. Publishing in magazines and literary journals is an indication that the writer is serious and has experience with the editorial process.>>

So, do what you can to get your name out there. Nobody starts their career with a blockbuster bestseller by a New York publisher. You really do need to pay a few dues and take the bottom rungs of that ladder first. 

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Featured article

Selling Books During a Pandemic

By Marjorie Turner Hollman

Since March of 2020, many of the usual diversions of modern American life shut down: shopping, eating out, cruises, air travel, and more. One of the few places people had left to go was their local trails, and even these quickly grew overcrowded and shut down for a time. Especially the “greatest hits” trails—ones with obvious parking, clear signs, and recognizable names. Smaller, local trails remained open and nearly empty, since they often have little or no signage, less obvious parking, and little notoriety outside the local community.

Pre-pandemic, marketing of my books had been limited. First, because they were so hyper-local, but also because I live with a disability, I work from home and drive only short distances, making in-person events constrained. With the onset of COVID-19, however, the rest of the world suddenly faced limitations I have lived with the past 27 years. 

Many events shifted to Zoom. Libraries are beginning to pay for Zoom presentations. The playing field, for me, has in many ways been leveled. I have found a receptive audience in media outlets (who are starved for content right now). So the pandemic has offered a strange, albeit horrible in many ways, perfect timing for me. My social media focus changed almost overnight from trails promoter to a trusted source of local trails information. 

I have been writing Easy Walks books since 2013, so I already had a strong social media presence, but it has grown exponentially in the past several months. In August, 2020 my latest book came out, Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are as the answer to the question I heard at every in-person presentation I gave for my other books, Easy Walks in Massachusetts 2nd ed.  and More Easy Walks in Massachusetts 2nd ed. (An additional Easy Walks book is a collaboration with a local non-profit that wanted their own Easy Walks book—Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed.) The question I repeatedly heard at these presentations was “How do you find all these trails?” 

Finding Easy Walks is my extended answer, and the book, as well as my personal story, has drawn interest from national podcast hosts like Stephanie Chandler of the Nonfiction Author's Association, Judith Briles, The Book Shepherd and various other local media sources, TV, radio and newspapers, including a profile just published by the Boston Globe.

WCVB TV Boston’s show Chronicle featured me and my books earlier this summer. after I was able to point them to a local outdoor spot to feature in their weekly news magazine show. My own local community cable TV show, “Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are,” is taped on local trails, with the full support of my local community cable organization, ABMI.

During this pandemic our family has read more books than we normally do. Libraries have been closed or restricted. Please take encouragement from the fact people seek escape, diversion, and humor. If you are writing books that offer any of these attributes within your book's pages, make sure the media knows about it! So be safe out there, and happy trails.


BIO - Marjorie Turner Hollman is a personal historian who loves the outdoors, and has completed four self-published guides Easy Walking books including her newest book Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. A native Floridian, she came north for college and snow! A freelance writer, she has appeared on Boston’s WCVB Channel 5 TV news magazine show, Chronicle, the Boston Globe, local radio and cable TV shows, and been published in local, regional, and national publications. https://marjorieturner.com/

COmpetitions

THE BERGMAN PRIZE
https://changes.press/The-Bergman-Prize-2
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2021. The Bergman Prize awards $10,000 and publication to the author of a first or second collection of poetry. The prizewinner receives a generous publishing contract, national distribution through PGW, extensive advertising and publicity, 100 free copies of their book, as well as a two-week summer residency at Castello San Basilio (Southern Italy) in 2021 and a fall book launch at McNally Jackson in New York City. Submissions open on January 1, 2021 and close on March 1, 2021. 



NEW YORK ENCOUNTER CONTEST
https://www.newyorkencounter.org/2021-poetry-contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 19, 2020. The contest is open to all poets writing in English. There is no fee, but cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100 will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners who will be invited to read their poems in an online forum on January 13, 2021. The winning poems will be published on the New York Encounter website after the reading. Send no more than three unpublished poems, maximum 40 lines. The poems MUST be related to the theme When Reality Hits. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com)



LILITH MAGAZINE CONTEST
https://www.lilith.org/about/writing-for-lilith/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Lilith Magazine—Independent, Jewish and frankly feminist—seeks quality short fiction, 3,000 words or under, for our Annual Fiction Contest. First prize $250 and publication. We especially like work with both feminist and Jewish content, and are eager to read submissions from BIJOC writers. Please submit to [email protected] with “Fiction Contest” and your name in subject line and full contact info on manuscript. 



DEFENESTRATIONISM LENGTHY POEM CONTEST
https://defenestrationism.net/lengthy-poem-contest/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 1, 2021. Pays $300 for a single winner. Submissions should be a poem at least three full pages of twelve-point font and must include line breaks, while no longer than, roughly, chapbook length. Should be a clear thread connecting the work. May help establishing such a thread to include a defense, or argument, or some thoughts before or after the poem. This may be published, at your prerogative, alongside the rest of the work.



THE PRISM PRIZE FOR CLIMATE LITERATURE
https://homeboundpublications.submittable.com/submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 9, 2021. Seeking to promote and support fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction writing in the emerging genre of climate literature, Homebound Publications proudly announces its new climate writing competition. The prize carries an award of $1,000 and publication of the winning manuscript. Preferably no more than 75,000 words for nonfiction or fiction submissions and no more than 125, 8.5 x 11 pages for poetry.



MARGERY ALLINGHAM SHORT MYSTERY COMPETITION
https://thecwa.co.uk/debuts/short-story-competition/terms-and-conditions
£12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 26, 2021. This award is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 3,500 words by an author aged 18 years or over on 1 January of the competition year. Entries must be submitted in English but the author does not need to be resident in the United Kingdom. Translations of short stories originally published in languages other than English are not eligible. The prize is £500 and two weekend passes for CrimeFest 2022.



CWA DEBUT DAGGER COMPETITION
https://thecwa.co.uk/debuts/debut-dagger/debut-dagger-terms-and-conditions
£36 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 26, 2021. Send us your opening of a crime novel up to 3,000 words, plus a 1,500-word synopsis. Again, please check the entry criteria carefully. Prize: £500 – and shortlisted writers have their entries passed to agents and publishers. The competition is for those who have never had a traditional publishing contract. 



CAMBRIDGE AUTUMN FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://cambridgeautumnfestival.co.nz/short-story/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 21, 2021. The theme for this year’s competition is “Lockdown”- a theme we hope will inspire writers to test their talents and enter this nationwide competition. Writers can interpret the theme in whatever way they wish, but it has to be a work of fiction. First prize is $1,000 NZD, second prize $500 NZD and third prize $250 NZD. The word limit is 1,500 words. 



RUBERY BOOK AWARD
https://www.ruberybookaward.com/
£37 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2021. The Rubery Prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self-published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges. Book of the Year £1,500 (approx. 2,000 USD). Category winners £150 (approx 200 USD). Every winner receives a glass plaque and all winners & shortlisted authors receive a write-up.​



JANUS LITERARY STORY PRIZE
https://www.janusliterary.com/submit/
$4 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 16, 2020. Theme: dark, wild sea. Word Limit: Stories should be between 750 and 1,000 words. First prize – $400 and publication in the online anthology. Second prize – $200 and publication in the online anthology. Third prize – $100 and publication in the online anthology. 



CODHILL PRESS PAULINE UCHMANOWICH POETRY AWARD
https://codhillpoetryaward.submittable.com/submit/166184/2020-codhill-press-pauline-uchmanowicz-poetry-award
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 20, 2020. The competition is open to any poet who writes in English. Previously published poems with proper acknowledgment are acceptable. Translations and previously self-published books are not eligible. Winner receives $1,000 plus 25 copies. Submit 48-70 pages. 



WoLF COMPETITION
http://www.wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/competition.html
£4 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Poets are being asked to use ‘aspect of love’ as a prompt to explore love in any of its different forms, whether that be love of a person or a place, the joy of love, or the grief for love lost, or your passion for evenings spent doing yoga or knitting, any form of love is welcome. First prize winner will receive £400. Second place will receive £150, and there are three third prizes of £25. Poems must be in English and no more than 40 lines. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ARTS AND CULTURES GRANTS
https://www.nalac.org/grants/nalac-fund-for-the-arts/
At this time, our grant-making efforts are focusing on emergency relief for artists in light of the continued impact of COVID-19 and collaborations with foundation partners on grant-making efforts focused on specific issues, which we will be sharing more about towards the end of the year. In early 2021, we will be providing some more information on relief grants for artists arts organizations. We also anticipate re-launching project-based award funding in 2021, as we are currently evaluating the impact and direction of the NALAC Fund for the Arts into the future. We recommend signing up for our newsletter to stay up to date with program offerings.



ENGLISH LANGUAGE FELLOWS
https://eca.state.gov/organizational-funding/open-grant-solicitations
Deadline January 8, 2021. The English Language (EL) Fellow and Specialist Programs build bridges of mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by placing US English language educators in educational institutions abroad. The EL Fellow and Specialist Programs send talented, highly qualified US citizens in the area of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or a closely related field for approximately ten-month Fellow exchanges or short-term (two weeks or more) Specialist assignments at educational institutions in all regions of the world.



NEW JERSEY INDIVIDUAL ARTIST RECOVERY GRANTS
https://www.state.nj.us/state/njsca/assets/pdf/2021-njsca-iar-guidelines.pdf
Deadline December 15, 2020. The Individual Artist Recovery grants will be for $5,000. We expect the need in the field to be extremely high, and for this program to be highly competitive. While we wish that we could provide funding to every artist in need, our available funds are limited. For this reason, we also encourage artists to seek and apply for every other funding opportunity available to them. We maintain two regular opportunities newsletters for artists: Opportunities for the Field and COVID Resources for the Field. Artists who can confirm that at least $5,000.00 of their 2019 taxable income was generated from artistic practice in the visual, performing and literary arts are eligible. 



RESIDENCY FOR WRITERS OF COLOR AT MASS MoCA
https://massmoca.org/event/studios/
Deadline January 8, 2021. Selected artists-in-residence receive private studio space on MASS MoCA’s campus, housing across the street from the museum in newly renovated apartments, free access to the museum’s galleries and partner institutions, shared use of printmaking and weaving equipment, optional financial and business coaching from Assets for Artists staff, and a daily group meal among a twelve-artist cohort of international peers. This fellowship shall be awarded to one writer working in English in any genre who self-identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color. The fellowship funds all residency fees for up to four weeks in residence. To apply, simply select the appropriate box on the fellowship's question of the Summer/Fall 2021 residency application. There is no separate application for this opportunity. Be sure to also indicate whether you would like to be considered for a regular residency at the Studios at MASS MoCA, if you are not awarded this special fellowship residency. All applicants must first be accepted through the regular jurying process to receive this fellowship.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

LILITH MAGAZINE
https://www.lilith.org/about/writing-for-lilith/
Lilith Magazine welcomes submissions of high-quality, lively, original writing—all year round: reporting, analysis, opinion pieces, memoir, fiction and poetry with a feminist take on subjects of interest to Jewish women. Features usually run 2,500 words, news briefs 500 words or less. Fiction should be under 3,000 words. Back-page pieces run 800 words. For poetry, please submit no more than five poems.



GOOD MOM ON PAPER
https://bookhugpress.ca/goodmomonpaper/
Deadline December 15, 2020. Editors Jen Sookfong Lee and Stacey May Fowles (Whatever Gets You Through) are looking for pitches (no more than 500 words) or complete essays (approximately 2,000 to 5,000 words in length) on the tenuous or tight connection between creativity and motherhood. How does motherhood disrupt the creative process? How does it enhance it? Do children ultimately halt or expand our ability to produce art and promote it—literary, or otherwise? How does the creative world accommodate mothers, if at all? If your essay is accepted for publication you will receive a $200 honorarium and two copies of the finished book. 



ELEVEN MAGAZINE JOBS
Remote Writer - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JPN-xdleL53fS4ZtuEDME8KpnNhLqhSbxeQr3OwMA4A
Remote Editor - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D6wWbWYFkri54DywLBNUuKN1n3H2W2Cy5nKWC6IOFuk
https://elevenwriting.com/writing-jobs/
Assigning projects by subject expertise, our UK-based teams deliver authoritative content across a plethora of advanced topics with total end-to-end oversight. The world's first niche-specific writing team.

 

Publishers/agents

SAPERE BOOKS
https://saperebooks.com/about/submissions/
We are happy to receive submissions directly from authors. If you have a finished manuscript in the following genres, please get in touch and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 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. We are particularly keen to publish books in a series, so if you envision your submission to the first book in a series, please include that information in your cover letter. As well as being open for brand new submissions, we are also looking to reissue books in the above genres which have gone out of print. If you are an author with books that are no longer in print, or not available as ebooks, please do get in touch.



PINATA BOOKS
https://artepublicopress.com/submissions/
Piñata Books is Arte Público Press’s imprint for children’s and young adult literature. It seeks to authentically and realistically portray themes, characters and customs unique to US Hispanic culture. Submissions and manuscript formalities are the same as for Arte Público Press.



ARTE PUBLICO PRESS
https://artepublicopress.com/submissions/
Books for adult and general readers. Publishing twenty-five to thirty books each year, Arte Público Press is David to New York publishing industry Goliaths. However, because of its cultural sensitivity to its writers and the experiences they write about, along with a vision for the role of Hispanic literature in the United States, the Press has demonstrated that size (or lack of it) is not proportionately related to success in the commercial book market.



BLAZEVOX
http://www.blazevox.org/index.php/faqs/
BlazeVOX [books] presents innovative fictions and wide-ranging fields of contemporary poetry. Our books push at the frontiers of what is possible with our innovative poetry, fiction and select nonfiction and literary criticism. Our fundamental mission is to disseminate poetry, through print and digital media, both within academic spheres and to society at large.



MANSFIELD PRESS
http://mansfieldpress.net/submissions/
Mansfield Press publishes exciting, challenging and adventurous poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction by Canadian writers at all stages of their careers. It is unlikely that Mansfield will publish a first book by someone with no publishing history. Publishing in magazines and literary journals is an indication that the writer is serious and has experience with the editorial process. 

 

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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