TOP SPONSOR 

Are you stuck writing your book and can't get to "the end?"
 
Knowing your Story Type can help you understand how to fix the mess you've made of your manuscript. (And all manuscripts are a mess at some point-- there's no shame in where you are!)
 
Knowing your story type helps you:
○ Meet the expectations of your target audience.
○ Write a consistent story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
○ Know what to cut and what to add.
○ Finish. The. Dang. Book.
 
Explore the essential elements of each Story Type in this free masterclass so you can get your story unstuck.
 
Access this free training now: https://www.storypath.me/masterclass-registration

ARE YOU ZOOMED OUT?

Whether you like it or not, Zoom (and its cousins) will be the gateway to appearances for a while. Very few bookstores, libraries, and other public venues will venture to host public events for quite some time. Some have grown accustomed to Zoom, and prefer the mode of communication.

My question to you is this. . . are you tired of Zoom?

I belong to a local book club, and they refuse to use it, preferring social distancing, masks, and face-to-face. I cannot decide if I want to attend with everyone sitting so far apart, mouth covered, such that they cannot hear each other, or prefer to be on my computer seeing them as they normally are. 

Per Psychiatric Times, "There is robust evidence on how eye contact improves connection—faster responses, more memorization of faces, and increased likeability and attractiveness. These tools that make interactions organically rewarding are compromised over video."

Per Wired.com, "Other things that might help to fight off Zoom fatigue are to block off times before and after meetings to catch your breath, and limit nonurgent calls to one or two per week. For short or informal conversations, you can even make a suggestion to switch up video chats with old-school communication like a phone call."

Per Psychology Today, "Zoom is exhausting and lonely because you have to be so much more attentive and so much more aware of what’s going on than you do on phone calls. If you haven’t turned off your own camera, you are also watching yourself speak, which can be arousing and disconcerting. The blips, delays and cut off sentences also create confusion."

I haven't held Zoom meetings because I was concerned that folks were tired of them. Instead, I do batches of Two Minutes of Hope on Facebook. They feel less stressful. However, if you are interested in me holding a Zoom meeting here and there, please. . . let me know. Maybe it can be arranged. I promise. . . we won't go on and on ad nauseam. . . I promise. 

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.

CLICK HERE

 

HOPE'S APPEARANCES

SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

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

 

Featured article

Four Ways to Build a Business Case for Your Content Writing

By Dan Brotzel

While content is a multimillion industry for big brands worldwide, there are still many business sectors - especially smaller businesses - that don't see that content as worthwhile. They’re not necessarily against content; they may in fact quite like the idea of having a blog or publishing regular articles or ebooks. It’s just that their marketing budgets are finite, and they aren’t sure how paying a freelance writer like you to write content for them will yield a decent return on their investment.

Here are some key ways to help you build a business case when selling your content work. 

Content is essential for SEO 

These days, by the time a potential customer gets in touch with a business, they will already have done a lot of their own research online. They will be looking not for sales messages, though, but for answers to real questions: 

How does a first-time mortgage work? 
If I buy a rabbit, will it get on with my cats?
What’s the best way to migrate my accounting records to the cloud?

Companies with a commercial interest in reaching the people asking such questions (e.g., mortgage providers, pet stores, cloud providers) can win favourable attention by providing useful content that supports their effort. Over time, Google will reward their efforts with higher rankings. Good-quality, audience-focused content demonstrating what Google calls ‘expertise, authority and trust’ will improve a business’s search rankings, meaning more people know about it and are likely to buy from it. More details here and here.  

Content can help people understand why they need a business 

Content often takes the form of useful explainer articles designed to address pain points that consumers face. Consumers realise that a business really understands them, and also makes them consider why they might need help. As someone who wants to write a will for the first time, for example, I might be grateful for an introductory article from a law firm outlining the questions to consider and steps to take. But the content may also make me think that I’d be better off seeking expert help, and, of course, now I know who to ask. Educational content makes consumers 131 percent more likely to buy from a brand, according to this survey. 

Content can help a business demonstrate its purpose 

In today’s divided world, people are looking to buy from brands they trust and who have values they share. Customers are now “assessing what a brand says, what it does and what it stands for,” says Accenture in this report. “They support companies whose brand purpose aligns with their beliefs. And they reject those that don’t.” Whether through case studies, articles, explainers, or social posts, content is a great way for a business to showcase what it stands for and to demonstrate how it acts in accordance with its values. 

Content helps customers and potential customers subscribe to you emotionally 

If you create regular content – say, via some combination of email newsletter, social channels and blog – you give people the chance to follow you in various ways. Having something new and useful for them helps make you aware of their needs, gather feedback from your followers about your service and products, and develop a personality that people can recognise and appreciate. Email newsletters regularly deliver a return on investment of over $40 for every $1 spent on them. 

For all the reasons above, content can help add more dollars to your bottom line. People buy more from businesses they trust and like, that they consider to be experts and, most crucially, that they are familiar with. No wonder three out of four business-to-consumer marketers say that content marketing brings them success, according to the 2020 CMI survey. 

BIO: Dan Brotzel’s debut collection of short stories is Hotel du Jack (Sandstone Press)

COmpetitions

AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION PHILOSOPHY/ETHICS SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/contests-1
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. First prize $250, publication, podcast, and subscription. Three honorable mentions. Your writing can be any genre, and from any perspective. The important thing is that it spurs discussions and requires the reader to expand their mind. Children’s Stories: Under 1,500 words. Young Adult: Under 5,000 words. Adult: 1,500-8,000 words. 



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



THE SOCIETY OF CLASSICAL POETS POETRY COMPETITION
https://dystopianstories.com/events/the-society-of-classical-poets-2021-poetry-competition/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. One to three poems on any topic. Altogether, the poems should total 108 lines or less. First prize $1,000. High school prize of $100 and translation prize of $100. 



TAMPA REVIEW PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://tampareview.org/the-tampa-review-prize-for-poetry/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. The preferred length of manuscripts is between 60 and 100 pages. Top prize $2,000 and publication. All entries receive a free one-year subscription (two issues or one double-issue) to Tampa Review. 



ANTHOLOGY MAGAZINE SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/short-story/
€10 ENTRY FEE. Early deadline April 30, 2021. Writers of short fiction are invited to enter the Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition. The winner will receive a €500 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. To enter, submit an original, unpublished short story written in English on the subject of ‘Memories’ with a maximum of 1,500 words.



STRINGYBARK OPEN SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/open---open-2021.html
$14 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2021. We are looking for great short fiction stories on any theme but it must have a link to Australia. The story must be 1,500 words or fewer in length and written for an audience aged 16 and above. First prize A$350 cash, publication, plus more. Second prize A$250, publication, and more. Third prize A$125 and publication. 



EZRA JACK KEATS FOUNDATION - CHILDREN'S BOOKS
https://www.degrummond.org/ezra-jack-keats-book-award-guidelin
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Publishers are encouraged to submit works by new writers and illustrators who are committed to celebrating diversity through their writing and art. The award includes a cash award of $3,000 for each winner. To be eligible, writers and illustrators must have had no more than three books published. The winning author and illustrator will each receive a cash award of $3,000 and the EJK medallion suspended in Lucite and inscribed with the recipient’s name, the name of their book and the year it was published.



TO HULL AND BACK HUMOROUS SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-competition/
£13 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2021. First Prize: £1,200. Second Prize: £600. Third Prize: £300. Three highly commended: £150. Fourteen shortlisted: £50. All winners and shortlisted entries will be published in the To Hull and Back Short Story Anthology. This will be available as a professionally published, printed book and as a Kindle download. The book will have an ISBN number. The competition is open to authors residing anywhere in the world. Stories must be no longer than 2,500 words in length. This includes the title. There is no minimum word count. This is an open competition and there is no set theme, but stories must contain some element of humour. 



WRITERS FORUM SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://writers-forum.com/short-story-contest/
£6 ENTRY FEE. First prize £300, second £150, and third £100. All types of storues are welcome, be it crime, comedy, romance, thriller, literary, twist in the tail, horror, scifi, etc. Stories MUST be between 1,000 and 3,000 words. Awarded in every monthly issue of Writers' Forum magazine. 



BATH NOVELLA-IN-FLASH FICTION AWARD
https://bathflashfictionaward.com/novella-entry/
£16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 17, 2021. Prizes: £300 first, two £100 runners-up. Winner and two runners-up published as individual novellas. All entries considered for publication. Entry is open to everyone; locally, nationally, and internationally. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be original and written in English. They must also be for adult or young adult readers. The novella-in-flash must be between 6,000 and 18,000 words long. Individual flashes (or chapters) within the novella should not be more than 1,000 words long.



FLASH 500 FICTION COMPETITION
https://flash500.com/flash-fiction/
£5 ENTRY FEE. This quarterly open-themed competition has closing dates of March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. First: £300. Second: £200. Third: £100. The competition is international and welcomes non-UK entrants. Only manuscripts that are within the 500-word limit will be accepted. 



BOULEVARD SHORT FICTION CONTEST FOR EMERGING WRITERS
https://www.boulevardmagazine.org/short-fiction-contest
$16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. Prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard awarded 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. All entries will be considered for publication and payment at our regular rates.



LITMAG'S VIRGINIA WOOLF AWARD FOR SHORT FICTION
https://litmag.submittable.com/submit
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. First Prize: $2,500, publication in LitMag and agency review. Three finalists will receive $100 each. All finalists will be considered for possible agency review and publication. Entries must be short stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words.



CANCER UNWRAPPED WRITING CONTEST
https://cancerpathways.org/programs/cancer-unwrapped/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 19, 2021. The Cancer Unwrapped Teen Writing Contest invites students to submit essays about their experiences with cancer for the opportunity to win one of several $1,000 cash prizes. Every winning essay has been honest, heartfelt, and unique. Open to students in the United States in grades 9-12. Essay length must range between 500 and 1,000 words. 



SUNSPOT LITERARY CONTEST
https://sunspotlit.com/
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. This year Sunspot Lit is launching Culmination: $500 for a Prose, Poem, or Art Ending. No restrictions on theme, category, or the length of the piece from which the beginning is excerpted. Word limit is 250 for prose, 25 words for poetry. Graphic novel entries should be the last page with a maximum of 250 words; cut the number of panels to meet the word count, if necessary. 



CULMINATION CONTEST
https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2020. No restrictions on theme, category, or the length of the piece from which the ending is excerpted. Word limit is 250 for prose, 25 words for poetry. Graphic novel entries should be the last page with a maximum of 250 words; cut the number of panels to meet the word count, if necessary. 
Prize: $500 cash, publication for the winner, publication offered to runners-up and finalists. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

SOUTHARTS INDIVIDUAL ARTIST CAREER OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
https://www.southarts.org/artist-grants-fellowships/individual-artist-career-opportunity-grants
Opens January 2, 2021. Deadline rolling. The Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant is a pilot program to support a milestone opportunity in an individual artist’s career that is likely to lead to substantial and significant career advancement. Grants of up to $2,000 are available to support opportunities taking place between April 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021. Applications are due at least 60 days prior to activities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until this program’s funds are depleted. Must be a resident of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee. 



PLYSPACE RESIDENCY
https://www.plyspace.org/
Opens January 2021. PlySpace is an immersive Artist-in-Residence program of the Muncie Arts and Culture Council, based in the Emily Kimbrough Historic District in downtown Muncie, Indiana. PlySpace Residents will be offered living quarters, studio amenities, and will be paired with a community collaborator based on their personal and collaborative project proposals and interests. Residents are expected to complete a public talk about their work and complete a project in partnership with their Community Collaborator. Resident Artists will have full access to the PlySpace studio spaces at Madjax as well as limited access to the School of Art (SOA) facilities at Ball State University. They will receive a $500 travel stipend and a $500 food stipend for their residency period, between four and twelve weeks. PlySpace Resident Fellows will be offered living quarters, studio amenities, and will be paired with the Ball State University School of Art as their community collaborator. Resident Fellows are expected to conduct multiple public programs connected to their practice through their partnership with the SOA. Resident Fellows will have access to the SOA facilities necessary to complete their projects as well as the PlySpace studio spaces. Resident Fellows will receive a $1500 stipend provided by PlySpace to be used for travel and living expenses and up to $1,000 in funding toward their proposed collaborative project and supplies. Resident Fellows must plan a nine- to twelve-week residency stay.



IDAHO FELLOWSHIPS
https://arts.idaho.gov/grants/fellowships/
Deadline February 1, 2021. Award amount $5,000. This annual award recognizes the outstanding work of Idaho artists and writers. Fellowships reward the pursuit of artistic excellence, promote public awareness of the arts, and help advance the recipient’s career. Eligible disciplines rotate on a two-year cycle. The Literature Fellowship recognizes artistic excellence in the areas of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, or other literary uses of the written word.



IDAHO WRITER IN RESIDENCE
https://arts.idaho.gov/grants/writer-in-residence/
Deadline January 31, 2021. Award $5,000 annually. Idaho’s Writer in Residence displays preeminent quality in the literary field, complemented by the ability to deliver compelling readings. Applicants are anonymous to the reviewers and are judged on the basis of existing work, a recording of their recitation, and professional history. The Writer in Residence gives at least four annual readings throughout the state with an emphasis on presenting in rural communities. Recipients are limited to two nonconsecutive terms and are no longer eligible for a Literature Fellowship.

 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

TAPROOT MAGAZINE
https://taprootmag.com/pages/submissions
On average our articles range from 800-4,000 words. We are looking for unique, thoughtful, creative pieces exploring the topics of food, farm, family, and craft. We are looking for stories about the many makers, doers and dreamers of our time. We are looking for traditional and modern crafts. We are looking for recipes, and techniques to be carried into the kitchen, the garden, the pasture, the urban homestead, the rural farm. We are looking for art that celebrates all of these things!



HAPPILY HOOKED
https://www.happilyhooked.com/submission-calls/
All materials are due to HHM three months prior to publication. It is expected that patterns have been proofed for spelling and grammar errors, and tested for accuracy. We are looking for exclusive and non-exclusive (previously published) designs that fit the following themes, please click online to view the open submission calls for Happily Hooked Magazine:, and submit your pattern ideas to:  [email protected]



FIYAH MAGAZINE
https://www.fiyahlitmag.com/submissions/
FIYAH is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features stories by and about Black people of the African Diaspora. This definition is globally inclusive (Black anywhere in the world) and also applies to mixed/biracial and Afro-appended people regardless of gender identity or orientation. Open to unthemed prose and poetry through December 31, 2020. Unthemed issues do not share a central theme but must be speculative fiction. We accept submissions of short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. Short stories (2,000 – 7,000 words): pays eight cents per word. Novelettes (<15,000 words): pays eight cents per word. Poetry: $50 USD. 



AUGUR MAGAZINE
http://www.augurmag.com/submissions/
Deadline January 2021 (Issue 4.1, released Spring 2021). 
We’re looking for dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. That said, we’re no strangers to rich realism, high fantasy, and science fiction, so if you think you match our tone, give us a try. We ask folks to identify as from Canada/Turtle Island or as International. Short fiction limited to 5,000 words. Pays 11 cents CAD for over 1,000 words, and a flat fee of $110 for 1,000 words and under. Do not submit poems longer than five pages—we are partial to shorter poetry. Do not submit more than five poems (to a maximum of ten pages of poetry). Pays $60 CAD per poem. 

 

Publishers/agents

THE UNTER AGENCY
http://theunteragency.com/
The Unter Agency is a full-service boutique agency specializing in quality fiction and nonfiction, with a particular interest in memoir, food/cooking, nature/environment, pop culture, travel/adventure, true crime, sports, politics and health/fitness. The Unter Agency also represents all types of children’s literature (picture books, middle grade, and young adult).  



MARSAL LYON LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.marsallyonliteraryagency.com/submissions/submission-info/
Genres and categories they represent are as follows. Fiction: commercial, mainstream, multicultural, mystery, cozy, suspense, thriller, horror, women's fiction, chick-lit, fantasy, romance, young adult, middle grade. Nonfiction: biography, business, economics, investing, finance, cookbooks, diet, fitness and health, history, politics, current events, investigative journalism, lifestyle, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, parenting, pets/animals, pop culture & music, psychology, relationships/advice, science and native, self-help, sports, women's issues. Please choose the agent who is the best fit for your work, then send a query letter by email, with the word QUERY in the email’s subject line.



HARVARD SQUARE EDITIONS
https://harvardsquareeditions.org/contact-page-2/
Harvard Square Editions (HSE) is now accepting novel and novella submissions with environmental and social themes. HSE seeks work of the highest literary quality. Please send queries, including a brief synopsis, the first chapter, the author’s name, contact info, and a one-paragraph bio in third person.
 

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.