TOP SPONSOR 

Do You Want To

Become A Published Author?

If you’d like to know why you haven’t started, finished, or published your book yet, here’s your chance to find out. Take this free, no-strings-attached, one-minute quiz and find out where you are in the writing process.

Then you’ll discover what’s keeping you from finishing the book of your dreams and what to do about it. The answer just may surprise you!
 

THE DARING AND THE TENTATIVE

The difference between the tentative and the daring is that the tentative ask too many questions beginning with BUT or WHAT IF. The daring, however, are too busy forging ahead, diagramming how they will arrive at success. 

The daring and diligent are focused. The tentative are scouting for obstacles so they are not blindsided. 

The daring push forward, willing to make mistakes. The tentative hunt for ways to not make mistakes. 

Thomas Jefferson said, "Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

All too often we study and study and never get around to applying ourselves. I know authors who have 30 how-to books on their shelves, afraid to put pen to paper until they've read all there is, to avoid any and all mistakes. Others, however, start writing and choose to learn from the doing. 

The truth is, when you believe something is doable, you find ways to make it so. You accept the challenges, which, according to Bette Davis, is the key to life. 

Then there's this piece of advice, which I absolutely love: 

“I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run towards it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your foot.” —Nadia Comaneci

SUPER SPONSOR 

You’re working hard for success. 

We’ll help you be ready for when you find it. 

Most people learn the business side of their passion by failing—a lot. It can cost you time, money, stress, and lead to total burnout. Learning how to run your business isn't complicated. You just need to know where to start.

Our team of professional freelancers created a guide to teach you the ins and outs of managing your freelance business. Our free mini course on Freelance Management will help you analyze your finances, reach new clients, plan for growth, and more. 

Running your business doesn’t have to mean running yourself ragged. Try our free course today, and start running your business like a pro.

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

Creative Inspiration for Book Selling During Quarantine

By Steven Spatz

For all the lifestyle changes thrust upon us by the pandemic, book marketing opportunities still exist during this quarantine. Thousands of authors sold hundreds of thousands of books during the worldwide lockdown last spring. I think the best ideas to promote yourself and your books start with this premise: Book marketing is about more than selling books.

The most effective author marketing is about establishing relationships with readers. It’s a principle that has helped over 2,000 independent bookstores thrive in this Amazon-dominated marketplace and it’s an approach that authors need to have in mind as we move forward.

Marketing your book during COVID-19

Before COVID-19, stores and authors took advantage of many face-to-face promotional events. It’s still possible to forge these same bonds with buyers during quarantine. It’s just going to take some imagination and energy. BookBaby author Casey Bell is a case in point.

“During the pandemic, I decided now is the time to find new ways to market my books,” explains Bell. Bell started a YouTube channel last spring and created a unique kind of program. “I call it the ‘Writer to Writer Interviews.’ Two authors ask each other five questions about their journey into writing, as well as questions pertaining to a work they are featuring.”

Bell credits fellow author Nancy Christie for helping him with the idea. “I didn’t initially think to use YouTube. I was looking for ways to market myself by doing podcasts and interviews. Nancy was one of the people I contacted and asked for an interview. She came up with the idea of each of us asking the other five questions and I took it from there.”

Use technology to your book-selling advantage

The Old Bridge, NJ author didn’t let technical issues get in the way. “Sometimes, the Zoom connection would freeze, but, for the most part, I was able to figure out how to use it and edit the videos. I chose YouTube because I thought video would be better than audio alone.”

Bell says one of the most rewarding aspects of this new marketing endeavor was learning about the different experiences authors have on their journey. “No two writers have been the same. They have all answered some of the same questions completely different from one another,” he says. “It’s also given me knowledge about the different ways of publishing as the writers each published their books differently.”

Technology is a key component to almost all the unique and interesting ways authors and independent stores are selling books. Book tours have gone digital — instead of a bookstore packed wall-to-wall with folding chairs, a standard literary event in the time of COVID-19 consists of the featured author and a moderator Zoom-ing in from their respective homes, with audience members free to come and go from the video chat as they please.

For some authors, the modified format has worked surprisingly well, with many new readers tuning in from the comfort of homes thousands of miles away from where a traditional event might take place. The flip side is that a myriad of technical issues may disrupt the process, including accessibility for those who lack good devices, access to broadband, or accommodations for disabilities. Simple is best, which means using, learning, and mastering ubiquitous platforms, including Zoom and Facebook Live.

For more ideas about how to market in the face of this challenging pandemic, book sale tactics you can use today, and inspiration for the quarantined creative mind, download your free copy of Book Marketing in the Age of COVID-19.  

BIO - Steven Spatz is a writer, marketer, and the President of BookBaby, the nation’s leading self-publishing services company. Spatz lives in Glenside, PA with his two children, a demented cat, and some well-used bicycles. Steven loves to hear from authors, editors, and publishers in the BookBaby community with tales of publishing trials and triumphs. To tell him your story, write to [email protected].

COmpetitions

SPREAD THE WORD’S LIFE WRITING PRIZE
https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/life-writing-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. The prize aims to find the best life writing from emerging writers from across the UK. The Prize defines life writing as ‘intended to be true,’ reflects someone’s own life journey or experiences and is not fiction. The competition is open to writers who have yet to publish a full-length work or have a literary agent. Send us an unpublished piece of life writing that is up to 5,000 words. This can be a stand-alone piece or the beginning extract of a larger piece of writing. The winner of the Life Writing Prize will receive £1500, an Arvon course, a writing mentor, two years of 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. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com) 



SYRACUSE VETERANS WRITING AWARD
https://press.syr.edu/veterans-writing-award/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 15, 2021. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with Syracuse University Press. Manuscripts of high merit not selected for the final award may receive honorable mention. We invite unpublished, full-length novels or short story collections in manuscript form for consideration. This contest is open to US veterans and active-duty personnel in any branch of the US military and their immediate family members. This includes spouses, domestic partners, and children. We encourage women veteran writers and veterans of color to submit. Although work submitted for the contest need not be about direct military experience, we seek original voices and fresh perspectives that will expand and challenge readers’ understanding of the lives of veterans and their families. Should not exceed 90,000 words. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com)  



FIRST PAGES PRIZE
https://www.firstpagesprize.com/guidelines-and-termsconditions
ENTRY FEE $20. Deadline February 21, 2021. The First Pages Prize supports emerging writers, having awarded $18,000 to date to 19 past winners. We welcome entries of the first five pages of a fiction or creative nonfiction manuscript. Lan Samantha Chang will judge this year's prize. Five winners will receive $5,000 total in cash awards, a developmental edit to support the completion of their manuscript and an agent consultation. Open worldwide, the competition is for writers who are currently un-agented. Entries must be unpublished, original and written in English. We partner with the memorial fund of board member, Sandra Carpenter, to present an additional prize, where a short- or long-listed entry of creative nonfiction by an American writer identifying as a woman is considered for the Sandra Carpenter Prize for Creative Nonfiction. This prize awards $500 and a developmental edit to one winner. All qualifying entries are automatically considered.



THOMAS WOLFE FICTION PRIZE
https://www.ncwriters.org/index.php/competitions/3587-thomas-wolfe-fiction-prize
$15-$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 30, 2021. The competition is open to all writers regardless of geographical location or prior publication. Submit two copies (if submitting by mail) of an unpublished fiction manuscript - short story or self-contained novel excerpt - not to exceed 3,000 words. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review.



RANDALL JARRELL POETRY COMPETITION
https://www.ncwriters.org/index.php/competitions/3585-randall-jarrell-poetry-competition
$10-$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 1, 2021. The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. Submissions should be one poem only (40-line limit), original, and previously unpublished. Poem must be typed (single-spaced). The contest awards the winner $200 and publication in storySouth literary magazine. 



CRAZYHORSE PRIZES IN FICTION, NONFICTION, & POETRY
https://crazyhorse.cofc.edu/prizes/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2021. Submit short stories and essays of up to 25 pages or a set of one to three poems. Winners in each genre receive $2,000 and publication. Everyone who enters receives a one-year subscription. 



THE SCREW TURN FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
http://www.theghoststory.com/flash-fiction-competition
ENTRY FEE $15. Deadline January 31, 2021. We’re interested in flash fiction pieces of between 250 and 1,000 words sent to us via our online submission system. As with The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award, in our flash fiction competition we’re seeking the finest work we can find that incorporates an uncanny element. Ghost stories are welcome, of course—but your submission may involve any paranormal or supernatural theme, as well as magic realism. 



IOWA REVIEW AWARDS
https://iowareview.org/rules
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2021. Submit up to 25 pages of prose (double-spaced) or 10 pages of poetry (one poem or several, but no more than one poem per page). Work must be previously unpublished. All manuscripts, whether selected as finalists or not, are considered for publication. Winners receive $1,500; first runners-up receive $750. Winners and runners-up are published in each December issue.



THE TERRY J. COX POETRY AWARD
https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/the-terry-j-cox-poetry-award/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2021. The Terry J. Cox Poetry Prize is awarded to honor a poet’s poetry collection, while also honoring the founder’s late father, who held a lifelong love of poetry. The 2021 winner receives poetry publication by Regal House Publishing in the fall of 2022 in paperback and $1,000 prize. Minimum of 48 pages, maximum of 100 pages of poetry. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

STARSHINE AND CLAY FELLOWSHIPS FOR EMERGING BLACK POETS
https://cavecanempoets.org/announcing-the-starshine-and-clay-fellowship-for-emerging-black-poets/
Deadline January 31, 2021. For black poets without a published book or a book under contract. Each recipient will receive $500, $500 for a LOGOS reading, a $500 travel stipend, and free lodging to attend the upcoming Wonder in Wyoming conference, a one-on-one consultation with the final judge, and master classes and other opportunities provided by Cave Canem. The poets will also have their work published in the Summer 2021 issue of EcoTheo Review, with proceeds of the sale going to Cave Canem.



BETHANY ARTS COMMUNITY
https://bethanyarts.submittable.com/submit/181738/bac-april-poetry-2021-residency-application
Deadline February 1, 2021. Bethany Arts Community offers residencies to emerging and established artists for the development of both new works and works in progress. For the Poetry Residency, we encourage applications from individual poets as well as poet/artist pairs. Applications are open only to individuals who reside in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The Poetry Residency is for seven days. While we cannot accommodate family members, the program is designed with the intention to make it more accessible to those whose family or work commitments make longer residencies difficult to attend. The Poetry Residency includes room, board, and $150 stipend and takes place April 25 to May 1. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com) 



THE SHENANDOAH FELLOWSHIP FOR BIPOC EDITORS
https://shenandoahliterary.org/submissions/
Selected fellows will receive a $1,000 honorarium and will curate a selection of published work in a genre of their choosing for a single issue of Shenandoah, working with the Shenandoah staff to guide the work to publication. We welcome writers and editors of all experience levels. No previous editorial experience is necessary, but we are looking for applicants who are passionate and informed about the literary community. We welcome candidates who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. 



NEVADA ARTIST RELIEF GRANTS
https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/ARTIST-RELIEF-GRANT-GUIDELINES-V7-10.28.20-FINAL.pdf
Deadline January 31, 2021. The Artist Relief Grant from the Nevada Arts Council provides financial assistance for individual artists in Nevada who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application and grantee requirements have been simplified to make the process as easy as possible for Nevada artists. Grants will be one-time emergency relief payments that must be expended by June 30, 2021. Grant amount $1,000. 



NORTH AMERICAN GUILD OF BEER WRITERS DIVERSITY IN BEER WRITING GRANT
https://reportersnotebook.org/2021/01/07/entries-now-open-for-2021-diversity-in-beer-writing-grant/
Deadline February 7, 2021. The goal of this grant is to highlight the value of stories that can showcase diversity and inclusion – in all its forms and challenges – within beer. To best align with this goal, and to support a growing collection of writers that have not traditionally been represented covering the beer industry, those who identify as female, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The winner of the grant will receive a cash stipend for completed work. Previous coverage does not have to include the beer industry – an emphasis is placed on uniqueness of pitch and storytelling, not an intimate knowledge of beer. Written stories are encouraged, but pitches may also include photo essays or short audio documentaries. Recipients will receive a stipend of at least 50 cents per word for their work, up to $1,000 (depending on the kind of story, length, and other factors), to be paid upon completion and publication of their story. 


 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

SHENANDOAH
https://shenandoahliterary.org/submissions/
Deadline January 31, 2021. SHORT STORIES and CREATIVE NONFICTION (essays, memoir, etc.) should be under 8,000 words. NOVEL EXCERPTS under 8,000 words will be considered with great enthusiasm. POETRY submissions should contain up to five pieces and not more than ten pages total. We’ll only consider one submission per author at a time (no multiple submissions in different genres, please). Expect a response in six to eight weeks. We pay our contributors at the rate of $100 per poem, $100 per 1,000 words of prose up to $500. (Thanks www.erikadreifus.com)



NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/about/guidelines_w.html
Each issue of the magazine contains five or more features, roughly balanced between US and foreign subjects. Generally, we are interested in places accessible to most travelers, not just the intrepid or wealthy. The types of destinations we cover vary widely, from mainstream to adventure travel. Most Traveler features range from 1,500 to 2,500 words, depending on the subject. Traveler departments generally run from 750 to 1,500 words. Compensation varies depending on the type of feature or department but is competitive with other national magazines. Payment is made upon acceptance. We buy all rights to manuscripts, although copyright is returned to the author 90 days after publication. Pays roughly 50 cents/word.



HIGH LIFE
https://bahighlife.com/about-us/
British Airways High Life: now online and delivered directly to your inbox. Every month new travel inspiration, ideas, stories and itineraries will be sent by email to five million BA customers and can be found here on bahighlife.com. We’ll still provide print editions in the BA lounges and, while these aren’t yet available onboard, you can access our digital magazine for free through the .air WiFi system. You’ll find the same high-quality writing, photography, ideas and experiences you’ve come to expect from us.



HEMISPHERES
https://www.hemispheresmag.com/writers-guidelines/
Hemispheres, the inflight magazine of United Airlines, reaches more than 11 million readers every month. The magazine is aimed at affluent business and leisure travelers. The feature story should have a strong sense of place or destination, though traveling itself does not necessarily need be its focus. The stories can be profiles of newsmakers and cultural figures, personal narratives, or adventurous general-interest stories. Above all, the featured locations should be United Airlines destinations. Navigator is our travel-oriented front-of-the-book section. It focuses on hotels, food and drink, up-and-coming neighborhoods and cities, automobiles, and more. Diversions is our front-of-the-book culture section. It includes date-pegged coverage of gallery, film, and theater openings, book and music releases, television premieres, and sporting events. Pays up to a dollar/word.



CELEBRATED LIVING
https://ink-global.com/our-clients/portfolio/celebrated-living/
An official magazine of American Airlines. Celebrated Living’s stories highlight the best in luxury travel, fashion, food and culture while exploring fascinating ideas and the personalities behind them. In each issue, tastemakers choose their favorite items and places of the moment, from clothing and jewelry to hotel suites and spas. Destination features explore unique parts of the world or offer fresh perspectives on classic locations. Pays up to a dollar/word.



AMERICAN WAY
https://ink-global.com/our-clients/american-airlines/
With features that lead you on immersive, beautifully photographed journeys and a tone that is always warm and inviting, American Way is curious about the world we live in and inspires passengers to seek it out. The magazine's enthralling mix of international celebrity, world-class destinations, and extraordinary stories mirrors the interests and passions of its loyal American Airlines readership. Pays up to a dollar/word.



NEXOS
https://ink-global.com/our-clients/portfolio/nexos/
Nexos focuses on Latin celebrities, events, shopping, fashion, cuisine, real estate and lifestyle – all with a sleek design and witty editorial from celebrated tastemakers. It’s full of wit and flair and is the essential international travel companion for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking passengers. Pays up to a dollar/word.



AFAR
https://www.afar.com/ambassadors
AFAR Ambassadors are seasoned writers, photographers, videographers, and influencers who share AFAR's passion for experiential travel. They work with AFAR and our partners to create engaging travel and lifestyle custom content. Check out their profiles below and keep up with their adventures on social media. If you'd like to be considered, please email [email protected] with examples of your work. Pays up to 50 cents/word. 

 

Publishers/agents

TRANSATLANTIC AGENCY
https://www.transatlanticagency.com/submissions/
Transatlantic Agency is a leading literary management company with a vibrant and diverse team of 18 experienced agents based in cities across North America. We offer a full spectrum of career representation to authors (Adult, Children’s and YA, and illustrators) and storytellers (Speakers, Industry leaders & Influencers) across all genres and formats for book, content development, speaking and TV and Film. Transatlantic Agency represents adult and children’s authors of all genres, including illustrators. Transatlantic agents work within their own defined areas of interest, but they jointly share a commitment to excellence in the craft of writing and professionalism in the business of publishing. Our preference is that you submit to one agent at a time. 



BOOKENDS
https://bookendsliterary.com/submissions/
BookEnds agents are always looking for fresh new material from both published and unpublished authors. BookEnds represents fiction and nonfiction in all genres for both adults and children. Look for our birds to help you identify which agents might be best suited for what you write. In adult fiction, our agents specialize in romance, mystery, suspense, thrillers, science fiction and fantasy, women’s fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, and upmarket fiction. We are also seeking nonfiction for adults that focus on current events and social issues as well as memoirs, history, food, business and career, parenting, pop culture, and general nonfiction. BookEnds Jr, represents authors and illustrators in young adult, middle grade, graphic novels, and picture books. In fiction, we are looking for contemporaries, romance, science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, graphic novels, horror, thrillers, and mystery. In nonfiction, we are seeking narrative nonfiction and memoirs.



MADELEINE MILBURN LITERARY, TV & FILM AGENCY
https://madeleinemilburn.co.uk/contact/submissions/
As a growing UK literary agency seeking new authors, we are accepting submissions in all categories. The agency represents award-winning and bestselling authors of adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction



TANGLEWOOD BOOKS
http://www.tanglewoodbooks.com/submissions/
Tanglewood accepts manuscripts from agents as well as unsolicited manuscripts. We love nothing more than to discover an unpublished, talented author with a wonderful manuscript, or a published author whose latest work has brilliance not recognized by other publishers. While we publish for every age, from toddlers to teens, we are most interested in expanding Tanglewood’s range of middle grade and YA fiction and narrative nonfiction (history or biography). We are open to most fiction genres, as long as the manuscript has authentic, 3D characters and a strong plot. While we are not looking for high fantasy, elements of fantasy or the fantastical are always welcome.
 

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.