TOP SPONSOR 

AN ANNUAL RANT ABOUT THE ART OF CRITIQUE

Critiquing has an etiquette all its own, but way too many people have never been taught those manners or do not care to follow them. As a result, they impact their own character. They will argue that character does not play into the equation; however, critiquing, like any human interaction, comes with best practices. 

The person who boldly steps outside those rules is often remembered, and not in a good way. Worse, even though they might have the best of intentions, the party upon which they heap their criticisms will not only remember them in a bad light, but will also not heed the criticism. Thus, time wasted for all. 

Excellent and famous writers recall fondest memories of mentors. And they often remain attached to those mentors over the years. That is because there is a fondness infused into the lesson. There is a respect for the writer woven into the delivery. 

If we've learned anything during these times of pandemic, it should be a respect for humankind. After a year of teeth gnashing and condemnation of anything spoken in public, we are beginning to feel like we might be settling down a tad. That effort should include critiquing. 

I recently read a piece called The Gift of Critique. I want to wholeheartedly cheer about the first suggestion!

"Unsolicited feedback isn’t critique, it’s criticism. Call it the first rule of Write Club: if the writer didn’t ask for your feedback, it’s unlikely that your input will be helpful."

Several times a year, someone will email me and tell me what I've written wrong. From one of my books or an article in a newsletter, someone I've never heard from before will boldly say, "You got this wrong." Nothing about whether they enjoyed anything of the writing or if I've offered anything positive. Just flat condemnation. I can honestly say I hope I never hear from these people again. That's my first impression of them. 

However, the person who asks, "Hey, can I offer some criticism on something you wrote?" is respecting me as a person and a writer. They are offering me the option. For example, I recently sent out 25 ARCs on my last novel, asking for feedback on the story. One lady asked, "Do you want me to proofread it?" I replied in the negative, because the publisher already had an editor on it. 

Other advice in The Gift of Critique was "Focus on what succeeds, not just what fails." That speaks for itself. The Oreo method is highly underestimated. Envelope corrective criticism with two sides of positive. Otherwise, the constructive criticism will come across as more harsh than necessary.

Bottom line: Mind your manners when critiquing. You'll be not only heard, but heard more clearly, and remembered for much, much longer. 

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

Hi Hope, 

Thanks so much for accepting my article. And thank you for your editorial help. I have been reading your newsletter every week for years now. I don't even remember when I started, and it's been very helpful. I found one of my small presses through you, and I've submitted and been accepted by many publications through your recommendations. Keep up the good work. And congrats on your new series. 

Best, 
Jessica Stilling
Jessicastilling.com

- - - 



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




 

Featured article

Want Publicity? Go Local 
Using the Local Media to Promote Your Book

By Jessica Stilling

Writers appreciate that reviews are golden, but self-promotion is also key. Sometimes that means promoting ourselves through guest blog posts or interviews with a podcaster. But in addition to all the work to reach a wider audience, it's also important to remember where we came from, or where we are. I found as a writer that home, whether my hometown or the place I currently live, will always support my work, whether through a local newspaper article or a talk at the library. When promoting, go local as well as far and wide. I've come up with a few tips and ideas that have helped me in my search for local exposure. 

No Matter How Big the City, There's a Local Somewhere

When I published my last literary novel, The Beekeeper's Daughter, I lived in New York City. I asked the Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side if I could do a reading there as a local author. They told me there were no fewer than 500 "local" authors within a five-block radius, but even in New York I managed to find a local angle. I taught at an all-girls school in the Bronx and realized that the headline "Bronx Teacher Publishes Novel" would be of interest to the community. I reached out to the Bronx newspaper and the local television news, and they were both happy to do a story on my novel. Even in big old New York, there was a smaller, more reachable market. 

Remember Where You're From

Never forget your hometown, no matter how far you live from it. I can't tell you the number of times I've done library visits and school visits in my hometown, and even though I haven't lived there since I was in high school, the local paper always does a story when I publish a book. My old friends are there, my old teachers and mentors, my family and their friends and coworkers, and they're still interested in a hometown girl who publishes a novel. 

Local Can Mean More than Location

The definition of local comes down to the people you have a connection to, so try to broaden the definition of local to mean organizations you're a part of like the company you work for or places you might volunteer. Does your church have a newsletter? Maybe they'd like to do a write-up. Maybe you work for a large company, and sure, you could be featured in the branch's newsletter, but maybe, if you reach out to someone higher up, you can get a blurb in the company's larger corporate newsletter. It never hurts to ask. 

That's the Thing: Ask

Don't be offended if the local paper doesn't knock on your door for an interview the second your first review comes out. Dare to reach out to a reporter or media manager for attention. The squeaky wheel and all that, but even if you think your local paper should know about your work, it never hurts to give them a call. In pursuit of publicity in local papers and news outlets I’ve learned by simply asking, they are often receptive. 

We must reach for the stars for publicity but as you're reaching, remember there's a market of old friends, current coworkers, and people you haven't met yet who will be excited about your book knowing they have a local connection to it. 

Bio: Jessica Stilling is the author of two literary novels, The Beekeeper's Daughter, and Betwixt and Between. Her third literary novel, Just So Many Places, will be published by NineStar Press later this year. Jessica has published three YA Fantasy novels, Nod, and books two and three of The Pan Chronicles Series under the pen name JM Stephen. She currently lives in Southern Vermont with her family. Her website is Jessicastilling.com

COmpetitions

SLIPPERY ELM PRIZES IN POETRY AND PROSE
https://slipperyelm.findlay.edu/submit/contest-guidelines/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. Poetry and prose categories with $1,000 prize for each. All contest entrants will receive a copy of the winning issue and be considered for publication. Up to three poems (no line/length limit) or one essay or story (5,000 words maximum). Multiple entries are fine.



MICHAEL WATERS POETRY PRIZE
https://www.usi.edu/sir/awards-contests/waters-prize
$35 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. A prize of $3,000 and publication by SIR Press is awarded annually for a collection of poetry written in English. All entries are considered for publication. Submit up to 100 pages (no more than one poem per page). 



YEATS POETRY PRIZE
https://yeats.submittable.com/submit
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. Unpublished poems in English up to 60 lines on any subject and style. Each poem will be judged separately and read anonymously. First prize $1,000. Second prize $500. 



AMERICAN SHORT(ER) FICTION PRIZE
https://americanshortfiction.org/announcing-the-2021-american-shorter-fiction-prize/
$17 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. The prize recognizes extraordinary short fiction under 1,000 words. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 prize and publication. 



WILLIAM VAN DYKE SHORT STORY PRIZE
https://www.ruminatemagazine.com/pages/short-story-prize
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2021. Short story must be 5,500 words or less. Each year they award $1,500 and publication to the winning author.



THE WINTER ANTHOLOGY AND PRIZE
http://www.winteranthology.com/
$11 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 10, 2021. Please send as much poetry or prose as you like. Whole manuscripts are welcome. Send writings of which you are the sole author and that were not written earlier than 1999. Published and unpublished writings are equally welcome. The winner will be published in Volume 11 of The Winter Anthology and receive a $1,000 honorarium. Finalists will also be considered for publication.



BALLARD SPAHR PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://milkweed.org/ballard-spahr-prize-for-poetry
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 14, 2021. Awards $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions to a poet residing in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Michigan. A public book launch and celebration for the winning poet will be held in Minneapolis around publication. Submit a poetry manuscript of at least 48 pages by February 15. 



MARY MCCARTHY PRIZE IN SHORT FICTION
http://www.sarabandebooks.org/mccarthy
$29 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 15, 2021. The prize includes a $2,000 cash award, publication of the winning manuscript, and a standard royalty contract. This contest is open to any short fiction writer of English. Must be between 150 and 250 pages. 



CLAIRE KEYES POETRY AWARD
https://www.salemstate.edu/campus-life/arts/creative-writing/soundings-east
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 15, 2021. A prize of $1,000 and publication in Soundings East will be given for a group of previously unpublished poems. Submit eight to ten pages of poetry (no more than one poem per page). 



NEW DELTA REVIEW CHAPBOOK CONTEST
http://ndrmag.org/contests-2/2020/12/2020-21-chapbook-contest/
$8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 3, 2021. For this contest, we’re looking for manuscripts of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid work. We’re particularly interested in works that challenge traditional understandings of genre and form, though exceptional work of any aesthetic tilt is absolutely of interest. Prize $250, publication, and 25 author copies. Manuscripts should be 20-35 pages in length and should include a title page with contact information.



LITTLE BLACK BOOK CONTEST
https://vocal.media/challenges/little-black-book
Deadline March 2, 2021. Grand prize: $20,000. Second place: $5,000. Third place: $1,000. Plus, ten runner ups will receive a year of Vocal+ membership for free (a $120 value). For this Challenge, we’d like you to create a fiction story about someone who unexpectedly comes into $20,000. Whether it involves a mysterious inheritance, a lotto win, or random circumstance, the details are entirely up to you—the only requirement is that at some point in your narrative, whether it’s a major plot point or a minor detail, your story must include a small black notebook. For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 2,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. The Little Black Book Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. (NOTE: a Vocal+ membership is $4.99 a month for three months then $9.99 per month and your work has to be posted in their community.)

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

IDAHO LITERATURE FELLOWSHIPS
https://arts.idaho.gov/grants/fellowships/
Deadline February 1, 2021. The Literature Fellowship recognizes artistic excellence in the areas of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, or other literary uses of the written word. Applicant must be a United States citizen, legal resident, or refugee, and be an Idaho resident for at least one year. Awards are $5,000.



GOOD HEART ARTIST RESIDENCY
https://goodhartartistresidency.org/program-details/
Deadline February 17, 2021. The Good Heart Artist residency program provides a dedicated writer or composer/songwriter with up to three weeks in residence to give him/her time and space to create, as well as full room and board to allow him/her time to focus on their work. Each residency includes a 1,150-square-foot residence, a 24×14 detached studio, food (including homemade baked goods and jams, locally sourced ingredients, and seasonal vegetables from the host's garden when available), a $500 stipend, and a quiet setting to concentrate on his/her work. Resident artists are housed in a rural area within walking distance of Lake Michigan and the village of Good Hart, along the “Tunnel of Trees,” a Scenic Heritage Route. The residency program offers a solitary experience by primarily hosting one resident at a time.



ART LEADERS OF COLOR EMERGENCY FUND
https://aacnetwork.org/
Arts Administrators of Color set up an Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund, which supports BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists and arts administrators impacted by COVID-19 through $200 microgrants. 



AC BOSE GRANT
https://speculativeliterature.org/grants/slf-ac-bose-grant/
Deadline January 31, 2021. The A.C. Bose Grant will annually give $1,000 to a South Asian / South Asian diaspora writer developing speculative fiction. It supports adult fiction, but work that is also accessible to older children and teens will be given preference in the jury process. The donors hope that this grant will help develop work that will let young people imagine different worlds and possibilities. 



GREATER PITTSBURGH EMERGENCY ARTS FUNDS
http://www.pittsburghartscouncil.org/programs/artist-services/emergency-fund
The Emergency Fund for Artists is designed to assist artists of all disciplines living in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Artists can apply for financial assistance not to exceed $1,000, covering losses caused by unforeseen emergencies, unrelated to COVID-19.



NEW HAMPSHIRE ARTIST ENTREPRENEURIAL GRANTS
https://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/artists/artistentre.html
Deadline February 5, 2021. Artist Entrepreneurial Grants recognize the importance of the creative workforce to New Hampshire’s economy. Artist Entrepreneurial Grants support opportunities that will benefit artists’ careers, including the development of business skills, participation in programs to raise the level and quality of their art, and participation in programs that will bring their art to the widest possible markets.



EMRYS FOUNDATION ALICE CONGER PATTERSON SCHOLARSHIP
https://www.emrys.org/patterson-scholarship-guidelines
Deadline February 1, 2021. The purpose of the grant is to encourage South Carolina individuals to pursue continuing education or to develop a creative endeavor in order to enhance a career in the arts or to change career direction. Must be 35 years or older. Must have demonstrated interest or have a career in the arts which the scholarship would enhance. Award: $500 to $1,000. 



MASSACHUSETTS STARS RESIDENCIES
https://massculturalcouncil.org/blog/stars-residencies-grants-available/
Deadline January 27 - February 1, 2021. Mass Cultural Council announces the availability of FY21 STARS Residencies grants of $500-$5,000 to schools to support creative learning residencies of three days or more in the arts, sciences, and humanities. These residencies bring students and teachers together with practicing artists, scientists, and scholars to create rich cultural experiences. They help youth build confidence, discover hidden talents, explore the natural world, understand their place in history, and rise as leaders in their community.



MASSACHUSETTS COVID RELIEF FOR INDIVIDUALS
https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/covid-19-relief-fund-for-individuals/application-process
Deadline February 2, 2021. Through Mass Cultural Council’s COVID-19 Relief Fund for Individuals, grants of $1,500 will be awarded through a randomized process to individuals who are independent contractors, freelancers, gig workers, and self-employed or sole proprietors who have lost income derived from their work as individual artists and independent teaching artists/humanists/scientists as a direct result of COVID-19 related cancellations and closures in Massachusetts.​


 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

MYSTERION
https://www.mysteriononline.com/p/submission-guidelines.html
Deadline January 31, 2021. We are looking for speculative stories - science fiction, fantasy, horror - with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology, and for artwork for this site. Stories can be up to 9,000 words. We pay eight cents/word for original stories (or original translations of stories that have not previously appeared in English), and four cents/word for reprints. 



OUT THERE
http://saundramitchell.com/subs/
Deadline March 1, 2021. OUT THERE will feature stories written by queer YA authors, about queer teen protagonists. Set in the future, these stories will explore the last (or next, as the case may be) moment in time. Limit 4,000 to 8,000 words. Pays $900 plus a pro-rated share of royalties. (No, that is not a typo.)



NEW MOBILITY
https://www.newmobility.com/magazine-for-active-wheelchair-users/writers-guidelines/
New Mobility covers an active wheelchair lifestyle with articles on recreation, travel, people, health, relationships, media, culture, civil rights, and resources. Eighty-five percent of our readers have disabilities, most caused by spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. Terms: 15 cents per word for new writers. Payment is based on the number of words published, not the number submitted, and is made within 60 days of publication.



DEPARTURE MIRROR
http://departuremirror.com/guidelines/
Deadline January 31, 2021. The January submission period is for the Spring 2021 issue. We expect our greatest need from the slush will be for middle-length short stories (around 3,000-4,000 words). We will be deliberately restricting the number of dark and downbeat stories in the Spring issue, and we don’t anticipate buying anything escapist. For Spring 2021, we’re going to be avoiding stories about kids at schools for magic, furry stories, apocalypse pieces, European fairytale retellings, steampunk, and antihero stories. We will be particularly looking for pieces about rebuilding, stories that celebrate diversity, and anything that captures the nuances of things that are on the minds of American readers today. Payment: $0.10/word up to 3,000 words for fiction. $300 flat rate above that. $10/poem flat rate for poetry.


 

Publishers/agents

STORM LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/
A boutique literary agency representing quality children's literature from authors and illustrators. Locations in Minneapolis, New York, and London. 



TRANSATLANTIC LITERARY AGENCY
https://www.transatlanticagency.com/about-us/about-our-agency/
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 & YA, and illustrators) and storytellers (Speakers, Industry leaders & Influencers) across all genres and formats for book, content development, speaking and TV & Film. 



MASSIE & McQUILKIN
http://www.mmqlit.com/about/
A full-service literary agency that focuses on bringing fiction and nonfiction of quality to the largest possible audience. 



CREDO COMMUNICATIONS
https://www.credocommunications.net/submissions/
We are actively acquiring adult nonfiction books for the Christian marketplace (CBA). We are not acquiring children’s, fiction, cookbooks, anthologies or essay collections, gift books, graphic novels, poetry, or screenplays. Credo Communications represents some of the leading Christian thinkers, writers, and speakers today. 

 

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.