TOP SPONSOR 

Fix, Grist’s solutions lab, is launching a new climate-fiction contest, Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors


 

The contest will award $8,700 in prizes and publication

Deadline: April 12, 2021 | No entry fee

Imagine calls for short stories (3,000–5,000 words) that envision the next 180 years of climate progress. Judges include renowned authors Adrienne Maree Brown, Kiese Laymon, and Morgan Jerkins.

The top three contest winners will be awarded $3000, $2000, and $1000 respectively, and nine finalists will receive a $300 honorarium. Winners and finalists will be published in an immersive digital collection. 

Imagine draws inspiration from Afrofuturism, as well as Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, disabled, feminist, and queer futures, and the genres of hopepunk and solarpunk. We want to see — and share — stories that center climate solutions from the most impacted communities, and bring into focus what a truly regenerative future could look like.

More information . . . 

SLOW DOWN AND LET IT RISE TO THE TOP

If you keep a blender going, the ingredients swirl and combine until you have a product that looks little like its original parts. But if you shut off that blender, and you let the pitcher sit there for a few hours, something will usually settle to the bottom . . . or float to the top. 

Someone asked me in a Zoom meeting not long ago how I juggled my life. I sounded energized, which was probably more nerves from presenting, but still, they asked and wondered how I did all I did. I do not see myself that way, but I pondered a second and said that I know what my priorities are in life, and when something comes along that detracts from that, I decline it. 

Someone in a chat asked me who does the cleaning and cooking first to gain those hours of writing, those times when someone can write their 1,000 words a day that I preach. I clean when someone visits or I tire of looking at it, because my writing is a higher priority. I cook when I have a desire to. Elaborate meals are only for special occasions . . . because I have to write. If I'm on a roll writing and do not care to take much of a break, my husband knows he is on his own (and will often bring me something). 

Instead of looking for time to write after I'm done with other things, I have to ponder time to do other things once the writing is done.

We remain blenderized when we let ourselves see all these other activities in our lives be just as important as our goals or passion. As a result, you cannot see your goals or passion, because they're all mixed up in the other stuff. 

Sometimes I sit on the front step of my house in the morning, listening to the birds, studying where the squirrel nests are, smelling what may be blooming in the woods. I also think about writing. Just this week, that 20 minutes of quasi-meditation told me to insert Quinn's dog Bogie in a scene in the new third series and have him pay particular attention to one guy who was present. It made the scene more human, and she used the dog to brush her hand against the man. It wasn't much, but it mattered and only came about because of the calm of the moment.

You might be surprised at how many things in your life are not necessities. Decide what's important and let it lead you. Just remember that the more things you pack into your day, the more they mix together, and the less any one of them can be seen as your passion. 

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.

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HOPE'S APPEARANCES

Email: [email protected] to schedule  events, online or otherwise. There's starting to be life out there!

March 13, 2021 - Zoom presentation, Spain, Sean McLachlan's Writer's Group, Noon Eastern  March 22, 2021 - Guest Presenter - St. Andrews Women's Club, St. Andrews Presby Church, Irmo, SC - 7 PM Eastern April 3, 2021 - Signing - The Coffee Shelf, Chapin, SC Noon-2 PM April 5, 2021 - Presenting Salkehatchie Secret, Night Harbor Book Club, Chapin, SC 7-8 PM April 10, 2021 - Zoom presentation, Piedmont Authors Network, 1-2:30 PM April 24, 2021 - Signing - Edisto Bookstore, Edisto Island, SC 3-5 PM May 1, 2021 - Signing - Main Street Reads Bookstore, Summerville, SC  - 11 AM

SUCCESS QUOTE

SUccess Story

Dear Hope:

Back in 2015, I journeyed to Cuba because I found an ad in your newsletter about a writers' trip to the island where we'd have the opportunity to meet with Cuban writers. That trip is one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had. It provided me with countless stories. One was published in Sasee. One won first place in the Burlington Writers Contest in 2016. One was featured on an ezine, Raleigh and Co. Later, I compiled them into ebooks using KDP. I named the first ebook Welcome to Cuba: Get in Line and the second Welcome to Koobah: What the C.U.C.? 

I'm an avid reader of your weekly newsletter and often submit to magazines or anthologies mentioned in your pages.  Thanks! 

Erika Hoffman

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

Featured article

Author Royalties 101 (Self-Published)

By Amanda Zieba

A question I get asked frequently, especially when I launch a new book, is: What is the best way for me to order your book? What these kind and supportive people are attempting to politely ask is, which way do you make the most money? I know pre-published writers are curious about this too. They want to know, and rightly so, before they put in the blood, sweat, and tears, how much will they really make in author royalties when all is said and done. And the answer is, it’s complicated. 

In the spirit of both learning and total transparency, I’d like to share with you the different royalty amounts a few of my books earn via their various sales paths in hopes of educating future self-publishers and also for those of you who want to support me in the best possible way.
 
A Few Reflections

•    While Amazon does not make me the most money in royalties, it is less work on my part to fulfill an order, and sales/reviews on that platform allow me to reach a worldwide audience that I am (at this time) unable to do on my own. 

•    While I make the most money per book sale on books directly ordered for me, the work of shipping, paying tax, and managing inventory lay with me, rather than a large corporation. Also, books purchased at a vendor event/school visit come with the unseen costs of my travel expenses, several hours of invested event time, and often, a “show fee.” This is why books directly from me cost a bit more.

Other Points of Consideration

•    Not only is Amazon the cheapest, it is often the fastest mode of ordering/shipping, unless you are in a bookstore or at an in-person sales event and you can literally “cash and carry” the book home. 

•    Books bought or ordered from me directly come with personalization, an autograph and a bookmark! 

When it comes down to it, I usually tell people this: If you want to help me pay my bills this month, buy from me directly. If you want to help me build a retirement fund, buy on Amazon. If you want to support two local and small businesses, buy my books at Birdy’s Bookstore or Pearl Street Books. In the end, whichever platform best aligns with your goals and values, go for it. I’m just pleased you are buying my book at all. :)

If you found this information helpful and found that it raised even more questions you have about self-publishing, I welcome you to learn more about my course, the Take Action Author Plan. In it you will find three modules: Self-Publishing 101, Book Marketing 101 and The ABC’s of Authorpreneurship. In particular, I’ve included an entire case study of my book Close Quarters, showing you exactly how much I spent in creating and promoting the book and also my profit/return on investment one year out from its publication.




BIO: This article was originally published on Amanda Zieba’s blog where she shares word nerd goodness each and every Wednesday. She is also the author of 11 books and creator of the Take Action Author Plan course. Subscribe to her email list and grab your free writing prompt PDF.

 

COmpetitions

ROBERT DAY AWARD FOR FICTION
https://www.newletters.org/robert-day-award-for-fiction/
$24 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 18, 2021. A one-year subscription or subscription renewal to New Letters, shipped to any address within the United States, is included in the price of the first entry. Fiction entries may not exceed 8,000 words. One prize of $2,500. 



CUTBANK CHAPBOOK CONTEST
http://www.cutbankonline.org/genre-contests
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2021. The winning author receives a $1,000 honorarium plus 25 copies of the published book. Two runners-up will be chosen for publication as well. The CutBank Chapbook Contest honors a book of original poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by a single author; translations are not eligible for this award. Manuscripts should be 25-40 typed pages in length of poetry (a cohesive poetry manuscript), fiction (either a short fiction collection or novella), or creative nonfiction (one long essay or a collection of short essays). 



SPECULATIVE PHILOSOPHICAL FICTION CONTEST
https://themeofabsence.com/speculative-philosophical-fiction-contest/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2021. The theme of this contest is Philosophical, Metaphysical, or Epistemological fiction. Only original, unpublished flash fiction is eligible for this contest. The story must revolve around some metaphysical or epistemological issue, like the nature of time or knowledge of the external world. The maximum word count for this contest is 1,000. The payment for the winning entry is $500, payable through PayPal. The top two runners-up will receive $50 each. 



OWN VOICES, OWN STORIES AWARD
https://sleepingbearpress.com/submissions
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2021. The Own Voices, Own Stories Award is offered annually to a children’s picture book manuscript written by a BIPOC and LGBTQ+ author with the intention of recognizing and amplifying new and diverse voices with underrepresented perspectives. With this award, we hope to reflect the authentic perspectives of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ children (and families), thereby highlighting the universal experience of our shared humanity through the prism of multifaceted experiences. Only unagented projects and authors who have not had a previously traditionally published children’s book will be considered. Grand Prize winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize, in addition to a publishing contract with advance and royalties standard for new Sleeping Bear Press authors. Honor Award winners will receive a $500 cash prize as well as one consulting session with a Sleeping Bear Press editor.



L. RON HUBBARD CONTEST
https://www.writersofthefuture.com/Contest-Rules-Writers/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2021. Open to new and amateur scifi and fantasy writers. Prizes each quarter are $1,000, $750, and $500. The quarterly first-place winners compete for the $5,000 additional prize. All types of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. To be eligible, entries must be works of prose, up to 17,000 words in length. We regret we cannot consider poetry or works intended for children.



FOLEY POETRY CONTEST
https://americamedia.submittable.com/submit/181645/foley-poetry-2021
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2021. Each entrant is asked to submit one poem of 45 lines or fewer for consideration. Only unpublished poems not under consideration elsewhere will be considered. Poems may address any topic. The winning poem will be announced in early June and published in the print edition of America. The cash prize is $1,000. Please submit no more than one poem. 



ALPINE FELLOWSHIPS WRITING PRIZE
https://alpinefellowship.com/writing-prize
Deadline April 1, 2021. Awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of Untamed: On Wilderness and Civilization. The winner receives a £10,000 prize and is presented with the award by the poet John Burnside. A £3,000 prize will go to second place, and £2,000 to third place. The winner and two runners up are invited to attend the Fjällnäs symposium. Open to all nationalities and anyone aged 18 and above. A maximum of 2,500 words per entry. 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

VERMONT CREATION GRANTS
https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/artists/creation
Deadline April 14, 2021. The Council is interested in ensuring that artists at all career levels are supported by this grant program. While Creation Grant awards will still be made to established artists, special consideration will be given to emerging artists in this grant round. Creation Grants support the creation of new work by Vermont artists. Creation Grants can fund time, materials, some equipment costs, and space rental for artists and artist groups.



SCMF-SWF OHIO WRITERS SCHOLARSHIP
https://www.scmemorialfund.com/
Deadline March 31, 2021. The 2021 SCMF-SWF Ohio Writers Scholarship offers an Ohio woman writer special access to the Stockholm Writers Festival and a monetary award to support their writing post-festival. SWF 2021 offers a three-day virtual experience May 28, 29, and 30. Its sessions are all interactive and filled with learning, community-building, and inspiration. The Stockholm Writers Festival offers a fantastic learning and networking experience for emerging and published writers alike.  



CENTER FOR STUDY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICA
http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/rfps/rfp12202-brown-university-s-center-for-study-of-race-and-ethnicity-in-america-invites-applications-for-spring-2022-fellowship-program
Deadline March 31, 2021. The program supports artists, media makers, and writers whose work focuses on race, ethnicity, or indigeneity in the United States. Fellows receive a $10,000 stipend for a semester-long fellowship and have access to up to $1,500 in research/project funds. Fellows also will have access to Brown University resources and will have opportunities to present work-in-progress in a campus-wide public lecture or performance. Projects should focus at least in part on issues of race, ethnicity, or indigeneity in the United States or a US-related transnational context. 



IOWA SEEKING GRANT PANELISTS
https://iowaculture.gov/arts/get-involved/volunteer-panelist-program
Would you like to serve on a grant-review panel? The Iowa Arts Council is seeking panelists with artistically and culturally diverse viewpoints to serve on our fiscal year 2022 grants panels, which will be held virtually. Volunteering on a panel is a great way to support the arts in Iowa, learn about new ideas and projects, spark interesting conversations, participate in the decision-making process and, as a bonus, strengthen your own skills as a grant writer. Panelists will receive training and may be eligible for a stipend.



SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY WRITER IN RESIDENCE
https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/reach-us/news-events/writer-residence
Deadline March 31, 2021. The SFU Library Nonfiction Writer in Residence emphasizes the power of nonfiction writing to share knowledge beyond academia, enhancing the SFU community's capacity to tell compelling research and scholarship stories. This complements the Library's growing activities in the area of knowledge mobilization. Deliver workshops on nonfiction writing for a public audience. Showcase nonfiction writing that brings scholarship to a public audience through public events. Offer opportunities for SFU graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff to receive feedback and support on their own public writing projects. 



MARGUERITE AND LAMAR SMITH FELLOWSHIP FOR WRITERS
http://www.mccullerscenter.org/#academic-opportunities
Deadline April 1, 2021. The fellowship begins on the first of September and ends on the first of December. During this time, the writing fellow will reside in a spacious private apartment inside Carson McCullers's childhood home, the Smith-McCullers House. The fellow is provided with a stipend of $5,000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals. Fellowship recipients are encouraged to take an active role in the community and to meet informally with students and local residents interested in writing. The fellow will work with the McCullers Center director to plan a presentation near the end of the residency.
 
 

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

SEEKING LITERARY JOURNAL EDITOR
http://www.emrys.org
The Emrys Foundation is seeking a talented, dynamic and experienced editor for Emrys Journal. This is a part-time, independent contractor position that pays $4,000 per year. The primary responsibilities are reading and selecting submissions for both the print journal and Emrys Journal Online. The editor directs the editorial, design, and production phases of Emrys Journal, working collaboratively with authors of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as artists, designers, and printers, to meet deadlines and maintain the high standards for which the journal is known. The editor also promotes the journal on social media, nominates work for awards such as the Pushcart Prize, and works with the Emrys Foundation board to plan the annual journal launch party. The editor will be based in the Upstate, South Carolina, area, but will mostly work remotely using Submittable, Medium and Zoom. 

Required skills and qualifications:
• Avid reader of contemporary poetry and prose. Familiarity with current literary journals,
magazines, and web sites.
• Passion for uplifting emerging and underrepresented writers.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Familiar with Microsoft Word.
• Previous publication, editing, and/or workshop experience. MFA is a plus.
Interested parties should send cover letter, CV and portfolio links to [email protected] — please put “Journal Editor” in the subject line.


 
CHILLING CRIME SHORT STORIES - FLAME TREE PRESS
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/chilling-crimeshort-stories-call-for-submissions-0
Deadline March 14, 2021. Word length is most likely to be successful at 2,000-4,000 words, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range. We're seeking up to 20 new stories to join our powerful collection of Chilling Crime Short Stories, new and classic tales reaching back into ancient, medieval, Elizabethan and Victorian fiction. For accepted stories we pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of eight cents/sixpence per word for original stories, six cents/four pence for reprints. 



SOUTHWORD
https://www.munsterlit.ie/Southword%20Journal.html
Deadline March 31, 2021. Payment for short stories is made on publication. For unsolicited work we will be paying €250 per short story published in our new print editions. Payments to contributors outside Ireland can only be made through PayPal. All contributors also receive a complimentary copy of the issue in which they appear. There is an upper limit of 5,000 words for short stories.



BUSINESS INSIDER
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-write-for-business-insider-2020-4
Insider covers the people, companies, and ideas changing our world — and we welcome outside voices to help us do that. Freelance writers are professional writers we pay to write assigned articles for us. Insider may assign you a story, or you may pitch your ideas to us. We welcome pitches of personal essays, as-told-tos, diaries, profiles, how-tos, reported features, and more. Pays 20 cents/word and up. 



THE KEN
https://the-ken.com/write-for-us/
The Ken publishes one story a day. We’re looking for original, analytical and skillfully-narrated pieces-we’re big on granularity, on data, and on extensive reporting. We welcome contributors from journalists, subject matter experts, and anyone who has a good story to tell. We have over 15,000 paying subscribers—many of whom are CXOs, industry leaders/decision makers at major corporations, students and faculty at elite B-schools around the world. These are the sort of dedicated readers your story will reach. In terms of subject matter, we’ve been sharply focused on select sectors-technology (spanning fintech, Big Tech, SaaS, and telecom), startups (EVs, food tech, etc.), science, healthcare, retail, and education across India and Southeast Asia. And how policy shapes these sectors. Our preferred story length is 1,500-2,200 words. Expect ten cents/word. (Thanks to www.makealivingwriting.com )



INCOME DIARY
http://www.incomediary.com/write-for-incomediary/
If you are an expert at anything to do with: Creating awesome websites, driving traffic, social media or making money online, we would love you to write for us. We are currently looking for an expert in search engine optimization to write an indepth blog post about keyword research using tools such as Ahrefs or Semrush. Contact us with a quote (Please include examples of previous writing on SEO – our Budget: $200–$500). Want to be notified every time we have paid writing jobs? Then enter your email on the website. (Thanks to www.makealivingwriting.com )



SMART BUSINESS TRENDS
https://smartbusinesstrends.com/write-for-us/
SmartBusinessTrends is a growing and active blog focused on sharing the latest trends in online marketing, including email marketing, WordPress, and Amazon FBA. We are always on the lookout for writers who can produce quality articles and tutorials for publishing that provide amazing value to our readers. We pay between $200–$500 for awesome, well-researched tutorials, case studies, and product reviews.



POETRY
https://poetry.submittable.com/submit
Please submit up to four poems (up to ten pages total) for consideration. All poets will be compensated for published poems. For text poems, we pay $10/line with a minimum honorarium of $300 per poem. For visual poems, audio poems, and video poems, we pay $300 per poem. If a piece is published in multiple formats, such as print and video, we pay for each format.

 

Publishers/agents

39 WEST PRESS
https://39westpress.com/
39 West Press is an independent book publisher committed to releasing books that encourage critical thinking and promote constructive discourse on key social, cultural, political, and economic issues affecting life in the U.S. We publish books of art, poetry, literary fiction, and creative non-fiction, thereby promoting a diverse range of experiences and voices. 



WARREN PUBLISHING
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/submissions.html
Currently, we are seeking the following manuscripts for our 2021/2022 publishing list: Specialty subject matter such as photography, travel, cookbooks, health and fitness, inspirational and motivational, and legacy books; Trade fiction, suspense, romance*, and historical fiction; Memoir; Nonfiction; Poetry; Self-help; Children's books: ages 2+ through Young Adult. Don't see your genre listed? Send us an e-mail with your idea and we'll let you know if it's a fit! We do not accept erotica submissions. Please note that Warren Publishing accepts less than 20 percent of all submissions, however, we do respond to 100 percent of all submissions.



TILBURY HOUSE
https://www.tilburyhouse.com/submissions
CHILDREN'S: Our primary emphasis is on nonfiction picture books that appeal to children (ages 2 – 12) and their parents. We want these books to offer solid learning content for the education market and strong popular appeal for the national and international bookstore trade. We rarely publish fables, fantasies, picture books with talking animals, or other fictions. We will also consider nonfiction chapter books and graphic nonfiction for early readers (ages 8 – 13), and nonfiction for young adult readers (YA, age 12+). ADULT: Tilbury House is actively looking for submissions for reference/how-to (i.e., gardening, home improvement, etc.) and nautical titles (reference/how-to) that have national appeal. Please do not send us fiction, short stories, memoirs, or poetry.



HOLLAND PARK PRESS
https://www.hollandparkpress.co.uk/about-us/submissions/
Holland Park Press aims to publish manuscripts that make a unique contribution to literature. We accept literary fiction in the form of a novel, novella, memoir or collection of short stories. We also welcome poetry collections.

 

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

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