Volume 7, Issue 3          -       January 21, 2007

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                   FUNDS FOR WRITERS

     FundsforWriters - Ranked one of
    Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
          2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

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          THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR WRITERS

Editor:  C. Hope Clark

Mailto:    HopeClark1@aol.com -or-
  Hope@fundsforwriters.com

Website: http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Newsletter: ISSN: 1533-1326

Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others.
Use information listed at your own risk. FundsforWriters
gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness
of the markets, contests and grants although research is
done to the best of our ability.
                 
************************************************************
              IN THIS ISSUE
************************************************************

  1. Editor's Thoughts
  2. Article of the Week
  3. Competitions
  4. Grants
  5. Freelance Markets
  6. Jobs
  7. Publishers/Agents
  8. Ads
  9. The Business Stuff

 
************************************************************
1.  EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
************************************************************

IMPORTANT NOTE:

You can read FundsforWriters online at:
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFW.htm

=====

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK...

Get Inspired, Get Writing, Get Published!
 
92nd Annual Missouri Writers' Guild Conference
April 20-22, 2007 St. Charles, MO

Best selling author Philip Gulley-
Agents:  Cherry Weiner, Ashley/Carolyn Grayson-
Editors: Janet Musick, Greg Michalson, Nancy Siscoe.

Critiques, Pitches, Masters Classes Book signing
opportunities, also!

http://www.missouriwritersguild.org
E-mail: conferenceinfo@missouriwritersguild.org

=====

HOPE'S HOPELESS RANT...

What is the difference in not getting paid for your writing
versus almost getting paid? I'm talking about publications
that pay pennies a word...paper publications, mainly. I'm fussing
about those who gloriously flaunt the fact they pay you $10 or
$5 or, better yet, three copies of the book or magazine, and tell
you to be happy you received compensation. They tell you to take
that check, frame it on the wall and be proud.

In the meantime, the printer, the cover artist, and the
distributor, get paid. In most cases, the editor, too. The
excuses range far and wide...

- we're a nonprofit (my favorite)
- we're a fledgling publication, but once we're on our feet...
- the cost of publication is too much to pay the writers.

My question? Why are they publishing in the first place?
For publicity? For recognition? First of all, who is flipping
through these no-pay publications looking for writers to
snatch up, offer contracts and pay big money? Secondly, if
the only credits a writer has is in nonpaying publications,
then what are those credits worth?

Every other entity involved with the book/magazine receives
compensation for their time and talent. The writer is the last
person on the list to be considered, and most times, isn't
given the courtesy of a consideration. After all, since writers
are supposed to struggle, and since they're a dime a dozen, why
should an editor go out of his/her way to pay them when nonpayment
is a viable option?

A thousand words for $5 or $10 is a joke. Payment in copies is
an insult. No payment ought to be a crime called stealing.

Writers can be cannibals. Editors used to be, or still
consider themselves, writers. They know they can find a higher
income editing. They are higher on the pecking order. You'll
probably find that the friggin' interns get paid more than the
writers in an anthology. Don't you love that concept? Get paid
to intern to learn how to write for nothing.

If you sell a commodity, you are in business. Businesses are
supposed to make a buck, or quit operating. The term nonprofit
doesn't mean you aren't supposed to make ends meet. Nonprofits
are supposed to be self-sustaining, or they can be considered
defunct entities. They have an obligation to make sound business
decisions, and if they cannot publish, pay the writers and make
a profit, then they need to quit publishing until they find
enough financial means to pay the worker-bees who provide the
honey in the editor's honeycomb.

I could take this rant into ten pages, if I allowed my fussing
to gain momentum. My husband has already listened to it, poor
thing. The vicious cycle never seems to end, and I see it gaining
ground, gobbling up more newbie writers in its spin. Hell, it
eats up mid-list writers much of the time, all in the name of
exposure.

If you write for free, fine. Don't ever complain about not
making enough money. I don't want to hear it. There are a few
reasons to write for free, and I know them well. But if you
choose to exercise your right to pen words for no money, then
you lose your voice to seek higher pay.

For those who are in the business of writing and publishing,
and like a writer's work, for goodness sake, pay him or her
a respectable income. Otherwise, write the dang stories yourself.
There's no prestige in making less than minimum wage...and I'm
not talking about the new increase, either.

    Hope

EBOOKS GALORE..

www.fundsforwriters.com/ebooks.htm

=====

BYLINE CALENDARS

Remember those wonderful spiral bound Byline Calendars I spoke
about before? I've used them for several years, and I'm featured
as one of the 52 writers in the 2007 edition. Editor Sylvia Forbes
has asked me to be an official distributor of these wonderful
planning calendars. They are so worth the investment. Each two-
page spread gives you a week to plan and a story and photo of
a fellow writer. I ordered several.

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/BylinesCalendar.htm

=====

TOTAL FUNDSFORWRITERS

Where would you be without your dose of TOTAL?
Not the cereal...the newsletter from Hope chocked full
of...not vitamins...but grants, markets, contests, and
publishers who are open to your work.

TOTAL makes you stretch as a writer. You'll see so many
opportunities you won't know what to do...except write.

www.fundsforwriters.com/total.htm

  ~~~~~~****~~~~~~

                WORDS OF SUCCESS

If you don't feel that you are possibly on the edge of
humiliating yourself, of losing control of the whole thing,
then probably what you are doing isn't very vital.
If you don't feel like you are writing somewhat over your head,
why do it? If you don't have some doubt of your authority to
tell this story, then you are not trying to tell enough.

~ John Irving

************************************************************
2.  ARTICLE -
************************************************************

LOCAL PAGES GOOD NEWS FOR WRITERS

By Phyllis Ring

A friend who freelanced for my local newspaper gave me a very
lucky break. She was desperate — her article deadline just three
days away—and a miserable flu had flattened her in bed, unable
to keep an interview appointment with her source, the owner of
a local beverage company. Would I be willing to give the story
a try?

My first lesson in what would eventually become a newspaper-
freelancing career: Be well-prepared to work as efficiently as
possible on tight deadlines. It will make you a better writer,
because nothing forces you to organize — and prioritize — like
a do-or-die deadline.

I brought my friend some sickbed reading and gathered every bit
of background she had about her source and studied it closely
before the interview. I knew nothing about the soft-drink bottling
business, but the owner was more than happy to educate me about
the company his family has kept alive for three generations.

I realized quickly what would make newspaper writing different
from my earlier freelance efforts: Writing about what you know
is good, but being a person with writing skills means you can
also be the eyes and ears that help readers learn. You simply
have to approach the work with those eyes and ears open—and the
right questions.

The interview subject gave me great quotes and was a wonderful
storyteller. Still, when it came time to write the story, I held
to rules that have never failed me: Keep the writing succinct
(in this case, absolutely nothing over the 800-word maximum);
make it clear and accurate; and keep the tone conversational,
even friendly.

After the interview, conscious of how little time I had, I did
something that has served me well ever since. I came home and
drafted out whatever I could remember from the interview, looking
for places where things linked naturally and transitions were
obvious.

In the hundreds of articles I’ve since written for magazines
and newspapers, I’ve seldom included much more than what I
capture in these “first thoughts”, even when faced with multiple
tapes of complex interviews. It is within this process that I
usually “discover” the lead, if I haven’t already heard it
during the interview, and often intuit how the story will wrap,
as well.

After I submitted that first story, the editor called two days
later to alert me to the lucrative prospects of freelancing for
newspapers: Show you can do the job, make yourself available,
and there may be a nearly inexhaustible supply of story ideas for
you to take on assignment. The editor offered me three in this
first call.

Eventually, the stories I wrote were developed from ideas of my own.

Today, there are often more opportunities than ever to publish
with newspapers for a couple of reasons. One is their huge,
ongoing need for content, which they also require more regularly
and frequently than do most magazines. Another is their tendency
toward running more general material, which makes them a great
place to sell human-interest features. In addition, many
newspapers are having to cut back on staffing and are eager to
use freelancers’ work in order to keep expenses down.

While newspaper writing may not always pay as well as other
markets, those paychecks usually arrive like clockwork within
a week or so of publication. I’ve never had to chase anyone
for payment. In addition, because I’ve worked for a company
that produces several publications, other editors frequently
contact me with assignments based on their editorial needs
after they see a piece I’ve completed for one of their
co-workers.

Maybe the universe sent me that distress call from my friend
to get me moving on what I could have done myself without
waiting for an invitation. The features section of that newspaper
had an enormous need for stories. Equipped with the clips I
already had, I could easily have approached that editor (in
appropriate fashion, by query or phone call to set up an
appointment) to let her know that I was available to take
freelance assignments. Even without clips, a carefully crafted
manuscript sample or two, along with at least one compelling
story idea that showed I read the paper and knew my community,
would have gotten me in the door.

BIO
Phyllis Ring worked for eight years as features editor for a
newspaper group in New Hampshire before returning to full-time
freelancing. She has published several hundred articles in a
variety of publications that include American Profile, Bay
Area Parent, Delicious Living, Family Business, Ms., and
Writer’s Digest. She has also served as an instructor for the
Long Ridge Writers Group.

************************************************************
3.  COMPETITIONS
************************************************************

PEOPLE'S COLLEGE FICTION COMPETITION
http://www.peoplescollege.ie/
---
ENTRY FEE ?8 euro
The competition is open to all. First prize ?350, second prize
?250 and third prize of ?150. Deadline February 28, 2007.
Stories can be on any subject and must not exceed 2,500 words.

=====

HARRY CHAPIN MEDIA AWARDS
http://www.worldhungeryear.org/media_center/hcma.asp
---
$25 ENTRY FEE
The Media Awards honor print and electronic media for their
outstanding coverage that positively impacts hunger, poverty
and self-reliance. The Media Awards also honor work that focuses
on the causes of hunger and poverty and the forces creating self-
reliance. This includes work on economic inequality and
insecurity, unemployment, homelessness, domestic and international
policies and their reform, community empowerment, sustainable
development, food production, agriculture, nutrition and the
struggle for land. Awards are $1,000 to $2,500. Deadline February
2, 2007.

The Awards cover six media categories:
Newspaper
Magazines
Broadcast
Radio
Photojournalism
Books

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1st ANNUAL FAITH AND VALUES SCREENWRITING COMPETITION
http://www.ambassadorcommunications.biz/faithandvalues.html
Email: info@ambassadorcommunications.biz
204-292-4095
---
Deadline February 1, 2007 (extended deadline). Note that this a
POSTMARK deadline. Ambassador Communications Inc., the home of
Christian screenwriting and the Christian Screenwriters’
Newsletter, invites you to enter the 1st Annual Faith and
Values Screenwriting Competition, honoring the best in faith-
based TV Series Pilots and Feature Length Screenplays. In
addition to monetary prizes, we have prizes from great sponsors
like Deepfeedback.com, Scriptcopier.com, Hollywoodlitsales.com,
Soyouwannasellascript.com, and Faithwriters.com. The winning
scripts will be considered for representation by a WGA agent
and will be read by Fox Faith and ten other faith-based production
companies.

************************************************************
4. GRANTS
************************************************************

PRAGUE SUMMER PROGRAM FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.praguesummer.com/
---
2007 Theme: Love Makes the World Go Round: Love as Cultural
Construct. John Woods Scholarships will be offered as tuition
reductions toward two- and four-week enrollments, as follows:

Four-week enrollment
$750   one-course enrollment
$1,000 two-course enrollment

Two-week enrollment
$375 one-course enrollment
$500 two-course enrollment

From those who apply for John Woods Scholarships, four full-
tuition fellowship winners will be chosen:

The Ivan Klima Fellowship in fiction writing
The Pavel Srut Fellowship in poetry writing
The Eda Kriseova Fellowship in nonfiction writing
The Vaclav Havel Fellowship in playwriting or screenwriting

The winners of these fellowships will be honored members of the
Prague Summer Program community. They will attend the Program
"tuition-free," except for a $150 registration charge, $75
insurance charge, and the cost of housing and travel. They may
earn up to seven hours of academic credit, or attend as auditors.
Deadline for Scholarship/Fellowship consideration: February 1,
2007. Any writer who has not published more than one book with
a university or commercial press is eligible to enter.

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DAVID T. K. WONG FELLOWSHIP
http://www.uea.ac.uk/eas/fellowships/wong/wong.shtml
---
?10 ENTRY FEE
?25,000 prize to enable a fiction writer who wants to write in English
about the Far East to spend a year in the UK at the University of
East Anglia in Norwich. Awarded to a writer planning to produce a
work of prose fiction in English which deals seriously with an
aspect of life in Brunea, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan,
Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Peoples' Republic
of China, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam.
Applications accepted from published and unpublished writers.
Fellowships start on October 1. Submit application form with 2,500
words of fiction or nonfiction - a sample of the proposed project.
Deadline January 31, 2007.

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CHARLES PICK FELLOWSHIP
http://www.uea.ac.uk/eas/fellowships/pick.shtml
---
Six-month fellowship commencing September 1, 2007. Award amount
is ?10,000. Must be a writer of fiction or nonfiction in English
and be unpublished in book form. Any age and any nationality.
Submit application form with 2,500 words of unpublished fiction
or nonfiction. The fellow will be a member of the School of
Literature and Creative Writing and will be required to reside
at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. No teaching duties.
Deadline January 31, 2007.

************************************************************
5.  FREELANCE
************************************************************

COMMON TIES
http://commonties.com/blog/submit-a-story/
---
Common Ties runs stories on themes every Friday; Mondays through
Thursdays are open for any topic. Upcoming topics include: dating
(Jan. 26, stories due Jan. 23); chance encounters (Feb. 2,
stories due Jan. 30); work (Feb. 9, stories due Feb. 6). We are
also running Valentine’s Day stories on Wednesday, Feb. 14,
stories due Feb. 12. Future themes may include divorce, camp,
professors, family secrets, and the seven deadly sins. Our payment
guideline is between $100 and $200 per story, but this is only a
guideline. You may suggest a higher or lower amount depending on
what you think is an acceptable level given the quality of the
story and your past publishing experience. On rare occasion
payments can be as high as $1,000.

=====

CLOSER
http://www.closerdiets.com/closer/RealLife.aspx
---
Each week Closer brings you heartwarming and incredible
stories about people like you. Check out the latest features
in this week's magazine. If you’ve got an amazing true life
story that hasn’t appeared in another magazine, you could
see it in Closer and earn up to ?750. Perhaps you’ve
overcome a tragedy or turned your life around. Whatever
your incredible experience, we want to know.

=====

CANADIAN GARDENING
http://www.canadiangardening.com/guidelines.shtml
---
Canadian Gardening is a national magazine aimed at the
avid home gardener. Depending on complexity of story and
amount of work involved, our rates range from $125 and up
for short news items, reviews, or how-to pieces (200 to
400 words), to $350 and up for features (about 500 to
2,000 words).

 
************************************************************
6.  JOBS
************************************************************

WRITER-EDITOR
Location Riverdale, MD
http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=52428035&aid=27015391-1317&WT.mc_n=MKT000125
---
Employing Agency: Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.
Deadline January 26, 2007. The incumbent serves as a lead writer/
editor on the staff responsible for developing program policies
on eradication, surveillance, certification, and importation/
exportation of animals, animal products, and their by-products.

=====

SUNDAY EDITOR
Location St. Louis, MO
http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=4299
---
We seek someone with impeccable news judgment, story savvy,
editing panache, design style and top-notch leadership skills.
We want someone who will be the advocate for breaking news
online during Saturday shifts. Someone who is always pushing
to promote online content and incorporate interactivity and
multimedia into Sunday story presentations.

=====

STAFF WRITER
Location Tampa, FL
http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=4196
---
Creative Loafing, Tampa’s alternative newsweekly, seeks a staff
writer with a strong background in music-writing to join our
creative, award-winning editorial team. The position requires
wide knowledge of the music scene both nationally and in Tampa
Bay and the Southeast; the ability to write with authority and
flair on all genres, from hip-hop to alt-country, from Britney
to Bach; and solid experience not just as a critic but as a
reporter. While the first responsibility of the writer in this
position will be music coverage, including band profiles, trend
pieces and CD reviews, the position also includes writing
opportunities in other areas as well. Versatility, initiative
and proven reporting chops are a key. Send a cover letter,
resume and 3-5 clips to jobs@cln.com.

************************************************************
7.  PUBLISHERS / AGENTS
************************************************************

PEACHTREE PUBLISHING
http://www.peachtree-online.com/Adults/info.htm
---
Peachtree is a general trade book publisher. General trade means
that we publish books that are sold in book and gift stores and
found in libraries and schools. We do not publish professional or
scholarly books or textbooks, although some of our books are useful
to professionals and other books are used in classroom settings.
We focus on a few select categories:

-children’s picture and chapter books
-young adult books
-self-help titles covering education, parenting, psychology,
 and health
-guides to the American South, including books about hiking,
 fishing, and walking

We also occasionally publish cookbooks and gardening books,
primarily with a southern focus, fiction, gift books, and humor.

=====

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS - USA
http://www.us.oup.com/
---
OUP USA is by far the largest American university press and
perhaps the most diverse publisher of its type. It publishes
at a variety of levels, for a wide range of audiences in almost
every academic discipline. Wide list of subjects and topics
open to publishing consideration - from agriculture to young
adult, from history to food and wine.

=====

SASQUATCH BOOKS
http://www.sasquatchbooks.com/as_writers-guidelines.htm
---
Sasquatch Books is happy to consider queries and proposals
from authors and agents for new projects that fit into our West
Coast regional publishing program. We can evaluate query letters,
proposals, and complete manuscripts.

************************************************************
8.  ADS
************************************************************

PETIGRU REVIEW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
South Carolina Writers Workshop (SCWW)
http://www.myscww.org/anthology.htm
---
The Petigru Review will feature the best writing of SCWW members
in three categories: fiction; nonfiction; and poetry. The
competition is reserved for SCWW members paid through 2007. 
There is no other entry fee.  New members are welcome.
Each member may submit no more than 4,000 words of fiction,
2,000 words of nonfiction, and/or 80 lines of poetry. Deadline
April 30, 2007. All authors whose writing is selected for
publication in The Petigru Review will receive payment of $5 per
piece and a total of two contributor’s copies of the issue in
which their work appears.  SCWW retains first-time publication
rights until the literary journal is published, at which time
rights revert to the author. SCWW seeks black-and-white
photographs taken in South Carolina for inclusion in The Petigru
Review.  Such photos will be considered by the editors outside
of the writing competition and will be used on a discretionary
basis.  No compensation will be paid for photos. Please submit
no more than 10 photos as .jpg attachments (one photo per e-mail,
please) sent to k.coyle@myscww.org.

Entries should be mailed to:
Kevin Coyle, South Carolina Writers Workshop
2131 Woodruff Road, Suite 2100, Box 188
Greenville, SC 29607. 

=====

DROWN ME – STOMP ME – TIE ME UP! 

Try that with an e-book. Forget it with a paperback.
Our memory sticks stand up to the hardships of life.
They hold books, photos and readings on a keychain.
Sony’s using them, so can you!

Free packaging through May 1, 2007. A $1,500 value
per 1,000 order when you say you saw this ad in
Funds for Writers.

Creative Editing Solutions 
Creative-Editing-Solutions@comcast.net
(509) 210-0879

=====

START THE NEW YEAR WRITE FOR YOU
ONLINE COURSES TO JUMP-START YOUR WRITING BIZ

HURRY!

Do you know you want to write, but you don’t know what you want
to write? Or maybe you’ve been sending out blind queries with
no success. Perhaps you would like help in setting up your
home-based writing business. Online courses, offered by K.C.’s
Write For You may be the jump-start your freelance career needs.
Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell, a professional freelance writer, has
taught in the continuing education department at a major
metropolitan community college for seven years. She is now
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and they are limited in size, so they offer the personal
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Full description of courses at www.writeforyou.biz
or email Kerri at fivecoat@kcnet.com

Read her blog for writers at www.kcwrite4u.blogspot.com

=====

SOUTHERN HUM PRESS WOMEN OF WORDS AWARD & POETRY CHAPBOOK CONTEST
http://www.southernhumpress.com
---
Southern Hum Press 2007 Women of Words Award & Poetry Chapbook
Competition. Southern Hum Press is seeking to publish the award-winning
poetry chapbook that exemplifies the very best writing by a woman writer.
We are seeking strong voices and expressions of today's women writers
who approach writing with vision, passion, fresh language and a meticulous
attention to craft. Entries can be representative of all types of writing styles
whether traditional or experimental. Entries for this contest need not be
Southern-themed. The award winner will receive a prize of $250 and 25
copies of the chapbook. Chapbook will be available for purchase on the
site.

=====

THE WRITER'S CHATROOM WRITING CONTEST!
http://www.writerschatroom.com
---
NO ENTRY FEE 
1st place: $25 Cash, Publication in The Writer's Chatroom's
Newsletter and on The Prompt Writer website, and 1 copy of
C. Hope Clark's book, "Just Hit Send"
 
2nd place: A subscription to Total FundsforWriters and
publication on The Prompt Writer website
 
3rd place: 1 copy of Christine R. Senter's book,
"Written Promptly Everyday"
 
Honorable Mention: A critique of your story, provided by
Glenn Walker, of Writer Circle fame.
 
Any genre except poetry with a limit of 500 words. Theme
is "new beginnings" and writers must use a prompt in the
list at http://writerschatroom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=837#837
Deadline March 1, 2007.  You must be a forum member to enter.
There is no charge to join the forum.
 
SPONSORED BY:
C. Hope Clark of Funds For Writers: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ 
Christine R. Senter, the Prompt Writer: http://www.thepromptwriter.com/ 
The Staff at The Writer's Chatroom: http://writerschatroom.com/ 
Audrey Shaffer - http://audreyshaffer.com 
Linda Hutchinson – http://www.lindajhutchinson.com 
Renee' Barnes – http://trailerparkgazette.bravehost.com 
Glenn Walker, founder of The Writer's Chatroom: http://www.comicwidows.com

=====

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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm

************************************************************
9.  CONTACT FUNDSFORWRITERS
************************************************************

SUBSCRIBE:  30604-subscribe@zinester.com
UNSUBSCRIBE: 30604-unsubscribe@zinester.com
ARCHIVES: http://archives.zinester.com/30604

C. Hope Clark
hope@fundsforwriters.com
HopeClark1@aol.com

140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036

http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2007, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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