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Volume 7, Issue 33 - August 19, 2007
====================================================== FFW SMALL MARKETS FundsforWriters - Ranked one of
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Editor: C. Hope Clark Mailto: Hope@FundsforWriters.com
FFW Small Markets is an opt-in letter here at your leisure.
Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this letter.
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR FRIENDS !!!!!
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Editor's Piece of Mind
2. Wise Words to Live By
3. Article of the Week
4. Grants/Awards/Contests
5. Jobs/Markets
6. Ads and Opportunities
7. FundsforWriters Aids
8. Contact FundsforWriters
SUBSCRIBE: 94631-subscribe@zinester.com
UNSUBSCRIBE: 94631-unsubscribe@zinester.com
ARCHIVES: http://archives.zinester.com/94631 =======================================================
1. EDITOR'S PIECE OF MIND
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You can read FFW Small Markets online at:
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/smallmarkets.htm
===== SPONSOR
OF THE WEEK MENTORING AD THE PYGMY PRESS offers writing services, including critiques,
editing, MS doctor, and mentoring. If you need help with that book or story you've been dying to
write, contact us at pygmy@pygmypress.com, or visit our site
at http://pygmypress.com. A published author will guide you through the process via e-mail
"Lessons" - one or two e-mail pages, tailored to your particular
needs. No fluff, just good, solid help. Mentoring can save you a lot of time and energy. It keeps you
motivated and on the right path. As one client said, "Trying to
write a book without a guide is like wandering lost and alone
through the Amazon rain forest." Lessons: $2.50 each. ===== FEEDBACK FROM THE CONFERENCE... Making myself attend a writers' conference produced two
surprising results. 1. People clamored over The Shy Writer once I spoke,
resulting in me analyzing a rewrite of the book. 2. I received an invitation to speak at another conference
in 2008. My initial goal to attend was to promote FundsforWriters and
get paid for my services. Yeah, blunt, I know. But we are
working writers, and an income is nice to have. I didn't
expect a spin off or two. Another writer at the conference received an unexpected
surprise as well. He is born and bred Mississippi and has
the various dialects of the state down pat. Someone
from
the NY/NJ area heard the man informally performing for us
at a break session, called someone he knew in NY, and landed
the man a gig working with a voice specialist who needed some
guidance on drawls. One writer attended who I'd met only online, and he was a
pleasure to converse with about writing short stories. Then
I met a lady who served on a writing competition board and
selected Hog-Tied, my novel being shopped around, as a third
place novel winner. Then I noticed a gentleman who had a gentle way about him.
He was tall and always wore a hat of some sort that
complemented his appearance. He couldn't walk into a room
without being noticed. Instant recognition that I noted for
a future editorial or new chapter
in The Shy Writer. This was not a long conference. It was a short two hours
on Friday and all day on Saturday. Yet I walked away with
gobs of notes and ideas and a rejuvenated mind itching to
try new things and finish molding the things I already
have in motion. Cliche or not, it was a shot in the arm. Like I tell every writer, you need to attend at least one
conference a year. You remember why you write, and you
rub elbows with those who persevered and made something of
their craft. A conference gives you a warm fuzzy and a spark of life.
You remember why you write.
Hope Clark
NOTE: ADVERTISING SPECIAL
All advertising in FundsforWriters and FFW Small Markets
is half price for the summer...deadline
August 31, 2007. These are the dog days of summer, and people will be
moving indoors to get away from the heat. Promote your
writing, copyediting, publishing, conference or editing
service for HALF PRICE. Why the discount? Since we are offering sponsorships with
the FundsforWriters annual contest, we didn't want one offer
to take away from the other. PLUS...we love our writers! www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm === SIXTH ANNUAL FUNDSFORWRITERS ESSAY CONTEST - SPONSORED BY NABBW.COM FundsforWriters and the National Association of Baby Boomer Women
announce the Annual FFW Essay Contest with the theme: Make Us Want
to Be You! In 750 words or less, either send
us a remarkable
promotional plan for your writing project or tell us what you'd
do with your writing career if you had a year to devote to your
passion. As always with a FFW contest, you choose whether to pay
a $5 entry fee or not. The first prize for the entry fee division
is $200. The first prize for the non-entry fee division is $50.
Deadline October 31, 2007. Winners announced December 1, 2007.
Visit our sponsor at www.nabbw.com. www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm === THE BLOG, THE BLOG! http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com People are raving about the new look...and
the new opportunities
offered five days a week. =======================================================
2. WISE WORDS TO LIVE BY
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"There are those of us who are always about to live.
We are waiting until things change, until there is more
time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion,
until we settle down -- until, until, until. It always
seems as if there is some major event that must occur
in our lives before we begin living."
-- George Sheehan
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3. ARTICLE
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SELF-PUBLISHING - NOT WITHOUT A PROMO PLAN
by
C. Hope Clark Someone wrote me a week ago wanting to speak out against my
normal stance about self-publishing. I'm not a rabid self-
publishing fan. As a matter of fact, I'm almost against it
when it comes to fiction. But fiction or nonfiction,
poetry or play, self-publishing can be good for you, but
only under certain conditions... and these conditions are
often overlooked by self-published authors. 1. Who is your market?
If your answer is along the line of all young people or baby
boomers, you've missed the boat. What young people, which
baby boomers? You ought to know your market well enough to
venture into them and sell your book like it was a new type
of mood ring in 1972. It's not that you know the general
kind of
reader who'd like your book...you must know who
would love your book and feel remiss walking away without
it in his or her shopping bag. You must know them that well. 2. Where is your market?
Again, if you say the United States, or people on the
Internet, you don't get it. You ought to be able to make
a list of places whether they are physical gathering venues
or web sites where your market is thick as ants on a dropped
Snickers bar. Know the population or visitors at those venues.
Know the likelihood of sales numbers. 3. What is your platform?
When I speak to shy writers, I ask them what makes them
different than the conference attendee seated next to them.
Then I cut them some slack and reduce the competition to
just
those in their genre/style. Then I ask them what makes
any reader, in a room full of writers selling their books,
travel to one author over the others. If someone asked you
what makes your writing different than any of the others,
what do you say? Not only does this set you apart from
others, but it also makes you understand the competition.
Not only do readers want you to be unique, but your agent
and editor do, too. If you can't identify originality in
your work, no one else can either. 4. How will you sell?
Your marketing plan should cover all the questions above
then orchestrate a time line and schedule for promoting
the book. Will you speak? Will you sell via affiliates?
Will you make deals with nonprofits? You should know
these answers before you receive your boxes of books. 5. How many will you sell?
Since you are self-publishing, each book costs you, unless
you are routing everyone to your printer's web site to make
a purchase...a bad idea since many people want the book from
you. And you run the chance of that reader stumbling across
your competition's book as well. If you've done your
homework, you have a general, feasible, realistic estimate
of a sales volume. If you think writing and publishing the book mean you've
"arrived," you are dead wrong. Some of the best writing in
the world never becomes known...all because writers thought
all they had to do was write. BIO
C. Hope Clark is about to release The Shy Writer in an
updated edition. She is following these very steps in
making her own self-publishing decisions.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.theshywriter.com
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4. Grants/Awards/Contests
=======================================================
HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU CONTEST
http://www.readingwriters.com/contest.htm
---
NO ENTRY FEE
Deadline September 15, 2007. $100 prize and publication in
The VERB writing ezine. Also, signed copy of Characters and
Viewpoints (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Orson Scott Card.
Word length may be up to 700.
Give us a short story in which
you, the author, are directly involved. You may be the main
character or a minor character but—and here's the catch—you
may not use First Person narrative. That means no I or me.
For this story, you are looking at yourself from the outside. ===== SCRIBES VALLEY PUBLISHING SHORT STORY CONTEST
http://scribesvalley.com/contest.html
---
ENTRY FEE $7
Short stories word limit: 5,000 words. Contests are open
to everyone, regardless of nationality, age, or publishing
history, as long as it is legal in the submitter's place of
residence. Deadline August 31, 2007. Monetary awards based
on participation. All finalists published in anthology. ===== MIDWEST
FICTION WRITERS SHORT STORY CONTEST
http://www.midwestfictionwriters.com/
---
$5 ENTRY FEE
Stories should be up to 3,000 words. Deadline September
15, 2007. The Omaha Chapter of the NFB holds first world wide
publication rights with permission to publish in an anthology
with all rights reverting back to the author after the winners
are announced. All 2007 prizewinners and the ten honorable
mentions agree not to submit their story to any other market
or contest until the announcement of the winners. Prizes:
$100 first prize, with a bonus surprise!
$50 second prize
$25 third prize
10 honorable mentions The winners will be announced online on Nov 10, 2007 and
in
person at the White Cane banquet, held in Omaha Nebraska.
Genres: Mystery, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Other. ===== SPINETINGLERS MONTHLY CONTEST
http://www.spinetinglers.co.uk/
---
ENTRY FEE ?2
Every month, the writer of the top story will receive a
?50 prize as well as publication. At Spinetinglers, we hold
a monthly short story competition that aims to publish five
writers every month. ===== WRITERS' JOURNAL TRAVEL CONTEST
http://www.writersjournal.com/TravelContest.htm
---
ENTRY FEE $7
Prizes: First: $250, Second: $100, Third: $50, Plus Honorable
Mentions. First, Second,
Third, and selected Honorable Mention
winning stories will be published in future issues of the
WRITERS' Journal. Deadline November 30, 2007. ===== WRITING ON WALLS ANTHOLOGY II
http://www.storyteller1.upcsites.org/page/page/4170619.htm
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
Writing on Walls Anthology offers a venue for up and coming
writers to showcase their best work. This is an open genre
book, featuring 15 short stories up to 3,000 words. Only 25
entries will be included. Deadline September 1, 2007.
First Place: $200.00 + 4 free books
Second Place: $150.00 + 3 free books
Third Place: $100.00+ 2 free books
Fourth Place: $ 75.00 + 1 free book
All other
contributors will receive one free book. ===== PLOT PARTY
http://www.plotparty.com/prologue.htm
---
NO ENTRY FEE
Submit a scene for the chance to win $200! So what really did
happen? That's up to you! Submit your scene in 500 words or
less on what you think transpired in the backroom between Luke
and Annie. Have fun with it and the best entry will be posted
on Plot Party.com and win $200. It's your chance to steer the
plot any way you want! ===== FOLDING MIRROR POETRY CONTEST
http://www.writelink.co.uk/arenacomps
---
NO ENTRY FEE IF A MEMBER - ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP IS ?15 - MULTIPLE
CONTESTS THROUGHOUT
THE YEAR PLUS MORE BENEFITS
How good is your symmetry? Our latest Arena competition,
Folding Mirror calls for a novel type of verse form that
sees the structure of one half of a poem to reflect the other.
The middle line represents the fold and you can have up to 4
lines either side which will give you a maximum of 9 lines.
Entries close September 10, 2007. ?20 for the winner. =======================================================
5. Jobs/Markets
======================================================= CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
http://www.csmonitor.com/aboutus/guidelines.html
---
Our basic rate for a story is $200 to $225. But please be
in touch
with individual news and section editors about any
variation from this rate. Longer stories can pay appreciably
more. Short stories or sidebars often pay half the basic rate.
We care about social problems and people in trouble, and
we're especially interested in finding progress against
those problems. We want our stories to be reported and told
with an honest and open-minded balance that is not partisan
or polemic. The Monitor has long been valued for its
thoughtful and balanced coverage of world affairs. ===== PLANET VERMONT QUARTERLY
http://planetvermont.com/pvq/submission.html
---
A small, independent publication with a regional emphasis
yet a broad
perspective. Our mission is to present thoughtful
information that challenges people to keep their minds and
hearts open and contribute their best toward a better world;
to provide an appealing, low-cost venue for information on
innovative, holistically-oriented activities, goods and
services in the region; and to foster a sense of community
centered on these ideals. Feature articles usually run from
1,800–2,400 words, although we will consider longer pieces.
Informational and advice columns and shorter pieces run from
500–750 words and reviews run roughly 300–500 words. $40 to
$90 depending on length. We pay $15–$25 for poetry and $10–
$20 for photos and illustrations to accompany articles. ===== PLOUGHSHARES
http://www.pshares.org/submissions/page.cfm?intContentID=28
---
Ploughshares welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction,
poetry, and a limited amount of nonfiction. Payment is upon
publication: $25/printed page, $50 minimum per title, $250
maximum per author, with two copies of the issue and a one-
year subscription. Submit one prose piece or one to three poems. ===== INTERGALACTIC MEDICINE SHOW
http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=content&article=submissions
---
Stories of any length in the genres of science fiction and
fantasy.
"Science fiction" includes hard sf, sf adventure,
alternate history, near-future, far-future, psi, alien, and
any other kind of sci-fi you can think of. "Fantasy" includes
heroic fantasy (based on any culture's mythology), fairy tales,
contemporary fantasy, and "horror" in the sense of supernatural
suspense. Six cents a word up to 7,500 words and 5 cents a word
thereafter. ===== BOYS' QUEST
http://www.funforkidzmagazines.com/bq_guidelines.html
---
Looking for lively writing, most of it from a 10-year-old boy?s
point of view, with the boy or boys directly involved in an
activity that is both wholesome and unusual. We need
nonfiction
with photos and fiction stories around 500 words, as well as
puzzles, poems, cooking, carpentry projects, jokes, and riddles.
Nonfiction pieces that are accompanied by clear photos with high
resolution are far more likely to be accepted than those that
need illustrations. The ideal length of a BOYS' QUEST piece,
for nonfiction or fiction, is 500 words. Pays a minimum of five
cents a word for both fiction and nonfiction, with additional
payment given if the piece is accompanied by appropriate photos
or art. Pays a minimum of $10 per poem or puzzle, with variable
rates offered for games, carpentry projects, etc. ===== HOPSCOTCH
http://www.funforkidzmagazines.com/hs_guidelines.html
---
Looking for lively writing, most of it from a young girl's
point of view, with the girl or girls directly involved in an
activity that is both wholesome and unusual. The ideal length
of a HOPSCOTCH nonfiction piece is 500 words or less, although
we are not about to turn down a truly exceptional piece if it
is slightly longer than the ideal. We prefer fiction to not
run over 1,000 words. We will pay a minimum of 5 cents/word
for both fiction and nonfiction, with additional payment given
if the piece is accompanied by appropriate photos or art. We
will pay a minimum of $10 per poem or puzzle, with variable
rates offered for games, crafts, cartoons, and the like. ===== FUN FOR KIDZ
http://www.funforkidzmagazines.com/ffk_guidelines.html
---
We are looking for lively writing that involves an activity
that is both wholesome and unusual. We are looking for
articles around 500 words as well as puzzles, poems, cooking,
carpentry projects, jokes, riddles, crafts, and other activities
that complement the theme. Articles that are accompanied by good
photos are far more likely to be accepted than those that need
illustrations. We pay a minimum of five cents/word for both
fiction and nonfiction, with additional payment given if the
piece is accompanied by appropriate photos or art. We pay a
minimum of $10 per poem or puzzle, with variable rates offered
for games, carpentry projects, etc. =======================================================
6. ADVERTISING
FOR WRITERS
======================================================= ARE YOU LIVING AN "AUTHENTIC" LIFE? You'll discover who you really are when you start journaling
with the help of The Authentic Self: Journaling Your Joys,
Griefs and Everything in Between (ISBN 978-0-6151-5562-3;
paperback, 212 pages). Get your signed copy before September 3 at 32% off. Shipping
is free in the US. You even get to choose 2 bonus gifts! => http://TheAuthenticSelfBook.com <= =====
RAMBLE UNDERGROUND FICTION STORY CONTEST
Ramble Underground, an international fiction quarterly
is hosting its semi-annual Short Fiction Contest.
Winning submission wins 35% of the
collected entry fees.
2nd Place wins 15% and 3rd place receives honorable mention.
All three top stories published in our Winter 08' issue.
$6 entry fee. 2,500 word limit. Deadline: 11/15/07 See our Summer ’07 Issue up now: www.rambleunderground.org ===== 17th ANNUAL SOUTH CAROLINA WRITERS WORKSHOP CONFERENCE October 26 - 28, 2007
The Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC
70+ Workshops - Critiques - Carrie McCray Literary Contest
9 Literary Agents - 9 Editors - Many Poets & Authors
Website: www.myscww.org email: conference@myscww.org
C. Hope Clark is a workshop presenter. She'd love
to see you there.
Tell her you are a FundsforWriters reader, and she'll send you
the ebook of your choice. =======================================================
7. FUNDSFORWRITERS AIDS
======================================================= THE SHY WRITER, ISBN 1-59113-583-4, $14.95 paperback,
$6.95 ebook format, http://www.theshywriter.com TOTAL FUNDSFORWRITERS, one-year biweekly newsletter
subscription $12. http://www.fundsforwriters.com/total.htm FUNDSFORWRITERS - the parent newsletter, no charge.
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFWnewsletters.htm FFW SMALL
MARKETS - the small market version, no charge.
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFWnewsletters.htm WRITING KID - the children's version, no charge
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFWnewsletters.htm GRANTS FOR THE SERIOUS WRITER, $8.95 (Ebook)
SHORT & SWEET: MARKETS FOR FILLERS, $7.95 (Ebook)
LAUGHING MARKETS, $6.95 (Ebook)
GET PAID TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS, $7.95 (Ebook)
...AND MORE
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ebooks.htm
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8. CONTACT FUNDSFORWRITERS
=======================================================
C.
Hope Clark
Hope@FundsforWriters.com 140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036 http://www.fundsforwriters.com
http://www.theshywriter.com Copyright 2000-2007, C. Hope Clark SUBSCRIBE: 94631-subscribe@zinester.com
UNSUBSCRIBE: 94631-unsubscribe@zinester.com
ARCHIVES: http://archives.zinester.com/94631 The information is for use at your own risk.
FundsforWriters make no warranty as to accuracy
or fitness for any purpose. Use common sense and take
normal precautions in how you use any information.
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