‘When talking to an agent or publisher about your novel, practically the first thing out of your mouth should be the genre,’ says agent Rachelle Gardner. With so many books out there, readers need help finding the ones that beckon. Genre is a key tool for that, with each genre bringing its own set of […] The post How Do I Define My Book’s Genre? first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
Substack is all the rage. You can write in newsletter/essay form and start building a platform, because opening a Substack account makes you part of an instant community. New writers are jumping on it. I am receiving queries from people who claim their publishing credits are their Substack articles. A lot of writers are throwing their […] The post To Substack or Not to Substack? first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
I reached a point this week where I was fed up with all the emails about how to market, buy this, subscribe to that, hire this consultant, or sign up for that course. “Become a best selling author!” Most are from people I never heard of before. Clearly many of these people made all their money […] The post Walk Away When You Need To first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
A recent library fundraiser featured Abraham Verghese, author of The Covenant of Water. Instead of standing at a podium talking at us, he engaged in conversation with Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers. . They sat in easy chairs on a dais and discussed Verghese’s book, writing habits, and philosophies of life. For the release of my historical novel, Courting the […] The post Engaging With a Conversation Partner to Support Your Author Event first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
In the recent and pending Anthropic $1.5B settlement, a lot of writers were disappointed that their work was pirated, used, yet they did not qualify for this settlement, which amounted to about $3,000 per pirated book. One of the main disqualifiers was not having filed a formal copyright with the United States Copyright Office. https://www.copyright.gov/ I […] The post The Pros and Cons of Copyright first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
Well, I have bronchitis from Covid, my third week of having this damn bug. I am not particularly happy about the situation, but I am trying to see the bigger picture. I am better, just not BETTER. Some would say Covid is the bigger picture, but it's not. The bigger picture is who I am| FundsforWriters
Run by prolific writer and author C. Hope Clark, FundsForWriters is an award-winning source of numerous grants, fellowships, contests, awards, markets and nonprofit partners for serious writers.| FundsforWriters
Last week I wrote in my weekly newsletter how I was dealing with COVID, on my 8th day of it, as a matter of fact. Well, I returned to the gym and three days later I had a bit of a relapse. Guess I jumped too soon. But that meant my world slowed down, during […] The post Differing Views first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
I've spent a lot of time recently trawling through directories of agents and publishers, and I’ve learned some things. Some of these no-nos are golden oldies, but others are newer. Tech avoidance They receive a lot of stories set in the near past – say 20 or 30 years ago – which they put down| FundsforWriters
What writer hasn’t wished for regular income from a regular column? This year is my third year as a columnist, and I love it. Believe it or not, some markets are looking for columnists. They are also open to serials, which are similar to a column. You can pitch column ideas to your local newspaper, […] The post Tips for Generating Ideas for a Regular Column-Writing Gig first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
I received a sweet email from a fan of my novels. “Hi Hope. I just wanted to thank you again for your newsletter and to let you know I requested Murder in Craven at the Vancouver, WA library. I have a goal to read forty books this year and am hoping to add the Craven […] The post Don’t Forget the Local Library, Wherever It Is first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
Artificial intelligence has led to job losses and client cut backs. However, it’s important to notice that AI has been used mostly to replace impersonal, cheap copywriting or content jobs. High-quality sites and news-worthy publications won’t replace their authors with artificial intelligence anytime soon. If you’re an author, your stories are still human enough to sell […] The post Writing What AI Can’t first appeared on FundsforWriters.| FundsforWriters
While at a recent writing retreat, an attendee cornered me, asking questions about entering the freelance writing industry. She told me what she'd like to write about, but she felt she really wasn't an expert at anything. So I mined her life. That lady left floating off the ground, so thrilled, so empowered, and so| FundsforWriters
Do you have a passion for video games? If you do, breaking into the video game article market could be a good way to expand your freelance writing business. Countless video game websites and magazines cover console, mobile device, and Windows PC gaming, many of which are open to freelance article submissions. I have been| FundsforWriters
The new reason you need a website is going to be different than you might think. Artificial Intelligence - AI. Many writers these days deem themselves "writers" because they've learned to access AI programs, tell it what they want to pitch, and have it either write the query letter or the article itself. Some call| FundsforWriters
In the gym today, my trainer advised that if you want to improve and build muscle (i.e., get strong), you push the last three reps/times such that you think you'll fail at any moment. In other words, you push to failure. You push, seeking that point when you just can't. He said he's had clients| FundsforWriters
Businesses increasingly use AI to draft and edit content – blog posts, case studies, training outlines, policy documents, contracts, presentations and more. I heard about a life-writing company that uses AI to ghost books based on an interview transcript, and only brings in a human to edit and sense-check the final draft. Many may deplore this direction,| FundsforWriters
I follow a lot of groups, usually remaining silent, reading, taking note, hoping to find some nugget to use myself. . . or to use as a learning tool in a future FundsforWriters newsletter. As you probably know from your own experience, it's amazing what people write for the world to see that leaves scars| FundsforWriters
The Dark Half is one of my favorite Stephen King books, because it’s the one where an author’s pseudonym comes to life. Pen names like Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling), Anne Rice (Howard Allen Frances O’Brien), and Stan Lee (Stanley Martin Lieber) are common. However, why use pseudonyms or pen names — and how? Here’s why pseudonyms| FundsforWriters
