by 111Publishing and SavvyBookWriters
Content of this Newsletter:
- Writing Contests
- Book Description Help via AI
- Major Category Changes at Amazon
- Residencies & Fellowships
- How to Order a Free Canadian ISBN
- Freelance Writing
Lots of sunshine and the longest days of the year are helping in June to improve our mood and energy. Don’t forget June 8: Best Friends Day! And it is Immigrant Heritage Month. Write about it this month…
Lots of publishing news in this letter, read on:
- Writing Contests
Mudfish
A prize of $1,200 and publication in Mudfish is given annually for a single poem. Cash prize $1,200. Submit up to three poems of any length per entry. All poems are considered for publication. $20 Entry fee. Deadline June 15
https://mudfish.org/submissions/
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ScotiaBank Giller Prize
Open to books published in Canada in English. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Deadline: Books published between May 1, 2023, and June 30, 2023, must be received on or before June 16
https://scotiabankgillerprize.ca/important-dates/
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Elegant Literature
Word Limit 500–2000 words, excluding the title. Pay is ten cents per word, including the title. All genres. Elegant Literature is the first short fiction magazine to pay professional rates but not accept submissions from pros. Our mission is to help new writers earn their first publishing credits—and their first dollar—from writing stories. Submissions must follow this month’s theme. Membership is required, but there is a no-cost membership as well.
https://www.elegantliterature.com/submission-guidelines/
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Bardsy Anthology Contest
Grand prize: $1000 and anthology publication. All finalists will receive $50 and an anthology publication. PROMPT: This time it's simple: your first chapter. We’re looking for the first chapters that grab our attention and leave us wanting more. Original, previously unpublished stories between 2,000 and 3,000 words. $20 Entry fee. Deadline June 20
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Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction
Genre: Literary non-fiction. Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between May 3, 2023, and September 30, 2023. Deadline: June 28
https://www.writerstrust.com/awards/hilary-weston-writers-trust-prize-for-nonfiction/guidelines/
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- Book Description Help via AI
Writing a compelling book description is sometimes harder than writing the first chapter. But there is maybe help on the way. At least it is worth a trial to use artificial Intelligence (AI) to get suggestions for your book description.
Instructions for using the Book Description Generator:
Select the platform you want to format the description for (Kobo, Amazon, B&N, or distributors such as etc).
Enter your book description. If you're copying and pasting from Word Doc, use the below sub-steps to ensure you don't bring over any hidden code from Word:
If you're on Windows: you can use the combination Ctrl + Shift + V to paste without formatting
If you're a Mac: you can use Option + Command + Shift + V to paste without formatting
Choose from the available formatting options. If an option is grayed out, that means it's not supported on that particular platform. If you see other book descriptions looking different than the options available here, that means those books were grandfathered in before the current rules were put in place.
(Optional) If you want AI to improve upon your book description, select the button that says “Once you finish your description, click here to see if AI can improve it!”
When you've got your book description looking the way you want, click “generate my code.”
Paste the code into the platform you're loading your book up.
https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-book-description-generator/
- MAJOR CATEGORY CHANGES AT AMAZON
Categories are the sections of the Amazon Store where customers can find your book. You can now choose three Amazon Store categories based on the primary marketplace for each title during setup. Check out this video that explains what’s changed now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvrmXj154eE
And read the explanations in detail at the Amazon Help Page
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200652170
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- RESIDENCIES & FELLOWSHIPS
Prairie Ronde Residencies
The Prairie Ronde Artist Residency is hosted by The Mill at Vicksburg, a redevelopment project of the former Lee Paper Company mill in the historic village of Vicksburg, MI. Residents are awarded a $2,000 stipend for a residency of between five and seven weeks, a $500 travel grant, and private housing. Deadline June 15
https://prairierondeartistresidency.com/
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Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing
Editorial writing. Fellowship: $75,000. It was established to enable a mid-career editorial writer or columnist to have time away from daily responsibilities for study and research. Freelancers may also apply. Deadline: June 19
https://www.spj.org/a-pulliamfellow.asp
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Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, Griffin Poetry Prize
Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada. Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award. Prize: Prizes are awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000. Deadline: June 30, 2023.
https://griffinpoetryprize.com/submissions/
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South Arts Express Grants
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, Express Grants support rural organizations and communities with expedited grants of up to $3,000. Applicants must program arts experiences featuring a Southern artist. Artist fee support is awarded for film, performing arts, literary arts, traditional arts, and visual arts. Projects must include both a public presentation and an educational/community engagement component.
https://www.southarts.org/community-organization-grants/express-grants
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Mesa Refuge
They welcome a diverse group of writers—both emerging and established—who define and/or offer solutions to the pressing issues of our time. Particularly, it is our priority to support writers, activists, and artists whose ideas are “on the edge”, taking on the pressing issues of our time including (but not limited to): nature, environment, and climate crisis; economic, racial and gender equity; social justice and restorative justice; immigration; health care access; housing; and more. We especially want writers of nonfiction books, long-form journalism, audio, and documentary film. Location Point Reyes, CA. Deadline Dec 1 (for the following spring)
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- HOW TO ORDER A FREE CANADIAN ISBN
New to publishing in Canada? Here is how to order your ISBN:
Please follow this link to log into the system:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/isbn-canada/app/index.php?&lang=eng
Here are some instructions to help you assign your ISBNs:
1 – Log into your account
2 – Click MANAGE LOGBOOK
3 – Click ASSIGN NEW ISBN
4 – Input your publication information
(If you need a number for different electronic versions, you need to change the Product Form to "electronic book text", then in the title box at the end of your title indicate your format in brackets). Example: The Green Little Turtle (pdf)
5 – Click the Save button (bottom of the page).
6 – Click MANAGE LOGBOOK again. You will see your new ISBN number
For information on how to assign your ISBNs, please view the HELP page:
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/services/isbn-canada/Pages/isbn-canada.aspx#d
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- FREELANCE WRITING
Grain Magazine
Fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: CAD50/page up to CAD250 for writing, up to CAD500 for art. Deadline: June 15
https://grainmagazine.ca/submit
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New Orleans Review
Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. In celebration of Pride, there are no submission fees for LGBTQIA2+ writers in June. We are especially interested in trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming voices. Deadline: June 30
https://www.neworleansreview.org/submit/
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Ambrook Research
It exists first for farmers and agriculture professionals. Stories that address the practical, financial, and social impact of changes in the ag world, relevant stories about modern agriculture. We're interested in innovative advances across the ag world, including from startups. We prefer stories that explain the industry trends that make a new company or technology compelling, over profiles of a specific company. authors — particularly subject matter experts — are welcome to submit op-eds. Ambrook Rates will vary depending on the writer's experience and the complexity of a particular story, generally between $0.50 and $1.00/word.
https://ambrook.com/research/writing-for-us
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Green Building & Design
Themes: architecture, buildings, and sustainability. Writers will be required to submit at least two pieces per week—all topics will be assigned by a managing editor and will be written based on a mix of independent research and supplied press releases and materials. The projected annual income is $12,000 USD to be paid in monthly milestones of $1,000.
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?cmp=Green-Building-%2526-Design&t=Journalist&jk=aaf7d4bbbd885c78
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Liisbeth
They are an online magazine yet publish a bit like a record label - periodically. We try to group articles and submissions by theme when it makes sense to do so. Articles are always about feminism, innovation, enterprise, and critiques of policies and systems that drive inequality. We prioritize queries from creators who believe in our mission by demonstrating they have actually read a few articles in the magazine before submitting a query, or who are members of the Feminist Enterprise Commons, and/or become newsletter subscribers. Pays up to $1,500.
https://liisbeth.com/contributors/guidelines/
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Sierra Magazine
Combining features on green living and outdoor adventure with reporting about threats to the environment. Our standard fee for online stories is $350; the fee can increase for regular contributors. We pay a flat fee of $250 for reviews and opinion pieces. We normally do not offer a fee to professional activists/advocates or full-time academics. Feature lengths range from 3,000 words to (rarely) 4,500 words or more with payment starting at $1/word and rising to $1.50/word for well-known writers with crackerjack credentials. The following sections of the magazine are open to freelancers. Articles are 250 to 2,000 words in length. Payments are $250 to $2,000 unless otherwise noted.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/about-us#submission
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BBC Work-life
Worklife is a BBC.com features site about the way we work, live, and think in a rapidly shifting world, where the boundaries between the professional and the personal are increasingly blurrier. Expect it to pay $600 or more. Please send along a pitch, no longer than three paragraphs, that includes:
How you’d sell the story in fewer than 68 characters
What the immediacy is, such as a news peg or new research
What the story is about and will accomplish
How you will plan to report the story, such as relevant expert sources or case studies
Your new take, or how you’re advancing an existing story
What the reader will learn
Where you’ve written, and why you’re the person to tell the story
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200417-bbc-worklife-author-brief
Have a wonderful June, and enjoy reading, writing, and publishing - maybe even traveling!
20 years ago, the famous author Ray Bradbury spoke at Point Loma Nazrene University in San Diego, where he imparted his wisdom: "Read the greatest books, broaden your mind, and write like hell". However, in an age of instant gratification and overnight success stories, Bradbury's words of wisdom may fall on deaf ears. Nonetheless, those who are wise will follow Bradbury's advice.
Have a great summer!
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