Writing & Publishing Newsletter February 2021

 

Hello Writer and Publisher Friends,

we hope you had a great first month of the year and your New Year’s resolutions worked out well. This February newsletter could be three times longer… there are so many writing contests, freelance writing offers, and retreats for writers. Here is just an excerpt of the many choices for writers: 

CONTENT:

- AMAZON KEYWORD TOOLS

- FREELANCE WRITING OFFERS

- GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS

- FREE RESIDENCIES

- WRITING CONTESTS

- GOODREADS & REVIEWER TIPS

AMAZON KEYWORD TOOLS CHOICES
For Self-Publishing Authors

Discovering relevant keywords for your book is not a quick and easy process. To uncover what search queries Amazon customers use, you need to use a tool to find keyword suggestions. Find Amazon Keyword Tools here: 

https://justpublishingadvice.com/amazon-keyword-tool/

FREELANCE WRITING OFFERS

WritersWeekly

Before pitching, please subscribe to WritersWeekly (it’s entirely free), and read a few back issues to get familiar with our content and style. Publishes feature articles, marketing secrets, and author backstories or home-based businesses. WritersWeekly.com focuses on “selling” the written word. Pays $60 for up to 600 words. 

https://writersweekly.com/writersweekly-com-writers-guidelines

Electric Lemonade

Seeking talented freelance content writers to help craft compelling informational content pages for clients in the legal, professional services, non-profit, and health & wellness fields. This is a fully remote contract role, paid by the page above industry standards.

https://www.electriclemonade.com/remote-freelance-writing-job/

National Geographic Traveler

Most Traveler features range from 1,500 to 2,500 words, depending on the subject. Traveler departments generally run from 750 to 1,500 words. The compensation varies depending on the type of feature or department but is competitive with other national magazines. Pays roughly 50c/word.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/about/guidelines_w.html

Hemispheres 

It’s the inflight magazine of United Airlines with more than 11 million readers every month. The feature story should have a strong sense of place or destination, though traveling itself does not necessarily need to be its focus. The stories can be profiles of newsmakers and cultural figures, personal narratives, or adventurous general-interest stories and be a United Airlines destination. Pays up to a dollar/word.

https://www.hemispheresmag.com/writers-guidelines/

Military Officer Magazine

Topics: Current military/political affairs, recent military history, especially Vietnam and Korea, personal financial planning, health and fitness, military family issues, retirement lifestyles, travel, and general interest. No fiction, poetry, or fillers. Original material only; no reprints. Features, between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Pays 80 cents/word. 

https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/military-officer-magazine/military-officer-magazine-editorial-information/

Writers in British Columbia, Canada

Open to writers in British Columbia or Yukon, Canada. Genre: Nonfiction. Theme: Publishing. Payment: Twenty-five cents a word for articles ($50 for reprints). Deadline: February 15

https://www.bcwriters.ca/page-18155

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS

Science & The Arts in Leeds Grants - UK

Grants awarded normally range from £100 to £1,000, though larger sums will be considered. The Society makes grants both to individuals and to organizations in support of cultural activities that increase innovation, outreach, and diversity in Leeds and its immediate area.

https://www.leedsphilandlit.org.uk/grants/

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships 

They are awarded in fifteen different disciplines over a three-year period. Prize: $7,000 cash awards are made to individual originating artists living and working in the state of New York for unrestricted use. Deadline: February 10

https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/artist-fellowships/

Cintas Foundation

Candidates may submit proposals in the field of creative writing. Eligibility: Creative artists of Cuban citizenship or direct lineage. The award ($20,000 US) is considered taxable income under US tax law. 

https://www.cintasfoundation.org/fellowships/creative-writing-fellowship

FREE RESIDENCIES

Good Heart Artist Residency

The Good Heart Artist residency program provides a dedicated writer or composer/songwriter with up to three weeks in residence to give him/her time and space to create, as well as full room and board to allow him/her time to focus on their work. Each residency includes a 1,150-square-foot residence. Deadline Febr 17

https://goodhartartistresidency.org/program-details/

WRITING CONTESTS

The Winter Anthology and Prize

Whole manuscripts are welcome. Send writings of which you are the sole author and that were not written earlier than 1999. Published & unpublished writings are equally welcome. The winner will be published in The Winter Anthology & receive a $1,000 honorarium. $11 Entry Fee. Deadline Febr 10 http://www.winteranthology.com/

Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry

Awards $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions to a poet residing in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Michigan. Submit a poetry manuscript of at least 48 pages by February 15.  No Entry Fee.  Deadline Febr 14

https://milkweed.org/ballard-spahr-prize-for-poetry

Mary McCarthy Prize In Short Fiction

The prize includes a $2,000 cash award & publication. This contest is open to any short fiction writer of English. Must be between 150 and 250 pages.  $29 Entry Fee. Deadline Febr 15 http://www.sarabandebooks.org/mccarthy

Fractured Lit Fairy Tale Prize

The prize is $3,000 and publication, while the second and third place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively. Fractured Lit is looking for stories of ghosts, fables, allegory & fractured fairy tales in max.1,000 words.  $20 Entry Fee.  Deadline February 15 https://fracturedlit.com/current-prize

Claire Keyes Poetry Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Soundings East will be given for a group of previously unpublished poems. Submit eight to ten pages of poetry. $10 Entry Fee. Deadline Febr 15

https://www.salemstate.edu/campus-life/arts/creative-writing/soundings-east

Syracuse Veterans Writing Award

The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with Syracuse University Press for unpublished, full-length novels or short story collections in manuscript form for consideration. This contest is open to US veterans & active-duty personnel, women veteran writers & veterans of color. Although work submitted for the contest need not be about direct military experience. Max 90,000 words. No entry fee.  Deadline Febr 15

https://press.syr.edu/veterans-writing-award/

First Pages Prize

Five winners will receive $5,000 total in cash awards, a developmental edit to support the completion of their manuscript & an agent consultation. Entries must be unpublished, original, and written in English. This prize awards $500 and a developmental edit to one winner.  Entry fee $20.  Deadline Febr 21

https://www.firstpagesprize.com/guidelines-and-termsconditions

Exeter Writers Short Story Competition

Prizes of £700, £250, £100, and £100 for best Devon entry. Word limit 3,000 words. £7 Entry Fee. Deadline Febr 28

https://www.exeterwriters.org.uk/p/short-story-competition-2021.html

H.F. Mosher Short Fiction Prize

Please enter one original, unpublished story under 8,000 words. One first-place winner receives $1,000 and online publication, and one runner-up receives $100 and online publication.  $20 Entry Fee.  Deadline Febr 28

https://hungermtn.submittable.com/submit

Nature & Place Poetry Competition 2021

Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place. First prize – £1,000. Second prize – £500. Third prize – £250. Submit up to six poems in one batch. Open internationally.  £7 Entry Fee.  Deadline March 1

https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/nature-poetry-competition-2021/

Little Black Book Contest

Deadline March 2, 2021. Grand prize: $20,000. Second place: $5,000. Third place: $1,000. For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 2,000 words & adhere to our Community Guidelines. The Little Black Book Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. Deadline March 2 https://vocal.media/challenges/little-black-book 

Zizzle Literary Contest

First Prize: $1,000. Second Prize: $500. Three finalists: $150 each. Length: 500 to 1,000 words. We are looking for fiction that will appeal to young readers from age 11 and even to full-on grown-ups. $5 Entry Fee. Deadline March 15

https://zizzlelit.com/contest/

Bristol Short Story Prize

Open to all published and unpublished, UK and non-UK based writers. Stories must be previously unpublished and can be on any theme or subject. The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words. First prize is £1,000, second prize is £500, third prize is £250. Seventeen further prizes of £100 will be presented to the remaining shortlisted writers. All shortlisted writers will receive two free copies of the anthology. £9 Entry Fee. Deadline May 5

https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/

GOODREADS & REVIEWER TIPS

to make it faster and easier to get more followers on Goodreads, just load all of your peers from Twitter, Google+, Facebook, etc., and all your email contacts into Goodreads. This way you might get a couple of hundred followers. If you are in a writer's organization you can look up your peers if they are on Goodreads. Just type their name in the Goodreads search window to find their presence.

Here are some suggestions for avid readers on GOODREADS, who have written lots of reviews:

http://www.goodreads.com/lindsaycummings

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/354490.Christine_M_Butler

http://www.goodreads.com/JDHughes

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3216276.Martin_Lake

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/948909.Michael_LaRocca

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12899282-daniel-mihai-popescu

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2098536.Rai_Aren

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19304.Cathy_Day

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5382939.L_J_Kentowski

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6540193.Stacy_Green

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5831478.Michael_Formichelli

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5943163-amy-fournier

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10221719-ksenia-anske

Have a wonderful February and enjoy writing and making plans for new books. “Although February is short, it is filled with growing sun, lots of love, and sweet surprises”. Enjoy the many holidays this month: Groundhog Day, Super Bowl, Rosa Parks Day, Chinese New Year, Lincoln's Birthday, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day.

Don’t forget to visit my Author Page here:

https://books2read.com/ap/n4EYY8/Doris-Maria-Heilmann

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