Content of this newsletter
- WRITING CONTESTS
- WRITERS RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS
- FREELANCE WRITING
Hello, fellow writers
Just like me you might be exhausted by the election, the move to standard time, or the planning of the upcoming holidays and how the marketing plan outcome is for your books. Don’t let it overwhelm you!
Give yourself some well-earned hours (or days) of relaxing time before the holiday countdown. See the many possibilities how writing and publishing can work in other fields than just books.
There are many benefits for authors to participate in writing contests and awards:
- The award website usually posts a list of participating books and names of authors
- It gives you a great opportunity to talk on social media & your blog or website about your participation
- Some contests even seek votes publicly over the internet, additionally to the jury
- Literary awards such as Dzanc Books/Guernica have very attractive prizes, such as travel to Europe and a scholarship
If you win or be short-listed in an award you certainly can use this fact to advertise for and print it on your book's cover, or even place a badge on it and on any promotional material, including your website or blog, casting a positive light on your book.
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- WRITING CONTESTS
ServiceScape Short Story Award
For this award, any genre or theme of short story is accepted. All applicants should submit their original unpublished work of short fiction or nonfiction, 5,000 words or fewer, to be considered. Along with receiving an award for $1,000.00 USD, the winner will have his or her short story featured within our blog, which reaches thousands of readers per month.
No entry fee. Deadline Nov 30
https://www.servicescape.com/short-story-award
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Minotaur/Malice Prize for Traditional Fiction
The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any Published Mystery Novel (including self-published works and ebooks). All Manuscripts submitted: a) must be original works of book length (no less than approximately 65,000 words) written in the English language.
No Entry Fee. Deadline Nov 30
https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/submitmalicedomesticmanuscript/
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Story Unlikely Short Story Contest
There are no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci-fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc. Limit 4,000 words (5,000 for members). There are no restrictions on age or location of participant. $1,500 first place, $1,000 second place, $500 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely's website, will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine, and may be sent out as the bonus story for signing up, which means a lot of exposure to the winner. All three placing stories will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be illustrated. To be eligible for the contest, all writers must be signed up to Story Unlikely's monthly issue. No Entry Fee. Deadline Jan 31, 2025
https://www.storyunlikely.com/#contest
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DISQUIET Literary Prize
Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry winners will be published; one grand prize winner will receive tuition, lodging, and travel stipend to attend DISQUIET summer literary program in Lisbon. Cash prize available in lieu of travel.
Reading fee: $15. Deadline: Jan 6, 2025
https://disquietinternational.org/the-program/contests-scholarships/the-disquiet-prize/
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ARC Poetry Contest
Arc’s annual poetry contest is among the richest in the country, offering $5,000 for the winning poem, a $500 award for the poem selected as Honourable Mention, and a $250 prize for the Readers’ Choice selection. In addition, all 10 to 12 shortlisted poems receive paid publication in Arc and online. The length of each poem must not exceed 100 lines.
$40 CAD Entry Fee. Deadline Feb 1, 2025
https://arcpoetry.ca/contest/poem-of-the-year/
- WRITERS RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS
Writing Between the Vines Co-Residences
Collaborate on shared projects, or work individually. Edit a work in progress, craft a book proposal, or simply take a walk in the vineyard and get inspired. Three locations are eligible for co-residency retreats in 2025. Deadline Nov 13
https://www.writingbetweenthevines.org/2025
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Essere Residency
This is a self-directed program designed to encourage the creative and personal growth of writers, artists and creatives of all disciplines at any stage of their career or personal self-expression. Days are free to explore your creative vision and share perspectives with artists of different ages and cultures from all over the world. Evenings we come together for inspiring, instructional talks by the Artists in Residence on topics of relevance to all. These talks are followed by a delicious 3-course dinner and wine prepared by our local chef. Address: Private Estate in Cetona, Province of Siena, Italy. There is a Special Fellowship for Emerging Voices ($1,000) available to a writer (of any discipline) who is new in their field - playwrights, screenwriter, songwriters, poets, fiction writers, journalists you name it. Deadline Nov 20. $30 Application Fee.
https://essereresidency.org/apply/
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FOLKIST Space Residencies
At Folkist Space, our definition of folk art is creative work with its roots in, or branches into, the everyday lives of regular working people. The folk art we love spans genres, mediums, and cultures, but is always rooted in the urgent aliveness of folks who are not separate from the world but fully immersed in it. From textile arts to creative non-fiction, traditional music and dance, documentary photography, theatre arts, and more, we're looking for all kinds of creative folks. Each selected artist resident will receive an unrestricted $500 stipend, and studio space at the Art Center for the week of their stay. Location Clinton NY.
https://folkist.space/residency
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Hypatia in the Woods Residencies
They welcome applications for residencies from women in the arts – broadly defined to include visual, written, and performing arts, as well as other similar forms of creative expression – in entrepreneurship and in academic professions. Location Shelton, WA. Application deadlines are quarterly: February 15 (for 2025 October-November-December)
https://hypatiainthewoods.org/
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- FREELANCE WRITING
CBC
First Person columns are personal stories and experiences of Canadians, in their own words. This is intended to showcase a more intimate storytelling perspective, and allow people from across the country to share what they have lived through. Limit 600 to 700 words. CBC Edmonton specifically pays $560 flat rate for a First Person piece.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/first-person-faq-1.5927006
https://x.com/cbcthandiwe
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BestColleges
As a freelance financial aid writer for BestColleges, you will craft original content covering a variety of financial topics relevant to higher education, including blog posts and resource guides related to planning and saving for college, paying for college and college budgeting, applying for financial aid, types of financial aid, loan refinancing and consolidation, etc. Additional opportunities to cover general higher education topics (degrees, career planning, student life, etc.) if desired. Compensation starts at $100 for every 500 words.
https://boards.greenhouse.io/rvedufreelancenetwork/jobs/3483117
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Type Investigations
A nonprofit newsroom that is dedicated to transforming the field of independent investigative journalism. We cover the most urgent stories within a wide range of topic areas, including racial and economic justice, climate and environmental health, and civil and human rights. Our work is focused on systems, policies, and powerful entities, and we are committed to elevating stories from the communities most affected by wrongdoing. Written features generally run between 3,000 and 5,000 words — though we do publish articles that are shorter and longer. Typical budgets range from $3,000 to $6,000 (including travel and other reporting expenses, as well as the reporting fee).
https://www.typeinvestigations.org/about/how-to-pitch/
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Positive.News
Positive News publishes good journalism about good things. We’re seeking unique pitches for the next quarterly print edition of Positive News magazine and, on an ongoing basis, for www.positive.news. Payment is usually 30p/word.
https://www.positive.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Pitching-guide-for-journalists_2024.pdf
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Current Investigations
We have two publication formats: our print edition and our online edition. Main articles for the print edition are usually around 3000-4500 words, while online articles are usually 1200-2400 words. Current Affairs is 100% free of any advertorials and infotainment (except of the satirical variety), and we publish clever, unique, well-researched stories that rags like the Economist and Time fear to cover. Pays $200 for online and $300 for print.
https://images.currentaffairs.org/2024/04/Writers-Guide.docx.pdf
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Planetizen
Planetizen has led the city and regional planning discourse for more than two decades, offering intrepid thinkers an opportunity to write and publish for an established platform with a large, passionate audience. At our core, we are a community of planning intelligence that seeks to cut across political and disciplinary boundaries while expanding, informing, and empowering the community of people working to improve the built environment. For professional writers (i.e., those for whom writing is their primary source of income), we pay a standard flat fee of $500 per feature or career-related article.
https://www.planetizen.com/Write-for-Planetizen
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Good Housekeeping
When it comes to freelance pitches, we're interested in long-form narratives, deeply reported service pieces and personal essays that offer a compelling point of view, a personal story behind the news, a unique story rooted in the ideas of house/home or a deep-dive guide into a topic that will help improve readers' everyday lives.
Pays over thirty cents/word.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/about/a37261766/good-housekeeping-freelancers-pitch-guidelines/
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Don't forget this quote by Steve Martin:
“Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol.”
Have a great day, a productive rest of the month, and a fantastic Thanksgiving.
All the best, Doris
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