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COMPETITIONS
One of the best ways to gain confidence, not to
mention exposure and maybe even cash is to win
writing competitions. Although many charge an entry
fee for entering check out
http://www.fictionfactor.com/
for details of websites currently offering free to
enter competitions, or those charging only a small
fee. For a more comprehensive listing go to
http://www.freelancewriting.com/contests.html
SCREENWRITING COMPETITIONS
The search engine Google has a section
for screeenwriting competitions. You'll find it at
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Writers_Resources/Contests/Screenwriting/
POETRY COMPETITIONS
Poetry.com
offers you the opportunity to enter their regular free poetry competitions and win up to $10,000. You also have the opportunity to submit your own poetry to
the site, and get your poetry published either in quality book
form or on mousemats, mugs,sweatshirts etc.!
Please note that this is vanity press advertising in that you will almost always be told your
poetry qualifies for their latest anthology, although you will have to pay to receive a copy. Despite this
and disapproval in poetry circles they do appear to also offer genuine cash prizes
WinningWriters.com produces a quarterly publication "Poetry Contest Insider
" with Comprehensive coverage of US poetry contests, plus quality Canadian and British contests including expert advice on the best contests to enter, and which to avoid.
Get a free bonus guide of The Best Free Poetry Contests with full details on over 20 free poetry contests
Quantum Leap Magazine holds regular
competitions with entry fees generally between
£3 and £5 and prizes of up to £50
plus publication. For further details of the latest
competitions and/or subscription details for the
magazine send SAE to Quantum Leap Magazine, York
House, 15 Argyle Terrace, Rothesay, Isle of Bute,
PA20 0BD Scotland. UK
poets.org
produce a list of selected (mostly American) major awards for poetry
Creighton University
have put together a good list of competition links and reports on getting published.
RECOMMENDED STUDY COURSE
Written by best-selling British author, Nick Daws*, the
“How to Write ANY Book in 28 Days”
4 week CD course contains such secrets as:
- The exact methods you’ll need to take your concept through to final manuscript in under a month, in less than an hour each day.
- The secrets behind freewriting. This is VERY important, as you'll find out. You'll learn why no-one talks about it and just how it can blow you away!
- How to only ever write in five minute segments, so you’ll never get bored.
- Exactly where to purchase a best selling plot for just fifty cents!
- How to instantly develop an in-depth and interesting character, using “mega quick character creation”.
- The four speediest methods of research (nothing to do with the Internet!)
- The wonder of Power Editing and how it’ll enable you to edit your entire book in under an hour!
- Ten modern killer title templates that will rocket your book sales!
- The top ten reasons people say they can’t write a book – and exactly how to overcome them!
- Where to find out precisely what your industry wants from a non-fiction book, without even asking.
plus :
- An address book of the hottest US and UK publishers and the people you need to contact!
- A directory showing the secret Web sites movie producers visit to find new manuscripts, and how you can submit yours!
- Listings of the best-paying short story publishers in the US and UK!
- Inspiration guides: ready to use book titles, plot sheets, and idea keywords!
- Full copies of in-demand Microsoft Word screenplay templates in US and UK formats!
Find out more from writequickly.com
*In the past three years alone, Nick Daws has written over 30 best sellers and
continues to write at a ground-breaking pace!
RECOMMENDED LINKS, READING AND PUBLICATIONS
WRITERS MONTHLY - free writers' magazine
from The Writing School. See
training for details
Writers Bulletin. Bi-monthly A5 magazine
available by mail only. Covering the UK it gives
you the latest news, reviews, advice and tips
together with up-to-date information on markets,
resources, courses and competitions. For the latest
issue, send £2 (cheque payable to Cherrybite
Publications) to Cherrybite Publications, Linden
Cottage, 45 Burton Road, Little Neston, Cheshire,
CH64 4AE
Freelance
Market News
To be a successful freelance writer you have to
know where to send your copy, who to send it to,
when to send it, the length and style of material
accepted and how much you can expect to be paid. In
short, you must know your markets.
For all writers, established and new, Freelance Market News, from
Writers'
Bureau, is an excellent source of the most
up to date information about the publishing world.
There are 16 pages packed with news, views and
the latest advice about new publications - plus the
trends and developments in established markets, in
the UK and around the world. They tell you about
publications that are looking for new writers and
even warn about those you should avoid.
Plus you receive news of competitions, festivals
and residential courses, a letters page with
£5 prize for the Star letter, feature
articles, book reviews and membership to The
Association of Freelance Writers. Membership
benefits include:
- The Association of Freelance Writers'
membership card. By identifying your status as a
freelance writer your membership card can open
many doors for you. It can gain you free
admission to many events, entrance to closed
events, help you reach the people you want to
see and gain access to places you want to go. To
receive your membership card simply tick the box
on the order form.
- 1 FREE appraisal per year of 3000 words of
prose or 120 lines of poetry worth £28.
- Reduced cost entry to The Writers
Bureau Annual Short Story and Poetry
Competitions giving you a saving of £1 on
every entry with £50 prize money.
- FREE entry to the monthly Writing
Competitions in the newsletter.
- Reduced fees for Writing Seminars.
- FREE advertising in The Writers Web.
- Up to 15% OFF books for writers.
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com
is dedicated to informing writers of international
freelance writing markets, particularly markets
outside North America. Free newsletter available.
They are always looking for, and will pay for,
articles on
- how to write for international markets
- how to successfully sell writing to
international markets
- success stories writing for international
markets
- related topics
If you're interested in the US market,
Writer's
Market has been the freelance writer's 'bible'
since 1921, providing complete market contact
information, query letter clinics, pay rates,
submission guidelines, and more. Now it's available
in an online subscription service? Interested? Read
more about the service or subscribe today at
www.writersmarket.com
Their monthly magazine
Writers
Digest focuses on writers and their trade: the
craft of writing, the tools for writing, the
markets for writing. Features offer specific advice
on how to write and sell magazine and newspaper
articles, novels and non-fiction books, plays,
poetry, scripts--anything involving the written
word. Along with in-depth profiles of successful
writers, regular departments detail and crafts of
fiction, nonfiction, poetry and scriptwriting; the
ins and outs of writing on computers and submitting
manuscripts electronically; and the necessity of
proper trademark usage. The publication provides
writers with information, instruction and
inspiration on every aspect of the writing life.
http://www.writersweekly.com
produce an excellent weekly newsletter of the
latest news and freelance vacancies.
http://www.freelancewriting.com/
offers one of the best listings of current
freelance writing opportunities.
Scribble
is an on-line workshop for UK writers. It invites
submissions of short stories of up to 5,000 for
critiquing by those who join up and guest editors
Writers
Home Useful links for those who want
to use the Web as a reference resource, plus good
source of advice on freelancing
WritersNet
An international database of agents
some setting out what they're looking for in the
writers they represent.
The
Write Page Comprehensive online
newsletter of information for fiction writers
If you're interested in writing for children,
e-mail
me for a short report on the topic in Word
format, or send an SAE to the address at the bottom
of the page. See below for
recommended books.
If novels aren't your
forte, why not consider information. You'd be
surprised how much you can make just compiling a
list of names and addresses or writing about a
topic you know from experience. The following
publications are both strongly recommended:
Make
Your Knowledge Sell has to be the most
comprehensive guide written on the subject,
covering everything from choosing your subject and
producing your masterpiece, through to marketing it
and automating the sales process. I can't possibly
do it justice in just a few words so
visit
the site for further information.
Secrets of a Home
Publisher is a newly updated A4 manual crammed full of
ideas for your product together with sales and
advertising advice and insider secrets. UK
publication written by a publisher who's sold thousands of copies
of his own home published products. You can find full details about this
publication here.
Now includes a free copy of "The Turning Point Home Publisher's CD"
currently on sale elsewhere on this site for £20.
Internet
Success Blueprint was written specifically to
help Internet beginners start making money online.
It's a complete guide to starting a profitable home
business on the Internet, on a shoestring.
In "Internet Success Blueprint" you'll learn all
the step-by-step details you need to start writing
and selling info-products online, including a
really easy way to create e-books by picking
someone else's brains.
However what makes this particular guide
different from others, and exceptional value for
money, in addition to being an excellent guide, are
the extras included in the price.
In addition to the manual itself, you get
- 3 quick time movies which explain the more
advanced sections of the guide,
- Smart, Personalized Autoresponder Script
- a report on maximising sales through the use
of autoresponders
- Impact lessons - more secrets and hints
about Internet marketing
- Nineteen Original Newsletter Articles
plus there's free, unlimited help from
the author by email. If you get stuck, or need some
advice from the guy who "wrote the book", just
email him and he'll get back to you the same day
with an answer.
And if you're wondering about a U.S. bias, it's
been written by a British guy who spent several
years in America so covers both angles.
If that isn't enough it comes with an
unconditional no questions asked, 1 year money back
guarantee
All this and it still only costs $27!!
You can get more details including the full
table of contents from
http://scamfreezone.com/t.cgi/134676
The following books are available from
Amazon.co.uk
or can be ordered from your local bookshop. Prices subject to change.
Writers'
and Artists' Yearbook: 2009
"The Writers' and Artist's Yearbook" (W&AY), published by A&C Black,
has a long-standing reputation as a 'must-have' for any writer looking to get published. In addition to an
extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, producers etc., it contains a wealth of advice(nearly
200 pages' worth) from professional writers, publishers, agents and producers. In separate articles, famous authors
such as Joanna Trollope, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell and J.K. Rowling address various aspects of the writing
process and discuss a wide variety of genres. Many other highly informative pieces cover diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing your book, writing
for TV, radio and theatre, the electronic world of websites and e-publishing, and financial aspects such as tax.
Writer's
Handbook 2007 Barry Turner (Editor)
Completely revised, updated and enlarged, the 2009 edition of "The Writer's Handbook" contains over
6000 entries covering every area of writing. In addition to the key areas of UK and US book publishers and
agents, magazines, screenwriting, TV and radio, theatre, film and video and poetry, this edition contains
the following features: an enlarged and extended US section; the appeal of biography; the uses and abuses
of the English language; the challenges and rewards of self-publishing; Peter Finch on poetry; and media contracts.
A new feature is that it now includes free online access to the companion website and FAQs, a
fully searchable directory, and a wealth of information for writers.
2009 Writer's Market (Writers Market 2007)
For the past eighty-eight years, Writer's Market hs been providing aspiring writers
with the no-nonsense advice and authoritative guidance they need to get published and to get paid. With updated listings and
"need-to-know" publishing advice, the tradition continues with 2009 Writer's Market,
providing writers with: Over 4,500 listings for consumer magazines, book
publishers, trade journals, and contests and awards, along with complete contact
information for top literary agents; Dynamic interviews with established
writers and industry insiders, including
publishers, editors and successful freelancers; Essential publishing information
and advice, including
pay rates, a guide to book publisher imprints and valuable self-marketing tips
500
Tips for Getting Published - Sally Brown,
Dolores Black, Abby Day, Phil Race
This text offers anyone interested in getting
their work published 500 tips for success. It
provides guidance on all aspects of publishing,
from finding a publisher to technical and legal
issues, and from publishing in journals to
electronic publishing.
How
to Get Published and Make a Lot of Money! -
Susan Page
This text leads the frustrated writer to
success, with steps including: the three "magic
first steps"; methods for finding a good title; the
formula for writing proposals that get read; a
method for finding the right agent; and the six
most important things to look for in a publisher's
contract.
The
Screenwriter's Bible David Trottier
This revised, updated edition offers
screenwriting basics, a workbook covering the
writing process from ideas to revisions, correct
formats for screenplays and TV scripts, a spec
writing guide and a sales and marketing guide.
There is a resource guide of addresses and
contacts.
Poet's Market - Pam Shields
Provides poets with information on more than one
thousand commercial and literary markets for their
work, details of payments and submission
guidelines, interviews with poets, publishers, and
editors.
Recommended Software
Newnovelist--Start Writing Your Novel
By providing you with story creation steps, this software breaks
the writing process down into manageable chunks. You are provided
with suggestions on how to use the steps, and the tempo to adopt;
the degree of suspense to maintain, even the amount of time you
might use for each element of your story. It prompts and suggests
so you are never left alone with a blank screen or sheet of paper.
You can keep track of notes that you make yourself, and store
research notes and references that are easy to retrieve.
You can do all of this in the knowledge that newnovelist is maintaining a coherent
plan for your story. The software provides you with freedom of expression that you
want, within a logical framework that you need. So you can focus creativity and
energy on the storytelling, and let us worry about structure.
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