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Finding the Bacon Greetings,
avid freelancers, and welcome to this week’s Finding the Bacon. This week’s
column is geared to those with organized control over their calendars. No, I
don’t mean editorial calendars. I don’t mean planners or electronic
calendars either. I am referring to holiday calendars—far beyond the
conventional Christmas and Hanukah celebrations. I mean instead those
“Hallmark” holidays—the ones droves of people make fun of, yet even more
buy into via retail entrapment. Last April, did you celebrate Administrative
Professionals Day? And how about last month—did you honor your beloved on
Sweetest Day? No? It was—after all—celebrated on October 16. My
point is this. Regardless of your choice in celebrating these faux
holidays—magazines frequently publish short articles, fillers, and essays
about them. The following is a sampling of general interest magazines that might
just bite the bait when queried regarding one of these interesting holiday
diversions. ***************************************************** Woman’s
World Guidelines
Online: No E-Mail
Queries: No One
of the keys to acceptance in Woman’s World is to know the magazine through and
through. Be familiar with the types of short pieces and fillers they buy. Know
the various sections of the magazine. Check the masthead for the most reliable
list of department editors. Query via standard mail, addressed to the department
editor for which your article is intended. Include published clips. Also
buys fiction—a romance and mystery piece per issue. Buys:
First rights. Pays:
On acceptance. Depending on length—up to $500 for nonfiction. Up to $1400 for
fiction. ***************************************************** Reunions
Magazine Guidelines
Online: No E-Mail
Queries: Yes Since
activities at reunions are a huge part of the content purchased by its editors,
Reunions Magazine might be a great selection for oddball holidays. They purchase
articles and fillers on nostalgia, how-to pieces, humor, kid-inclusive ideas,
multi-generational ideas, games, themes, and new product reviews. Query via
e-mail or standard mail with published clips. Will
consider previously published material. Pays:
On publication. Up to $50. ***************************************************** Living Guidelines
Online: No E-Mail
Queries: Yes Living
writes with a Christian feel, but is not an overtly religious publication. It
touts itself as a “feel good” kind of magazine. It is actually a
tabloid-sized newspaper that is published quarterly. Nonfiction pertaining to
family interests including general interest, humor, inspirational, and personal
experience are best bets for publication. Query via standard mail with published
clips, or send complete manuscript. Buys
one-time rights. Will consider previously published material. Pays:
On publication. $35-$55 ***************************************************** Metro
Parent Magazine Guidelines
Online: no E-
Mail Queries: Yes Metro
Parent Magazine pertains to parenting, women’s issues, and family life. It is
geared toward families in the metropolitan Detroit region. Although it’s a
regional, those “Hallmark” holidays can most certainly be tailored to
pertain. Essays, humor, personal experience, and inspirational pieces make up
most of the text. Columns include Women’s Health, Finances, Teenagers, and
Single Parenting. Query via standard mail or e-mail with published clips. Buys
first rights. Will consider previously published material. Pays:
On publication—up to $300. ***************************************************** Alive! Guidelines
Online: No E-Mail
Queries: No Alive!
is published for Christian adults. Since it buys lots of grandparent/grandchild
type articles—why not write something about “Grandparent’s Day”? After
all—it does fit in with our suggested theme! Other nonfiction includes travel,
ministries, humor, profiles, interviews, and general interest topics. Query via
standard mail with published clips. Buys
one-time rights. Will consider previously published material if photocopy of
original publication is enclosed. Pays:
On publication. Up to $75. ***************************************************** Kimberly Ripley is a freelance writer and published author from
Portsmouth, NH. A wife and mother of five, her family's antics have led her to
write books like ''Breathe Deeply, This Too Shall Pass," a collection of thirty
tales of the trials and tribulations of parenting teens. She is the owner/publisher of
Writerip Publishing, and editor of a newsletter and web site called
''Freelancing Later in Life,'' based on her book by the same name. Visit
her site at http://www.freelancing1.homestead.com. Air Mail Markets Hello again and welcome to the latest issue of Air Mail Markets. Prairie Fire Magazine Storyteller Magazine Taddle Creek ***************************************************** Amy Brozio-Andrews is a freelance writer living in New York; she writes on a variety of topics for print and online publications, and is hard at work on her first novel. Please feel free to check out her website at www.penpadandpixel.com, and e-mail her at amy@penpadandpixel.com. Contests Corner Extracts
from a dozen contests for you this month, that require submissions in as many
different genres. Truly something for everyone, and an added bonus that many of
these contests ask no entry fee. Have a happy writing month and remember, if you
don't submit, there's no way you can win the prize. :-) Cheers,
Moira ***************************************************** The
Best True Adventure & Exploration Stories of 2003 Contest "Had
an adventure? Explored some corner of the world? Enter the contest and tell us
about it! "The
Narrative Press -- publisher of true first person adventure and exploration
books -- is calling for contest entries for its 2003 edition of The Best True
Adventure and Exploration Stories. This upcoming book will be a collection of
over 30 adventures, from jungle treks to mountain climbing, desert crossings to
south seas sailings, from treasure hunts to espionage, from archeological digs
to river running. "The
trade paperback (and the ebook edition) of The Best True Adventure and
Exploration Stories will be included in The Narrative Press’ regular 2003
catalog, and will be made available through all major book distribution and
retail outlets, including books stores and online resellers. "Your
story must be a true account of any adventure or exploration, told in the first
person, with a maximum length of 5,000 words. The event can have happened at any
time in the past. The story may have been previously published, but you must
have the right to publish it again. You may have received any amount of
editorial or writing help, but the story must still be true, and be in
essentially your own words."
PRIZE:
$2000, $1000, $500 ENTRY
FEE: $15 DEADLINE:
November 30, 2002 ***************************************************** British
Short Screenplay Competition
PRIZE:
Production and more ENTRY
FEE: ₤15 DEADLINE:
January 10, 2003 URL:
***************************************************** Small
Press Bestsellers Contest "It's
simple, really. The club - traditional publishers and legitimate agents - won't
let you in if you're unpublished. And you can't get published without being in
the club. As Joseph Heller once wrote, 'that's some catch.' But why? Did the sky
crack open one day and a thunderous voice boom out 'Lack of credentials will
drive ye, talented writer, to this very choice: Starve Or Abandon Ye Passion'? "If
so, we didn't hear it. The Small Press Bestsellers Contest was created to
provide unpublished writers the opportunity to prove they could produce quality,
marketable work. And, unlike other writing contests, the SPBC is totally free. "The
top eight to twelve ranked contestants are awarded Round One Winner status and
move on to Round Two. Oh, and did we mention that each Round One Winner will be
offered a publishing contract? A real publishing contract, not a 'vanity' or 'subsidy'
contract. You'll be offered a contract where the publisher (that's us) picks up
ALL the costs of design, manufacture, storage, distribution, etc. "Round
Two is where things start to get exciting. This is where we design your book,
put together a marketing plan, and start getting the word out to distributors,
wholesalers, and retailers. While we're doing this, the Round One Winners are
putting together Local Promotion Tours. Those meeting the contest's Local
Promotion Tour Requirement (which is pretty easy - bookstores love to
set up signings) move into Round Three. "If
you make it to Round Three, congratulations. You are awarded Finalist status
(which will look pretty good on your next query) and a first run of your book is
printed. You're published! And, of course, you'll start receiving royalty
checks. Make sure to copy and frame your first royalty. Your spouse will never
let you hang it in a prominent place, but it's nice to have anyway. "At
this point, even if your book sells only a few hundred copies, you've already
gone farther than 99.9% of every aspiring writer on the planet."
PRIZE:
Many, up to $15 000 ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
Ongoing URL:
http://www.barnstablepublishing.com
***************************************************** The
X.J. Kennedy Award for Nonfiction #2 "
PRIZE:
$1000 and publication ENTRY
FEE: $10 DEADLINE:
December 31, 2002 URL:
http://www.rdbd.net ***************************************************** A
Different Journey: Personal stories for parents by adults with disabilities "Personal
stories for parents by adults with disabilities is a new book that Stan Klein
and John Kemp are co-editing. For this book, adults who have grown up with
disabilities and/or health care needs are invited to write short essays for
parents of children with disabilities and/or health care needs. In their essays,
authors are asked to write an essay that they wish their own parents had read or
been told while they were growing up. "Please
write an essay of about 1500 words, or less. Add a biography of about 150 words,
or less, that would follow the essay in the book."
PRIZE:
$125 and publication ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
February 15, 2002 URL:
http://www.disabilitiesbooks.com
***************************************************** Super
Short 100 Word Short Story Competition "What's
hot in the world of fiction right now? Really short short stories! "What
constitutes a short short? Some want 500 words and under. Other diehards go for
100 words or less! "Can
a complete story even be told in under 100 words? You betcha! But there is an
art to it, and you should not think that short means easy. It actually may take
you longer to condense a fully developed story into 100 words than it takes to
fully develop the story into a regular 3,000 word piece of fiction. "Story
must have no more than 100 words. "Story
must not be pornographic, racist, or violent. Acceptable genres are: romance,
western, sci-fi/fantasy, mainstream, experimental, literary, drama, action,
comedy... "Story
must have a beginning, middle, and end. "Main
character should face a dilemma and solve a problem. "The
challenge in these short stories is using traditional elements of fiction all in
a concise, tight, 100 words. "Do
not send me slice of lifes, character descriptions, or anything else that is not
really a story. Ask yourself what is the action or conflict in your piece?"
PRIZE:
$100 ENTRY
FEE: $1 DEADLINE:
December 31, 2002 URL:
http://redwritinghood.com ***************************************************** Playboy's
College Fiction Contest "Contest
is open to all college students -- no age limit."
PRIZE:
$3000 and publication, $500, $200 ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
January 1, 2003 URL:
http://www.playboy.com/on-campus/ ***************************************************** Cafe
Poetica's Winter 2002 Poetry Contest "To
inaugurate Poem Train sponsored writing contests, entry into our first few
contest periods will be free. "One
talented winner will take home a $50 prize award during each contest period.
Prize awards will continue during 2003. "One
entry per person. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. Submit
one poem, any style, any length using the link provided below. Poems
must meet the PG-13 guidelines. We are a family-oriented site, any poem
submitted that does not meet this requirement will be disqualified. You
must use a valid email address. The
authors retain all rights to their work. The winning poem will be posted in our
award room. Poems
must be the unpublished work of one author and can not have won other awards or
contests for which monetary compensation was awarded. Judging
-- A panel of preliminary judges will score the poems. The scores for each poem
will be averaged. The ten poems that receive the highest averaged score will be
submitted to our finals judge who will rate the poems and determine who wins the
prize(s)."
PRIZE:
$3000 and publication, $500, $200 ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
December 31, 2002 Travelers'
Tales "We're
looking for personal, nonfiction stories and anecdotes-funny, illuminating,
adventurous, frightening, or grim. Stories should reflect that unique alchemy
that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world
differently as a result. Stories that have already been published, including
book excerpts, are welcome as long as the authors retain the copyright or can
obtain permission from the copyright holder to reprint the material. "Length
- Whatever it takes without being self-indulgent-anything from a paragraph to
fifteen pages. Shorter stories have a better chance of being accepted. "We
are accepting stories for the titles listed below. Additions
to our ever-growing list of destination titles. "The
World is a Kitchen "Women
on the Edge "In
addition to publishing books, we like to promote the best travel writing we can
find and do so in our Editors' Choice section and elsewhere on our Web site. By
submitting your story to Travelers' Tales, you agree that we may post it on our
site as an example of good travel writing. You will not be paid for this use,
but you will retain all rights to your material, and as a Travelers' Tales
contributor you will be able to purchase any TT books at 50% off. If you do not
wish us to post your story, please indicate this clearly at the beginning of
your submission. If we select your story for publication in one of our books, we
will contact you regarding permission and payment." Form
of Submission "Email:
submit@travelerstales.com
Make sure to include all current contact information in actual story file. If
sending attachments, they must be in MS Word or RTF format. Please put the book
title that you are submitting for in the subject line. Rights "We
are interested in non-exclusive rights, in all languages, throughout the world.
Our use of the material does not restrict the authors' rights in any way to have
their stories reprinted elsewhere. Remuneration Pay
used to be on a par with newspaper travel sections, about $.10 per word, never a
princely sum, to be sure, but a tough business environment for travel publishers
is forcing us to change that. Henceforth, we are offering a $100 honorarium for
stories of any length. In addition, authors receive one free copy of the book
and the right to purchase an unlimited number of any Travelers' Tales books for
50% off the cover price (plus shipping and handling). Other advantages include
the opportunity to appear in print with great writers, and ongoing promotion of
your name and work in the book marketplace and on our Web site. Those whose
sidebars we publish will receive a free copy of the book, plus the same right to
buy Travelers' Tales books at 50% off.
PRIZE:
$100 and publication ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
Various URL:
http://www.travelerstales.com ***************************************************** Donard Publishing 2002 Short Story Competition Conditions of Entry "The
stories may have any theme or subject. The piece must not be any longer than
5000 words.
PRIZE:
₤1500, ₤ 750 and more ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
December 31, 2002 URL:
http://www.donardpublishing.com
***************************************************** Turn
Beauty Inside Out 2003 Poster Contest "Our mission is to inspire independent thinking and foster critical analysis of media messages. "Each
year our primary outreach to schools and youth organizations is a creative
contest for students (up to age 16) which encourages them to challenge how women
and girls are portrayed. It's time to counterbalance the damaging and unhealthy
messages about beauty that bombard us all day through all forms of
advertisements! Create a poster to advertise the 2003 Turn Beauty Inside Out
Campaign. Help us promote the celebration of healthy body images and show us
what true beauty means. The winning poster will be distributed nationally during
our campaign, as we challenge others to analyze the messages that advertisers
send. Use your creativity - be original! "All
entries must . Promote
healthy body image and expand the definition of what makes people beautiful Must
include the words “Turn Beauty Inside Out” and Mind on the Media website www.mindonthemedia.org.
"Posters
will be judged 20 percent each for originality, design, slogan, artwork, and
overall effectiveness of the TBIO message." "Grand
Prize - Trip to New York City for the Turn Beauty Inside Out National Leadership
Event May
1 - May 4, 2003"
PRIZE:
$200, $100, $50 ENTRY
FEE: None DEADLINE:
December 31, 2002 URL:
http://www.mindonthemedia.org ***************************************************** 10th
Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards "Writer's
Digest is searching for the best self-published book of the past few years.
Whether you're a professional writer, part-time freelancer, or a self-starting
student, here's your chance to enter the only competition exclusively for
self-published books! "Enter
in any (or all) of 9 categories for your chance to win great cash prizes and
international exposure for your book! The Categories: Mainstream/Literary
Fiction Genre
Fiction Nonfiction
Inspirational
(spiritual, New Age) Life
Stories (biographies, autobiographies, family histories, memoirs) Children's
and Young Adult books Reference
Books (directories, encyclopedias, guide books) Poetry
Cookbooks
"The
competition is open to self-published books for which the authors have paid the
full cost of publication. "Entrants
must send a printed and bound book. Entries will be judged primarily by content
and writing quality. No photocopied or handwritten books are accepted.
Production quality will determine the winner in the event of a tie. "All
books published or revised and reprinted in 2000, 2001 or 2002 are eligible.
(Writer's Digest may demand proof of eligibility of semifinalists.) "Books
which have previously won awards from Writers Digest are not eligible." PRIZE:
$2500, $500 and more ENTRY
FEE: $100 DEADLINE:
December 16, 2002 URL:
http://www.writersdigest.com
I have been an accountant for a very long time, but I always wanted to be a
writer when I grew up. I realised a year or so back that there's not that
many decades left for me get grown up, and so I'm working part time at learning
how to be a writer. Besides my column here, I write a weekly article on
Women Abuse for Suite101.com - not a pretty subject, but if you have the
stomach, check it out at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/women_abuse
- and have recently been promoted by them to Managing Editor (Food). |
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