by C. Hope Clark
When I completed writing my novel over a decade ago, I imagined the next step was simply to find a publisher and watch the book sell. Like most writers, my goal was to earn a living doing what I loved so I could walk away from the day job. No such luck. Between rejection and newfound knowledge that a novel can take years to sell enough for a single house payment, I opened my mind to other writing avenues. I learned that there’s no one way to find funds to support your writing; instead there are many. So many, in fact, that I felt the need to share the volume of knowledge I collected, and I called it FundsforWriters.com.
Funds are money. But obtaining those funds isn’t necessarily a linear process, or a one-dimensional path. As a serious writer, you study all options at your fingertips, entertaining financial resources that initially don’t make sense as well as the obvious.
Grants come from government agencies, nonprofits, businesses and even generous individuals. They do not have to be repaid, as long as you use the grant as intended. No two are alike. Therefore, you must do your homework to find the right match between your grant need and the grant provider’s mission. Grantors like being successful at their mission just as you like excelling at yours. So they screen applicants, ensuring they fit the rules and show promise to follow through.
Don’t fear grants. Sure, you’re judged by a panel, and rejection is part of the game, but you already know that as a writer. Gigi Rosenberg, author of The Artist’s Guide to Grant Writing, states, “If one funder doesn’t want to invest in your project, find another who does. And if nobody does, then begin it any way you can. Once you’ve started, that momentum will help your project find its audience and its financial support.”
Grants can send you to retreats, handle emergencies, provide mentors, pay for conferences, or cover travel. They also can be called awards, fellowships, residencies, or scholarships. But like any aspect of your writing journey, define how any tool, even a grant, fits into your plans. Your mission must parallel a grantor’s mission.
The cream-of-the-crop grants have no strings attached. Winning recipients are based upon portfolios and an application that defines a work-in-progress. You don’t have to be a Pulitzer winner, but you must prove your establishment as a writer.
You find most of these opportunities in state arts commissions. Find them at www.nasaa-arts.org or as a partner listed at the National Endowment for the Arts website, www.nea.gov. Not only does your state’s arts commission provide funding, but the players can direct you to other grant opportunities, as well as to artists who’ve gone before you. Speaking to grant winners gives you a wealth of information and a leg up in designing the best application.
Foundations and nonprofits fund the majority of grants. Most writers’ organizations are nonprofits. Both the Mystery Writers of America (www.mysterywriters.org) and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (www.scbwi.org) offer scholarships and grants.
Many retreats are nonprofits. Journalist and freelancer Alexis Grant, (http://alexisgrant.com/) tries to attend a retreat a year. Some ask her to pay, usually on a sliding scale based upon income, and others provide scholarships. Each time, she applies with a clear definition of what she hopes to gain from the two to five-week trips. “It’s a great way to get away from the noise of everyday responsibilities, focus on writing well and meet other people who prioritize writing. I always return home with a new perspective.” One resource to find writing retreats is the Alliance of Artists Communities (www.artistcommunities.org/).
Laura Lee Perkins won four artist-in-residence slots with the National Park Service (www.nps.gov). The federal agency has 43 locations throughout the United States where writers and artists live for two to four weeks. From Acadia National Park in Maine to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan, Perkins spoke to tourists about her goals to write a book about Native American music. “Memories of the US National Parks’ beauty and profound serenity will continue to enrich my work. Writers find unparalleled inspiration, quietude, housing, interesting staff, and a feeling of being in the root of your artistic desires.”
Don’t forget writers’ conferences. While they may not advertise financial aid, many have funds available in times of need. Always ask as to the availability of a scholarship or work-share program that might enable your attendance.
Grants come in all sizes. FundsforWriters posts emergency grants on its grants page (www.fundsforwriters.com) as well as new grant opportunities such as the Sustainable Arts Foundation (www.sustainableartsfoundation.org) that offers grants to writers and artists with children under the age of 18, or the Awesome Foundation (www.awecomefoundation.org), which gives $1,000 grants to creative projects.
Novelist Joan Dempsey won an Elizabeth George Foundation grant (http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com/foundation/index.htm) in early 2012. “I applied to the Foundation for a research grant that included three trips to places relevant to my novel-in-progress, trips I otherwise could not have afforded. Not only does the grant provide travel funds, but it also provides validation that I’m a serious writer worthy of investment, which is great for my psyche and my résumé.”
Nonprofits have access to an incredibly large number of grants that individuals do not, and have the ability to offer their tax-exempt status to groups and individuals involved in activities related to their mission. By allowing a nonprofit to serve as your grant overseer, you may acquire funds for your project.
Deborah Marshall is President of the Missouri Writers Guild (www.missouriwritersguild.org) and founder of the Missouri Warrior Writers Project, with ample experience with grants in the arts. “Although grant dollars are available for individual writers, writing the grant proposal becomes difficult without significant publication credits. Partnering with a nonprofit organization, whether it is a writing group, service, community organization, or any 501(c)3, can fill in those gaps to make a grant application competitive. Partnering not only helps a writer’s name become known, but it also assists in building that all-important platform.”
Two excellent groups that offer fiscal sponsorship for writers are The Fractured Atlas (www.fracturedatlas.org) and Artspire (www.artspire.org) sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts and open to all US citizens. Visit The Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter.org) for an excellent tutorial guide to fiscal sponsorship.
Crowd sourcing is a co-op arrangement where people support artists directly, much like the agricultural co-op movement where individuals fund farming operations in exchange for fresh food. Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) has made this funding method successful in the arts.
Basically, the writer proposes his project, and for a financial endorsement as low as $1, donors receive some token in return, like an autographed book, artwork, or bookmark. The higher the donation, the bigger the wow factor in the gift. Donors do not receive ownership in the project.
Meagan Adele Lopez (www.ladywholunches.net) presented her debut self-published book Three Questions to Kickstarter readers, requesting $4,400 to take her book on tour, create a book trailer, pre-order books, and redesign the cover. Eighty-eight backers pledged a total of $5,202. She was able to hire an editor and a company that designed film trailers. For every $750 she received over her plan, she added a new city to her book tour.
Other up-and-coming crowd sourcing companies include Culture 360 (www.culture360.org) that serves Asia and Europe, and Indiegogo (www.indiegogo.com), as well as Rocket Hub (www.rockethub.com). And nothing stops you from simply asking those you know to support your project. The concept is elementary.
Contests offer financial opportunity, too. Of course you must win, place or show, but many writers overlook the importance that contests have on a career. These days, contests not only open doors to publishing, name recognition, and money, but listing such achievements in a query letter might make an agent or publisher take a second glance. Noting your wins on a magazine pitch might land a feature assignment. Mentioning your accolades to potential clients could clinch a freelance deal.
I used contests as a barometer when fleshing out my first mystery novel, A Lowcountry Bribe (Bell Bridge Books). After I placed in several contests, earned a total of $750, and reached the semi-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (www.createspace.com/abna), my confidence grew strong enough to pitch agents. My current agent admits that the contest wins drew her in.
Contests can assist in sales of existing books, not only aiding sales but also enticing more deals for future books . . . or the rest of your writing profession.
Whether writing short stories, poetry, novels, or nonfiction, contests abound. As with any call for submission, study the rules. Double checking with entities that screen, like FundsforWriters.com and WinningWriters.com, will help alleviate concerns when selecting where to enter.
A thick collection of freelancing clips can make an editor sit up and take notice. You’ve been vetted and accepted by others in the business, and possibly established a following. The more well known the publications, the brighter your aura.
Sooner or later in your career, you’ll write an article. In the beginning, articles are a great way to gain your footing. As your career develops, you become more of an expert, and are expected to enlighten and educate about your journey and the knowledge you’ve acquired. Articles are, arguably, one of the best means to income and branding for writers.
Trade magazines, national periodicals, literary journals, newsletters, newspapers and blogs all offer you a chance to present yourself, earn money, and gain readers for a platform. Do not discount them as income earners.
Linda Formichelli, of Renegade Writer fame (www.therenegadewriter.com) leaped into freelance magazine writing because she simply loved to write, and that love turned her into an expert. “I never loved working to line someone else’s pockets.” A full-time freelancer since 1997, with credits like Family Circle, Redbook, and Writer’s Digest, she also writes articles, books, e-courses, and e-books about her profession as a magazine writer.
Part-time, full-time, temporary or permanent, writing jobs hone your skills, pad your resume, and present avenues to movers and shakers you wouldn’t necessarily meet on your own. Government and corporate managers hire writers under all sorts of guises like Social Media Specialist and Communications Specialist, as well as the expected Reporter and Copywriter.
Alexis Grant considers her prior jobs as catapults. “Working at a newspaper (Houston Chronicle) and a news magazine (US News & World Report) for six years provided the foundation for what I’m doing now as a freelancer. Producing stories regularly on tight deadlines will always make you a better writer.”
Joan Dempsey chose to return to full-time work and write her novel on the side, removing worries about her livelihood. “My creative writing was suffering trying to freelance. So, I have a day job that supports me now.” She still maintains her Facebook presence to continue building her platform for her pending novel.
Most importantly, however, is learning how to collect all your funding options and incorporate them into your plan. The successful writer doesn’t perform in one arena. Instead, he thrives in more of a three-ring circus.
Grant states it well: “For a long while I thought of myself as only a journalist, but there are so many other ways to use my skills. Today my income comes from three streams: helping small companies with social media and blogging (the biggest source), writing and selling e-guides and courses (my favorite), and taking freelance writing or editing assignments.”
Formichelli is proud of being flexible. “When I’ve had it with magazine writing, I put more energy into my e-courses, and vice versa. Heck, I’m even a certified personal trainer, so if I get really sick of writing I can work out. But a definite side benefit to diversifying is that I’m more protected from the feast-or-famine nature of writing.”
Sometimes pursuing the more common sense or lucrative income opportunity can open doors for the dream. When my novel didn’t sell, I began writing freelance articles. Then I established FundsforWriters, using all the grant, contest, publisher and market research I did for myself. A decade later, once the site thrived with over 45,000 readers, I used the very research I’d gleaned for my readers to find an agent and sign a publishing contract . . . for the original novel started so long ago.
You can fight to fund one project or study all resources and fund a career. Opportunity is there. Just don’t get so wrapped up in one angle that you miss the chance to invest more fully in your future.
C. HOPE CLARK manages FundsForWriters.com and is the author of several books, including Lowcountry Bribe and Palmetto Poison. Learn more at http://chopeclark.com.