Jamaica Gleaner

FUNDING FOR WRITERS

- Corine La Font Contributo­r

ONE OF the major setbacks for many authors is lack of funds. This holds them back from seeing their ideas and dreams become a reality, and that is sad. Nothing, and I mean nothing,

should stop you from seeing your dreams through!

Some authors, knowing that the self-publishing route requires up-front expenses, will sacrifice their work to be held up for years, or maybe never to be seen, because they took the route of traditiona­l publishing, which does not offer any guarantee or acceptance of their work within a minimum twoyear period. Sad again!

There are many options out there for authors, but it takes some serious searching, which requires time and effort. I am sure you will be happy to know that I know this resource that focuses solely on funding for writers. The thing is the emphasis is mainly in the United States and may be beneficial to mainly US citizens, but I say, don’t let that stop you. Why? Because, like I mentioned earlier, there are many options. She has an exhaustive list of contests, literary awards, crowdfundi­ng, grants, non-profits, freelancin­g, writing retreats, and even – wait for it ... writing jobs that can aid you on your journey to generating funds. And just maybe, if you are serious and talented, a career in writing!

It makes no sense reinventin­g the wheel, so I would prefer to point you to where the informatio­n exists once I find it. This will save you time, effort, and, most of all, frustratio­n. So, all in one place is C. Hope Clark’s work on funding for writers at www.fundsforwr­iters.com. I highly recommend her and encourage you to subscribe to her newsletter as well and stay in the know. I see she also has a resource for US$15 a year. It is up to you to decide if you wish to invest in yourself and your craft, but I firmly believe in investing in myself and what I do. I say, look at what she offers for free on her website and then determine if you wish to take the next step. That would surely keep you very busy for weeks, even months, I am sure.

As for me, I would like to know what areas you need help with so that I can further meet your needs and customise programmes, online courses, and even my articles to assist you. Here is the survey link: http://svy.mk/1Oj8tpd.

Want more tips, strategies, advice, free e-courses, and motivation to get you going? Then subscribe to my blog via my website http://www.helpdeskja.com and get quick anecdotes directly into your inbox.

Corine La Font is a speaker, author, coach, and self-publishing consultant. She is also an award-winning publishing resource in the 2013 Small Business Book Awards. Get a copy of her book at http://amzn.to/TFHQka, Subscribe to her magazine at http://bit.ly/1IDj7pQ. Tune in to her radio programme at http://www.blogtalkra­dio.com /helpdeskja and check out her website at http://www.helpdeskja.com She can be reached at corinelaf@gmail.com.

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