Monday Markets for Writers: No Fees. Paying Gigs.

dollar-sign-mdMonday brings the weekly batch of no-fee competitions/contests, paying submission calls, and jobs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • From the UK, but open to writers of any nationality writing in English (I am now told that the competition is limited to UK entrants): “The Creative Future Literary Awards is a national literary competition and high profile awards ceremony which celebrates talented writers who lack opportunities due to mental health issues, disability, health or social circumstance. Prizes are awarded for both poetry and short fiction. There is no entry fee. Winners are selected by a panel of industry experts. Prizes include £1000 of cash prizes & professional writing development support. The theme for the 2015 competition is ‘Impossible Things‘.” Deadline: June 15, 2015. (via the ShortStops newsletter)
  • “In the winter of 2015, with the publication of Elusive Boundaries: Mapping Creative Nonfiction (CNF) in Canada, The Malahat Review will celebrate creative nonfiction as practised by Canadian writers today. Guest-editor Lynne Van Luven invites them to submit their work for this theme issue celebrating their boundary-disrespecting métier….Malahat also invites Canada’s creative nonfictionists to think critically about their practice. Thoughtful essays about the genre will be considered as well as for reviews of works in creative nonfiction by Canadian authors for Elusive Boundaries. There will also be online exclusives—interviews, etc.—posted on the Malahat website when the print issue is published.” Deadline: July 1, 2015. Pays: “The Malahat Review pays an honorarium of $50 per printed page.”
  • Equestrian Culture is currently seeking and accepting article, essay, short story and poetry submissions.” Submissions on the next quarterly theme, “Moments,” close July 1. Pays: “We pay $25–$50 for each accepted submission we publish. Payment will be sent within 15 days after the piece’s publication on EquestrianCulture.com.” (via Cathy’s Comps and Calls)
  • Although Ploughshares charges fees for many of its submission categories, there is one fee-free category that may be of special interest to practicing writers: the Look2 Essay series. “In addition to general prose and poetry, we’re looking for critical essays about great, underappreciated writers for the Ploughshares literary journal. We are hoping for a piece of writing that takes stock of an accomplished body of work and brings a neglected author back into the spotlight.” Pays: “$25/printed page, $50 minimum per title, $250 maximum per author.”
  • Housing Works (New York) is advertising for a part-time Bookstore Sales Associate.
  • “PEN American Center seeks a creative and dynamic professional to serve as Deputy Director of Public Programs.” This job is located in New York.
  • And also in New York: “Penguin Random House and the Crown Publishing Group are seeking a self-directed, well-connected Community Manager for TasteBook.com, one of the company’s largest online communities. TasteBook.com is a top recipe and cooking destination, featuring original blog content, a vast recipe library, and a rapidly-expanding home cook community.”
  • “Attention all published fiction writers: Do you love kids? Are you excited by the idea of helping children learn to write short stories with beginnings, middles, and (drum roll) endings? Writopia Lab, an award-winning 501(c)3 non-profit that runs the country’s best creative writing workshops for kids ages 8-18, is looking for teachers as part of our NYPL program at the Todt Hall branch in Staten Island.”
  • William Paterson University [New Jersey] invites applications for a One Year Full-Time Visiting Assistant Professor appointment with a specialization in Non-fiction for the 2015-2016 academic year.”

4 thoughts on “Monday Markets for Writers: No Fees. Paying Gigs.

  1. Amanda Williams says:

    Hello,

    I submitted to Equestrain Culture 5 months ago. The submission page said that they aim to reply in 2 weeks or so, so after not hearing anything for 3 weeks, I followed up. No response. I followed up again after 5 weeks. No response. I sent an inquiry through their “leave a comment” function, no response. My poems are in no-man’s land. I got no confirmation for my initial submission, have not gotten a rejection, and, in fact, have not been able to contact a human being at all. Not sure what the deal is. Has anyone else had success with them?

    Thanks,

    Amanda

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Dear Amanda: Oh, thank you for sharing this information! Valuable for others to know. I do hope that if anyone else has information to share, especially a response to your comment, we’ll see that here.

  2. Laryssa says:

    I’m trying to submit to Ploughshares Look2 essay series, but it looks like there’s no way to bypass the $3 submission fee on the submission page. Am I missing something? Thanks!

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Hi, Laryssa: On the main guidelines page, the editors indicate:
      “There is no fee for online submissions to the Look2 series.” See https://www.pshares.org/submit/look2-essay/guidelines. I’m sorry, but I cannot
      tell you anything more. I would suggest that you contact Ploughshares and ask for assistance. Good luck!

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