39 Writing Contests in August 2021 - No entry fee - Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity

 As Panzer was washing the windshield on the Panzermobile he found something under the wiper blade. Flattening it out, our fastidious kitty discovered it was a post about writing contests from the Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity site.

It's nap time now.

The post by Erica Verrillo lists 39 writing contests with deadlines in August. The contests are open to poetry, fiction and nonfiction submissions. Each contest has different rules, so be sure to check them before you submit your manuscript. None of the contests require an entry fee. The post includes links to all the contest sites.

 

Panzer says, "Be sure to check the deadlines too, because some of the deadlines are August 1 and August 2."

 

Note: This is a long post. Bring a big glass of iced tea and a muffin for today's reading. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you'll need to decide what else to bring.

 

To read the post tootle over to August writing contests

What Are ISBNs and Why Should I Care About Them? - Honest Indie Author

 Today, Panzer made a trip to the Honest Indie Author site. There our adventuresome kitty boy found a post about ISBNs.

 

In the post Debbi Mack gives a short description of ISBNs, why you might need them and where to purchase them. Amazon and most of the ebook sites don't require ISBNs, but you still might want to buy them. There's a link in the post to the ISBN purchase site.

For the U.S. only.

 

Panzer says, "ISBNs are for U.S. authors' hardbacks, paperbacks, ebooks, and audio books."

 

Note: Because of the illustrations this looks like a long post but it isn't. Bring a glass of lemonade for your reading time.

To read the post tootle over to ISBN

Shamus - The Rap Sheet

Today  Panzer made a quick trip to The Rap Sheet site. There he found a post about the Shamus Awards and Davitts Awards.

 

According to the post by J. Kingston Pierce, the Private Eye Writers of America have announced the Shamus Award winners. The Shamus Awards are given each year for P.I. novels and short stories. The Davitts have announced the list of nominees. The post contains links to both announcements.

I know some of the winners.

Panzer says, "The Private Eye Writers of America's newsletter says there was no venue available for the awards presentation at Bouchercon, so the Shamus Award winners announcement was made early."

Note: This is a long-short length post. Bring a small glass of iced tea for your reading. If you plan to follow the links, bring a big glass of iced tea and a muffin.

To read the post tootle over to Shamus Awards

23 Awesome Writing Conferences in August 2021 - Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity

In his travels in the Catosphere today Panzer stopped in at the Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity site. With a little digging in the posts there, our inquisitive kitty boy found one about writing conferences in August.

 

I know where I'll be in August.

The post by site owner Erica Verrillo contains information about twenty-three writing conferences held in August. Included in the post are conferences for fiction, nonfiction and poetry writers. Some of the conferences are online and some are in-person. There are links included to all the conference sites for more information and registration,

Panzer says, "Be sure to check the registration dates. Some on the list have already passed."

 

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a thermos of iced tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow any of the links in the post, you'll need to decide what treat to bring.

 

To read the post tootle over to Writing Conferences in August

Raise Your Voice? - The Rap Sheet

Panzer was just lying down for his evening nap, when he heard clapping and cheering. Hopping in the Panzermobile our kitty pilot followed all the noise to The Rap Sheet site. There he found a post about Amazon Publishing.

It's a very short post by J. Kingston Pierce about the Amazon Publishing New Voices Award competition. The post includes a link to the rules.

Not many days left to enter.

Panzer says, "You better hurry. There's not much time left to submit."

Note: This is a very short post. You won't even need a glass of iced tea. If you follow the link, bring a glass of iced tea and a cookie.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Publishing

A New Panzerism

 Panzer on board games:

I love playing checkers with Mom and What's His Name.

Especially that part where the noble jungle kitty sneaks through the tall carpet grass.

 

He waits patiently.

He slithers forward ...

and ...

You're free! Fly away!

pounces on the checker board where all the plastic pieces take flight ...

like ...

a herd of butterflies.

From Cat Wisdom for humans

Whitaker Takes Home Another Honor - The Rap Sheet

Panzer was cleaning out the glove box in the Panzermobile when he discovered a post from The Rap Sheet site about author Chris Whitaker.

 

Now ... Time for my nap.

According to the post by J. Kingston Pierce, Chris Whitaker's novel We Begin at the End has been named the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel. There are links to other information about the award included in the post.

 

Panzer says, "You will want to follow the links to find out more about the award."

 

To read the post tootle over to Chris Whitaker

 

Canada's Access Copyright Foundation Announces Grants - Publishing Perspectives

Today, when Panzer was sweeping the floor mats in the Panzermobile, he found something wedged under the pilot's seat. Pulling it out, our fastidious kitty boy discovered it was a Publishing Perspectives post about the Access Copyright Foundation.

 

I want to keep my stuff clean.

According to the post by Porter Anderson, Canada's Access Copyright Foundation (ACF) announced the 2021 Professional Development Grant awards earlier this month. The post says $50,000 (Canadian dollars) were awarded. A list of the recipients is included in the post. The post also contains links to other information about the ACF and future application deadlines for other grants.

 

Panzer says, "Following the post about the ACF grants is one about Canada's Covid-19 cases and opening the Canada-US border."

 

Note: Because of the list of grant recipients this is a long post. Bring a large mug of iced tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Canada's Access Copyright Foundation

Bad Contract Alert: ByteDance's Reading/Writing App - Writer Beware

Panzer was shaken from his afternoon nap by crying and the gnashing of teeth coming from the Catosphere. Our brave kitty boy hopped in the Panzermobile and headed out. Following all the chaos took him to the Writer Beware site. There he found a post about the newest contract writers need to avoid.

 

I'll have nightmares about this.

According to Victoria Strauss' post, there's a new readers' app looking for writers. The app is ByteDance's  Fictum. You might recognize ByteDance as TikTok's parent company. The post dissects Fictum's writers' contract. The contract states on the first tier writers are expected to produce 1,000 words per day per month. That's 30,000 words per month. For this, the writer will be paid $200 per month. In total the writer is to produce 200,000 words. The post points out other problems with the contract including cancellation clauses, royalty payment clauses, copyright clauses, right of first refusal for anything you write during the contract, and there's even more. There are several links to other posts included.

 

Panzer says, "Everybody says cats aren't good at math. ... But ... 30,000 words for $200 is only $0.01 per word, right?"

 

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post. Bring a big glass of lemonade, three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) and a brownie. If you plan to follow the links, you decide what to bring.

 

To read the post tootle over to bad contract

Reaching Readers at the Dollar Store - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the posts, our inquisitive kitty found one about selling in dollar stores.

An interesting market idea.

According to the post by Karen Raugust, some of those books you see in dollar stores aren't remaindered books. They're actually books supplied by publishers. Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Five Below, and Family Dollar stores are all viable market places for new book sales. While the profit margins are lower, the opportunity for greater sales will make up for it. The post includes interviews with publishers and distributors. The sale of children's books is concentrated on.

Panzer says, "This little kitty didn't know those were new books."

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a thermos of iced tea and two muffins for your reading today.

To read the post tootle over to Dollar Store