Funds for Writers

THE FLORENCE TYSON FUND http://www.tysonfund.org/ --- The Mission of the Fund is to support therapists and clinical programs that provide creative arts therapies--music, dance, drama, art and poetry therapy--to people in the community who suffer from, or are at risk for psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety, or severe mental illnesses.

THE ROYAL LITERARY FUND http://www.societyofauthors.org/grants --- The Society administers three charitable trusts, which award occasional grants to professional authors who find themselves in sudden and temporary financial difficulty. The Francis Head Bequest grants to professional writers (writing in the English language) who were born in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and who are over the age of 35. It is aimed at authors who by reason of illness or otherwise are in financial difficulty. The John Masefield Memorial Trust provides grants to professional British poets or their dependents who are faced with sudden financial problems. Margaret Rhondda Awards assist and support women journalists who are in needy circumstances.

Casting Calls

1) House Hunters International
2nd January 2011

Are you buying a home abroad?

If so, we'd like to put your story on TV! HGTV's House Hunters International is looking for energetic individuals, couples and families who are passionate about their search for a new home or vacation property abroad. This hit series takes viewers behind the scenes with a real estate agent to decide which international home is best for you!

If you've recently purchased a home abroad, we would love to speak with you and hear about the ups and downs of your journey.

We are currently casting in multiple countries around the globe. Send an e-mail with your name, phone number, location and attached photo to househunterscasting@leopardfilms.com, and we'll send you additional information.



2) More to come

Interacting with Other Bloggers-Why It's a Good Thing

Responding to blog posts on topics relevant to your organization or company can be an effective way to engage customers, clients, co-workers, constituents in a discussion about issues or to get the word out about your work or product ot company. Interacting with bloggers, however, can be very time consuming. A little advanced thinking and strategizing can help you engage bloggers and their readers more efficiently to get the desired results. So why interact with other bloggers and web content creators? Why not just read and maintain your own? Lots of good reasons:

1.Interacting with other bloggers can create a portal to your website. Commenting, sharing and liking other blogs can intrigue other readers and followers. This can position you as a contributing authority and make readers curious about your company or brand; a kind of give-and-take in the blogging community.

2. From Writer’s Digest 10 Ways Writers Lose Blog Traffic, Number 7 reminds us all to read (and comment) on other people’s blogs. To read the whole piece, click on this link: http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-writers-lose-blog-traffic-and-alienate-readers

3. Don't know where to start? Find some blogs you like that tend to post material of interest to your company, and follow them. You can use a free service—like Bloglines.com—to capture posts from all your favorite blogs so you can track and read them all in one location.

4. Find at least one or two blogs with a regular audience of significant size. These blogs will offer the best chances for discussion and a large enough audience to get wider distribution for information about your topic.

5. Bloggers love getting comments, so you can respond to blog posts whenever you read one that inspires additional thoughts or that you find useful. Include insights you’ve gained, while respecting the privacy you might reference. Compliments may be preferred, of course, but constructive criticism or corrections are also generally welcome. It is not in your interest, though, to chastise a blogger or question his or her expertise.

6. Contact the blogger after you have a good understanding of the blog’s focus, point of view, and style and feel it would be an appropriate venue for promoting your product or company. Suggest that the blogger write about your product, and give reasons: there is timely news about your product, it will be of interest to your readers, etc. It is best to contact bloggers by e-mail if you can find their address, but you may also do this through the comments button if necessary. Your message can be informal, but professional. You are more likely to get the blogger’s attention if you refer to specific posts he or she published or a recent news item that provides a timely peg for writing about your product.

7. Once you get a blogger’s attention it can often lead to additional coverage by other bloggers or news organizations. Getting coverage on a popular blog could also help you spread the word about the value of your products and promote a positive image about you to the general public.