Why I created iwritereadrate.com
 By Adam Charles
Director, iwritereadrate.com
For me, and maybe for you too, admitting to being an unpublished writer is sort of a little bit like admitting to having contracted some disease in some bizarre circumstance. However, here I am, admitting to the wonderful readership of this
newsletter that I am an unpublished writer; further to this that I'm proud of it too. This feels good, cathartic almost, like my first night at Writer’s Anonymous.
I’m enthralled by literature, and always have been. I’ve learnt about myself over the years that the gratuitous acts of writing and reading just do it for me.
So, a few years ago I decreed that no longer would I watch from afar, no more would I be content with reading, I wanted to become part of the writing world, a world where ideas and images conjured by language are king. With my mission confirmed I set down to diligently sketch out a story that had been bouncing around in my head for a decade. It went well, the words flowed, my pen moved effortlessly and almost supernaturally across the page: I was fulfilling my dream of writing.
I reached a fair point, some 35,000 words and had judiciously self-edited a few times. I decided that it was time to send off my baby to be critiqued by those in the know to see if my delusions had any substance. I packaged up the first few chapters, bought a load of stamps and envelopes to send to publishing industry bodies.
I waited and I waited and finally they started to return home to me.
I opened the first one with adolescent enthusiasm, tearing it open. Sadly, all that was contained inside was the returned, unmarked, extracts I had sent and a standard rejection note on a tiny complements slip. I, however, was not deterred. I posted off another batch of submissions. The curse of the standard rejection letter continued.
Were they even reading it? Surely they could pass some kind of judgement? Surely I could get more feedback than this? Doubt began to creep in, maybe I’d never know.
After three batches of submissions I coalesced. I didn’t know whether I had something entertaining – even interesting – to say or if I should just stick to reading other people’s ideas and give up on my dream. I wasn’t upset or disappointed, I just wanted to know whether it was me or the system that had cast me aside.
Research followed into all the facets of the agencies, editing, and publishing process.
A couple of years ago I eventually hit upon an idea. If the professionals can’t tell me, then how can technology help me and people like me to find out whether our work is any good? I trawled the internet but couldn’t find anything that I could use for these objectives. This is where the first seed began to grow for our new website:
www.iwritereadrate.com.
In 2010 we began building out this idea; the seed began to germinate. An online community for unpublished writers by unpublished writers. A democratic cyber-city where writers can upload, sell, and receive ratings and reviews on their hard work. Where unpublished writers can sell their passion for writing as well as their stories. A place where readers can provide direct feedback direct to writers, have access to them and become part of the writing process. A brave new world in the dynamic between unpublished writers and readers everywhere.
After all, the only way to know if what you’ve written is any good is to have other people read it.
We successfully launched our Registration Page in December 2010 and are now looking to launch the full site during the first few months of 2011.
You can register now to be given pre-launch access to the site to upload your work before anyone else and you’ll also be automatically entered our competition to win an eReader at the site’s full launch.
We Look forward to seeing you on our website soon.
Visit us for more details at:
www.iwritereadrate.com
Copyright
Registration Service increases permitted file size
The Copyright Registration
Service operated by the Intellectual Property Rights
Office has recently had a revamp of its site at www.copyrightregistrationservice.com.
The revamp includes a new
look and an increase in the size of the file which can be
protected from 3MB to 10MB, making it easier to register
large files, and reducing the need to split large files
across multiple registrations requiring multiple
registration fees. The
copyright registration service is available to works
created in most countries of the world. Works can be
registered at http://www.copyrightregistrationservice.com/register/
Best Wishes Literary Management launched
Best Wishes Literary Management is a new literary agency recently launched in Illinois. The agents –
Jessie Jamie and Tracy Richardson – are eager to build their client list with a diverse group of fiction as well as nonfiction writers. There are no reading or submission fees –
the agency is compensated only upon placement of author's work.
J. Jamie is interested in nonfiction titles only. She is interested in body, mind, spirit, metaphysics, spirituality, religion, self-help, diet, exercise, alternative health, and reference books for writers.
Tracy Richardson is interested in African American fiction, urban fiction, erotica, gay/lesbian fiction and memoirs.
For full details click
here
For over 850 other literary agents, click
here.
International Creative Writing Competition for Poems, Short Stories and Flash Fiction
The Bridport Prize 2011 website is now open for
entries.
The Bridport Prize is the richest open writing competition in the English language
–
with £5,000 first prize for a short story (of up to 5,000 words); and £5,000 first prize for a poem (of up to 42 lines).
The new category of Flash Fiction attracts £1,000 to be won for the best short, short story of under 250 words.
The Bridport is also known as a tremendous literary stepping stone
–
the first step in the careers of writers such as: Kate Atkinson, Tobias Hill, Carol Ann Duffy and Helen Dunmore.
Anyone can enter –
so long as the work is previously unpublished. It costs £7 per story, £6 per poem or £5 per flash fiction and the closing date is
June 30, 2011.
Each year the prize is judged by well known writers
–
this year we are delighted to announce that Carol Ann Duffy will be judging the poetry, and AL
Kennedy the short stories and flash fiction.
The 2010 anthology of winning entries is available for just £12 or £15 overseas (including postage and packing). The 2009 and 2008 anthologies are available in limited numbers for £7 and £5 (£10 and £8 overseas).
Enter online at: www.bridportprize.org.uk
or download an entry form: www.bridportprize.org.uk/entryform.pdf.
Alternatively email for a pdf entry form: frances@bridportprize.org.uk
or send an SAE for an entry form to be posted to you:
The Bridport Prize
PO Box 6910
Dorset
DT6 9BQ
United Kingdom
For over 180 other writing contests,
click here
Canadian Short Screenplay Competition to
finance short films with new fund
The Canadian Short Screenplay Competition is pleased to announce the creation of a new Film Fund that
specialises in investing in and financing short films.
The Canadian Short Screenplay Competition, the most prestigious screenwriting competition in Canada, announced earlier a holiday gift for short filmmakers worldwide in the form of a completion fund for short films looking for that little bit extra to complete the post-production and or marketing of their finished film.
The Short Film Fund, described as having no deadline for submissions, will award up to $1,500 cash to up to three successful short film filmmakers per year, until funds are exhausted each calendar year.
The fund is being generously supported by the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition and Year of the Skunk Productions. CSSC founder and producer David Cormican reminds interested filmmakers in putting only their best foot forward.
"The fund is highly competitive, very selective and will only invest in the best and most deserving projects", says
Cormican. "We’re looking to support filmmakers with a unique, strong, professional and commercial
vision".
The fund is a first for the CSSC and joins the ranks of Bravo!FACT, National Film Board and the National Screen Institute as being amongst only a handful of private and public
organisations financially supporting the making of short films.
"Besides, provincial and local funding agencies, short filmmakers don’t really have that many avenues to find money to make their art beyond Bravo!FACT, the NSI and NFB programs. So, we’re happy to be able to help support a few extra projects each year to that same
end", offers Cormican.
While interested filmmakers and producers are asked to limit their number of
submissions to two projects per year, they can apply to the fund free of charge through the entirely online submission process available on the CSSC’s website.
The Short Film Fund is open effective immediately. Complete Short Film Fund details and guidelines, including the online submission form, can be found by visiting:
http://www.screenplay-contest.com/short-film-fund.
Hope is Kindled Screenplay Competition 2011
Hope is Kindled, a UK registered Charity Company, is offering a screenplay competition where the winner will be produced with a budget of up to $2 million.
All screenplays are judged in these categories:
- Writing Quality
- Plot/premise
- Structure and pacing
- Characterisation
- Dialogue
- Cinematic potential
For more information go to http://hopeiskindled.org/our-projects/screenplay-competition/
A snapshot of writers
Over 2011, Incwriters (http://www.incwriters.co.uk) and the Andrew Oldham home
website (http://www.andrewoldham.co.uk)
will be taking a snapshot of writers and poets in the
United Kingdom and abroad. The aim is simple, all those contributing will answer the same interview question and the responses will be published over the year on both websites. If you’re interested, answer the question
below. You can answer it in two ways: a simple email reply (text based); or a vodcast (video taken on your phone or on a camcorder). All videos will be posted to the Incwriters YouTube channel. The only rule is that your answer must be a
response of a minimum of 100 words to the following question:
1) What defines you as a writer/poet?
Your response must be accompanied by a short 25 word bio and bio image (jpg) and email to
andrew_incwriters@yahoo.co.uk.
This to be a viral campaign, so after you have responded, send it to every poet
and writer you know, post it your Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and other social networks. Spread the word! That way we can get a TRUE snapshot of writing in the
United Kingdom and abroad. This is a great way to also promote yourself as a writer on a website with over 43,000 readers a year.
The intention is to publish around 100 responses to the above question from April
2011–April 2012. Deadline for submissions March
4, 2011 by 1700 GMT.
Resources for
writers at firstwriter.com
Visit firstwriter.com
for the following invaluable resources for writers:
To advertise
on this newsletter for as little as $30 / £20 click
here
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