Grants for Authors: Tricks of the Trade to Write Your Manuscript and Get Paid

Taking your manuscript to the next level can seem perplexing especially with so many costs involved.  From peer editing and research to purchasing an ISBN number, there are various costs associated with printing that many authors cannot afford. As a result, their noteworthy publications remain on the shelves in their living rooms and bedrooms. Perhaps if these authors knew that monies exist to assist them with the publication of their manuscripts, then maybe more writings would move from bedroom bookshelves to the shelves of Borders and Barnes and Noble.

Yet, how does an author apply for such funding and where does it come from? Technical writers have the greatest advantage. If an individual is an expert in such content areas as Chemistry or Israeli Studies, just to name a few, monies are often available for research and publication costs. For example, the Jewish Virtual Library, A Division of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise offers a $5,000 grant to authors that wish to publish their research in Israeli studies. Further information pertaining to this opportunity can be found on the organization’s website at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/isdf/pubgrant07.html. A simple Boolean search can help authors to identify other grant opportunities that align with their areas of expertise. If the author is an expert content writer in mathematics, the author can visit google.com and enter the key words “funding for authors and mathematics” in order to find the funds that best suit their area of interest.

Authors that are more interested in publishing fiction, non-fiction or poetry might be interested in applying for one of the following:
Academy of American Poets (Poet.Org)
Book Awards

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/61

Amount: Academy Fellowship: $25,000 for distinguished poetic achievement

Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences
Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting

http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/

Amount: $5,000

Ayn Rand Writing Contests

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_contests_index

Amount: Over $75,000 are awarded to high school and college students                annually.
Funding for authors is not limited to these and can be found both on the web and in such publications as the Poet’s Market or Writer’s Market.

Authors that haven’t yet identified a specific genre have the option to sign up for a monthly newsletter through Funds for Writers at
http://www.fundsforwriters.com.  A subscription helps the author to learn more about specific areas of writing as well as the types of funding opportunities that are available to assist with successful publication.

Janell Nakia Irving

Janell NaKia Irving received a bachelor of science in marketing from Stephens College, a master of arts in English from Purdue University and is currently pursuing a doctor of business administration. She recently published Swimming Above the Turbulence: Self-Esteem Building for the Woman of God, a book that discusses her personal struggle with domestic violence. The book can be purchased from any online bookseller. She is a Grant Writer for a national non-profit in Chicago, Illinois.

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