One of the most common questions that FundsforWriters receives is where can someone find a grant to self-publish a book, ninety percent of the time their first book. No mention of genre, where the author lives, the purpose of the book, or why anyone would want to fund such a book, much less read it. They just want the money with nobody asking questions and no strings attached.
There is no such grant for that purpose, anywhere.
Just like every publisher publishes certain genre, every agent prefers certain writing, and every magazine emphases certain topics, grants have their niche as well. And most of the time it has absolutely nothing to do with whether your pockets are empty and you are in need of money.
To apply and receive a grant, you have to understand the grant…intimately.
1) Why does the grant even exist?
2) What does the grant provider hope to accomplish by giving out grants?
3) What does the grant provider want in return for giving out grants to applicants?
4) What do you have to prove to the grant provider to show you are kindred spirits?
5) What are the qualifying requirements in terms of your experience, residency, age, gender, nationality, financial status, publishing history, or plans for the future?
Are you beginning to see more clearly how grants are handled? A grant provider wants to create its own legacy. It wants to be remembered for having made the world a better place. Your job is to prove to them that by publishing your work, that you will enhance the grant provider’s reputation and rate of success. Your success is their success, but that success is not measured just by dollars they dole out. Success is measured by how superbly successful the grant recipients are. Success is measured by how well the grant recipient received that money and used it stunningly well as a tool to further their career, or used it in some meaningful way to enlighten, entertain, and assist mankind.
There is no grant for you to get a book published. You must have grander plans than that for not only your book but yourself. For no strings money, consider crowdfunding at Kickstarter.com and Indiegogo.com.
Now . . . does that make more sense?
BIO: C. Hope Clark is author of seven mysteries set in her beloved South Carolina, and founder of the award-winning FundsforWriters.com – www.chopeclark.com
I live in Zambia Southern Africa and I am working on a book but I don’t have the means to have it published, Am I eligible for the grant?
Sorry, Allan, but I have no clue about Southern Africa. My knowledge is based primarily on the US, Canada, and the UK.
Hello. I have several short children’s stories that are finished and even found publishers who want my work. My problem is I don’t have 4 grand laying around to get my books published.
So sorry I forgot to ask the question. Would I qualify for a grant.
No two grants are alike, so you’d have to know the grant and study the guidelines to answer that question. However, it’s quite difficult to find a grant to pay for self-publishing. Traditional publishing does not require funds, so I’m assuming you mean to self-publish….or hybrid publish. I’d be curious who the publisher is. Email me at hope@fundsforwriters.com if you’d like to discuss more.
Because notification just came out that I’m scheduled to tell about a book I wrote, a senior citizen called me and asked how she could get her book published. She has a land-line and no cable and can’t make long distance phone calls. I suggested she write to my publisher and have him call her. She has two of the main ingredients for a book, a topic (You can survive abuse) and is EXTREMELY motivated and excited to get her story out to help others but is on assistance income. I just happened to think that there might be a grant to help someone in this situation.
I am not aware of such assistance. There have been some incidences of projects to aid the stories of veterans, but I’m not familiar with funds to assist with this. It would take an innovative writer to tackle this, maybe appealing to the state humanities commission for assistance, but it would have to be for more than just writing a book. What would be the marketing plan, the readership, the big-picture goal of producing this book. How would they get the word out? But a publisher isn’t going to be interested in considering the book unless it’s written and in prime form. If the book is written, again, how will the book get distributed and presented to the readership she wants to reach? It’s just about more than writing the book and getting it in print. The sell is having a unique voice, a unique message, and a platform.
Hi, I wrote a book that has took me into many paths which have given me life challenges with many depths from credit card problems to extreme lack of fund pitfalls.
NUBIAN QUESTOR is the name of the book, and never quit has been the slogan base for the story, but I seem to find myself on the back end of the fraise when nobody cares about struggles one might encounter.
I’ve seen money come and go, but this time the valued paper has taken the wrong destination to find my efforts. If there is anything that is useful at this moment for inspiration that will help me land on stability island – grant me the direction, because there hope can somehow help optimism pilot this trip with assurance if that is to much to ask from our land of opportunity.
I hope to hear from you soon, Scotley M.
Not sure what you are asking. The trick is to write hard each and every day. Establish a platform. Become known as a writer. It does not happen overnight, and it isn’t a certainty. It takes no money to write. It does take money to hire an editor or promote. But don’t fall into self-publishing because you think you have to. For now, however, just write.
I’m a new writer (first time for a book) and writing a historical fiction with a religious angle set during a particular part of the world. I have a small time publisher but require professional editing, which can be expensive for a single income family of 9. Any grants of this type?
Sorry, but there just are no grants for new writers that I am aware of. Contact your state and local arts commissions to see if there is something local I am not aware of.