Money for Writers: Grants, Awards, Prizes, Contests, Scholarships, Retreats, Resources, Conferences, and Internet Information [Paperback]

Diane Billot (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whether you've already written your masterpiece and feel it's award worthy or you just can't seem to find the time or place to get those words on paper, Diane Billot's Money for Writers is invaluable. Billot lists hundreds of writing grants, contests, prizes, and such, from the Senior Poet Laureate Competition's $50 prize (plus publication and chapbook) for a U.S. poet over the age of 50 to the $250,000 awards in Health Policy Research. In addition to the more commonplace categories, there is money to be had for writing about cats ($500) and dogs (two awards, one for $500, the other for $2,450), biblical position papers on current world issues ($10,000), and stories about bowling ($3,800). Many of the prizes are regional--there are at least 10 prizes for Texans alone. Billot also includes sections on Internet sites, conferences, organizations, and books for writers. --Jane Steinberg

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (P); Owl Books ed edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805053123
• ISBN-13: 978-0805053128
• Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 7.9 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,015,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars extremely limited use for serious writers, April 27, 1998

By 

[e-mail], Joanne Y. Cleaver (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Money for Writers: Grants, Awards, Prizes, Contests, Scholarships, Retreats, Resources, Conferences, and Internet Information (Paperback)

I was excited when I ordered "Money for Writers" in mid-1997. I've been freelancing full time for 17 years and I thought I might be able to land a grant or project that would let me concentrate on a "from the heart" project. No such luck -- the info in "Money for Writers" is profoundly disappointing. Billot doesn't provide enough info about the listed grants and fellowshops for serious writers to be able to make smart decisions about whether it's worthwhile to apply. Introductory chapters provide no helpful advice on successfully applying. Worst of all, when I returned the book, Billot ignored my request for my money back...it wasn't until several writers from the American Society of Journalists and Authors started clamoring together for refunds that any were forthcoming. Overall, a great idea torpedoed by its execution.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible Book, January 2, 2000

By 

David Kiley "reader" (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Money for Writers: Grants, Awards, Prizes, Contests, Scholarships, Retreats, Resources, Conferences, and Internet Information (Paperback)

As a professional journalist, let me describe this book as economically as I can. It sucks. I was fooled by the title. It is a book that the author could have had compiled by an intern. I would be surprised if she spent more than 45 minutes of her own time on it. It is nothing more than a list of available grants, with names and addresses of the sponsoring organizations. No information about the award. What good is a book like this without giving a few paragraphs about the criteria for each award, or a few examples of recent winners. Arghhh! It pains me to think of the editing and severe scrutiny I have endured by editors, while this piece of crud made it onto the shelves. Who does the author know?

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible, September 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Money for Writers: Grants, Awards, Prizes, Contests, Scholarships, Retreats, Resources, Conferences, and Internet Information (Paperback)

I was excited when I received this book, but my interest soon turned into anger. What a rip off. There's little information about the grants and awards, and worse yet, I found....by doing some research which the author certainly didn't do....that some of the awards no longer exist! Pity the poor writer who uses this book as a reference. Terrible.