Cathy C. Hall Writes

You know, that post title doesn’t quite capture what I mean.

That is to say, this is not exactly a contest for Jewish children. It is a contest for writers who might have a nifty work of unpublished fiction with universal appeal of Jewish content.

Now, I imagine that many of the writers competing for the the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award may, in fact, be Jewish. But that’s certainly not a prerequisite for this contest sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries. In fact, the manuscript should have appeal for both Jewish and non-Jewish readers, ages 8 to 11. So, anybody might have the perfect manuscript.

Or maybe you have a brilliant idea, and you just haven’t quite put pen to paper-or fingers to keyboard. So aren’t you glad I’m spreading the word now? Because you still have a few months before the deadline.

Check out the guidelines and information here. Deadline’s December 15, 2010. And the prize award is $1,000. I think that’s pretty clear, no matter how you write it.

Oh, yeah. Pink Floyd singing Money. It’s a gas, all right. As long as the money’s rolling in. But sometimes, we have to put the brakes on a job when there’s no money in sight.

I’ve had a few situations recently that had me thinking about money, grasshopper…

In the first instance, what I thought was a paying market turned out to be a non-paying market. So, I had to do some considering. But here’s what not to do: don’t be afraid to speak up if a market changes their pay procedure during the submission process.

The other situation involved a job discussion that was going back and forth in the most delightful way- till the money I wanted didn’t coincide with what the client wanted to pay.

So here’s the thing, grasshopper. Know thyself, where money is concerned. If you want to get paid for your work, set your fee. There’s no need for long explanations. Ideally, you’ve done your research and know what’s a fair price for the work you do, whether it’s editing or essays or writing on the wall.

Sometimes, you’ll make money. And sometimes, a client will drop off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again. Unlike Pink Floyd. They just keep on going-and making money. (Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.)