A reader writes:
I’m applying for a grant to help me complete the final revision of my book. The idea was tossed out there that because my proposal doesn’t use as much as the funds as are available to me should I be awarded that I also request money for seeking publication of the novel. How much should could it cost to mail out the manuscript to several places and make phone calls? How many hours are really spent on this aspect by rookies who get the contracts?
Read the grant guidelines to make sure you can use the funds for this purpose. Some grants are very specific about how you’re supposed to use the funds. Others are for more general development.
That said, submitting your manuscript isn’t going to cost you that much money because a lot happens electronically. Before I turned in my first book, I had this fantasy about printing out the manuscript, boxing it up and shipping it to New York.
Instead I submitted it as an attachment.
If I were you, I’d look elsewhere for ways to pad your funding request.
