All posts by pdpabst

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About pdpabst

My passion is writing novels and screenplays. I will not apologize for my demented mind. Former handle: Iwrite2

SavvyAuthors Autumn Pitchfest

Agents and editors are taking live pitches on the SavvyAuthors blog! What you will need is a three line pitch (unless stated differently on their personal pitch page). Be sure to state the title, genre, word length, and your author name. Then post your pitch below that information. The format should look like this:

Title: Galli Manor Ghost
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal
Length: 48,000 words
Author: P.D. Pabst

Agnes plays pretend in an old manor to keep her father’s memory alive and learns she must solve the murder of an eight-year-old ghost—daughter of Franz San Galli, the inventor of the radiator. Her non-believing brother wants her to grow up but she must convince him to acquire his help. After all, it’s not safe to play in secret passages and hidden rooms when a sinister specter threatens her.

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Be sure to read the guidelines thoroughly before pitching. And don’t forget to research each editor/publisher and agent to make sure your manuscript fits their wish list. To pitch editors/publishers, go here. To pitch literary agents, click here. And don’t delay! The Pitchfest runs October 28-30, 2020.

As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst

#DVpit Starts Tomorrow!

dvpitlogo

The search for diversity within books has increased, not just with secondary characters but main characters. The world wants to see a fabulous palette of colors and cultures among the stories they read and the publishing industry is responding! This prompted literary agent Beth Phelan of Galt & Zacker Literary Agency to create DVpit.

According to the site, #DVpit is a twitter event created to showcase pitches about and by marginalized voices. This includes (but is not limited to): Native peoples and people of color; people living and/or born/raised in underrepresented cultures and countries; disabled persons; people with illness; people on marginalized ends of the socioeconomic, cultural and/or religious spectrum; people identifying as LGBTQIA+; and more.

The next event will spread over two days

  • October 26 will be for Children’s & Teen Fiction/Nonfiction (picture books, chapter books, graphic novel, middle grade, young adult).
  • October 27 will be for Adult Fiction/Nonfiction (all genres, commercial and literary).
  • October 27 Artists and Illustrators are included on this day using #DVart

Each day the event will run from 8am-8pm ET using the hashtag #DVpit. Be sure and pitch your manuscript on the correct day because agents/editors will search the feed on the specific day of the category and genres they represent/acquire. And finally, make sure you follow the guidelines for pitching.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contest

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest entries ends on September 30, 2020. So, hurry and get your submissions in.

Writers
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new and amateur writers of new short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. No entry fee is required. Entrants retain all publication rights. All awards are adjudicated by professional writers only. Prizes every three months: $1,000, $750, $500, with an annual grand prize: $5,000 additional! If you have not read the contest rules, please click here before submitting. To enter, go here.

Illustrators
L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrators of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new science fiction and fantasy artists worldwide. No entry fee is required. Entrants retain all publication rights. All judging by professional artists only. $1,500 in prizes each quarter. Quarterly winners compete for $5,000 additional annual prize! If you have not read the contest rules, please click here before submitting. To enter, go here.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Children’s Books Turned Into Movies

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Every writer has a dream of seeing their manuscript published. To hold the bound pages and sniff the fresh ink would bring a euphoric state of mind. Those who’ve never slaved over writing a manuscript may not be able to relate.

Then there is the ultimate dream the dream of having your book optioned for a movie! I’m talking the double payday. During a break in my “binge blog pre-scheduling”, I surfed the net to see how many books for children have actually made it to the big screen. Here is a list of just a few:

  • Harry Potter
  • The Giver
  • The Fault in Our Stars
  • Coraline
  • My Dog Skip
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
  • If I Stay
  • Hugo
  • A Monster Calls
  • Black Beauty
  • Charlotte’s Web
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid
  • Divergent
  • Holes
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
  • Matilda
  • Paper Towns
  • The Book Thief
  • The Lorax
  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
  • The Chronicles of Narnia
  • Twilight
  • Love Simon
  • The Hunger Games
  • Goosebumps
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  • And so many more.

I perused to see what was interesting about the books, meaning I read a LOT of opening pages on Amazon and book blurbs (for the books I haven’t read yet). The honest truth is what we’ve all heard so often. You just need a damn good story! (And, of course, good writing skills and voice.)

Movie Reel

It’s an interesting list, and it’s not absolute. If you want to check other stories that have made it to the “big screen”, go to this Wikipedia link. Some books I’ve listed are not on the Wikipedia site yet though. But have fun reading, or watching (if that’s what you choose), about the ones that are there.

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

PitchWars Mentor Blog Hop

PitchWars Logo

If you haven’t heard, PitchWars has posted the mentor’s blog hops for 2020! Can you believe it’s that time of year again? Be sure to check out each mentors blog in the genre you write to see what’s on their wish list. Remember, you can only choose four, so start early researching.

Unfamiliar with PitchWars? This is an event where mentors select a mentee’s manuscript to revise to help them get ready for an agent round. That’s right, they help a mentee rework their entire manuscript for free. This is because agented authors and editors want to give back to the writerly community. How exciting is that? There is so much love people!

Submissions will be open from September 27, 2020 (midnight EST) and ends on September 29, 2020 (10pm EST). Manuscripts must be completed and polished in order to enter. This is the crème de la crème of writing contests and only happens once a year! So, get those manuscripts edited and select the mentors you want to sub. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Remote Intership: Folio Literary Management

Folio Literary Management is offereing several remote internships. The internship is a two part learning experience. First, interns will participate in a twelve-week workshop leds by their agent to give an introduction of publishing through various methods. Second, interns will work closely with one or two Folio agents to develop an understanding of publishing through a variety of tasks.

This is a great opportunity with a very successful agency. For guidelines on what each agent is looking for in an intern and application guidelines, go here. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst

Blogger and writer of MG/YA ficiton.

#PitMad Is Almost Here

Pitmad

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on September 3, 2020 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sonia Hartl, and a full committee (yeah, it’s grown that much!). This event will run between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). Common age category and genre hashtags are below.

Age Categories:
#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#CL = Children’s Lit
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres:
#AA = African American
#AD = Adventure
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#DIS = Disabilities
#DV = Diversity
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#R = Romance
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#S = Suspense
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#T = Thriller
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

Additional hashtags (optional):

#BVM = Black Voices Matter (to be used by black creators)
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter

The rules clearly state to only pitch THREE times per manuscript during the contest. Don’t break the rules and clog the feed! Also, please remember anyone can stalk the pitches. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA Fiction.

Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest

BookPipelineWithFox

The Book Pipeline Competition seeks unpublished book manuscripts across six categories of fiction and nonfiction:

Young Adult
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Mystery / Thriller
Literary
Outsider / Experimental
Nonfiction

Select publishers and agents get first look at the top selections for each category, including LGR Literary Agency, Katherine Tegen Books, and Verve Publishing.

  • Winners receive $15,000 ($2,500 for each category winner):
  • Immediate circulation to publishers, agents, editors, and other execs
  • Consideration from producers seeking projects for film and TV adaptation
  • Additional long-term reviews of other books for potential circulation
  • Invitations to annual writer and industry events hosted by Pipeline Media Group

Deadline is September 5, 2018 with a $55 entry fee. For guidelines on how to submit, go here.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction

Boston Online Writing Workshop

Chicago Writing Workshop

Per the Boston Writing Workshop website, this writing event (October 3, 2020) is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats (200) at the event, even with it online.

Here are a few of this years faculty that will be in attendance:

Since the seats are limited, don’t delay in registering. Have fun and learn lots!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Avengers Of Colour Mentorship

Avengers Of Colour

Avengers of Colour is a mentorship program created by faridah àbíké-íyímídé for unagented writers of color who are ready to query but need help with their query package. Winners will receive professional help from experienced (agented and traditionally published) authors of color. Feedback will be given on editing the authors first 25 pages of their manuscript, query letter, synopsis and pitches.

Manuscripts must be finished though the query package doesn’t have to be perfect. The mentors will help with that, as long as writers are near ready to query. Current mentors are:

Submissions open August 27, 2020 and close August 31, 2020. The link to the application will go live on the Avengers Twitter at Midnight EST / 5am GMT. Be sure and read the complete guidelines! As always, good luck!
P. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.