On Querying and Subbing Simultaneously

Literary

The Daily Dahlia “On Querying and Subbing Simultaneously” is just smart business, IMHO. Take a read and judge for yourself.

Dahlia Adler's avatarThe Daily Dahlia

*This post also appears as a guest post today on Brenda Drake’s blog. We like to cover our bases pre-Pitch Madness!

Publishing has evolved into a pretty fascinating thing over the past decade—new publishers opening, old publishers folding or merging, the rise of self-publishing… the options seem pretty endless. And the best thing about having so many options is that truly, what’s the best option for one book might not be the best for another, and encompassing different methods in order to optimize your sales is now a very real—and, in my opinion, very freaking awesome—way to build a writing career.

But, notice I said “what’s the best option for one book might not be the best for the other.” As in, each book might have its own best path. What this means is, your contemporary NA might do best self-pubbed, while having an agent sub to big houses might…

View original post 1,807 more words

#PitMad on Twitter Tomorrow

Literary, , , , , , , , ,

images (1)

Tomorrow is #PitMad on twitter hosted by Brenda Drake. So get your 140 character pitches ready including the genre and age group. And if you haven’t participated in a #PitMad event in awhile, make note to the new rules. You can only pitch three times per manuscript during the entire event. Also, don’t forget to thoroughly investigate the agents and editors that favorite you pitch because anyone can hop onboard. Make sure they are legitimate! Check out Brenda’s webpage for all the guidelines.

As always, good luck.

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

Witness Impulse Open Submissions

Literary, , , , , , , , , ,

23898

How exciting is it to know that one of the big five publishers has imprints that allow authors to submit without having an agent? Of course, I feel the need to stress that I’m a firm believer in agents first, but sometimes there is a need to do submissions in reverse. So who am I to judge!

This digital imprint from HarperCollins called Witness Impulse is for mystery, suspense, and thriller lines. The imprint launched in 2013 and is already the publisher of bestselling authors like Agatha Christie, Stephen Booth, Susan McBride, and more. Go here to learn more and to submit your completed and polished manuscript.

As always, good luck.

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

Agent Wish List via Miss Snark’s First Victim

Contests, Literary, , , , , , ,

Authoress Improved Shot

Tomorrow Authoress will post guidelines for the Agent Wish List contest and critique. You’ll need to send your query and 250 words ONLY if your manuscript fits the agents wish list! This is a limited contest because only the first 50 entries will be accepted. Be sure follow the rules on Miss Snark’s First Victim.

As always, good luck!

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

An Agent’s Inbox with @NaughtyBrent

Contests, Literary, , , , , , , , , ,

header

Krista Van Dolzer is hosting An Agent’s Inbox with Brent Taylor of TriadaUS Literary Agency. Submissions for this contest will open on Monday, March 14, 2016 at 1pm (EDT). Krista will only take the first 25 entries, so have everything ready to submit. To enter you’ll need to submit the first 250 words of your manuscript and your query letter. Please do not enter if your manuscript is not complete and polished! Be sure and check Krista’s website for all the rules and how to submit.

Oh, and Mr. Taylor was my editor before he became an agent. He’s totally awesome peeps! As always, good luck!

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

Caitlen Rubino-Bradway Interview

Literary, , , , , , , , , ,

caitlen1

There is a fantastic interview with Caitlen Rubino-Bradway of LKG Agency on Brenda Drake‘s blog. I decided I should share it for those who might have missed it because Caitlen shares what she is looking for in an author, which I think can be universal for agents. So please, read and share this for all your writing pals. It’s simply good advise.

Have a great day writing!

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

Impulse-Avon Romance Open Submissions

Literary, , , , , , , , , , ,

avon_logo

If you write romance, this post is for you! HarperCollins has an imprint called Avon Romance that publishes new authors. You do not have to have an agent to submit to this publisher. According to their site, this is what they are looking for:

  • Romantic Suspense
  • Super sexy contemporaries
  • Trilogies—and beyond. (If you have a series, we want to see it.)
  • Historical Romance with a hook

Best I can tell, they only publish adult novels. If anyone finds out different, please let me know so I can update this post. But if you have a great romance waiting to be told, go here to learn more about what they are looking for and to submit your manuscript.

As always, good luck!

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

 

Pass or Pages Contest

Contests, Literary, , , , , , , , ,

new blog banner4

Operation Awesome is hosting a contest where agents give feedback on whether they’d pass or request pages from the writers first 250 words. And of course, they might ask for your manuscript! Submissions are for young adult completed contemporary only. The window to sub opens March 14 at 6am EST. They will list this months participating agents tomorrow. For now, you can go here to see the previous agents and winning submissions. Don’t forget to check out the official rules while you are there.

PASSORPAGES

Here is some important information:

Starts: Monday, March 14, 2016, at 6 a.m. Eastern
Ends: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 6 p.m. Eastern
Category/Genre: YA Contemporary
How To Enter: Fill out the entry form on the contest post when it goes live
What Is Required: Your query (no bio or customization), your first 250 words, a complete and polished MS

As always, good luck!

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

Pitch To Publication

Contests, Literary, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pitch to Publication

It’s almost time for Pitch To Publication hosted by Samantha Fountain. This contest is a golden ticket for the winners because not only do editors select manuscripts to edit, but there will be an agent round followed by a publisher round. It’s stretched over a few months for the winners, but when the contest comes to a close, a few might have agents as well as publishing deals!

The submission window will be on Saturday, March 5th 12:00pm EST to Sunday, March 6th 12:00pm EST. If you have questions, you can ask Samantha using the hashtag #P2P16 on twitter. The editors are listed on the website, along with what they are looking for. Samantha will also list the participating agents and publishers on the site, so stay tuned to her page!

As always, good luck!

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

Skylark Literary Agency: The Tales For Teens Competition

Contests, Literary, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Skylark-Logo-CMYK

Great news! Skylark Literary Agency has put together a competition for fiction manuscripts geared toward young readers of ages 13-15. (Non-fiction is not accepted.) They are looking for uplifting stories with a compelling story and strong characters. They are asking that there be no sex in your completed manuscript.

The Guest Judges

Lauren Fortune, Senior Commissioning Editor, Fiction, Scholastic Children’s Books

Ellen Holgate, Editorial Director, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Florentyna Martin, Children’s New Titles Buyer, Waterstones

The Prize

The prize will be a one-to-one editorial critique of your finished manuscript by phone, or in person (locations allowing), with Joanna and/or Amber. We will suggest ways in which you could polish and perfect your novel to improve its chances of representation and publication, and seek to answer any queries you may have about the children’s publishing industry in general.

The Deadline!

The deadline for competition entries is March 27, 2016. So CLICK HERE for how to enter together with the full terms and conditions.

As always, good luck!

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