Tag Archives: Agents

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Literary, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Thanksgiving 2014
THANKSGIVING 2016

Thanksgiving is a designated time to remember what we are thankful for in life. For many, it’s having our health to spend time with family and friends while gorging on amazing meals until our stomach feels like it will explode. But there are others who might be joyful they survived a fatal illness to be here celebrating with people they love. Or maybe, there are those thrilled to still have a job, maybe paid off a mortgage, or even happy because they got that iPhone they’ve always wanted.

As for me, I’d like to thank:

  • My family and friends who’ve supported me with my writing. (And a special shoutout to Keith and Chris for donating on my GoFundMe page!)
  • My daughter and grandson for bringing me joy in my life with their adventurous spirit.
  • My readers. (Because without y’all, I’d have no reason to have a blog!)
  • All my critique partners, beta readers, and anyone who has ever glanced at a few pitches/pages/chapters and offered feedback  (I LOVE you guys!).
  • Contest hosts for supplying fabulous opportunities with agents and mentoring, and for those who selected me at some point in the past, for one thing or another. (For example: Brenda Drake, Authoress, Michelle Hauck, Samantha Fountain, and Jessa Russo.)
  • The mentors that participated in contests. Your feedback was completely awesome!
  • All slush readers (agents, editors, mentors, etc.) are the bomb. We don’t send enough chocolate, and I apologize!
  • The creator’s of Preditors & Editors, Writer’s Beware , Absolute Write Forums, Publishers Market Place, and QueryTracker. (I use them often.)
  • All the authors that allowed me to participate in their book releases or cover reveals!
  • For all the ARCs I received, because FREE BOOKS before their published is AWESOME!
  • I have a job and I adore working with all my coworkers!
  • And finally (but not last), to God for giving me the strength to get through each day.

I’m sure there are many things and other people I may have forgotten, and ask forgiveness if I have. Everyone in my physical and virtual life are very important to me. Y’all give me strength to become the best me. Thank you for being a part of my life!

Whatever your reason for being thankful today, I wish you the Happiest of Thanksgivings!

XOXO

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

Heidi Norrod’s #KidPit on Twitter

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

images (1)

Heidi Norrod is hosting another fabulous twitter pitch event for writers called KidPit. In order to participate, authors need to have a finished manuscript and tweet their 140 character pitch using the hashtag #KidPit on November 9. 2016. The contest will be between 9am-3pm CST (Chicago time). You will allowed to pitch six times over the course of the event. I’d suggest once every hour, as the event is six hours long.

This event is open to BOARD BOOKS, PICTURE BOOKS, EASY READER/CHAPTER BOOKS, MIDDLE GRADE, and/or YOUNG ADULT COMPLETED novel, fiction and non-fiction books. When typing your pitch, be sure to include either #BB (Board Book), #PB (Picture Books), #CB (Chapter Books and Early Readers), #MG (Middle Grade), or #YA (Young Adult) and tag with the genre. And don’t forget to add the hashtag #KidPit so it will show up in the feed.

Also, I’d like to remind everyone that twitter pitch parties are open to everyone, meaning anyone can trawl the feed! Be sure to research before you send any submissions from a favored pitch. As always, good luck!

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

PASS OR PAGES CONTEST

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

PASSORPAGES

Operation Awesome is hosting one more Pass Or Pages contest before the holiday season. For this round, the category is for middle grade contemporary. Submissions will be open between November 7-9, 2016. This is an opportunity to get feedback from an agent on your query and first 250 words of you manuscript. Peeps, this is priceless! And as a possible bonus, the agent reserves the right to request your FULL.

There will be a form for submissions on Operation Awesome when the entry window opens. For complete rules and previous feedback reveals, go here. As always, good luck!

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

The 2016 Las Vegas Writing Workshop

Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

las-vegas

The one day Las Vegas Writing Workshop is held on November 19, 2016 at the Embassy Suites. This writing event 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. This year’s faculty so far includes:

workshop-las-vegas

There are limited seats, so you need to hurry if you want to attend. For registration or info on how to pitch one of the agents, go here. Of course, you might want to stay an extra day or two because it’s Las Vegas Baby! For those attending, have fun!

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

#PBPitch Will Be Soon!

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

pbpitch2016

In just a few days, #PBPitch will begin for picture book authors and illustrators. The event will be Thursday, October 27th, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. For those wanting to participate, here are the rules:

*Pitch your PBs on twitter using #PBPitch.
*Pitch manuscripts only ONCE in the morning and ONCE in the Evening. (Once before 2pm and once after.)
*If you are an author/illustrator, you can attach an image to your PB manuscript pitch.
*Include Subgenre # if it applies.
#F=Funny
#CD = Character Driven
#NF = Nonfiction
#C= Concept
#L= Lyrical
#I= Interactive
#FT=Fairy Tale/Folk Tale

Only agents and editors should favorite a pitch. If they do, be sure to do your research before submitting (as anyone can trawl the feed). But here are a few legitimate agents that have said they’ll be stopping by:

For complete details, go here. And as always, good luck!

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

YA Discovery Contest

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

Serendipity Literary Agency in conjunction with Sourcebooks Inc. is hosting their seventh annual Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition. If you’ve had trouble pitching your ideas in the past, no worries with this contest. You won’t even need a query!

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions.  (There are supposed to be great prizes for the top winners!) These submissions will then be read by editors from many of the major publishing houses. Past judges include editors from Scholastic, Random House/Penguin, Little, Brown, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster, and Abram Books.  Judges will whittle the top 20 down to five winners, including a Grand Prize Winner.

Submissions open on November 1, 2016 at 12:01am (ET) and close on November 30, 2016 at 12:59pm (ET). Only one entry per person with a $15 entry fee. The contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

For complete guidelines and submission rules, or to watch for their upcoming post about prizes, go here.

As always, good luck!

Pitch To Publication Is Coming

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

Pitch to Publication

Hard to believe it’s almost time for another Pitch To Publication, aka #P2P16, created by agency intern Samantha Fountain. Writers can follow along on twitter for announcements at the above hashtag (or Samantha’s account), but submissions for the contest will be on the P2P website via a form on October 22, 2016.

This contest is for finished and polished manuscripts only. Writers need to submit a query letter and five pages of their manuscript. The submission window will open at noon EST and last for 24 hours. Authors should peruse the participating freelance editors to know which one to submit their story to because only 3 can be chosen (plus a 4th as backup incase their selections “cap out”). Editors can only receive 100 queries. So authors, do the research necessary to prevent getting deleted because an editor isn’t interested in the genre or age category you submitted.

If chosen, the editor will work with the author for five weeks to hone the story before the agent round begins on December 5, 2016. Requests for fulls will be announced on twitter on December 9, 2016.

As always, good luck!

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

#PitDark Is Coming!

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

pitdark-october-20-262x300

Another twitter pitch party is around the corner and I’m excited! Author Jason Huebinger is the host of #PitDark. This is one of my favorite contests because it’s strictly for manuscripts with darker elements, which is soooo appropriate for the month of Halloween. The event begins on October 20, 2016 from 8am-8pm EST. Authors may pitch once an hour per manuscript. Please do not clog the feed by over pitching so agents don’t get frustrated and quit reading.

For complete rules and appropriate hashtags to use, go here. (Note: If your curious, there is a link on this page to see what agents participated in the last #PitDark.)

As always, good luck!

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

Nightmare On Query Street 2016

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

noqs-2016

It’s getting close to Halloween, which means Nightmare On Query Street is soon! But don’t let the title fool you into thinking you’re manuscript won’t qualify. The title is more about when the contest takes place. You can enter any age category or genre, excluding picture books and erotica.

The submission window opens at 4:00 pm (EST) on October 14th. All entries sent before this time will be deleted. For this years contest, there are 25 agents lined up! TWENTY FIVE! How awesome is that? But you’d better be on your toes if you want to submit. They will close submissions when they reach 250 entries or in two hours, whichever is first.

Michelle, Mike, and Laura will make 13 picks each. Then a few mentors they’ve selected will help the authors hone their entries before the agent round. On October 29 through October 30, the entries will go live for the agents to select.

Some rules to take note of:

  • You are not eligible if you’ve been in an agent round in the last six months. (This does not include open twitter pitches.)
  • You can enter if you have a different manuscript to enter than previous agent round you were in.
  •  Only ONE entry per person. (No using multiple emails or pen names!)

You’ll need to send you query and first 250 words, along with a short paragraph (no more than 100 words) answering this question: What is your main character’s most stressful relationship? Who really makes them sweat?

For complete details and submission formatting, go here. Also, be on the look out on each of their blogs for FREE PASSES!

As always, good luck!

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

The Manuscript Academy

Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

the-manuscript-academy

The creator of Manuscript Wish List, Jessica Sinsheimer, now brings her adoring fans The Manuscript Academy. How amazeballs is this? The website proclaims it had the writer’s need, comfort, and budget in mind when creating the academy. And oh, how true! A writer can watch classes, panels, and ask questions in the forums from the coziness of their home. Hooray, no traveling!

Faculty includes:

  • Laura Barbiea: Social media manager at Alloy Entertainment, a publishing arm of Warner Brothers Entertainment. Actress.
  • Regina Brooks: Founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC.
  • Linda Camacho: Literary agent at Prospect Agency.
  • Jalissa Corrie: Marketing & Publicity Assistant at LEE & LOW BOOKS.
  • Melissa Edwards: Literary agent at Stonesong.
  • Julie Falatko: Author of Snappsy the Alligator (Viking 2016) and other books.
  • Erica Finkel: Works at Abrams Books from picture books to young adult novels.
  • Ali Fisher: Editor at Tor/Forge Books in the children’s and young adult division.
  • Monica Odom: Literary agent at Bradford Literary Agency.
  • Megha Parekh: Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group.
  • Adriann Ranta Zurhellen: Literary agent at Foundry Literary + Media.
  • Chuck Sambuchino: Writer’s Digest Books edits the Guide to Literary Agents and managed the Guide to Literary Agents Blog. He is also an author of humor books.
  • Katharine Sands: Literary agent at Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency.
  • Amanda Shih: Assistant Editor at TarcherPerigee.
  • Jessica Sinsheimer: Associate Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and  known for #MSWL, ManuscriptWistList.com, #PubTalkTV
  • Stephanie Stein: Associate Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books.
  • Roseanne Wells: Literary agent at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.

With that kind of line-up, how can you NOT sign up for this? For the Children’s conference: PB to YA starting November 5, 2016 the cost will be $179. Some of the things the academy promises is:

  •  Priority booking of one-on-one meetings
  • Submit your first page for a chance to be read to our panel
  • Craft and business classes
  • Forums and networking
  • Live literary events
  • Everything you’d learn at a conference–without leaving home

To learn about other conferences or to learn how to register, go to The Manuscript Academy.

As always, good luck!

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