Tag Archives: Authors

Tomorrow is #Pitmad

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Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! Tomorrow is Brenda Drake‘s infamous #PitMad between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). This is for completed and polished manuscripts only. 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
#LGBT
#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

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 feed. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript!

As always, good luck!

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

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This Friday (March 24th) will be the second pitch event of 2017 for Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency and Conville & Walsh. These events are held on the fourth Friday of every month (so you can catch the next event if you miss this one), hosted by Rebecca Ritchie and Richard Pike of Curtis Brown

In order to submit, prepare a 140 character pitch including #PitchCB hashtag for your completed manuscript. The window will be open for 24 hours and remember to only pitch once. Also, they request no retweeting or favoring (leave this to the agents). If your pitch is “liked”, submit directly to that agent following the agencies’ submission guidelines.

As always, good luck!

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

 

HarperLegend Submissions

 

HarperLegendYou know I can’t resist informing readers about opportunities for open submissions to publishers, especially when one of the pubs is a big house. HarperCollins has an imprint called HarperLeg…

Source: HarperLegend Submissions

James Jones Fellowship Contest

The James Jones Fellowship Contest is for a novel-in-progress by a United States unpublished author. The award is given annually with a grand prize of $10,000. There are two runner-ups given a prize of $1000 each. A selection from the winning work will be published in Provincetown Arts. In order to enter, the author needs to submit the first 50 pages of the novel-in-progress, a two-page outline, and a $30 entry fee.

According to the web page, the award is intended to honor the spirit of unblinking honesty, determination, and insight into the cultural and social issues exemplified by the late James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity and other prose narratives of distinction. Authors can submit online or via SASE. The deadline for the contest is March 15, 2017. For complete guidelines, please visit the fellowship website. As always, good luck.

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

Operation Awesome: Pass or Pages

PASSORPAGES

Operation Awesome is hosting a Pass or Pages contest finally this year. Woot! For this round, the category is for adult science fiction or fantasy. Submissions are open NOW from February 13-15, 2017. 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.

The participating agents are:

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.

Himalayan Writing Retreats

Want to whisk away to the Himalayan mountains for inspiration while writing your next novel? Then sign up for one of the Himalayan Writing Retreats, or one of the writing weeks (depending on your level of expertise). There is instruction, exercises, fireside chats, long walks, and writerly chats.

If you are looking for advise or simply inspiration for your next book, be sure to check out the Himalayan Writing Retreats/Weeks event calendar. They have more than one to enroll during the year 2017. Have fun and happy writing!

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

10 Minutes With An Expert via Manuscript Academy

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If you’ve ever wanted to sit down with an agent or editor? Well now you can! Manuscript Academy has put together a day for authors to chat with the professional’s of the publishing world called 10 Minutes With An Expert. The time can be used to:

  • Pitch your project
  • Get instant feedback on your query or first page
  • Ask about your unique publishing situation
  • Ask any publishing question!

Meetings last 10 minutes and are first come first served. The cost for this invaluable access is $49 (US). To make the most of your time, have your questions ready. And have fun learning!

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

Write Away Greece Writing Retreat

Who’s up for another retreat to stimulate the writerly mind? Then you’ll want to check out Write Away Greece in Paros, Greece! Spring session is April 22-29, 2017 and has limited places remaining. If you can’t make this session, no worries. There will be a summer session June 4-14, 2017. Yes, two opportunities to attend a place of inspiration.

Spend the time writing your latest WIP in workshops and mentoring sessions. Mingle with other authors, talk over group dinners, and chat on the weekend social occasions. Of course, you can also purchase extras such as tour of Paros, boat trip to neighboring island of Antiparos, horseback riding, guided hikes, yoga, private massages, and private boat tours. For more information, or to see all the Write Away Retreats in different countries, go to Write Away Europe website.

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

National Endowment For The Arts Grant

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This is a grant for published writers to help them set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. The grant awards $25,000 to the winners. The deadline to submit your application is tomorrow, March 8, 2017.

This year applications are for fiction and creative non-fiction. The winners won’t be announced until around December, 2017. Their support of a project will be anytime between January 1, 2018 and January 1, 2019.

If you write poetry, applications will be taken early 2018 for a 2019 winning and support. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Writer and blogger of MG/YA fiction.

Ninth Annual Read a Book Week

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Each year, tens of thousands of Smashwords authors, publishers and readers participate in this global ebook celebration which offers FREE and deep-discounted ebooks. The event is live and ends March 11, 2017. You can find the promotional catalog on the Smashwords home page (or just go here). The special home page catalog enables readers to browse by coupon discount and filter by category, bestseller status, word count and multiple other factors.

And remember, check back often because thousands of new books will join the promotion during the week. You can also keep up with announcements using Twitter hashtags #Smashwords and #ebookweek17.

Have fun reading!

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