Tag Archives: books

Inspiration from Writer’s Rejections

May 29, 2017LiteraryAcceptance, Agree, Alex Haley, Authors, Belief, Believe, Book Babies, books, Elizabeth Jolly, Encouragment, Famous, Fiction, Form Rejection, Frank Herbert, Gertrude Stein, Inspiration, J.K. Rowling, Jack Canfield, James Patterson, John Grisham, Kathryn Stockett, Louisa May Alcott, Manuscripts, Margaret Mitchell, Mark Victor Hansen, Marketing, Nicholas Sparks, Non-Fiction, Not Right For Me, Onward, Perseverance, Rejection, Stories, Submisstions, Success, The Great Gatsby, Thick Skin, William Faulker, Writer's Rejection, Writers, Years, You're a Fraudpdpabst

Image result for writer rejection

Rejection hurts no matter who or what you do, but if you’re going to be a writer you’d better develop some thick skin. While there are circumstances of instant acceptance and overnight fame, it’s rare. Writers get rejected a LOT.

First it starts with the manuscript. Writers send their book babies on submission to agents and get a lot of “not right for me” form rejections. If they’re lucky enough to land an agent, eventually the manuscript will go on submission to publishers. And sorry folks, that’s not an instant deal just because they have an agent. Publishers reject agents too. And even after a publisher picks up a novel, the fans can reject the story. For example, The Great Gatsby didn’t become famous until soldiers of World War II wrote home about the story, of which the government had sent to them to have something to read.

Writing is a lot of belief in the story and that it deserves to be told. They hold onto the dream that one day an agent and publisher will agree. They don’t let rejections allow them to quit. After all, giving up is the sure way to not succeed.

But all those rejections keep piling up! And from the dark corners of a writer’s mind, they hear “you’re a fraud” and “stop already”. So I offer encouragement. Not everyone succeeded their first try. Heck, many famous authors took years to get published. Here are a few to inspire writers to keep pushing forward.

John Grisham: A Time to Kill was rejected by 16 publishers.
James Patterson: Rejected by more than a dozen publishers.
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishing houses.
William Faulkner: Sanctuary was said couldn’t be published.
Nicholas Sparks: The Notebook was turned down by 24 literary agencies.
Louisa May Alcott: The author of Little Women had been told to stick to teaching.
Margaret Mitchell: Gone With The Wind faced 38 rejections.
Frank Herbert: After 20 rejections, Dune was finally published.
Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen: Chicken Soup for the Soul had 134 rejections.
Kathryn Stockett: The Help author got rejected at least 61 times.

And sometimes it just takes years!

Alex Haley: After writing daily for EIGHT years, the Roots author found success.
Gertrude Stein: Submitted poems for TWENTY-TWO years before one got pubbed.
Elizabeth Jolly: Wrote about 30 years before her first publication.

So, as you can see, successful writing takes perseverance. And while there are success stories of writers who self publish, that’s a story for another day. For now, I hope this is enough encouragement for writers today!

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

Bath Children’s Novel Award is Open!

May 26, 2017Awards, Contests, LiteraryAuthors, Bath Children's Novel Award, Book Deal, books, Children, Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, Editing, Editors, Fiction, Genres, International, Jane Brittan, Judges, Lucy Van Smit, Middle Grade, MMB Creative, Monetary Prize, Mulcahy Associates Literary Agency, Novelist, Published, Salyanne Sweeney, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

paler

The Bath Children’s Novel Award is a writing competition for unsigned novelists. This years judge is literary agent Sallyanne Sweeney of Mulcahy Associates Literary Agency (MMB Creative). And the sponsor is Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. The winner will receive £2,000 (approximately $2599 US) and a shortlist prize of £500 (approximately $649 US) Cornerstones Literary Consultancy vouchers.

This is The Bath Children’s Novel Award’s third year. It was created in 2015 to support and spotlight unsigned children’s novelists around the world. Inaugural winner Lucy Van Smit was swiftly signed by literary agent Sallyanne Sweeney, Jane Brittan attracted a Carnegie Medal nomination for her indie-published debut and shortlistee Sophie Cameron signed a book deal with Macmillan Children’s after accepting representation with literary agent Hellie Ogden for her YA novel Out of the Blue.

Entry for the award ends November 19th, 2017 (and remember, this is UK time zone)! Submissions are OPEN and invited for middle grade and young adult novels in all genres. For complete guidelines and entry fee information, go here. As always, good luck!

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

2017 Tennessee Writing Workship

May 24, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAgents, Authors, books, Brower Literary & Management, Corvisiero Literary Agency, Critique, Daniel Literary Group, editor, Embassy Suties by Hilton, Feedback, Holloway Literary Agency, July, Manuscripts, Maria Carvainis Agency, Marketing, Networking, Pitching, Speilburg Literary, Stories, Tennessee Writing Workshop, The Bent Agency, The Seymour Agency, The Strothman Agency, TriadaUS Literary Agency, Trident Media Group, Wordcrafts Press, Writers, Writing, Writing Instructionpdpabst

Tennessee Workshop

The Tennessee Writing Workshop will take place July 22, 2017 and is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course the event, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. The event is held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Nashville, Tennessee.

Some of the agents participating are:

literary agent Lauren MacLeod (The Strothman Agency)
literary agent Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group)
literary agent Kimberly Brower (Brower Literary & Management)
editor Mike Parker (Wordcrafts Press)
literary agent Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.)
literary agent Beth Phelan (The Bent Agency)
literary agent Greg Daniel (Daniel Literary Group)
literary agent Julie Gwinn (The Seymour Agency)
literary agent Michael Caligaris (Holloway Literary Agency)
literary agent Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary)
literary agent Cate Hart (Corvisiero Literary)
literary agent Laura Crockett (Triada US Literary)
agent assistant Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency)
and possibly more to come

Note that there are limited seats at the event (150 total). So hurry if you want to attend, especially if you want to pitch to an agent!

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

Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh’s #PitchCB on #Twitter

April 19, 2017Contests, Literary#PitchCB, Adult, Agents, Authors, books, Conville & Walsh, Curtis Brown Literary Literary and Talent Agency, Fiction, Jess Whitlum-Cooper, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Pitch Event, Richard Pike, Twitter, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

This Friday (April 21st) will be the #PitchCB twitter event hosted by Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency and Conville & Walsh. These events are held on the fourth Friday of most months (so you can catch the next event if you miss this one), hosted by Jess Whitlum-Cooper 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! 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.

The Bent Agency Adult Fiction Intern

April 14, 2017Internship, LiteraryAuthors, books, Experience, Fiction, Intern, Librarians, MFA Students, New York, Passion, Publishing, Reader, Remote Locations, School Teachers, The Bent Agency, Unpaid, Writerspdpabst

The Bent Agency

The Bent Agency is looking for an adult fiction intern. This is a great way to learn more about an agent’s work and decision-making process. Past interns have been writers for adults, adult librarians, elementary school teachers, MFA students, and passionate readers. This is an unpaid internship which will require a ten hour per week commitment and you do NOT have to live in New York.

They’re looking for someone who enjoys books by authors such as:

– Erin Morgenstern
– Tana French
– Eleanor Brown
– Jacqueline Sheehan
– Jodi Picoult
– Gillian Flynn
– Lori Roy
– Laurie Notaro
– Celia Rivenbark
– Elin Hilderbrand
– Kristin Hannah
– Jeannette Walls
– Kate Atkinson

They’ve had this posted for two days, so don’t delay if you’re interested. The candidates pile up super fast and the submission window could close soon. For complete details, go here. As always, good luck!

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

Author Mentor Match is Open for Subs

April 14, 2017Literary, Mentor Program#AMM, #AuthorMentorMatch, Agent Ready, Agented, Author Mentor Match, Authors, books, Editing, Feedback, Fiction, Inspiration, Manuscripts, Mentoring, Middle Grade, Queries, Stories, Submissions, Unagented, Young Adultpdpabst

Author Mentor Match is open for submissions. This event matches aspiring writers with agented authors to hone their completed manuscripts. There is no agent round or contest aspect, but a focus on building lasting relationships. Mentors will help writers revise their manuscript before querying, give advice and tips on agents, and support through the process.

This is a big deal in the writerly world because paying for editing can be extremely expensive! At first glance, the website seems like it may only be for young adult stories, but upon further reading it is clearly for YA & MG. If you’re interested in submitting, go check out the mentors involved (and get a load of their books) . Be sure to view the guidelines and submit before 11:59pm PT on April 23, 2017.

As Always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst

Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

#AdPit a Twitter Pitch Event

April 5, 2017Contests, Literary#Adpit, Agents, Authors, books, Central Standard Time, Editors, Fiction, Heidi Norrod, Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, Pitch Event, Publishers, research, Stories, Tag Lines, Twitter, Writerspdpabst

Heidi Norrod is hosting another fabulous twitter pitch event for writers called AdPit. (Yes, she’s hosting two pitch events today!) In order to participate, authors need to have a finished manuscript and tweet their 140 character pitch using the hashtag #AdPit on April 5, 2017. 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 contest is open to ADULT and NEW ADULT COMPLETED, fiction and non-fiction books. And remember, be sure to research the trawling LITERARY AGENTS and EDITORS before submissions. As always, good luck!

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

#KidPit a Twitter Pitch Event

April 5, 2017Contests, Literary#KidPit, Agents, Authors, Board Books, books, Chapter Books, Easy Reader, Editors, Fiction, Heidi Norrod, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Opportunity, Picture Books, Pitch Event, Publishers, Stories, Twitter, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

Heidi Norrod is hosting another fabulous twitter pitch event for writers called KidPit TODAY! In order to participate, authors need to have a finished manuscript and tweet their 140 character pitch using the hashtag #KidPit. 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.

The Knight Agency Pitch Event

April 4, 2017Contests, Literary#TKA20, Agents, Authors, books, Deidre Knight, Elaine Spencer, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Janna Bonikowski, Kristy Hunter, LGBT, Manuscripts, Melissa Jeglinski, Middle Grace, Mysteries, Nephele Tempest, Non-Fiction, Opportunity, Pamela Harty, Pitch Event, Romance, Suspense, The Knight Agency, Thrillers, Travis Pennington, Twitter, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

The Knight Agency is holding another twitter pitch event TOMORROW on April 5, 2017 from 9am-5pm EST. Use the hashtag #TKA20 and include your age category with genre. Do not pitch directly to the agents. Pitch the same way you’d pitch during #Pitmad and similar contests.

Some of the participating agents will be Deidre Knight, Pamela Harty, Elaine Spencer, Melissa Jeglinski, Travis Pennington, Nephele Tempest, Kristy Hunter, and Janna Bonikowski . Some things their excited to see are: women’s fiction, historical fiction, YA, MG, romance of all subgenres, LGBT fiction and m/m romance, thrillers, mysteries, suspense, nonfiction, and fantasy. And popular genre abbreviations are:

#RS=Romantic Suspense
#WF=Women’s Fiction
#HF=Historical Fiction
#YA=Young Adult
#MG=Middle Grade
#MC=Multicultural
#M=Mystery
#CM=Cozy Mystery
#LGBT=LGBT Fiction or Nonfiction
#MM=Male/Male Romance
#CR=Contemporary Romance
#PNR=Paranormal Romance
#INSP=Inspirational Fiction or Nonfiction
#NF=Nonfiction #MEM=Memoir

For complete details and to see what each agent is specifically wanting, go here. As always, good luck!

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

Miss Snark’s Secret Agent Contest

April 2, 2017Contests, LiteraryAdult Fiction, Authors, books, Contemporary, dreams, Entrants, Guidelines, Literary Agent, Manuscripts, Miss Snark's First Victim, New Adult Fiction, Opportunity, Romance, Secret Agent Contest, Stories, Submissions, Suspense, Thriller, Time Travel, Writers, Writing, Young-adult fictionpdpabst

Just a quick reminder that @AuthoressAnon is hosting her Secret Agent Contest tomorrow, Monday, April 3, 2017. She is the genius behind Miss Snark’s First Victim blog, which often hosts critique events and contests to help gain a literary agent.

Authoress

The submission window will be open from noon to 6pm EDT. The BOT will randomly select 50 entrants with 2 alternates. To enter, you’ll need the first 250 words from you polished and completed manuscript. (No unfinished stories, please!) This months accepted genres will be:

Romance (YA, NA, Adult)
Thriller (YA, NA, Adult)
Contemporary (YA, NA, Adult)
Time Travel (YA, NA, Adult)
Suspense (YA, NA, Adult)

So, get those words polished! You can find the entire information for submission guidelines on her website here. As always, good luck!

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

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: