Tag Archives: Childrens Books

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition

Chicken House Books

While they no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts, they do offer unpublished and unagented writers of children’s fiction the chance to submit their work to the annual Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. They’re looking for original ideas, a fresh voice and a story that children will love!

First prize is a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000 (approximately $12,500 US), plus representation from a top children’s literary agent.

To enter, you must have written a completed full-length novel suitable for children/young adults aged somewhere between 7 and 18 years. The full-length , manuscript should be minimum of 30,000 words and do not exceed 80,000 words in length.

The competition closes February 1, 2021. Also, there is an entry fee of £15 (approximately $18.76 US). For complete guidelines and entry form, go here.

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

Advertisement

Children’s Books Turned Into Movies

th7RBW4G4C

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.

HANNIGAN GETZLER LITERARY AGENCY: Summer Internship

HG LITERARY

Hannigan Getzler Literary Agency is looking for a summer intern to work directly with their agents for twelve weeks, approximately two days per week. The main task of the intern will be reading manuscripts from both potential clients and current agency clients, assessing quality of submissions, and providing editorial feedback. Interns also learn to write reader’s reports, rejection letters, editorial letters, and pitch letters. (Note: this is NOT a remote internship.)

Deadline to apply: May 31, 2020

Location: 37 West 28th Street, Floor 8 New York, NY 10001

Payment: Stipend to be dispensed at the end of the session

If you are interested in applying, email Jon Cobb at jon@hgliterary.com ​with Internship Application as the subject line, and include your resume and cover letter as attachments. You are also encouraged to tell them about your favorite books and genres.

As always, good luck!

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

#WriteOnCon is Almost Here!

WriteOnCon

The WriteOnCon creators of this marvelous online gathering say this is “A writing conference you don’t even have to wear pants to. (Please wear pants, though.)” And yep, this is my favorite line! The conference isn’t just an opportunity to attend a writing workshop, but it’ll be the cheapest (aside from being free, of course) and closest conference you’ll ever attend. Seriously, you can participate from your home! And while you might have missed the raffles and perks to buy critiques, there is still time to sign up to join. Admission is either $10 (General Admission), $15 (Full Admission), $20 (Extended Admission) or $25 (Time Traveler Admission). You can’t go wrong with any choice!

WriteOnCon is an online conference for kidlit writers and illustrators. Connect with writers, authors, and agents in this event. There will even be SUPERHEREOS (agents and authors) sneaking around the forum to give you feedback on your queries and manuscripts. This year’s heroes are:

SuperAgents:

SuperAuthors and Editors:

Check their disguises out here. There will also be live pitch sessions! Check the schedule for all 3 days and who the speakers will be. But hurry to get registered because it’ll take place Friday-Sunday, February 21-23, 2020.

As always, good luck!

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

Florida Writing Workshop

Chicago Writing Workshop

Per the Florida Writing Workshop website, this writing event (June 8, 2019) 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 at the event (200 total). They will inform everyone directly on the website when seats are closed.

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.

Abrams Books: Permissions Research Internship

Abrams Books is looking for a Permissions Research Intern. The main task of the intern will be clearing 400 image permissions for PICTURED WORLDS, a collection of illustrations from Children’s books around the world. The intern will be working in-house and performing photo research for the featured illustrators in the book. Intern will be responsible for maintaining database of permissions, tracking permission statuses, ensuring high-resolution images are delivered appropriately, and monitoring schedules.

Additional tasks might include admin support for Overlook including logging and managing submissions; sending contracts and advance payments; processing invoices; sending rejection letters for unsolicited submissions; routing materials; and checking proofs, etc.

This is an in-house internship (New York) to be June 3 through mid-August and will pay $15/hour for 3 days a week. The individual hired should be proficient in Word and Excel and have excellent internet research skills, with a demonstrated interest in developing their editorial skills and learning about the publishing process. Though familiarity with Chicago Manual of Style and foreign languages is a plus, it’s not required.

If you are interested, you should apply on their website. As always, good luck!

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

#WriteOnCon is Almost Here!

WriteOnCon

The WriteOnCon creators of this marvelous online gathering say this is “A writing conference you don’t even have to wear pants to. (Please wear pants, though.)” And yep, this is my favorite line! The conference isn’t just an opportunity to attend a writing workshop, but it’ll be the cheapest (aside from being free, of course) and closest conference you’ll ever attend. Seriously, you can participate from your home! And while you might have missed the raffles and perks to buy, there is still time to sign up to join. Admission is either $5 (General Admission), $10 (General + Live Events), or $15 (General + Live Events + Extended Access). You can’t wrong with any choice!

WriteOnCon is an online conference for kidlit writers and illustrators. Connect with writers, authors, and agents in this event. There will even be SUPERHEREOS (agents and authors) sneaking around the forum to give you feedback on your queries and manuscripts. This year’s heroes are:

SuperAgents:

SuperAuthors:

Check their disguises out here. There will also be live pitch sessions (check the schedule for all 3 days)! But hurry to get registered because it’ll take place Friday-Sunday, February 8-10, 2019.

As always, good luck!

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

HarperCollins Children’s Books Diverse Voices Open Inbox

HarperCollins Children’s Books has opened it’s doors to writer’s of diverse backgrounds to submit work. This is a contest for middle grade manuscripts (ages 8-12) in any genre or format. A few of the rules are:

  • Must be 18 years of age
  • Must have a diverse background: (Examples, but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.
  • Document in Microsoft Word or PDF, no larger than 5 MB

The winner will receive:

  • Editorial feedback from a panel of HarperCollins editors in writing, including an edit letter and a thirty-minute phone consultation.
  • Consideration for publication by the HarperCollins Children’s Books’ acquisitions group.

The deadline to submit is November 16, 2018. For complete rules for submission, go here. And as always, good luck!

Brenda Drake’s #Pitmad Is Coming!

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday, March 8, 2018 is Brenda Drake’s infamous #PitMad 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
#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.

#PBPitch Is Coming!

PBPitch 2018

It’s time for another picture book twitter party using the hashtag #PBPitch! So, if you write or illustrate picture books, this is the event for you. This party will take place Thursday, February 22, 2018 from 8am-8pm EST. But remember, anyone can troll the feed, so be sure to do your research! There will be legitimate agents and editors popping in and out, including those that haven’t confirmed their attendance. But those that have confirmed are:

Be sure and only pitch once before 2pm and once after! (Yes, twice is all you get per manuscript!) If you’re an illustrator, you can attach an image to the pitch. For complete rules and proper hashtags, go here.

As always, good luck!

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