With New York Times Bestselling author James Patterson‘s net worth at $700 million, who wouldn’t want to take a MasterClass with him? There will be 22 video lessons and exercises for $90. Super afforadable peeps! Even better, he’s choosing someone from the class to co-author a book with him!
Say what?
Yeppers, you heard right. James Patterson will choose someone to write a novel with him. During the competition, each stage is designed to help you craft and pitch a novel. And the prizes are:
10 Semi-Finalists: Ten students will win $1000 based on book hook and sample chapter.
3 Finalists: Three students from the ten semi-finalists will be chosen to submit outlines for their books and will win $2500.
1 Grand Prize Winner: Opportunity to co-author a book with James Patterson. In addition, $5000.
If you’re interested, get your words polished. The deadline for the competition is March 1, 2017!
I recently discovered BookBub and have been piling up books to read! If your an avid reader, you’ll want to subscribe to this site because most of the deals are below $1.99 (US) or FREE! The site allows you to build a profile based on the genre of books you like to read and when they find deals, they’ll email to let you know. A lot of what I’ve been receiving in my inbox are from New York Times Bestsellers and USA Today Best-Selling Books. They even let you know when a book has had raving reviews from Kirkus Reviews or Publishers Weekly, or gained five star reviews from places like Goodreads, and more!
If you’re a writer, reading more of the genre you write in can only help hone your craft. Industry professionals don’t hold back telling writers to read more. Even famous authors, including Steven King, preach to read more to improve writing skills. It’s kind of a no-brainer, right?
Needless to say, I was thrilled when I discovered BookBub! (No, they didn’t pay me to say this stuff.) They even supply links to where the deals are: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, or Google. Let’s face it, most of us don’t have time to search the web to find the deals we want. Why not let BookBub do it for you? So, get purchasing and happy reading!
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.
If y’all don’t already know, Brenda Drake is an amazing author that hosts some amazing opportunities for writers via contests. Pitch Madness is one of these awesome events that helps connect writers with literary agents! Writers submit a 35-word (max) pitch and the first 250 words of their completed manuscript on submission day. Then a team of readers choose the top sixty (60) entries to go onto the agent round.
The submission window for 2017 Pitch Madness is February 24, 2017. This is a blog contest, so stay tuned to Brenda’s site for entry information!
Please note, these are solely my thoughts and nothing more. But, I had to share, regardless of how shallow my readers might think me to be. Recently I got asked to select a free book from a publisher to read. It was my choice, so I could’ve selected anything. I was slightly familiar with the publisher, since I know someone that edits for them. Thus, I was thrilled to take my freebie! (Besides…booooooks people!)
Now, we’ve all heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover”. And sure, this holds true for many things, especially humans. But in marketing, what’s in front of a consumer must be visually stimulating. And I confess, I am a consumer that needs roused to pick up a book before I’ve ever read the blurb. But from a marketing standpoint, this is just smart business!
So, imagine my dismay as I perused unpleasant cover art from various titles to select my awarded freebie. Most looked cheaply done or simply didn’t mesh with the title. And forgive me for this, but I judge the lack of detail given to a book’s cover as indication of the lack of editing probably given to the story. My eyes will roam over the cover and move along to the next. And with technology today, there simply isn’t a good reason to have bad cover art!
As authors, we don’t always have control over the cover art, but I’d stress to stand ground when something seems extremely off or comes across cheap in appearance. Should a writer want a lovely embracing couple on their horror book? No, this would lead readers to think it’s a love story and could result in bad reviews from romance readers. And authors wouldn’t want a picture of an ocean if their entire story is set within a magical forest. Why would authors expect anything less than perfect for their book baby? This is even more important for authors self publishing. Take the same amount of time on the cover art as you spend on editing. If you hire out the art, be sure to check previous work before settling on the artist or company. This is about proper marketing. Give the reader a reason to pick up the book BEFORE they’ve read the blurb!
The Virginia Festival of the Book brings readers and writers together for a five-day celebration of books, reading, literacy, and literary culture. The 23rd Annual Festival will be held March 22-26, 2017. Programs range from traditional author readings and book signings to children’s programs and hands-on workshops. All programs are open to the public and, with the exception of a few ticketed events, the majority of Festival programs are free to attend.
An abbreviated list of past participants includes Rick Atkinson, Edward Ayers, David Baldacci, Maureen Corrigan, Edwidge Danticat, Kate DiCamillo, Rita Dove, Alan Furst, John Grisham, Jan Karon, Jim Lehrer, Frances Mayes, Colum McCann, David McCullough, Alice McDermott, Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lisa Scottoline, Pete Seeger, Karin Slaughter, Alexander McCall Smith, Lee Smith, Bryan Stevenson, Elizabeth Strout, Judith Viorst, and Charles Wright. For a current listing, go here.
The Iceland Writers Retreat states that over the course of the retreat, each participant is enrolled in a total of five two-hour small-group writing workshops (max. 15 participants) led by internationally acclaimed authors, a Q&A panel with all faculty, and numerous readings and social functions. But there are only a few seats left, so you better hurry!
Each of our Featured Authors teaches two different workshops, and you have plenty of time to interact with faculty, including those with whom you do not have any workshops. The retreat takes place April 5-9, 2017 and costs approximately ISK 289,000 (approximately $2479 US dollars). Prices exclude airfare and airport transportation.
But between all the intimate workshops and lectures, writers will have the opportunity to tour the spectacular Golden Circle, sit in cozy cafes of Reykjavik, soak in geothermal hot springs, listen to new Icelandic music, meet contemporary Icelandic writers, and learn about the country’s rich literary tradition. And remember, if researching for a novel or just wanting the workshops to improve your craft, this retreat is tax deductible! For complete registration inclusions, go here.
The TLC Writing Retreats will be having a retreat/workshop in Corfu, Greece! There will only be eight writers permitted each week. This helps an attending writer get more one-on-one time with mentors.
Week 1: May 21-28, 2017.
Week 2: May 30th-June 6, 2017.
Just pick one week to attend. If you’re doing research on a story in Greece, this is your chance to vacation and write off that research on your taxes!
All-inclusive with single room $4,500 USD All-inclusive with shared room $4,200 USD
• 8 days/ 7 nights
• 30+ hours of writing workshops
• All meals included (excluding alcohol)
• All transportation included
• One Full-day excursion
• Private cooking class
• Journal and all materials included
• A private tour guide with local insights into Corfu Does NOT include airfare
They promise to help you tell your story with the included workshops, as well as access to a personal guide around Corfu, Greece. As always, have fun and learn lots!
Gotham Writers want you to enter your 16-word memoir that reflects on 2016. The winner will receive a free class of choice from Gotham Writers. And writers should always be about honing the craft! Am I right?
The Details:
Submit a 16-word memoir (true story) that reflects on 2016.
Entry must consist of no more than 16 words. Longer entries will be disregarded.
Entries must be submitted online by midnight Eastern Time, February 20, 2017.
Only online entries will be accepted.
Entry is free. Limit one entry per person.
Entry must be original and unpublished.
Entries will be judged on originality, quality, spelling, and grammar.
Gotham will post the winning entry at GothamWriters.com
If you don’t know what Manuscript Wish List, you’re in for a treat. This fantastic blog was created by agent Jessica Sinsheimer for agents (and some editors) to let writer’s know what they’d like to see in their inbox. Yes, it’s that simple! So, before you decide to query that shiny new manuscript, check out the website to see if any agents would be a perfect fit. Even more exciting, they’ve created a sign-up for upcoming newsletters!
So when will the next one take place? On February 8th, 2017, tweeting of wishes will unfold on twitter using the hashtag #MSWL. But remember, this IS NOT for direct pitching. Please make a list of agents and/or editors stating your MS might be what they’re looking for. Then send queries as directed by the agent/editor. (If you have trouble locating the information, most can be found on the agency/publisher websites.
Then stay tuned to twitter on February 8th, 2017, as Jessica promises a BIG announcement!
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