Tag Archives: Fiction

Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award

January 8, 2017Awards, Contests, LiteraryAmerican Express, Art Director, Artist Mentor, Artists, Authors, Book Idea, Children's Book Professionals, Children's Stories, Fiction, Illustrator, Little Brown Books, Little Brown Emerging Artist Award, Manuscript, Monetary Prize, New York, Picture Books, Publishing, Publishing Deal, Rountr-trip, Unpublished, Writerspdpabst

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announces the LITTLE, BROWN EMERGING ARTIST AWARD for an unpublished artist with a great picture book idea. This new initiative seeks promising new talent and encourages the development of high-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experience, while also providing valuable mentorship by an acclaimed illustrator and children’s book professionals.

Only one award will be given:

American Express® gift cards totaling $2,500;
Round-trip travel for the winner to New York City;
A day at LBYR’s offices in New York, including lunch with an editor, an art director, and the Artist Mentor, an in-person portfolio review by the Artist Mentor and the LBYR publishing staff, and a tour of the office; and
An opportunity for the winning submission to be reviewed by LBYR’s editorial team for possible future publication. (**A subsequent book publishing deal, if any, would be separately negotiated, and is not considered part of the Award).

Submissions must be received by January 15, 2017. Be sure and check out the complete official rules. As always, good luck!

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

Dear Lucky Agent Contest: Middle Grade Fiction

January 3, 2017Contests, Critiques, LiteraryAuthors, Catie Flum, Chuck Sambuchino, Dear Lucky Agent Contest, Feedback, Fiction, Guide to Literary Agents 2017, Literary Agent, Liza Dawson Associates, Manuscripts, Middle Grade Fiction, Opportunity, Publishing, Submission, Writer's Digest, Writerspdpabst

Chuck Sambuchino announced Writer’s Digest is hosting the 30th “Dear Lucky Agent Contest“. The agent judge is Caitie Flum from Liza Dawson Associates.

screen-shot-2016-12-21-at-11-17-47-pm

She is now building her own list of clients. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2009 with a B.A. in English with a concentration in publishing studies. She interned at Hachette Book Group and Writers House. Caitie is looking for commercial and upmarket fiction with great characters and superb writing, especially historical fiction, mysteries/thrillers of all kinds, romance, and book club fiction. She is open to science fiction and fantasy that crosses over to a young adult market. She is also looking for middle grade and young adult projects. In nonfiction, she is looking for narrative nonfiction, especially history that’s impossible to put down, books on pop culture, theater, current events, women’s issues, and humor. But remember, this contest is for Middle Grade fiction only.

The contest is now live and runs through the end of January 31, 2017 (PST). There will be three winners! According to the website, they all get the same prize (which is different than prior contest). Top 3 winners each get: 1) A critique of the first 10 double-spaced pages of your work by your agent judge. 2) Their choice of any of Chuck’s two new books that came out in fall (the Guide to Literary Agents 2017 or the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market 2017).

Be sure to check out the submission guidelines and pay close attention to a few things you need to do in order to be eligible. And as always, good luck!

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

Operation Awesome: Scouting New Blogger

December 22, 2016LiteraryBloggers, Career, Fiction, Group Blogging, Help, Job, Marketing, Non-Fiction, Operation Awesome, Pass or Pages, Reynolds Tribe, Schedule, Social media, Writers, Writing, Writing Creditpdpabst

THEY WANT YOU!

Operation Awesome is looking for a new team member to commit to blogging every Thursday in 2017. The schedule will be flexible around contests and other date-sensitive posts, but this blogger will still be expected to blog approximately four times a month. They state they also need help running their Pass Or Pages contest, so they’re hoping the new blogger will like to help with the contest as well!

If you’re not familiar with their site, head over there now. Requirements and guidelines to apply are here. They will accept applications until Friday, January 6th, 2017. Questions may be asked directly on their blog post (not mine), or on Twitter @OpAwesome6 or @reynoldstribe.

As always, goodluck!

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

2017 Minnesota Writing Workshop

December 18, 2016Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAdult Books, Betsy Amster Literary, Childrens Books, Conference, Corvisiero Literary Agency, Dee Mura Literary, Editing, Editors, February, Fiction, Getting Published, Graywolf Press, How To Get Published, Jennifer De Chiara Literary, Kensington Publishing, Literary Agents, Manuscripts, Middle Grade Books, Mighty Media Press Children's Books, Minnesota, Minnesota Writing Workshop, Non-Fiction, Pitch Event, Red Sofa Literary, St. Paul, Stories, The Bent Agency, The Lark Group, Writers, Writing, Young Adult Bookspdpabst

The 2017 Minnesota Writing Workshop 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 (150 total). This workshop is a full-day “How to Get Published” writing event in St. Paul, MN on February 11, 2017.

Agents and editors confirmed to be in attendance and/or available to pitch are:

literary agent Laura Zats (Red Sofa Literary)
literary agent Gemma Cooper (The Bent Agency)
editor Yana Makuwa (Graywolf Press)
literary agent Mary Cummings (Betsy Amster Literary)
literary agent Kimiko Nakamura (Dee Mura Literary)
literary agent Vicki Selvaggio (Jennifer De Chiara Literary)
literary agent Jennie Goloboy (Red Sofa Literary)
editor Elizabeth May (Kensington Publishing)
literary agent Abby Saul (The Lark Group)
literary agent Samantha Fountain (Corvisiero Literary)
literary agent Dawn Frederick (Red Sofa Literary)
editor Lauren Kukla (Mighty Media Press Children’s Books)
literary agent Kaylee Davis (Dee Mura Literary)
literary agent Erik Hane (Red Sofa Literary)
and possibly more to be announced.

For information on how to enroll and where to stay, go here. As always, good luck!

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

12 Book Giveaway!

December 16, 2016LiteraryBlog Hops, Blogs, books, Christmas, Divided, Fiction, Giveaway, Holiday Giveaway, Published, Reading, Sharon Johnston, Shattered, Stories, Writerspdpabst

book-spines

Sharon Johnston and eleven other authors have banded together to give 12 books away they authored. This is a great giveaway around the holiday season. I’ve read both Sharon’s books Divided and Shattered, and highly recommend! As for the other awesome sounding titles, I’m entering in hopes of winning too! I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t like books! Go here for information on entering and links to the other authors.

As always, good luck!

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

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition

December 11, 2016Contests, Literaryagent, Chicken House, Childrens Books, Competition, December, Editing, Fiction, Guidelines, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Monetary Prize, publisher, Publishing, Representation, Royalty Advance, Stories, Times, Unagented, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

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 deadline to enter is December 18, 2018. 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.

Intern at Entangled Publishing with Kate Brauning

December 2, 2016Internship, Literarybooks, Category Romance, Disabled, editor, English Major, Entangled Publishing, Entangled Teen, Fiction, Intern, Internship, Kate Brauning, LGBTQ, Librarians, MOGAI, Neuroatypical, POC, Publishing, Publishing Career, Reader, Romance, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

Kate Brauning

Exciting news! Editor Kate Brauning of Entangled Publishing is seeking 2-3 additional interns. Yep, you heard that right. Not just one! She looking mostly interns with YA for Entangled Teen but also with single-title adult romance and category romance. POC, LGBTQ+/MOGAI, neuroatypical, and disabled applicants are encouraged. For those not familiar with Entangled teen, know their books are distributed by Macmillan Publishers, which means they can reach 120 countries with English versions of their books (among other things).

This is a remote, unpaid internship. Regular access to the internet will be necessary. Substantial training, mentorship, and copies of the print books from my list are provided. Applicants for the internship should have 8-10 hours per week available, though the internship is somewhat flexible. Prior experience in publishing is not required, but experience in a library or bookstore is a plus.

For guidelines on how to submit, go here.

As always, good luck!

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

Tomorrow is #Pitmad on Twitter

November 30, 2016Literary#Pitmad, Adult, Age Category, Agents, Brenda Drake, Chapter Book, Children's, Editors, Fiction, Genre, Hashtags, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, New Adult, Nonfiction, Picture Book, Pitches, Rules, Stories, Subgenre, Three Pitches, Twitter, Unagented, Unpublished, Writers, Writing, Young Adulutpdpabst

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! Tomorrow is Brenda Drake‘s infamous #PitMad between the hours of 8am-pm (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.

Guardian of Secrets by Brenda Drake Cover Reveal

November 28, 2016Cover Reveal, Literary, ReviewsAmazon, Amazon CA, Amazon UK, Arik, Barnes & Noble, Book 2, books, Brenda Drake, Cover Reveal, Entangled Teen, February, Fiction, Gia Kearns, Goodreads, Guardian of Secrets, Kobo, Library Jumpers, November, Pre-Order, Reading, Sentinel, Thief of Lies, YA Interrobang, Young Adultpdpabst

guardian-of-secrets

Let us know what you think of the cover for Guardian of Secrets (Library Jumpers, #2) by Brenda Drake which releases February 7, 2017!

This cover reveal is brought to you by Entangled TEEN & YA Interrobang!

The time has arrived for the cover reveal for the fantastic sequel to Brenda Drake’s Library Jumpers Novels: Guardian of Secrets. I’m soooo excited! Just look at the cover, it says “you’ll love me, so BUY ME.” Seriously, you can preorder NOW! (See links below.) And if you haven’t read the first novel, Thief of Lies, I urge you to do this immediately. You will not be disappointed.

Brenda Drake’s thoughts on the cover:

I had an idea of what I wanted the cover of Guardian of Secrets to look like the entire time I was writing the story. I was delighted (I might have screamed) when the cover showed up in my email and it was EXACTLY what I’d imagined. I love that it’s blue since part of the setting of the book takes place in a cold climate. I’m thrilled the couple is on it, too. They resemble the characters I’ve created in my mind perfectly. The cover is so beautiful, and I’m beyond excited to share it with everyone!

guardian-of-secrets-cover

About Guardian of Secrets (Library Jumpers, #2):

Being a Sentinel isn’t all fairytales and secret gardens.

Sure, jumping through books into the world’s most beautiful libraries to protect humans from mystical creatures is awesome. No one knows that better than Gia Kearns, but she could do without the part where people are always trying to kill her. Oh, and the fact that Pop and her had to move away from her friends and life as she knew it.

And if that isn’t enough, her boyfriend, Arik, is acting strangely. Like, maybe she should be calling him “ex,” since he’s so into another girl. But she doesn’t have time to be mad or even jealous, because someone has to save the world from the upcoming apocalypse, and it looks like that’s going to be Gia.

Maybe. If she survives.

Want to read more? Pre-order your copy of Guardian of Secrets (Library Jumpers, #2) by Brenda Drake today!

brenda-drake-author-photo3

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Have a great writerly/reader day!
P.D. Pabst

HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR #EDITING

November 5, 2016Contests, Critiques, Literary, UncategorizedCover Art, Critques, Editing, Editor Needed, Facebook, Feedback, Fiction, Giveaway, Go Fund Me, Help Raising Funds, Instagram, Manuscripts, Marketing, Middle Grade Fiction, Monetary Giveaway, Money, Non-Fiction, P.D. Pabst, Resubmit, Revise, Stories, THIS SCARY MANOR BLOWS, Tumblr, Twitter, Wordpress, Writers, Young-adult fictionpdpabst

Okay, I’ve thought about this for a long time and it wasn’t an easy decision to make. No one likes airing their troubles. NO ONE! So, without whining about my various trips to the hospital over the past few years, my car breaking down, my daughters car breaking down, I’ll move right along to my purpose.

I received revise and submits from two different agents a while back and have been sitting on top of them because I don’t have the funds to pay a professional editor. (And this could be golden, but I need to edit before they forget about me.) Then, I thought about my other writerly friends who have had troubles with tumors, lupus, chronic depression (yes, this IS a disease folks), houses burning down, and the list goes on-and-on-and-on of things that can strap any of us financially. So, my thoughts were wouldn’t it be great to not only pay for my edits but have some giveaways for other writers to pay for THEIR edits too? (Oh, you know it would be!)

While beta readers and critique partners are great, they aren’t always available or they just don’t mesh with your style. There are various reasons this doesn’t always work out. So, I created a GoFundMe account to help raise money for my manuscript THIS SCARY MANOR BLOWS (and my other two manuscripts), as well to have giveaways for other writers. So, if you’re feeling generous, please donate to the GoFundMe account. Even the tiniest of donations can help myself and other writers.

And when you read the story on GoFundMe, you’ll notice that if I don’t get signed with the agents that requested the R&R’s, I’m going to spend some of the money on cover art and marketing to self publish. Which can always be an alternative route for those that will win the editing giveaways when I have them. After all, even literary agents recommend being hybrid authors. (For non-writer’s, this means to traditional publish and self publish.)

And lastly, for anyone wanting to know my writing style and if donating is worth it, I’ve decided to post my first chapter to THIS SCARY MANOR BLOWS. Go here to view it.

Please share this on twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, WordPress, and any other social media you may be on! Remember, this isn’t just for myself, I hope to pay this forward to other writers. It might just be YOU!

Thank you for reading and any donations that you contribute! And if you can’t contribute, then please-please, share on your social media accounts. Again, thank you!

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

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