Dublin, Ireland will be hosting the 77th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) across two venues: the Convention Centre Dublin and the Point Square during August 15-19, 2019. You can meet some of your favorite authors, illustrators, and more at this fantastic event. This will be an event to remember with scenic views to inspire any writer or artist. Check out the program here.
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.
Deadline approaching! The Feminist Press has partnered with TAYO Literary Magazine for a contest seeking the best debut books by women and nonbinary writers of color to celebrate author Louis Meriwether’s achievements. This contest is for first time authors. Submit your complete manuscript of fiction (including novels and short story collections) or narrative memoir between 50,000 and 80,000 words. Capture their attention with your words to receive $5,000 and a publishing contract from the Feminist Press!
The third annual Louise Meriwether First Book Prize entries will close on June 28, 2019. To learn how to enter and complete guidelines, go here or here. As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.
Agents and editors are taking live pitches on the SavvyAuthors blog! What you will need is a three line pitch (unless stated differently on their personal pitch page). Be sure to state the title, genre, word length, and your author name. Then post your pitch below that information. The format should look like this:
Title: This Scary Manor Blows
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal
Length: 48,000 words
Author: P.D. Pabst
Agnes plays pretend in an old manor to keep her father’s memory alive and learns she must solve the murder of an eight-year-old ghost—daughter of Franz San Galli, the inventor of the radiator. Her non-believing brother wants her to grow up but she must convince him to acquire his help. After all, it’s not safe to play in secret passages and hidden rooms when a sinister specter threatens her.
Be sure to read the guidelines thoroughly before pitching. And don’t forget to research each editor/publisher and agent to make sure your manuscript fits their wish list. To pitch editors/publishers, go here. To pitch literary agents, click here. And don’t delay! The Pitchfest runs June 12 – 14, 2019.
As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret is looking for organized, reliable, efficient individuals to be interns and are interested in learning about the publishing industry. Candidates should be committed to devoting 15-20 hours per week in-house (New York). Applicants should be interested in learning the specifics of agenting, open to reading widely, and are detail-oriented, organized, and have critical reading and research skills.
Intern Responsibilities:
• Assist with reading slush, partial, and full manuscripts.
• Request and evaluate manuscripts.
• Write readers reports.
• Assist with contracts, royalty statements, and author correspondence as needed.
• Administrative duties, including but not limited to research, copyediting, filing, scanning, answering phones, data entry.
This will be for one semester from January until mid-May 2020 and is unpaid. Requirements:
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Detail-oriented & organized
• Well-read across different genres
• Basic computer skills
• Availability 2-3 days a week
Interested candidates can e-mail Amy Bishop at abishop@dystel.com with their resume and cover letter. The cover letter should include answers to the following questions:
• Why are you interested in working at a literary agency? Why DG&B in particular?
• What are your favorite genres?
• What gets you excited about a book?
• What are your three favorite authors and what genre would you be interested in learning more about?
• Why do you think you would be a good candidate for our internship program?
As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction
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.
Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on June 6, 2019 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sarah Nicolas, and a full committee (yeah, it’s grown that much!). This event will run 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
#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
Additional hashtags (optional):
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter
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 pitches. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript. And as always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA Fiction.
The Midwest Writers Workshop will be held July 25-27, 2019 at the Alumni Center in Muncie, Indiana. You can find the group on twitter @MidwestWriters or the hashtag #MWW to keep up on news. MWW states the mission is to give all writers the opportunity to improve their craft, to associate with highly credentialed professionals, and to network with other writers.
They have sessions with top quality faculty during their three-day program on everything from fiction to nonfiction, marketing, and ways to get your creative juices flowing. The workshop is packed with sessions on the craft of writing and the business of writing.
Some of participants will be:
AGENTS
To see all the faculty, go here. There are even opportunities for pitching and manuscript evaluations, along with query critiques. Think about it, three days socializing with writerly people! What’s not to love!
As always, good luck and happy learning!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.
The University of Pittsburgh Press announces the 2019 Drue Heinz Literature Prize for a collection of short fiction. The prize carries a cash award of $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. No information about the winner will be released before the official announcement. The volume of manuscripts prevents the Press from offering critiques or entering into communication or correspondence about manuscripts. Please do not call or e-mail the Press.
The award is open to writers who have published a novel or a book-length collection of fiction with a reputable book publisher, or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in magazines or journals of national distribution. Digital-only publication and self-publication do not count toward this requirement.
Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 typed pages. Prior publication of your manuscript as a whole in any format (including electronic) makes it ineligible.
Submissions are May 1 through June 30, 2019. Acceptable formats can be either email or mailed. Ge sure and read the complete guidelines before entering.
As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.
This remote internship opportunity will be to work with an agent at Don Congdon Associates. The intern is to be detail-oriented and well-read in contemporary titles. Responsibilities include evaluating client and potential client manuscripts and query letters in genres and ages ranging from literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, middle grade, and young adult. Classes and independent projects will be assigned based on ability and interest (including publishing contracts, author marketing, and client/editor research).
The intern will be expected to work remote at least two full days per week September through December. The agency wants someone who has confidence in their reading ability, will take initiative, and can represent the agency professionally. The application deadline is July 26, 2019.
Submit a cover letter and resume in the body of an email to Katie Grimm at kgrimm@doncongdon.com with FALL INTERNSHIP in the subject line. In the cover letter, offer examples of recent titles you’ve read, your favorite authors, and/or anything which will help them get a sense of your reading interests and taste. (No email attachments.)
As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.
This cool twitter pitch party will be May 23, 2019 and is hosted by author Jason Huebinger, the creator of #PitDark. This is one of my favorite contests because it’s strictly for manuscripts with darker elements, which is soooo down my alley. The event is between 8am and 8pm EST. Authors may pitch once an hour per manuscript. Please do not clog the feed by over pitching so agents don’t get frustrated and quit reading.
Hashtags for AGE CATEGORIES
Hashtags for GENRES & SUBGENRES
For complete rules, go here. (Note: If your curious about previous agent, editor, and film company participation, there is a link on this page.) As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.
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