Tag Archives: Manuscripts

Remote Internship: Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House is offering their first paid remote internship! It will be available for their adult or children’s editorial department. Editors decides whether or not to pursue stories for acquisition and works with authors to turn their manuscript into a finished book. They negotiate contracts, edit the books for content, structure and on a line-by-line basis, and collaborate with internal departments on how to package, market, and publicize the book.

Specific responsibilities may include:

  • Reading, evaluating, and responding to slush, agented submissions, and contracted works
  • Writing reports and copy
  • Updating title information sheets
  • Attending virtual meetings with department
  • Researching consumer interests and identifying trends via social media and other outlets
  • Competitive title research

Fall interns work 14 hours per week and are paid $20hr. Intern schedules will be flexible to account for candidates who may be located in a variety of time zones. To be eligible, you can be a rising college senior, a graduate; and/or any candidate available for full-time employment within 6 months to 1 year. (You need not be enrolled in college or have a degree to apply to the internship program.) No experience is required! The Fall 2020 Remote Internship Program is intended to provide opportunities for racially/ethnically underrepresented groups in the publishing industry.

The internship program runs from September 28, 2020 – November 20, 2020 and the application deadline is August 16, 2020. To apply, submit your resume using their online application process. Cover letters are encouraged and they suggest that you indicate if you have a preference for working with adult or children’s books, or if you are particularly interested in any genre(s).

As always, good luck!

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

San Francisco Writing Workshop

Per the website, the San Francisco Writing Workshop is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (200 total). This workshop is a full-day “How to Get Published” writing event in San Francisco, CA on October 3, 2020.

For those attending, this sounds like a great day of learning and marketing yourself. (Of course, if the pandemic worsens, they may go online like some of the past workshops. Keep an eye on their website,) Good luck!

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

Remote Internship: Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency is offering a fall remote internship. It involves tasks that are designed to acquaint an intern with the daily workings of a literary agency, as well as the world of publishing as a whole. The intern would be trained in areas such as use of a software program used by a variety of literary agencies and publishers, the nature of the submission process (both domestically and internationally), along with other various projects; including database entry, social media, and assisting with royalty statements and contracts.

  • Length of intership is September through December (start and end dates are flexible.
  • 20 hours a week required for 3-4 months (at least 2 day per week commitment)
  • No payment, school credit only. (Thus, applicants must be able to recieve school credit.)

If you demonstrate knowledge and passion for books and the publishing industry, have excellent verbal and writing skills, and a critical eye, you might want to apply. Send a cover letter and resume to Ariana Philips at aphilips@jvnla.com, or apply through their website.

As always, good luck!

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

Remote Intership: McIntosh and Otis

McIntosh & Otis Logo

For all you lovers of adult fiction or non-fiction, you’ll be excited to learn that McIntosh & Otis is seeking a remote intern. Applicants should have a strong interest in book publishing and be savvy readers and strong writers who have office experience. Intern will be responsible for reading submissions and writing evaluations of adult fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. In addition, the intern will assist the existing support staff of the department, handle mailings, filing, and other day to day tasks. The internship will also include administrative tasks such as scanning and copying, but the goal is to create an environment where students will learn firsthand about an agency’s role in book publishing. They would like an intern to work 12-18 hours per week and to commit to a 3 month term, but they can be extremely flexible with your schedule.

  • Length of the 3 months internship begins late August to early September and ends in December, 2020.
  • Current undergraduates strongly preferred.
  • Modest stipend available.
  • Remote
  • Additional requirements: voracious reader, strong writer, interested in adult fiction and non-fiction, organized, enthusiastic, previous office experience preferred.

Interested candidates should email their resume (as a Word doc or PDF attachment) and cover letter (in the body of the email) to Zoë Bodzas at zbodzas@mcintoshandotis.com. Please write “Fall Intern Application – Adult” in the subject line of the email.

As always, good luck!

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

Bath Children’s Novel Award

The Bath Children's Novel Award Logo

The Bath Children’s Novel Award is an international writing competition for unpublished and independently published novelists. This years judge is literary agent Stephanie Thwaites of Curtis Brown literary agency. The winner will receive £3,000 (approximately $3846 US). And the most promising longlisted novel will recieve the Edit Your Novel the Professional Way from Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.

Some of the past participants and winners have gone on to getting agents and/or publishing deals. 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. 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. Struan Murray signed a six figure deal with Penguin Random House for his novel Orphans of the Tide.

Entry for the award ends November 29, 2020 (and remember, this is UK time zone)! For complete guidelines and entry fee information, go here. As always, good luck!

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

Remote Internship: Foundry Literary + Media

logo

The remote internship is offered by Foundry Literary + Media for the fall of 2020. This is an exciting opportunity, but candidates must be working towards a bachelor’s degree or post-graduate degree. Recent college graduates may also apply for the position. However, no experience in publishing is required. A two day commitment is desired with work and academic schedules accommodated.

This is for people with a love of reading who are interested in entering the publishing world. The internship will provide experience in many different sides of the publishing industry, including editorial, foreign rights, and filmed media. Projects may include reading and reporting on manuscripts, assisting with editorial submissions, writing coverage of screenplays and manuscripts being considered for film adaptation, drafting posts for Foundry’s social media platforms, and researching new book ideas and potential authors, among others.

Deadline to apply is August 15, 2020. Send a cover letter and resume to Yona Levin at psasst@foundrymedia.com. Make sure the subject line reads: Literary Agency Internship, Fall 2020. ind, If you have interest or experience in foreign rights and/or filmed media, be sure to reference that in your cover letter. There is no payment, but if your school or career center requires it, they can provide academic credit for your time with them.

As always, good luck!

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

#SFFpit Pitch Event For Writers

sffpit-contest

It’s that time of year again for science fiction and fantasy writers to polish their pitches for Dan Koboldt’s #SFFpit writing contest on twitter! It runs on July 29, 2020 between 8am-6pm EST. This contest allows 10 pitches total and Dan asks that you use them wisely! As usual, it needs to be a 280 character pitch for twitter including the hashtag #SFFpit. For all the rules, including how to properly insert the age group and category, go here. And remember to research any agents or editors that favorite your tweet because ANY ONE can trawl the feed!

As always, good luck!

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

Philadelphia Writing Workshop

Philadephia Writing Workshop

Writing workshops are great to get professional advise on writing, marketing, and how to land an agent. The Philadelphia Writing Workshop will be held on November 14, 2020 and is now ONLINE.  This year’s faculty so far includes:

As always, book your virtual seat right away because seats they are limited.

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

#PitMad Is Almost Here!

Pitmad

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on June 4, 2020 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sonia Hartl, 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):

#BVM = Black Voices Matter (to be used by black creators)
#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.

Secret Agent Contest

Authoress (aka Jillian Boehme) is hosting a round of Secret Agent on her popular Miss Snark’s First Victim site. If you’ve followed Authoress for several years, then you know that she unveiled herself because she got her first book deal, which is out in the world today! (And this was her one condition she had promised herself before unveiling her true identity.) And many of us are so excited for her because she has given back to the community for so-so-so long! (Thank you Jillian!)

Now, for a few basic details of the contest:

  • Submissions open between Noon to 6pm EDT, April 13, 2020
  • This is a lottery. The BOT will draw 50 random names.
  • Only the First 250 words will be submitted.
  • Only completed and polished manuscripts may be entered.
  • Only ONE entry per person!

As always, there is no fee to enter the contest. This month’s contest will include the following genres only:

ADULT

  • High-concept women’s fiction
  • Rom-com
  • Mainstream with a hint of magic
YA
  • Fantasy
  • Magical Realism
  • Historical
  • Contemporary
  • Thriller
  • Mystery
MG
  • Contemporary
  • Mystery
  • Light fantasy
  • Light magical realism

For complete guidelines and entry form, go here. Also, keep an eye on her blog because she’ll post more details a week before submissions, especially the brief time the window for entries will be open. As always, good luck!

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