Tag Archives: Nonfiction

The Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award

Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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A writer’s retreat in Iceland? Can I get a woot-woot? The Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award offers talented writers in need of financial support an opportunity to attend the Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavík, Iceland in April, 2017. Per their website, entrants can apply for either full or partial funding. Full funding covers all participation in the Iceland Writers Retreat. The scholarship includes round-trip flights to Iceland and accommodations. Partial funding covers the participant fee only, and neither accommodation nor round trip flights.

Deadline for applications: Monday, 31 October, 2016. Midnight, PST. For complete details on how to submit, go here.

As always, good luck!

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

Dear Lucky Agent Contest

Contests, Critiques, Literary, , , , , , , , , , ,

DearLuckyAgent24

Chuck Sambuchino announced Writer’s Digest is hosting the 24nd “Dear Lucky Agent Contest”. The agent judge is Annie Hwang from Folio Literary Management.

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Originally from Los Angeles, Annie first worked in journalism before moving to New York to pursue her love of book publishing. Since joining Folio Literary Management she has had the pleasure of working with both debut and seasoned authors alike. Find her on Twitter: @AnnieAHwang. She specializes in all categories of literary and upmarket fiction. In addition, she loves working with debut authors who have a gift for storytelling and are able immerse her deep within a well-built world in the space of a few sentences. Braided narratives, layered plots, and characters with deep emotional resonance all occupy a strong place in her heart . Annie is also open to nonfiction in the categories of pop science, diet/health/fitness, food, lifestyle, humor, pop culture, and select narrative nonfiction.

The contest is now live and runs through the end of October 10, 2016 (PST). There will be three winners! First place wins a critique of the first 10 double-spaced pages of your work by your agent judge (and she reserves the right to request the full manuscript). Second place gets a free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com ($50 value)! And third place gets their choice of any of Chuck’s two new books coming out in September 2017 (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.

Nightmare On Query Street 2016

Contests, Literary, , , , , , , , , , ,

noqs-2016

It’s getting close to Halloween, which means Nightmare On Query Street is soon! But don’t let the title fool you into thinking you’re manuscript won’t qualify. The title is more about when the contest takes place. You can enter any age category or genre, excluding picture books and erotica.

The submission window opens at 4:00 pm (EST) on October 14th. All entries sent before this time will be deleted. For this years contest, there are 25 agents lined up! TWENTY FIVE! How awesome is that? But you’d better be on your toes if you want to submit. They will close submissions when they reach 250 entries or in two hours, whichever is first.

Michelle, Mike, and Laura will make 13 picks each. Then a few mentors they’ve selected will help the authors hone their entries before the agent round. On October 29 through October 30, the entries will go live for the agents to select.

Some rules to take note of:

  • You are not eligible if you’ve been in an agent round in the last six months. (This does not include open twitter pitches.)
  • You can enter if you have a different manuscript to enter than previous agent round you were in.
  •  Only ONE entry per person. (No using multiple emails or pen names!)

You’ll need to send you query and first 250 words, along with a short paragraph (no more than 100 words) answering this question: What is your main character’s most stressful relationship? Who really makes them sweat?

For complete details and submission formatting, go here. Also, be on the look out on each of their blogs for FREE PASSES!

As always, good luck!

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

#DVpit Twitter Pitch Party Is Soon

Literary, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

dvpitlogo

The search for diversity within books has increased, not just with secondary characters but main characters. The world wants to see a fabulous palette of colors and cultures among the stories they read and the publishing industry is responding! This prompted literary agent Beth Phelan of The Bent Agency to create #DVpit.

According to the site, #DVpit is a twitter event created to showcase pitches about and by marginalized voices. This includes (but is not limited to): Native peoples and people of color; people living and/or born/raised in underrepresented cultures and countries; disabled persons; people with illness; people on marginalized ends of the socioeconomic, cultural and/or religious spectrum; people identifying as LGBTQIA+; and more.

The next event will spread over two days. October 5th will be for Children’s & Teen Fiction/Nonfiction (picture books, chapter books, graphic novel, middle grade, young adult). October 6th will be for Adult Fiction/Nonfiction (all genres, commercial and literary). Each day the event will run from 8am-8pm ET using the hashtag #DVpit. Be sure and pitch your manuscript on the correct day because agents/editors will search the feed on the specific day of the categories they represent/acquire.

As always, good luck!

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

New Voices Award Ending Soon

Contests, Literary, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lee & Low Books

LEE & LOW BOOKS, award-winning publisher of children’s books, has been sponsoring the seventeenth annual NEW VOICES AWARD. The Award will be given for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color. Woo-hoo! Another contest just for PB’s!

Eligibility:

  1. The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States, 18 years or older at the time of entry, and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published.
  2. Writers who have published work in other venues and genres, including children’s magazines, young adult, and adult fiction or nonfiction, are eligible.
  3. Only unagented submissions will be accepted.
  4. Work that has been published in any format, including online and self published, is not eligible.
  5. Manuscripts previously submitted for this award or to LEE & LOW BOOKS will not be considered.

Submissions may be Fiction, NonFiction, or Poetry for children ages 5 to 12. (Note: Stories with Anthropomorphic animal characters will not be considered.) Manuscripts shouldn’t be any more than 1500 words.The Award winner will receive a cash prize of $1000 and their standard publication contract, including their basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner will receive a cash prize of $500. But you need to hurry because submissions have to be postmarked by September 30, 2016. (That’s right, no digital entries!) For complete submission guidelines, go here.

As always, good luck!

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

McIntosh & Otis Internship

Internship, Literary, , , , , , , , , ,

McIntosh & Otis Logo

Even though I write middle grade and young adult stories, I’ve got a few ideas for adult fiction books in the works. So, I love every age category of reading. So when I hear news about categories I’m not currently writing, I still want to share with all my readers.

For all you lovers of adult fiction or non-fiction, you’ll be excited to learn that an agent at McIntosh & Otis is seeking an 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 our goal is to create an environment where students will learn firsthand about an agency’s role in book publishing. Please note that this internship is unpaid, though we are more than willing to work with interns in order for them to receive college credit. We would like an intern to work 12-18 hours per week and to commit to a 4 month term, but we can be extremely flexible with your schedule. Current undergraduates strongly preferred.

Send cover letter and resume to aappel@mcintoshandotis.com  to apply to this awesome opportunity.

As always, good luck!

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