Tag Archives: publisher

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition

Chicken House Books

While they no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts, they do offer unpublished and unagented writers of children’s fiction the chance to submit their work to the annual Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition.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 competition closes February 1, 2021. 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.

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PitDark Pitch Contest Hosted by Jason Huebinger

PitDark-May-October

 

This cool twitter pitch party will be May 21, 2020 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

  • #MG – Middle Grade
  • #YA – Young adult
  • #NA – New adult
  • #A – Adult

Hashtags for GENRES & SUBGENRES

  • #H – horror
  • #PH – psychological horror
  • #GH – gothic horror
  • #CSH – cosmic horror
  • #BH – body horror
  • #CH – comedy horror
  • #DC – dark comedy
  • #DR – dark romance
  • #SFH – science fiction horror
  • #PNH – paranormal horror
  • #ZH – zombie horror
  • #MH – monster horror
  • #GRH – graphic horror
  • #MM – murder mystery
  • #FA – fantasy
  • #DF – dark fantasy
  • #T – thriller
  • #EF – epic or high fantasy
  • #HF – historical fantasy
  • #LF – literary fantasy
  • #AH – alternate history
  • #PN – paranormal
  • #PR – paranormal romance
  • #UF – urban fantasy
  • #MR – magical realism
  • #SF – science fiction
  • #AF – apocalypse fiction
  • #ML – military science fiction
  • #PA – post-apocalyptic SF
  • #CP – cyberpunk
  • #SFT – sci-fi thriller
  • #SH – superhero / superhuman
  • #SO – space opera
  • #DS – dystopian
  • #SP – steampunk
  • #TT – time travel
  • #WW – weird west
  • #SPEC – speculative fiction
  • #NF – non-fiction

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.

2020 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award

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For all lurking contest junkies, Baen Books has a contest that was brought to my attention a few years back. You only need to create 8000 words. That’s right, a mere eight-thousand! Most thrilling? You have until April 30th, 2020 to create a wonderful story.

  • GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive a handsome engraved award and a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books.
  • SECOND place winner will receive a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books,
  • THIRD will receive a prize package containing $300 of free Baen Books.

Baen Books will announce the winner of the inaugural Baen Fantasy Adventure Award at this year’s Gen Con to the best of original short fiction capturing the spirit and tradition of great storytellers as Larry Correia, Robert E. Howard, Mercedes Lackey, Elizabeth Moon, Andre Norton, J.R.R. Tolkien, David Weber and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
All the details can be found here.

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

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

Restless Books

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing searches for stories written by a first-generation immigrant. The publisher alternates years between fiction and non-fiction. This year they are searching to publish a tale of fiction. A few of the guidelines are:

  • Completed fiction manuscript, or book-length collection of short stories.
  • Candidates must be first-generation residents of their country.
  • All submissions must be in English.
  • Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English.
  • Only one submission per candidate per submission period.

The Prize:

  • $10,000 advance and publication by Restless Books in print and digital editions.

For complete guidelines and information on how to enter, go here. But hurry, the deadline is March 31, 2020. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst

Writer and blogger MG/YA fiction.

SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE

San Francisco Writers Conference

The 2020 San Francisco Writers Conference will be held on February 13-16 at the historical Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Meet keynoters:  

But the SFWC presenters list also includes many more bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers from major publishing houses.  There are experts on self-publishing, book promotion, platform building, social media, and author websites.

2020 SFWC PRESENTERS:
Nina Amir, author and writing coach
Kathleen Antrim, author, copresident of International Thriller Writers
Jim Azevedo, marketing director at Smashwords
Armand Baltazar, author/illustrator ***KID’S EVENT PRESENTER***
Jordan Bernal, author and past president of CWC Tri-Valley Branch
Cara Black, bestselling mystery novelist
Carole Bumpus, travel/food writer
Stephen E. Browne, online editor and marketing pro
Stephanie Chandler, author and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association
Paula Chinick, author and past president of California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch
Amanda Clay, novelist
Mark Coker, author and founder of major ebook distributor Smashwords
Christine Conradt, screenwriter, author, director and producer
E.J. DeBrun, animator and storyteller
Aya de Leon, author, activist, teacher
Laurie Ann Doyle, author, essayist, writing teacher
Taryn Edwards, Strategic Partnerships Manager and Historian, Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco
Kate Farrell, author, librarian, storyteller
Grant Faulkner, author, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo, Co-founder of 100 Word Story
Joey Garcia, author, journalist, love expert
Joan Gelfand, poet, author, book coach
Cali Gilbert, author, screenwriter, filmmaker
Sarah Granger, author, playwright and screenwriter
Seth Greenwald, author, speaker, creativity coach
Connie Hale, author, journalist
Barbara Hall, TV producer, screenwriter and author
Dorothy Hearst, author
Rebecca Hunter, author
Meredith Jaeger
, author
Dr. Andy Jones, poet & Pub Quiz Host
Elizabeth Kauffman, indie editor and social media guru
Carla King, author and self-publishing expert, founder of Self-Publishing Boot Camp
Mary E. Knippel, independent editor, writing mentor, and author
C. S. Lakin, author, copy-editor, and writing coach
Rocky Lang, author, producer, director, screenwriter
Heather Lazare, editorial & publishing consultant
Linda Lee, website designer and WordPress expert, SFWC Volunteer Director
Christopher Locke, IBPA and author
Richard Loranger, poet, performance artist,
Jill Lublin, marketing guru
Louise Marley, novelist
Claire McKinney, PR professional
Brian D. Meeks, nonfiction author, fantasy novelist
Kira Ming, author, indie editor
Louise Nayer, memoirist, poet, and writing instructor
Anne Perry, NYT bestselling novelist
Adam Plantinga, police sergeant, author
Lissa Provost, poet, author and SFWC Operations Manager
Jordan Rosenfeld, author, editor, and coach
Bob Saenz, screenwriter
Barbara Santos, author of Practice Aloha and two cookbooks, and Marketing Director for SFWC
Kate Schatz, feminist writer, activist, educator
Maw Shein Win, poet
Kevin Smokler, author, performer, and public speaker
Miriam Klein Stahl, artist, activist, educator
Suzette Standring, author, TV host, syndicated columnist, national speaker
Ransom Stephens, novelist, scientist, international speaker
Alex Tillson, novelist, attorney
Kevin Tumlinson, Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital and host of Wordslinger Podcast
Eleanor Vincent, author
Lyzette Wanzer, novelist, essayist, writing instructor
Monica Wesolowska, author, independent editor, teacher
Victoria Zackheim, author
Paul Zeidman, screenwriter and actor

The lists for attending agents and editors looks topnotch! Some of the agents will even be accepting pitches during the Speed Dating For Agents. You can see a list of those participating here. But for an idea of the many agents and editors that will be in attendance, here is a list:

AGENTS:
Alicia Brooks, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Karly Caserza, Fuse Literary
Michele Crim, Miller, Bowers, Griffin Literary
Karyn Fischer, Bookstop Literary
Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary
Nicole Geiger, Full Circle Literary
Jennie Kendrick, Red Fox Literary
Liz Kracht, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Rachel Letofsky, Cooke Literary
Paul S. Levine, Paul S. Levine Literary Agency (also entertainment lawyer)
Em Lysaght, Ladderbird Literary
Dorian Maffei, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary
Laurie McLean
, Fuse Literary and Director of SFWC
Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Andy Ross
, Andy Ross Agency
Katharine Sands, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Emma Sector, Prospect Agency
Alec Shane, Writers House
Eric Smith, P.S. Literary
Jennifer March Soloway
, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary Agency
Gordon Warnock
, Fuse Literary

EDITORS/INDEPENDENT EDITORS:
Sylvan Creekmore
, Wednesday Books/Macmillan
Rachel Diebel, St. Martins/Macmillan
Diane Frank, poet and publisher of Blue Light Press
Georgia Hughes, New World Library
Joyce Jenkins, poet and publisher of Poetry Flash
Jennifer Joseph, Manic D Press
Brenda Knight, Mango Press
Danielle Marshall, Amazon Publishing (Lake Union)
Laura Mazer, Seal Press/Hachette
Michelle Millet, Indie editor
Taylor Norman, Chronicle Books
Amber Oliver, Perennial/HarperCollins
Jill Roberts, Tachyon Publications
Jodi Warshaw, Amazon Publishing (Lake Union)
Jacob Weisman, Tachyon Publications
 

For those attending, this sounds like a great four days of learning and marketing yourself. Good luck!

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

Women Over 40 Writing Contest

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Gransnet and HQ (imprint of HarperCollins) are launching a fiction writing competition for women writers over 40. Applicants can submit 20,000 words to HQ by September 30, 2019 at 11:59pm BST, however the leading character must also be female and over 40. Five shortlisted writers will receive editorial feedback, with the overall winner being offered a publishing contract with HQ.

Judges of the competition include Gransnet editor Cari Rosen, HQ Publishing Director Kate Mills, author Sarah Morgan and journalist Nina Pottell. For more information, please go here. And as always, good luck!

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

Drue Heinz Literature Prize

uPressLogo

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.

PitDark Pitch Contest Hosted by Jason Huebinger

PitDark-May-October

 

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

  • #MG – Middle Grade
  • #YA – Young adult
  • #NA – New adult
  • #A – Adult

Hashtags for GENRES & SUBGENRES

  • #H – horror
  • #PH – psychological horror
  • #GH – gothic horror
  • #CSH – cosmic horror
  • #BH – body horror
  • #CH – comedy horror
  • #DC – dark comedy
  • #DR – dark romance
  • #SFH – science fiction horror
  • #PNH – paranormal horror
  • #ZH – zombie horror
  • #MH – monster horror
  • #GRH – graphic horror
  • #MM – murder mystery
  • #FA – fantasy
  • #DF – dark fantasy
  • #T – thriller
  • #EF – epic or high fantasy
  • #HF – historical fantasy
  • #LF – literary fantasy
  • #AH – alternate history
  • #PN – paranormal
  • #PR – paranormal romance
  • #UF – urban fantasy
  • #MR – magical realism
  • #SF – science fiction
  • #AF – apocalypse fiction
  • #ML – military science fiction
  • #PA – post-apocalyptic SF
  • #CP – cyberpunk
  • #SFT – sci-fi thriller
  • #SH – superhero / superhuman
  • #SO – space opera
  • #DS – dystopian
  • #SP – steampunk
  • #TT – time travel
  • #WW – weird west
  • #SPEC – speculative fiction
  • #NF – non-fiction

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.

Angry Robots Open Submissions

Angry Robot Banner

Do you write adult science fiction or fantasy? Then, you’ll be excited to learn that Angry Robots is taking open submissions! The window is May 1, 2019 thru May 31, 2019. So, finalize edits on your manuscript for their editors to read! This publishing company pays a professional advance and will allow you to obtain an agent to help finalizing a contract if they are interested in your work. (If you have an agent, submit through regular channels via your agent.)

For all the information and guidelines, go here! And if you don’t write, perhaps you’ll find a good book to read.

As always, good luck!

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

Forever Yours Submissions (Hachette Books Romance Imprint)

See the source image

Forever Yours is a romance imprint of Hachette Books that not only accepts agented manuscripts, they also accept unagented submissions. (Yep, you heard that right!) The imprint is looking for adult contemporary, diverse reads, romantic suspense, cowboys, historicals, and paranormal romance styles. (Please note that they do not want YA, fantasy, mystery, general fiction, or nonfiction.) And further great news, they also accept novellas!

Be sure to read the complete guidelines for submissions before sending your manuscript. And as always, good luck!

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