Tag Archives: Scholastic

YA Discovery Contest 2018

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Serendipity Literary Agency is hosting their annual writer’s Young Adult Discovery Competition. If writers are having trouble pitching ideas, no worries with this contest because they won’t even need a query! Seriously, only the first 250 words will be needed to submit.

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions.  (There will be great prizes for the top winners!) These submissions will then be read by editors from many of the major publishing houses. Past judges include editors from Scholastic, Random House/Penguin, Little Brown, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster, JIMMY Patterson Books, and Abram Books.  Judges will whittle the top 20 down to five winners, including a Grand Prize Winner.

Submissions open on November 1, 2018 at 12:01am (ET) and close on November 30, 2018 at 12:59pm (ET). Only one entry per person with a $15 entry fee. The contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

For complete guidelines and submission rules, or to watch for their upcoming post about prizes, go here. As always, good luck!

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

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Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic) Submissions

Arthur A. Levine Books

Did you know you could submit your manuscript or illustrations to Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic? But they don’t take unsolicited material, you say? This is true. However, they will look at the following samples:

Picture Books: Query letter + the full text
Novels: Query letter + the first two chapters + synopsis
Other: Query letter + 10-page sample + synopsis/proposal
Illustration: Three sample illustrations and/or links to online portfolios

Currently (subject to change) they are accepting submissions every month, but have a limitation. If you are met with the message “There are presently no open calls for submissions,” they have reached their monthly limit on queries. Please wait until the first day of the next month to submit your query. And since Harry Potter is associated with this publisher, I imagine they meet their quota pretty fast!

If you read this post and get a publishing contract, please let me know. I’m always eager to know when someone learns about an opportunity from my blog and scores! Good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Writer and blogger of MG/YA Fiction

The Color of Children’s Literature Conference in New York

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Kweli Journal celebrates and support #OwnVoices with The Color of Children’s Literature Conference in New York. On April 7th at The Graduate Center/CUNY, join top editors, agents, authors & illustrators in the children’s publishing world. Their spring conference is an excellent opportunity for writers and illustrators of color to learn, get inspired and network with others in the industry.

They are also offering critiques from some of the faculty. Some of those participating are:

They have an exciting line up with keynote address by MacArthur “Genius” ANGELA JOHNSON, and panels and workshops with award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors and illustrators SAMIRA AHMED, JULIE FLETT, RITA WILLIAMS GARCIA, VASHTI HARRISON, KAZU KIBUISHI, JOHN PARRA, JAVAKA STEPTOE, NIC STONE, RENEE WATSON, HEIDI HEILIG, and others. Keep watch on the #Kweli18 hashtag on Twitter as @bottomshelfbks announces more that aren’t currently showing on the list. It’s going to be a fabulous event! Go here to register.

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

2018 San Francisco Writers Conference

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The 2018 San Francisco Writers Conference will be held on February 15-18 at the historical Mark Hopkins Hotel. Meet keynoters:  

  • Robert Dugoni – New York Times, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author.
  • Dana Gioia – California Poet Laureate. Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Shanthi Sekaran – Author of the critically acclaimed novels,
    Luck Boy and The Prayer Room.
  • Mitali Perkins – Author of ten novels for young readers, including Rickshaw Girl 

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.

PRESENTERS:
Nina Amir, author and writing coach
Marilyn R. Atlas, film producer/personal manager
Jim Azevedo, marketing director at Smashwords
Angela Bole, CEO of IBPA
Andrew Burleson, BetaBooks
Frances Caballo, SFWC Social Media Director, author, social media strategist for writers
Stephanie Chandler, is an author and CEO of the NonfictionAuthors Association
Melissa Cistaro
, author, bookseller and event coordinator at Book Passage
Mark Coker, author and founder of major eBook publisher Smashwords
Martha Conway
, author of The Underground River and Sugarland
Robin Cutler, director of IngramSpark
Jared Drake, film director and co-founder of Wildbound PR
Julia Drake, co-founder of Wildbound PR
Aya de Leon, novelist, poet and theater artist.
Eric Elfman, author and writing coach
Betsy Graziani Fasbinder, author, coach and speaker
Grant Faulkner, executive director of National Novel Writing Month
Diane Frank, author and poet
Joel Friedlander, is an award-winning book designer, blogger, and author
Constance Hale, journalist and author
Tanya Hall, CEO Greenleaf Books
Andy Jones, author, poet, professor at UC Davis; “Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour”
Mike Jung, author of Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities
Carla King, author and self publishing expert, founder of Self-Publishing Boot Camp
Bharti Kirchner, the prolific author of 11 books. her latest novel is Season of Sacrifice: A Maya Mallick Mystery is out in hardcover and as a Kindle edition.
Brenda Knight, author and marketing expert
Mary E. Knipple, writing mentor and speaker
Adair Lara, author, teacher and writing coach
Michael Larsen, author, co-founder/co-director of the SFWC
Linda Lee, web site designer and WordPress expert
Donna Levin, author
Mary Mackey, author
Tim McCanna, children’s picture book author and Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI
Isabella Michon, president/founder of ImMedia, a publicity company
Tyler Moss, managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine
Anne Perry, international bestselling historical novelist
Lissa Provost, poet and author
David Rasch, lecturer with Stanford University’s Continuing Education program
Olivia Rivers, award-winning YA novelist of Tone Deaf & movie-optioned In The Hope of Memories
Barbara Santos, author of Practice Aloha and Marketing Director for SFWC
Penny Sansevieri, founder of Author Marketing Experts
Helen Sedwick, lawyer and author of Self-Publishers Legal Handbook
Naheed Senzai, author
Rusty Shelton,  founder and CEO of Zilker Media
Evelyn Skye, bestselling YA author of The Crown’s Game series
Ransom Stephens, physicist, author, award winning technologist, speaker
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author and manuscript consultant
Cathy Turney, author of Get 10,000 Twitter Followers Easily, Quickly, Ethically
Lyzette Wanzer, San Francisco writer, editor, and creative writing workshop instructor.
Penny Warner, award winning author
Alex White, author of The Salvagers series (Orbit, 2018)
Victoria Zackheim, author, editor and screenwriter

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:
Lisa Abellera, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Peter Beren, Peter Beren Agency
Amy Cloughley, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Laurie Fox, Linda Chester Literary Agency
Dawn Frederick, Red Sofa Literary
Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary
Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary
Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Monica Odom, Liza Dawson Associates
Jody Rein, Jody Rein Books
Nicki Richesin, Wendy Sherman Associates, Inc.
Andy Ross, Andy Ross Agency
Ken Sherman, Ken Sherman & Associates
Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Gordon Warnock, Fuse Literary
Carlisle Webber, Fuse Literary

EDITORS:
Mary E. Knippel, Independent editor, writing mentor and author
Tory Hartmann, Sand Hill Review Press
Georgia Hughes, Editorial Director at New World Library
Brenda Knight, Author, President of the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter
Hilary Lawson, HarperCollins
Karla Olson, Editorial Director at Patagonia Books
Daniela Rapp, St. Martins Press
Meghan Stevenson, Independent Editor
Weslie Turner, Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint at Scholastic
Jennifer Ung, Simon Pulse, an imprint at Simon and Schuster
Brooke Warner, Publisher at She Writes Press
Hannah Wood, Independent Editor

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

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

YA Novel Discovery Contest

serendipity-logo

Serendipity Literary Agency is hosting the eighth annual Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition. If writers are having trouble pitching ideas, no worries with this contest because they won’t even need a query! Seriously, only the first 250 words will be needed to submit.

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions.  (There will be great prizes for the top winners!) These submissions will then be read by editors from many of the major publishing houses. Past judges include editors from Scholastic, Random House/Penguin, Little Brown, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster, JIMMY Patterson Books, and Abram Books.  Judges will whittle the top 20 down to five winners, including a Grand Prize Winner.

Submissions open on November 1, 2017 at 12:01am (ET) and close on November 30, 2017 at 12:59pm (ET). Only one entry per person with a $15 entry fee. The contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

For complete guidelines and submission rules, or to watch for their upcoming post about prizes, go here. As always, good luck!

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

Scholastic’s Graphix Novel Contest

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The deadline is fast approaching for Scholastic’s Graphix Imprint contest. Up to FIVE talented debut graphic novelists will win the chance to be published by Scholastic’s Graphix imprint. The editors involved in selecting submissions have a focus on creator-driven graphic novels appropriate for children and teens that bring exceptional art, rich content and strong storytelling to realistic fiction, memoir, fantasy and beyond.

Winners will receive an offer to publish their work with Scholastic and a $15,000 advance! Be sure to check out the complete guidelines before entering. And take note, graphic novelists need to hurry because the deadline is April 1, 2017. (I’m not a-foolin’!)

As always, good luck!

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

Pikes Peak Writers Conference

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Pikes Peak Writers Conference is an opportunity to get literary advise from a professional in the business or get invaluable feedback on your manuscript. The conference will be April 28-30, 2017 held  in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

ACQUIRING EDITORS:

AGENTS:

For more authors and specialist, go here. And be sure to register before the workshop fills up. As always, have fun!

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

YA Discovery Contest

Serendipity Literary Agency in conjunction with Sourcebooks Inc. is hosting their seventh annual Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition. If you’ve had trouble pitching your ideas in the past, no worries with this contest. You won’t even need a query!

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions.  (There are supposed to be great prizes for the top winners!) These submissions will then be read by editors from many of the major publishing houses. Past judges include editors from Scholastic, Random House/Penguin, Little, Brown, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster, and Abram Books.  Judges will whittle the top 20 down to five winners, including a Grand Prize Winner.

Submissions open on November 1, 2016 at 12:01am (ET) and close on November 30, 2016 at 12:59pm (ET). Only one entry per person with a $15 entry fee. The contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

For complete guidelines and submission rules, or to watch for their upcoming post about prizes, go here.

As always, good luck!

Skylark Literary Agency: The Tales For Teens Competition

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Great news! Skylark Literary Agency has put together a competition for fiction manuscripts geared toward young readers of ages 13-15. (Non-fiction is not accepted.) They are looking for uplifting stories with a compelling story and strong characters. They are asking that there be no sex in your completed manuscript.

The Guest Judges

Lauren Fortune, Senior Commissioning Editor, Fiction, Scholastic Children’s Books

Ellen Holgate, Editorial Director, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Florentyna Martin, Children’s New Titles Buyer, Waterstones

The Prize

The prize will be a one-to-one editorial critique of your finished manuscript by phone, or in person (locations allowing), with Joanna and/or Amber. We will suggest ways in which you could polish and perfect your novel to improve its chances of representation and publication, and seek to answer any queries you may have about the children’s publishing industry in general.

The Deadline!

The deadline for competition entries is March 27, 2016. So CLICK HERE for how to enter together with the full terms and conditions.

As always, good luck!

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