Tag Archives: Stories

Virginia Festival of the Book 2018

March 3, 2018Literary, Webinar/Workshop, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAdult, Artists, Author Readings, Authors, Book Signings, books, Celebration, Children's Programs, Festival, Fiction, Literacy Culture, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, novels, Readers, Reading, Stories, Storytelling, Virginia Festival of the Book, Workshops, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

VaBookFest2018-Horiz-Dates-Color-3

The Virginia Festival of the Book brings readers and writers together for a five-day celebration of books, reading, literacy, and literary culture. The 24th Annual Festival will be held March 21-25, 2018. Programs range from traditional author readings and book signings to children’s programs and hands-on workshops. All programs are open to the public and, with the exception of a few ticketed events, the majority of Festival programs are free to attend.

An abbreviated list of past participants includes Rick Atkinson, Edward Ayers, David Baldacci, Maureen Corrigan, Edwidge Danticat, Kate DiCamillo, Rita Dove, Alan Furst, John Grisham, Jan Karon, Jim Lehrer, Frances Mayes, Colum McCann, David McCullough, Alice McDermott, Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lisa Scottoline, Pete Seeger, Karin Slaughter, Alexander McCall Smith, Lee Smith, Bryan Stevenson, Elizabeth Strout, Judith Viorst, and Charles Wright. For a current listing, go here.

As always, have fun and learn lots!

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

Secret Agent Contest via Authoress is Coming!

March 2, 2018Contests, LiteraryAuthoress, Authors, Book Deal, Commercial, Community, Entry, Family Saga, Fiction, Genre, Guidelines, Immigran Stories, Jillian Boehme, Literary Agent, Literary Fiction, Manuscripts, March, Miss Snark's First Victim, Mystery, No Fee, Prize, Random Winners, Secret Agent, Stories, Submissions, Thriller, True Identity, Unveiling, Upmarket Women's fiction, Words, Writers, Writing, YA, Young Adultpdpabst

Authoress

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 only unveiled herself because she finally got her first book deal! (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 & 11:59 pm EDT, March 5th, 2018
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:

Mystery
Thriller
Literary Fiction (family saga, immigrant stories, etc.)
Upmarket Women’s Fiction
YA (literary and commercial)

For complete guidelines and entry form, go here. As always, good luck!

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

Chicago Writing Workshop 2018

March 1, 2018Literary, Webinar/Workshop3 Seas Literary, Adult, Agent Assistant, Agents, Allium Press, Attendance, Authors, BookEnds Literary, books, Books and Such, Chicago, Chicago Writing Workshop, Corvisiero Agency, D4EO Literary, Editors, Faculty, Feedback, Fiction, Folio Literary, Jennifer De Chiara Literary, June, Learning, Literary Agents, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Opportunity, Pitch Session, Pitching, Publishing, Red Sofa Literary, Register, Sourcebooks, Stories, Storytelling, The Bent Agency, The Purcell Agency, The Seymour Agency, Trace Literary Agency, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

Chicago Writing Workshop

Per the Chicago Writing Workshop website, this writing event (June 23, 2018) 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:

Literary agent Cynthia Ruchti (Books and Such)
Literary agent Michelle Grajkowski (3 Seas Literary)
Editor Anna Michels (Sourcebooks)
Literary agent Moe Ferrara (BookEnds Literary)
Literary agent Kelly Van Sant (D4EO Literary)
Literary agent Tracy Brennan (Trace Literary Agency)
Literary agent Gemma Cooper (The Bent Agency)
Literary agent Dawn Frederick (Red Sofa Literary)
Editor Grace Menary-Winefield (Sourcebooks and Sourcebooks Landmark)
Literary agent Alexandra Weiss (Jennifer De Chiara Literary)
Literary agent Marcy Posner (Folio Literary)
Editor Emily Clark Victorson (Allium Press)
Literary agent Tina P. Schwartz (The Purcell Agency)
Agent assistant Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency)
Literary agent Kortney Price (Corvisiero Agency)
and more to come.

Since the seats are limited, don’t delay in registering. Hopefully, I’ll see you there!

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

The Color of Children’s Literature Conference in New York

February 28, 2018Critiques, Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways#Kweli18, #OwnVoices, @bottomshelfbks, Agents, Angela Johnson, Announcements, Artists, Authors, Cheryl Klein, Children's Publishing, Conference, Design, Editors, Facult, Feedback, Gallt & Zacker Literary, Hachette Book Group, Hashtag, Heidi Heilig, Illustrators, Inspiration, Javaka Steptoe, Joanna Cardenas, John Parra, Julie Flett, Kait Feldmann, Kate Sullivan, Kazu Kibuishi, Kheryn Callender, Kidlit, Kurestin Armada, Kweli Journal, Lee & Low Books, Linda Camacho, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Network, New York, New York TImes Best Sellers, Nic Stone, P.S. Literary, Panels, Penguin Random House, Penguin Young Readers, People of Color, Picture Books, publisher, Publishing, Renee Watson, Rita Williams Garcia, Samira Ahmed, Scholastic, Stories, The Color of Children's Literature Conference, The Graduate Center/CUNY, Twitter, Vashti Harrison, Workshop, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

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:

Associate agent Kurestin Armada, P.S Literary
Associate Editor Kheryn Callender, Hachette Book Group
Literary agent Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary
Literary agent Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary
Editor Joanna Cardenas at Kokila Books, a new imprint of Penguin Young Readers
Editor Cheryl Klein, Lee & Low Books
Senior Editor Kate Sullivan, Delacorte Press of Penguin Random House
Associate Editor Kait Feldmann, Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books
Junior agent Serene Hakim, Ayesha Pande Literary
And many, many more! (See the full list here.)

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.

#FaithPitch Twitter Event For Faith-Based Fiction

February 26, 2018Contests, Literary#FaithPitch, Adult, Agents, Author, Biblical Worldview, Board Books, books, Category, Christian, CST, Denomination, Editors, Encouragement, Ethnicities, Event, Faith Based, February, Fiction, Guidelines, Hashtag, Inspirational, Little Lamb Books, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Opportunity, Picture Books, Pitch, Pitching, Polished, Positive, research, Stories, Twitter, Writer, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

A Twitter pitch event exclusively for faith-based fiction is being hosted by Little Lamb Books on February 28, 2018 between 8am – 8pm CST. This is for board books, picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction that fall under the categories of inspirational, faith-based, biblical worldview, or Christian. Different denominations, ethnicities, a POV in this niche are encouraged. Be sure to use the hashtag #FaithPitch and only pitch 4 times per manuscript during the pitch window. (Maximum of 4 manuscripts are permitted.)

As with all pitch events, any agent or editor can troll the feed. Be sure to do you research before sending off your book baby to them! For complete guidelines, go here. And as always, good luck!

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

DC Comics Talent Development Workshop 2018

February 24, 2018Literary, Webinar/WorkshopAuthor, awdur, écrivain, Comic Book Series, Comics, DC Comics, dreams, писател, писатель, escritor, Fantasy, författare, Feedback, Fiction, forfatter, Inspiration, 작가, Mentoring, Opportunity, Particpant, Published, Schrift, scrittore, Skilled, spisovatel, Stories, Storytelling, Submissions, Superhero, Talent, Talented, Upload, نویسنده, Villains, Workshop, Writer, Writing, Written Workspdpabst

Wow! If you’ve ever dreamed of writing for DC Comics, this is your chance. But please note, this is for writer’s who’ve been published. However, the written work does not have to be a comic. They’ll also accept up to two published fiction works that’ll highlight an authors skill as a possible DC writer. By end of the workshop, the participant(s) may obtain a position writing on one of the DC Comic book series.

Submissions open March 1st, 2018 and ends March 31, 2018. They express on the website that files can be large to upload, so don’t wait until the last minute to try. They will not accept resubmission or changes after the deadline. No exceptions.

For complete information on how to enter and the dates of when the workshop will start, go (Link Removed). As always, good luck!

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

Creative Capital Art & Literature Direct Funding and Career Development Contest

February 23, 2018Contests, LiteraryAnimation, Architecture, Art, Artists, Authors, books, Budget, Career, Creative Capital, Dance, Design, Development, Disciplines, Fiction, Film, Funded, Funding, Games, Guidelines, Investing, Letter of Inquiry, Literature, Manuscripts, Media, Monetary Prize, Money, Multimedia, Music Theater, Non-Fiction, Opportunity, Painting, Performing, Photography, Poetry, Project, Rules, Sculpture, Stories, Sustainable Practices, Video, Vision, Visual, Work, Works On Paper, Writerspdpabst

See the source image

Creative Capital is helping artists working in all creative disciplines realize their vision and build sustainable practices. Creative Capital provides each funded project with up to $50,000 in direct funding and career development services valued at $45,000, for a total commitment of up to $95,000 per project.

Um, need I repeat that? Up to $95,000!

This month (February 2018), they are accepting submissions in 34 disciplines. These include works in film, literature, performing arts, visual arts, and a number of other media. Here are some of the works they’ll consider:

Animation
Architecture
Dance
Design
Music-Theater
Documentary Film
Narrative Film
Games
Photography
Video Art
Painting
Poetry
Sculpture
Multimedia
Works On Paper
And much, much more!

For a complete list of projects and guidelines, go here. But hurry, the deadline to send Letters of Inquiry and budget is February 28, 2018. And as always, good luck!

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

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing Deadline Approaching

February 22, 2018Contests, LiteraryAuthors, Book-length Short Stories, books, Candidates, Deadline, Digital Editions, English Submissions, Fiction, First-generation Immigrant, Guidelines, Manuscripts, Monetary Prize, New Immigrant Writing Contest, Non-Published, Opportunity, Print, Publication, publisher, research, Restless Books, Stories, Tales, Writers, Writingpdpabst

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 February 28, 2018. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst

Writer and blogger MG/YA fiction.

2018 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award

February 21, 2018Contests, LiteraryAdventure, April, Author, Award, Baen Books, Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, books, Contest Junkies, Deadline, Fantasy, Gen Con, Grand Prize, Industry-Standard, Manuscripts, Monetary Prize, Opportunity, publisher, Publishing, Short Fiction, Short Story, Stories, Storytelling, Writer, Writingpdpabst

For all lurking contest junkies, Baen Fantasy Adventure Award 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, 2018 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.

#PBPitch Is Coming!

February 19, 2018Contests, LiteraryAgents, Artists, Artwork, Authors, Childrens Books, Corvisiero Literary Agency, Editors, Illustrators, Images, Janklow Nesbit Agency, Kidlit, Liza Royce Agency, Opportunity, Party, PBPitch, Picture Books, Pitches, Publishing, research, Rodeen Literary, Stories, Thompson Literary, Twitter, Writers, Writingpdpabst

It’s time for another picture book twitter party using the hashtag #PBPitch! So, if you write or illustrate picture books, this is the event for you. This party will take place Thursday, February 22, 2018 from 8am-8pm EST. But remember, anyone can troll the feed, so be sure to do your research! There will be legitimate agents and editors popping in and out, including those that haven’t confirmed their attendance. But those that have confirmed are:

Marisa Corvisiero, Corvisiero Literary
Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency
Wendi Gu, Janklow & Nesbit Agency
Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary
Cindy Uh, Thompson Literary

Be sure and only pitch once before 2pm and once after! (Yes, twice is all you get per manuscript!) If you’re an illustrator, you can attach an image to the pitch. For complete rules and proper hashtags, go here.

As always, good luck!

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

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