Tag Archives: Stories

YA Novel Discovery Contest

October 28, 2017Contests, LiteraryAbram Books, agent, Authors, Bloomsbury, Candlewick, Competition, Contract, dreams, Entries, Fiction, First 250, Grand Prize, Guidelines, JIMMY Patterson Books, Little Brown, Penguin, Pitching, Prizes, Publishing, Query, Random House, Regina Brooks, Scholastic, Serendipity Literary Agency, Simon and Schuster, Stories, Submissions, Writers, Writing, Young Adult, Young Adult Novel Discoverypdpabst

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.

#PitchCB for October!

October 23, 2017Contests, Literary#amquerying, #amwriting, #PitchCB, Adult, Agents, Authors, books, Conville & Walsh, Curtis Brown Literary Literary and Talent Agency, Fiction, Guidelines, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, Opportunity, Pitch Event, Pitching, Rcihard Pike, Stories, Submission, Tweet, Twitter, Unagented, Unpublished, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

#PitchCB is Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh’s own monthly Twitter novel pitching party, hosted by Richard Pike of C + W. On each #PitchCB day, writers searching for an agent can tweet a one-line pitch for their work. The pitch must be 140 characters or less, using the hashtag #PitchCB. Book agents will be online for each event to read each pitch and will be inviting successful authors to submit directly to them.

This month the event will occur on October 27, 2017. The window will be open for 24 hours, but only pitch once during that time! For complete rules, go here.

As always, good luck!

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

New Visions Award – Middle Grade/Young Adult Manuscripts is Ending Soon

October 9, 2017Contests, LiteraryAdvance, Author, Children, Disabilities, Diversity, Fiction, Genre, Graphic Novels, Indigenous People, Lee & Low Books, LGBTQ, Manuscript, Middle Grade, Monetary Prize, Native People, New Visions Award, People of Color, Prize, publisher, Roylaties, Stories, Submission, Teens of Color, Themes, Tu Books, Unagented, United States, Unpublished, Winner, Writer, Young Adultpdpabst

Lee & Low Books

Tu Books, the middle grade and young adult imprint of Lee & Low Books will be closing submissions soon for the New Visions Award. Established in 2012, this award is given annually to an unpublished author of color for a middle grade or young adult manuscript. Previous winners include the award-winning Ink and Ashes as well as the forthcoming novels Ahimsa and Rebel Seoul.

Manuscripts may be novels or graphic novels in any fictional genre for children ages 8 to 12 or young adults ages 12 to 18. Manuscripts should address the needs of children and teens of color by providing stories the can identify with and which promote greater understanding of one another. Themes relating to LGBTQ+ topics or disabilities may also be included.

Contestants must meet all of the following criteria to be considered:

Self-identify as a person of color or a Native/indigenous person.
Be at least 18 years old at the time of entry.
Be a resident of the United States.
Not have had a middle grade or young adult novel published.

The Award winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 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.

Please read the submission guidelines before sending. But be quick, all entries must be postmarked by October 31, 2017. As always, good luck!

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

Deadline Approaching for Futurescapes Writing Contest

October 8, 2017Contests, LiteraryAir, Anthology, Authors, Better World, Blue Sky Cities, Climate, Fiction, Futurscapes, Guidelines, Impact, Improve The World, Manuscript, Monetary Prize, Opportunity, Positive, Publications, Quality, Short Story, Stories, Theme, Words, Writerspdpabst

Futurescapes is seeking short stories set in a near-future city where significant strides have been made toward improving air quality, climate adaptation, or even net positive impacts on climate and air quality. Thus, their theme for 2017 is “Blue Sky Cities.”

Here’s a breakdown of the important stuff:

You’ll need a work of short fiction up to 8,000 words.
No fee to enter for first entry, but you can submit a second for a fee.
$2000 for first prize.
$500 for five runners-up.
Publication in an anthology.

The contest deadline is October 13, 2017. For complete guidelines and the form to enter, click here. As always, good luck.

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

Inked Voices First Page Workshop with Tina Wexler GIVEAWAY!

October 7, 2017Contests, Critiques, Literary, Webinar/Workshop#OwnVoices, Age Category, agent, Authors, books, Critque, Feedback, Fiction, Free, Genre, ICM Partners, Inked Voices, Literary Agency, Manuscripts, Members, Middle Grade, Non-Members, Opportunity, Stories, Submissions, Submit, Tina Wexler, Win, Workshop, Writerspdpabst

inkedVoicesLogo

Here’s a chance to win a spot in Inked Voices’ upcoming Middle Grade Fiction First Pages Workshop with Tina Wexler of ICM Partners, which normally costs $82 for members and $99 for non-members. That’s right, you could get in for FREE!!!

Who this workshop is for: YA SFF writers ready for agent feedback and interested in meeting writers at a similar stage.
Focus: Middle Grade Fiction
Group size: 9 writers
Submissions: Writers will submit their first 3750 words (about 15 pages) at the workshop start.

To submit for your chance to win a spot in this great workshop, go here. Submissions close after October 10th, 2017. As always, good luck!

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

Inked Voices First Page Workshop with Eric Smith GIVEAWAY!

September 29, 2017Contests, Literary, Webinar/Workshop#OwnVoices, Authors, Critique, Diversity, dreams, Eric Smith, Fantasy, Feedback, Free, Giveaway, Inked Voices, Manuscripts, Marginalized Voices, Members, Non-Members, Opportunity, P.S. Literary, Pages, People of Color, Science Fiction, Stories, Workshop, Writers, Writing Community, Young Adultpdpabst

inkedVoicesLogo

Here’s a chance to win a spot in Inked Voices’ upcoming Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy First Pages Workshop with Eric Smith of P.S. Literary, which normally costs $82 for members and $99 for non-members. That’s right, you could get in for FREE!!!

Who this workshop is for: YA SFF writers ready for agent feedback and interested in meeting writers at a similar stage.
Focus: fantasy – Young Adult – Science fiction
Group size: 8 writers
Submissions: Writers will submit their first 3750 words (about 15 pages) at the workshop start.

To submit for your chance to win a spot in this great workshop, go here. Submissions close after October 5th, 2017. As always, good luck!

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

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contest is Ending Soon!

September 26, 2017Contests, LiteraryAmateur, Art, Artists, Authors, Design, Entrants, Fantasy, Fiction, Illustrators, Illustrators of the Future, L. Ron Hubbard, Manuscripts, Monetary Prize, No Fee, Novelettes, Opportunity, Pictures, Publication, Rights, Rules, Science Fiction, Short Story, Stories, Submissions, Unpublished, Winner, Writers, Writers of the Future, Writingpdpabst

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest entries ends on September 30, 2017. So, hurry and get your submissions in.

Writers
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new and amateur writers of new short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. No entry fee is required. Entrants retain all publication rights. All awards are adjudicated by professional writers only. Prizes every three months: $1,000, $750, $500, with an annual grand prize: $5,000 additional! If you have not read the contest rules, please click here before submitting. To enter, go here.

Illustrators
L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrators of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new science fiction and fantasy artists worldwide. No entry fee is required. Entrants retain all publication rights. All judging by professional artists only. $1,500 in prizes each quarter. Quarterly winners compete for $5,000 additional annual prize! If you have not read the contest rules, please click here before submitting. To enter, go here.

As always, good luck!

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

New Voices Award – Picture Book Manuscripts is Ending Soon

September 24, 2017Contests, LiteraryAdvance, Authors, Children, Disabilities, Diversity, Family Structure, Fiction, Gender Identity, Guidelines, Indigenous People, Lee & Low Books, Manuscripts, Monetary Prize, Native People, New Voices Award, Non-Fiction, People of Color, Picture Book, Poetry, Publication, publisher, Royalties, Stories, Submissions, Unagented, Unpublished, Winners, Writerspdpabst

Lee & Low Books

Established in 2000, the New Voices Award is given annually to an unpublished author of color for a picture book manuscript. Previous winners include award-winning titles such as As Fast As Words Could Fly, Juna’s Jar, It Jes’ Happened, and Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds.

Manuscripts may be FICTION, NON-FICTION, or POETRY for children ages 5-12. Manuscripts should address the needs of children of color or native children by providing stories they can identify with and which promote greater understanding of one another. Themes relating to non-traditional family structures, gender identity, or disabilities are also of interest.

Contestants must meet all of the following criteria to be considered:

Self-identify as a person of color or a Native/indigenous person.
Be at least 18 years old at the time of entry.
Be a resident of the United States.
Not have had a children’s picture book published.

The Award winner receives 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 the window for submission is closing soon! All manuscripts must be postmarked no later than September 30, 2017. Be sure to read their entire guidelines before submitting. As always, good luck!

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

SavvyAuthors Pitchfest Ends Tomorrow!

September 16, 2017Contests, LiteraryAdult, Agents, Authors, Blog, books, Contract, Editors, Fiction, Genre, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, New Adult, Non-Fiction, Opportunity, Pitch Contest, Pitches, Pitching, Publishers, Publishing, SavvyAuthors, Stories, Title, Word Length, Words, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

Agents and editors are taking live pitches on the SavvyAuthors blog! What you will need is a three line pitch (unless stated differently on their personal pitch page). Be sure to state the title, genre, word length, and your author name. Then post your pitch below that information. The format should look like this:

Title: This Scary Manor Blows
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal
Length: 48,000 words
Author: P.D. Pabst

Agnes plays pretend in an old manor to keep her father’s memory alive and learns she must solve the murder of an eight-year-old ghost—daughter of Franz San Galli, the inventor of the radiator. Her non-believing brother wants her to grow up but she must convince him to acquire his help. After all, it’s not safe to play in secret passages and hidden rooms when a more sinister specter threatens her.

Be sure to read the guidelines thoroughly before pitching. And don’t forget to research each editor/publisher and agent to make sure your manuscript fits their wish list. To pitch editors/publishers, go here. To pitch literary agents, click here. And don’t delay! The Pitchfest ends tomorrow, September 17, 2017 at 11:59pm, EST.

As always, good luck!
P.D. Pabst

September 7, 2017Contests, Critiques, LiteraryAgents, Authors, Ben Grange, books, Corvisiero Literary Agency, Emily Keyes, Fantasy, Feedback, Fuse Literary Agency, L. Perkins Agency, Literary, Manuscripts, Meg LaTorre-Snider, Middle Grade, Operation Awesome, Opportunity, Pass or Pages, Query, Requests, Science Fiction, September, Stories, Submissions, Writers, Writingpdpabst

PASSORPAGES

Operation Awesome is hosting a Pass or Pages this month. For this round, the category is for middle grade Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Submissions open between September 11 (6am EST) to September 13 (6pm EST), 2017. This is an opportunity to get feedback from an agent on your query and first 250 words of your manuscript. Peeps, this is priceless! And as a possible bonus, the agent reserves the right to request your FULL (so make sure the full manuscript is polished and ready to send).

The participating agents are:

Emily Keyes Fuse Literary Agency
Meg LaTorre-Snyder Corvisiero Literary Agency
Ben Grange L. Perkins Agency

There will be a form for submissions on Operation Awesome when the entry window opens. For complete rules and previous feedback reveals, go here. As always, good luck!

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

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