Tag Archives: Writers

Brenda Drake’s #PitMad is Tomorrow!

June 7, 2017Contests, Literary#Pitmad, Adult, Age Category, Agents, Authors, Brenda Drake, Chapter Book, Childrens Books, Editors, Fiction, Genre, Hashtags, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, New Adult, Opportunity, Picture Book, Pitching, Polished, Stories, Subgenre, Three Pitches, Twitter, Unagented, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! Tomorrow is Brenda Drake’s infamous #PitMad between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). Common age category and genre hashtags are below.

Age Categories:

#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#CL = Children’s Lit
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres:

#AA = African American
#AD = Adventure
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#DIS = Disabilities
#DV = Diversity
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#LGBT
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#R = Romance
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#S = Suspense
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#T = Thriller
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

The rules clearly state to only pitch THREE times per manuscript during the contest. Don’t break the rules and clog the feed! Also, please remember anyone can stalk the feed. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript!

As always, good luck!

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

#pg70pit Contest is Tommorrow!

June 6, 2017Contests, Literary#70pit17, #pg70pit, Adult, Agents, Authors, books, dreams, Hashtags, Lara Willard, Lottery Winners, Manuscripts, Middle Grade, New Adult, novels, Page 70, Pitching, Publishing, Stories, Submissions, Twitter, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

Lara Willard is hosting the third annual pg70pit, an unique type of contest and pitching opportunity for writers with complete, polished novels (Middle Grade, YA, or NA/Adult) in any genre except erotica. #70pit17 is this years hashtag. Submissions open at 7am EST on June 7, 2017 and is open for 24 hours. Lottery winners will be drawn from the form on the blog and from twitter. They’ll be announced on June 17th, 2017. The lucky folks selected will move on to an agent round on July 7, 2017.

Lara will start posting participating agent sometime this month. So keep an eye out on her blog. As always, good luck!

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

TV Tropes and Fictional Novels

June 2, 2017Film, LiteraryAdult, agent, Audience, Authors, books, Creative Spin, editor, Fiction, Genre, Inspiration, Known Situations, Manuscripts, Media, Middle Grade, Narrative, novels, Readers, Screenplay, Stories, Storytelling, Television, Topical, TV Tropes, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

Have you ever heard an agent or editor say “I’ve seen this trope before” or “this is an old trope”. What does it mean? In storytelling, a trope can be described as shortcuts for describing situations an author can reasonably assume the audience will recognize. But does this mean all tropes are bad? No. It’s up to the author to put a creative spin on an old trope so the audience doesn’t tire of the situation. Or at best, this is to say they have to bring something new to the table regarding the trope.

We not only see tropes in books, but also movies. A few months ago, I learned of a cool website called TV Tropes. It seems like a great place to help authors recognize tropes they might think isn’t one. And if you don’t write, it’s kind of fun poking around anyway. The main tropes have been indexed by Genre, Media, Narrative, and Topical. But there are 36 other categories to peruse.

So if you’re a writer, check this sight out and put a fresh twist on a well known trope! I dare you.

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

Inspiration from Writer’s Rejections

May 29, 2017LiteraryAcceptance, Agree, Alex Haley, Authors, Belief, Believe, Book Babies, books, Elizabeth Jolly, Encouragment, Famous, Fiction, Form Rejection, Frank Herbert, Gertrude Stein, Inspiration, J.K. Rowling, Jack Canfield, James Patterson, John Grisham, Kathryn Stockett, Louisa May Alcott, Manuscripts, Margaret Mitchell, Mark Victor Hansen, Marketing, Nicholas Sparks, Non-Fiction, Not Right For Me, Onward, Perseverance, Rejection, Stories, Submisstions, Success, The Great Gatsby, Thick Skin, William Faulker, Writer's Rejection, Writers, Years, You're a Fraudpdpabst

Image result for writer rejection

Rejection hurts no matter who or what you do, but if you’re going to be a writer you’d better develop some thick skin. While there are circumstances of instant acceptance and overnight fame, it’s rare. Writers get rejected a LOT.

First it starts with the manuscript. Writers send their book babies on submission to agents and get a lot of “not right for me” form rejections. If they’re lucky enough to land an agent, eventually the manuscript will go on submission to publishers. And sorry folks, that’s not an instant deal just because they have an agent. Publishers reject agents too. And even after a publisher picks up a novel, the fans can reject the story. For example, The Great Gatsby didn’t become famous until soldiers of World War II wrote home about the story, of which the government had sent to them to have something to read.

Writing is a lot of belief in the story and that it deserves to be told. They hold onto the dream that one day an agent and publisher will agree. They don’t let rejections allow them to quit. After all, giving up is the sure way to not succeed.

But all those rejections keep piling up! And from the dark corners of a writer’s mind, they hear “you’re a fraud” and “stop already”. So I offer encouragement. Not everyone succeeded their first try. Heck, many famous authors took years to get published. Here are a few to inspire writers to keep pushing forward.

John Grisham: A Time to Kill was rejected by 16 publishers.
James Patterson: Rejected by more than a dozen publishers.
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishing houses.
William Faulkner: Sanctuary was said couldn’t be published.
Nicholas Sparks: The Notebook was turned down by 24 literary agencies.
Louisa May Alcott: The author of Little Women had been told to stick to teaching.
Margaret Mitchell: Gone With The Wind faced 38 rejections.
Frank Herbert: After 20 rejections, Dune was finally published.
Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen: Chicken Soup for the Soul had 134 rejections.
Kathryn Stockett: The Help author got rejected at least 61 times.

And sometimes it just takes years!

Alex Haley: After writing daily for EIGHT years, the Roots author found success.
Gertrude Stein: Submitted poems for TWENTY-TWO years before one got pubbed.
Elizabeth Jolly: Wrote about 30 years before her first publication.

So, as you can see, successful writing takes perseverance. And while there are success stories of writers who self publish, that’s a story for another day. For now, I hope this is enough encouragement for writers today!

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

Bath Children’s Novel Award is Open!

May 26, 2017Awards, Contests, LiteraryAuthors, Bath Children's Novel Award, Book Deal, books, Children, Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, Editing, Editors, Fiction, Genres, International, Jane Brittan, Judges, Lucy Van Smit, Middle Grade, MMB Creative, Monetary Prize, Mulcahy Associates Literary Agency, Novelist, Published, Salyanne Sweeney, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

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The Bath Children’s Novel Award is a writing competition for unsigned novelists. This years judge is literary agent Sallyanne Sweeney of Mulcahy Associates Literary Agency (MMB Creative). And the sponsor is Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. The winner will receive £2,000 (approximately $2599 US) and a shortlist prize of £500 (approximately $649 US) Cornerstones Literary Consultancy vouchers.

This is The Bath Children’s Novel Award’s third year. It was created in 2015 to support and spotlight unsigned children’s novelists around the world. Inaugural winner Lucy Van Smit was swiftly signed by literary agent Sallyanne Sweeney, Jane Brittan attracted a Carnegie Medal nomination for her indie-published debut and shortlistee Sophie Cameron signed a book deal with Macmillan Children’s after accepting representation with literary agent Hellie Ogden for her YA novel Out of the Blue.

Entry for the award ends November 19th, 2017 (and remember, this is UK time zone)! Submissions are OPEN and invited for middle grade and young adult novels in all genres. For complete guidelines and entry fee information, go here. As always, good luck!

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

2017 Tennessee Writing Workship

May 24, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAgents, Authors, books, Brower Literary & Management, Corvisiero Literary Agency, Critique, Daniel Literary Group, editor, Embassy Suties by Hilton, Feedback, Holloway Literary Agency, July, Manuscripts, Maria Carvainis Agency, Marketing, Networking, Pitching, Speilburg Literary, Stories, Tennessee Writing Workshop, The Bent Agency, The Seymour Agency, The Strothman Agency, TriadaUS Literary Agency, Trident Media Group, Wordcrafts Press, Writers, Writing, Writing Instructionpdpabst

Tennessee Workshop

The Tennessee Writing Workshop will take place July 22, 2017 and is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course the event, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. The event is held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Nashville, Tennessee.

Some of the agents participating are:

literary agent Lauren MacLeod (The Strothman Agency)
literary agent Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group)
literary agent Kimberly Brower (Brower Literary & Management)
editor Mike Parker (Wordcrafts Press)
literary agent Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.)
literary agent Beth Phelan (The Bent Agency)
literary agent Greg Daniel (Daniel Literary Group)
literary agent Julie Gwinn (The Seymour Agency)
literary agent Michael Caligaris (Holloway Literary Agency)
literary agent Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary)
literary agent Cate Hart (Corvisiero Literary)
literary agent Laura Crockett (Triada US Literary)
agent assistant Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency)
and possibly more to come

Note that there are limited seats at the event (150 total). So hurry if you want to attend, especially if you want to pitch to an agent!

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

Midwest Writers Workshop

May 22, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways#MWW, @MidwestWriters, Agents, Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Angie Thomas, Authors, Ball State University, Becky Albertalli, Bradford Literary Agency, Brenda Drake, Brooks Sherman, Critiques, Dee Romito, Eric Smith, Evaluations, Feedback, Harlequin, Harper Collins, Hone Your Craft, Indiana, Jennifer De Chiara Literary, Jennifer Laughran, Jessica Sinsheimer, Jessica Stawser, John Gilstrap, L.A. Pittenger Student Center, Lauren Smulski, Manuscripts, Marketing, Midnight Ink, Midwest Writers Workshop, Monica Odom, Muncie, Networking, Opportunity, P.S. Literary, Pitching, Professionals, Query, Rena Olsen, Roseanne Wells, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, Terri Bishoff, Writer's Digest, Writerspdpabst

Often in the universe of writers, there is talk of conferences and workshops. Most of the time they seem to be located in New York or Los Angeles because there are beaucoup agencies in these cities. However, occasionally a few are held in the Midwest.

Midwest Writers Group

One such event is called the Midwest Writers Workshop and will be held July 20-22, 2017 at L.A. Pittenger Student Center in partnership with Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. You can find them on twitter @MidwestWriters or the hashtag #MWW to keep up on news. MWW states the mission is to give all writers the opportunity to improve their craft, to associate with highly credentialed professionals, and to network with other writers.

They have sessions with top quality faculty during their three-day program on everything from fiction to nonfiction, marketing, and ways to get your creative juices flowing. The workshop is packed with sessions on the craft of writing and the business of writing.

Some of participants will be:

AGENTS

Roseanne Wells, The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
Jessica Sinsheimer, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Monica Odom, Bradford Literary Agency
Brooks Sherman, Janklow & Nesbit Associates
Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Eric Smith, P.S. Literary

EDITORS:

Terri Bischoff, Acquisitions Editor at Midnight Ink
Lauren Smulski, Assistant Editor at Harlequin/Harper Collins
Jessica Strawser, Editorial Director of Writer’s Digest, the author of Almost Missed You

AUTHORS:

Becky Albertalli – author of the award-winning young adult novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (now in film production from Fox 2000 Pictures) and The Upside of Unrequited
Brenda Drake – NYT Bestseller of young adult novels and creator of #PitchWars Contest
Angie Thomas – author of the New York Times bestseller young adult novel The Hate U Give (film optioned from Fox 2000 Productions)
Dee Romito – author of middle grade novel, The BFF Bucket List, and other novels, also guru for Scrivener writing software.
Rena Olsen – author of thriller novel The Girl Before The Girl Before
John Gilstrap – bestselling author of the Jonathan Grave thriller series; two of the first three in the series were nominated for ITW’s prestigious Thriller Award, and for Private Eye Writers of America’s Shamus Award

To see all the faculty, go here. There are even opportunities for pitching and ma nuscript evaluations, along with query critiques. Think about it, three days socializing with writerly people! What’s not to love!

As always, good luck and happy learning!

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

2017 Chicago Writing Workshop

May 19, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAdult, Allium Press, Authors, Chicago Writing Workshop, D4EO Literary, Editors, Feedback, Fiction, Fuse Literary, Holloway Literary Agency, Hone Your Craft, Instruction, Jennifer De Chiara Literary, Literary Agent, Manuscripts, Marketing, Middle Grade, Networking, Non-Fiction, Pitch, Red Sofa Literary, Register, Sourcebooks, Speilburg Literary, St. Martin's Press, Stories, The Bent Agency, The Seymour Agency, The Unter Agency, Trace Literary Agency, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

Chicago Writing Workshop

Per the Chicago Writing Workshop website, this writing event (June 24, 2017) 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:

editor Lauren Jablonski (St. Martin’s Press)
literary agent Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary)
literary agent Jennifer Unter (The Unter Agency)
literary agent Laura Zats (Red Sofa 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)
literary agent Michael Caligaris (Holloway Literary Agency)
editor Grace Menary-Winefield (Sourcebooks and Sourcebooks Landmark)
literary agent Alexandra Weiss (Jennifer De Chiara Literary)
literary agent Marcy Posner (Folio Literary)
literary agent Loretta Caravette (LR Children’s Literary)
literary scout Jen Karsbaek (Fuse Literary)
editor Emily Clark Victorson (Allium Press)
agent assistant Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency)
and more to come.

Since the seats are limited, don’t delay in registering. I’m signed up to go to this one, so if your attending, I’ll see you there!!!

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

Spring WOW’em Pitchfest hosted by SavvyAuthors

May 15, 2017Contests, LiteraryAdult, Agents, Authors, Blog, Editors, Fiction, Literary Pitch, Manuscripts, May, Middle Grade, Pitch Event, Publishing, SavvyAuthors, Spring WOW'em Pitchfest, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

Image result for savvyauthors

SavvyAuthors is hosing a Spring WOW’em Pitchfest for authors with completed and polished manuscripts. They’ll have agents and editors available on their blog from 9am May 17 to 11:59pm May 19, 2017 (Sorry they don’t mention time zone.) In order to participate, writers will need a three line pitch. And I believe the contest will take place directly in the comments. For complete rules, go here.

Please note the link on the contest page for agents seems to be broken, but you can find the participating agents here. You can also find the editors on this page. As always, good luck!

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

Operation Awesome: Pass or Pages

May 13, 2017Contests, Critiques, LiteraryAdams Literary, Agents, Authors, Contemporary, Feedback, Inklings Literary, Laura Crockett, Lorin Oberweger, Manauscripts, Operation Awesome, Opportunity, Pass or Pages, Publishing, Query, TriadaUS Literary Agency, Whitley Abell, Writers, Young Adultpdpabst

PASSORPAGES

Operation Awesome is hosting a Pass or Pages this month. For this round, the category is for young adult contemporary. Submissions open between May 15 (6am EST) to May 17 (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.

The participating agents are:

Whitley Abell at Inklings Literary Agency
Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary Agency
Lorin Oberweger at Adams Literary

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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