Tag Archives: Writers

PITCHSLAM Contest

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Oh my goodness, a contest for writers to find a literary agent with a Hogwarts theme! This is pure heaven for all the Harry Potter fans. On October 21st, writers will submit a 35 word pitch and first 250 words from their completed and polished manuscripts. What’s that? Your pitch and 250 words need another looksy? Have no fear, there are critique rounds before the final submission dates. On October 17th, 150 pitches will be selected for critique. Then on October 19th, 150 entrants of the first 250 words will be selected for feedback. But don’t worry, on the 21st of October, there will be no limit for submissions into the actual contest.

For all important dates you can go here or here. And be sure to watch the host’s blogs/websites (L.L. McKinney & Kimberly Vanderhorst) for contest rules, judge information, and participating agents.

As always, good luck and happy writing!

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

HELP FOR WRITERS

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There are so many places to go to find help for writers on the web, it’s hard to know where to start. In past blogs, I’ve posted links to check credentials of agents and publishers, perhaps even a few links for helpful books. But there are other published writers, agents, and editors that have cool sites where a writer can find some great tips.

  • Let’s start with PubCrawl, where helpful ideas and tips for writing are posted from published authors and things they’ve learned along the way. And even cooler, they’ve started a podcast. Here’s a link to their first one!
  • Next we’ll visit Writers Helping Writers. On this site the authors have created helpful tools, resources, webinars, and a bookstore. And holy-moly, they’ve even listed several thesauruses for sale that isolate certain moods and linked expressions!
  • Whiskey Wine & Writing is another great site. They have articles to read and vlogs to watch. Even though they are taking a hiatus right now, don’t worry, they’ll be back!
  • Query Shark is a blog more specific to helping with queries. Read all the archives to get ideas where you might need help with your own query and read the great articles. You won’t be disappointed, however, I’m not responsible for the fear you’ll fear from those Q.S. teeth!

These are just a few links to get you started. There are so many–many more! Follow other writers, agents, editors, and publishing houses to get great tips or watch for them to post other helpful links to follow. As always, good luck!

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

#PITMAD, hosted by @BrendaDrake is TOMORROW 9/10/15

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Don’t forget the quarterly pitch event with Brenda Drake is tomorrow Thursday, September 10, 2015 on twitter under the hashtag #PitMad. If you are new to the game of writing, this is where you create a 140 character pitch for your FINISHED manuscript and tweet for agents to read. Things to remember:

  • Pitch submission time is 8am-8pm EDT (New York time)
  • You must fit the hashtag of #Pitmad within the 140 characters.
  • Include the category hashtag (#YA, #MG, #A, #NA, #PB, and #NF)
  • Include the genre hashtag (Ex: #PR for paranormal romance or #M for mystery)
  • Change tweets up. (Twitter will remove identical ones thinking they are spam.)
  • DON’T FAVORITE TWEETS! This is for agents or editors only. (If you want to support a friend, do it by retweeting.)
  • If you won’t be available this day, schedule tweets using Tweetdeck.
  • Only tweet once per thirty minutes so you don’t congest the feed.
  • Don’t tweet agents and editors directly unless they tweet you first, or openly state it’s okay to tweet them direct.
  • Scammers can’t be controlled on an open pitch party. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you submit from a favorite. You can check against Preditors & Editors, Publishers Marketplace, or Absolute Write Forums.

For additional tips, go to Brenda’s Drakes Pitmad page. As always, good luck!

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

NEW AGENT CONTEST FOR WRITERS

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It’s no secret, I love me some good contests, especially those for writers. I do my best to keep everyone posted. And here is another fabulous opportunity. Michelle Hauck is rolling out the red carpet for New Agents.

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This is a golden opportunity for writers because new agents are still building their client list. Which means they have more time to spend one-on-one with you. And remember, just because they are new, doesn’t mean they aren’t experienced. Sometimes agents move from one agency to another and need to build a new client list. Or perhaps, someone who has worked as an intern for several years gets promoted. And don’t forget all those lovely editors who worked at publishing companies and decided to become an agent.  Either way, they’ve worked in the publishing industry in one way or another.

For a complete list of agents, click on the link above and go here for the formatting guidelines. Submissions start at noon on Wednesday, July 15, 2015. There will be a short revision period for the writers chosen before the agent round between July 27-29. You can also watch the hashtag #NewAgent on twitter for updates, news, or teasers. (The hashtag is currently being stalked by real estate agents, but I imagine the writers will take over by tomorrow!)

As always, good luck!

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

Don’t Forget #Pitmad Is Tomorrow!

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As always, I want to give a shout-out to remind everyone of a fabulous contest. Don’t forget that #Pitmad (hosted by Brenda Drake) will be live tomorrow (June 4th) on twitter from 8am to 8pm EST (New York time).

Twitter-Brenda Image

Get your 140 character pitch ready to capture an agent’s or editor’s attention. (This is for completed manuscripts only!) Be sure to include the hashtag #pitmad and the category (#YA, #MG, #A, #NA, #PB, and #NF). Vary your pitches so twitter won’t delete duplicates thinking they’re spam. And if you are super crafty, you can squeeze your genre hashtag into the tweet!

All the guidelines are on Brenda’s blog here. Be sure to follow her rules so you don’t get a polite reprimand from Brenda. She’ll be watching…mwah-ha-ha!

As always, good luck!

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

MIDWEST WRITERS WORKSHOP

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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. One such workshop is the Midwest Writers Group.

Midwest Writers Group

This workshop will be held at Ball State University Alumni Center from July 23rd-25th, 2015. Not only can you attend intense sessions on learning more about the writing craft and tax options for writers, but you can attend pitch sessions with participating agents. Agents attending for pitches and/or speeches are Alec Shane, Christa Heschke, Brooks Sherman, Michelle Richter, Janet Reid, and Elise Capron. There are also query critiques, manuscript evaluations, head shots, and consultations available (plus much more). And don’t forget to checkout the authors and editors attending to share their knowledge. Sign up for one of their sessions! But slots are going fast. You can go here to learn about costs, lodging, and the facility. Be sure to scroll the headings to learn about all your options.

Have a great day!

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

Sun Versus Snow Pitch Contest: #sunvssnow

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This is a reminder that Sun versus Snow submission window is Tomorrow, January 26th, 2015 starting at 4pm EST. This contest is hosted by Michelle Hauck and Amy Trueblood. They will only accept the first 200 entries, so don’t delay when the time arrives!

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You can learn about all the fabulous participating agents here. And if you have any questions, you can email the hosts from their blogs or ask them on twitter @michelle4laughs @atrueblood5 and can use the hashtag #sunvssnow.

Update: Winners will be announced February 2nd and the agent round will start February 9th. Mark your calendars.

As always, good luck!

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

 

THE YEAR 2015

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Many folk make new year resolutions every year: shed more weight, spend more time with the family, get a better job, buy a house, find a better treatment for an illness, and on and on and on. These are important to all who make them and often are needed for improvements in the quality of their life. But for writer’s, resolutions tend to remain similar: write a manuscript (or write a better manuscript), find awesome critique partners, sign with an agent, get an amazing editor, have a book published (or get another book published), and so forth. But what if last years resolution wasn’t met?

Making the decision to do something and see it to fruition doesn’t always mean that it will occur in the timeframe one may wish. Does this mean a person should give up on that resolution? Of course not. Only ideas that are abandoned will certainly never see the light of day. Maybe the method someone uses works fine and just needs more time. Or maybe the person needs to find a new approach. For example, maybe a pantser decides to outline a plot this year or perhaps a writer reworks a query letter to take a completely different angle. Everyone should find what works best for them, even if it means changing things up a bit. With diligence and creativity, resolutions for 2015 can be accomplished.

Believe!

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

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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As the year winds to an end, I’m thankful for all the wonderful friends I’ve gained over the past twelve months. The writing community is more supportive than ever imagined. And as y’all know, I tend to pay forward what I learn. Thank you for a wonderful year and please stick around for some exciting interviews, giveaways, and shared knowledge in 2015.

And to my family and unwriterly friends, I’m who I am today because you’ve been a part of my life. I look forward to sharing more happy days with everyone in my physical and virtual world in 2015. (I’ll return to blogging in the new year.)

Be safe! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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

#PITMAD, hosted by @Brenda Drake

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Don’t forget the quarterly pitch event with Brenda Drake is coming up this Thursday, December 4, 2014 on twitter under the hashtag #PitMad. If you are new to the game of writing, this is where you create a 140 character pitch for your FINISHED manuscript and tweet for agents to read. Things to remember:

  • Pitch submission time is 8am-8pm EDT (New York time)
  • You must fit the hashtag of #Pitmad within the 140 characters.
  • Include the category and genre in the 140 characters.
  • Change tweets up. (Twitter will remove identical ones thinking they are spam.)
  • DON’T FAVORITE TWEETS! This is for agents only. (If you want to support a friend, do it by retweeting.)
  • If you won’t be available this day, schedule tweets using Tweetdeck.
  • Only tweet once per thirty minutes so you don’t hog congest the feed.
  • Don’t tweet agents and editors directly unless they tweet you first.
  • Scammers can’t be controlled on an open pitch party. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you submit from a favorite.

For additional tips, go to Brenda’s Drakes Pitmad page. As always, good luck!

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