#PitchMe Results + Feedback

Another year of #PitchMe is over, and our finalists killed it. Their pitches logged 84 total likes, several of which came from 2 additional agents who joined in on the fun. Here's a summary of the action:

#1 PB: DEAR MATH Anjanette Barr

#2 PB: BAD HAIRCUT Amy Nielsen

#3 PB: I AM JEWISH, I AM PROUD Callie Hansen

#4 PB: CLEVER & CRAFTY: HOW FRANCES GLESSNER LEE TAUGHT POLICE TO OBSERVE Amy Nielsen

#5 PB: MOSQUITO IN A BURRITO Amy Nielsen

#6 PB: ONIONS FOR BREAKFAST Anjanette Barr

#7 PB: 42 FOLDS Anjanette Barr

#8 MG: THE GHOST LIGHTS OF FROSTPROOF Shannon Hassan

#9 MG: ALEX BROOKSBY: BORN A THIEF Shannon Hassan, Amy Nielsen, Callie Hansen, Lindsay Auld

#10 MG: MERRYN ICEFALL AND THE DEEP Vicky Weber, Callie Hansen, Stefanie Molina-Santos, Andie Smith

#11 MG: SOS Michelle Hauck

#12 MG: JAREN SILVERWING AND THE FORBIDDEN SPELL Vicky Weber

#13 MG: GOOD NEWS FROM HIGHER GROUND Callie Hansen, Stefanie Molina-Santos

#14 YA: THE TAILOR OF BRIDEWATER BAY Vicky Weber

#15 YA: STORM, TEARS & STARLIGHT Vicky Weber, Shannon Hassan, Callie Hansen, Lindsay Auld, Michelle Hauck, Stefanie Molina-Santos

#16 YA: THANKS FOR WAITING Elisa Houot, Callie Hansen, Andie Smith

#17 YA: EVANGELINE AND THE HORRENDOUS UNDEAD Christina Lopez, Amy Giuffrida, Elisa Houot, Ann Leslie Tuttle, Lindsay Auld, Michelle Hauck

#18 YA: SANDALWOOD & ROSE Shari Maurer, Stefanie Molina-Santos

#19 YA: HORNED MOTHER, HUNGRY MOTHER, BRIDE OF THE WOODS Amy Nielsen, Ann Rose

#20 YA: AN INVITATION TO THE BANGTAIL Shannon Hassan, Callie Hansen, Kristin Ostby

#21 YA: SEND RUDES Ann Rose, Jen Nadol

#22 A: THE BLOODHOPPER WIVES Kimberly Fernando

#23 A: A HEALTHY BABY Anjanette Barr, Jen Nadol

#24 A: GALVESTON GOTHIC Christina Lopez, Vicky Weber, Shannon Hassan, Amy Giuffrida, Ann Leslie Tuttle, Michelle Hauck, Jenna Jankowski, Kristin Ostby, Kimberly Fernando

#25 A: THE FORGOTTEN INN Elisa Houot, Ann Leslie Tuttle, Jenna Jankowski, Stefanie Molina-Santos, Ann Rose

#26 A: ORDINARY CRIME Anjanette Barr, Kimberly Fernando

#27 A: BEYOND THE PAGE Kimberly Fernando, Shannon Hassan, Amy Giuffrida, Elisa Houot, Amy Nielsen, Callie Hansen, Ann Leslie Tuttle, Lindsay Auld, Kristin Ostby, Andie Smith

#28 A: THE GIRL WITH BLOOD ON HER DRESS Kimberly Fernando, Vicky Weber, Elisa Houot, Lindsay Auld, Stefanie Molina-Santos

#29 A: THE HAPPY EVER AFTER HOUSE Kimberly Fernando

#30 A: DUST IN THE LIGHT Amy Giuffrida, Elisa Houot, Lindsay Auld, Michelle Hauck

In addition, we had two finalists drop out of #PitchMe after accepting offers of representation in the last couple of weeks, but luckily, we had two alternates waiting in the wings!

Last but certainly not least, one last thank-you and shout-out to Tara Shiroff and Melissa Trempe for all their hard work. You ladies are amazing! And to everyone who entered, thank you so much for entrusting us with your work. If you'd like feedback on your entry, you're more than welcome to respond to your original submission with a request for notes, and I promise to get back to you as soon as I can.

#PitchMe Finalists 2024

Without any ado, this year's #PitchMe finalists:

PB

J.L.'s 42 FOLDS

C.S.'s I AM JEWISH, I AM PROUD

S.H.'s ONIONS FOR BREAKFAST

S.M.'s CRAFTY & CLEVER: HOW FRANCES GLESSNER LEE TAUGHT POLICE TO OBSERVE

M.D.'s MOSQUITO IN A BURRITO

M.H.B.'s DEAR MATH

MG

A.T.'s THE GHOSTLIGHTS OF FROSTPROOF (magical realism)

W.W.'s ALEX BROOKSBY: BORN A THIEF (adventure mystery)

J.R.'s GOOD NEWS FROM HIGHER GROUND (contemporary)

C.L.'s PHOTO NEGATIVE (horror)

D.A.'s JAREN SILVERWING AND THE FORBIDDEN SPELL (fantasy)

S.B.'s SOS (historical adventure)

YA

M.M.W.'s THANKS FOR WAITING (contemporary romance)

J.O.'s AN INVITATION TO THE BANGTAIL (historical)

C.E.'s SEND RUDES (contemporary)

C.R.F.'s THE TAILOR OF BRIDEWATER BAY (historical horror)

A.M.'s EVANGELINE AND THE HORRENDOUS UNDEAD (contemporary fantasy)

V.S.'s SANDALWOOD & ROSE (historical Gothic fantasy)

J.W.'s STORM, TEARS & STARLIGHT (fantasy)

J.H.'s HORNED MOTHER, HUNGRY MOTHER, BRIDE OF THE WOODS (horror)

Adult

B.G.'s ORDINARY CRIME (cozy mystery)

M.B.'s DUST IN THE LIGHT (mystery)

J.M.'s THE FORGOTTEN INN (cozy fantasy)

H.D.'s SYMPHONY OF A HAUNTING (horror)

F.H.'s THE BLOODHOPPER WIVES (speculative thriller)

R.L.'s BEYOND THE PAGE (contemporary romance)

C.J.P.'s GALVESTON GOTHIC (historical Gothic romance)

J.E.W.'s THE GIRL WITH BLOOD ON HER DRESS (psychological thriller)

J.S.'s A HEALTHY BABY (book club)

D.C.'s THE HAPPY EVER AFTER HOUSE (paranormal romance)

Congratulations, finalists! We can't wait to get to work!

To all the other entrants, I'm so sorry. As a fellow writer, I know how much rejection hurts--and how much it makes you question yourself and your abilities. I wish I had more answers, but please believe me when I say I'm rooting for every one of you. Your stories have value because YOU have value, and I hope that, someday, you'll have an opportunity to share them with the world.

I'm hoping to offer feedback to everyone who entered #PitchMe once the agent round has wrapped on Thursday, October 24, but because I've got a few lines in the water right now, I can't commit to it just yet. Please check back in late October if you're interested; I'll definitely post something here and/or on Twitter if I'm able to provide that opportunity again.

What #PitchMe Agents and Editors Are Looking for This Year

First off, thank you, thank you, thank you for submitting to #PitchMe. I've now read ALL the entries, and you guys blew me away. But instead of sharing my thoughts on what worked well and what didn't, I thought you might benefit from hearing what agents and editors are looking for this year.

Next off, a few caveats:

• Though I go out of my way to bring in editors and agents who are representative of the industry at large, they're obviously not everyone, which means these lists are *not* exhaustive.
• Some of our agents and editors only told me which categories they were most interested in while others mentioned genres, so just because your genre doesn't appear doesn't mean I ignored your entry. I value variety in addition to good concepts and pitch-perfect voice and writing.
• I've noticed over the years that #PitchMe agents and editors almost always end up liking things that weren't expressly on their lists, so don't read too much into these. Also, we had agents and editors who *weren't* #PitchMe agents and editors jump in and like pitches last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens this one.

We have 14 agents and 4 editors officially involved this year. Of these, 3 informed me that they're looking for PB, 8 said they're looking for MG, 14 are looking for YA, and 16 plan to browse adult.

Most agents and editors don't specify genres within PB (though one of our agents did say they were most interested in STEAM and SEL PBs this year). Here's what they said they're looking for in MG, YA, and adult:

MG

2 General/Contemporary

Historical

Magical realism

Fantasy

Nonfiction

Everything!

YA

3 Romance (keywords: contemporary, romantic comedy)

2 Contemporary

2 Historical

2 Fantasy (keywords: non-Western/non-Eurocentric, dark)

*Not* fantasy

*Not* horror

Horror

Magical realism

Gothic

Paranormal

Speculative

Humorous

Nonfiction

Adult

7 Mystery

6 Thriller/Suspense (including romantic)

5 Fantasy (keywords: non-Western/non-Eurocentric, dark, grounded)

5 Horror

4 Historical

3 Sci-fi

3 Romance

3 Commercial/Book club

2 Speculative

2 Paranormal (including romance)

Gothic

Women's fiction

Adventure

Nonfiction

It's worth noting that these lists look very different than they did last year. I don't remember all the details, but I'm fairly confident that thrillers topped *YA* last year (and are now nowhere to be found) and that historical and women's fiction were the most sought-after genres in adult.

Finalists announced next week!

Second Submission Window for #PitchMe 2024 Now Open

UPDATE: And that's a wrap! We ended up with 71 PBs, 39 MGs, 71 YAs, and 186 adults, for a total of 367 entries, a new #PitchMe record. Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, September 18. Thanks for entering!

Welcome to #PitchMe 2024! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction and nonfiction (all genres)
MG fiction (all genres)
YA fiction (all genres)
Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. THERE WILL BE TWO 30-MINUTE SUBMISSION WINDOWS to (try to) accommodate work schedules and international entrants. The first submission window opens on Wednesday, September 4, at 10:30 a.m. EDT and closes half an hour later. (Note that most of the United States will still be on Daylight Time when #PitchMe takes place, which is why I've said 10:30 a.m. EDT. If you live somewhere that remains on Standard Time, please adjust accordingly.) The second submission window opens later that same day, Wednesday, September 4, at 10:30 p.m. EDT and closes half an hour later. Hopefully, you'll be awake and/or not at work during one of these 30-minute intervals!

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Previous finalists may enter again AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A NEW MANUSCRIPT TO SUBMIT.

7. Publishing professionals (i.e., anyone who is currently employed by an agency or publisher, including but not limited to agents, editors, and sales reps) MAY NOT ENTER #PITCHME. (Previously published authors MAY enter #PitchMe as long as that's their only previous or current connection to the publishing industry.) I know this sounds harsh, but publishing professionals have inside tracks to securing representation should they decide to try their hands at writing (because they can contact agent and editor friends directly, bypassing regular query channels to some degree), and I don't want someone who has no inside track to miss out.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents and editors, please check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

First Submission Window for #PitchMe 2024 Now Open

UPDATE: The first submission window is now closed, but the second will open tonight at 10:30 p.m. EDT (which is 10:30 p.m. in New York). For your information, we've received 39 PBs, 22 MGs, 45 YAs, and 105 adults so far!

Welcome to #PitchMe 2024! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction and nonfiction (all genres)
MG fiction (all genres)
YA fiction (all genres)
Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. THERE WILL BE TWO 30-MINUTE SUBMISSION WINDOWS to (try to) accommodate work schedules and international entrants. The first submission window opens on Wednesday, September 4, at 10:30 a.m. EDT and closes half an hour later. (Note that most of the United States will still be on Daylight Time when #PitchMe takes place, which is why I've said 10:30 a.m. EDT. If you live somewhere that remains on Standard Time, please adjust accordingly.) The second submission window opens later that same day, Wednesday, September 4, at 10:30 p.m. EDT and closes half an hour later. Hopefully, you'll be awake and/or not at work during one of these 30-minute intervals!

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Previous finalists may enter again AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A NEW MANUSCRIPT TO SUBMIT.

7. Publishing professionals (i.e., anyone who is currently employed by an agency or publisher, including but not limited to agents, editors, and sales reps) MAY NOT ENTER #PITCHME. (Previously published authors MAY enter #PitchMe as long as that's their only previous or current connection to the publishing industry.) I know this sounds harsh, but publishing professionals have inside tracks to securing representation should they decide to try their hands at writing (because they can contact agent and editor friends directly, bypassing regular query channels to some degree), and I don't want someone who has no inside track to miss out.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents and editors, please check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

#PitchMe 2023 Results

Our most successful round of #PitchMe EVER came to a close last week, and once again, I'm delightfully worn out. All told, this year's pitches racked up 95 total likes, several of which came from 6 additional agents and an extra editor who jumped in to make requests over the course of the day. What's more, EVERY SINGLE ENTRY got at least one like this year! Here's a breakdown of the action:

#1 PB: WREN'S FRIENDS Amy Giuffrida, Saribel Pages

#2 PB: EILEEN COLLINS: DETERMINED, FOCUSED, FIERCE - NASA'S FIRST FEMALE PILOT & MISSION COMMANDER Michelle Jackson, Morgan Strehlow, Natalia Vázquez

#3 PB: THE COPPER-COLORED MITTENS Michelle Jackson, Amy Giuffrida

#4 PB: THE BOY OF THE CINNAMON ISLAND Amy Giuffrida, Michelle Jackson

#5 PB: ECHO CAVE Ivan Taurisano

#6 PB: SPACE KNIFE: THE TRUE STORY OF KING TUT'S DAGGER Michelle Jackson, Natalia Vázquez

#7 MG: NO FINER THAN I AM Elisa Houot, Jynastie Wilson

#8 MG: WHAT LINGERS AT THE CRESCENT Alison Weiss, Saribel Pages

#9 MG: THE MARITIME DETECTIVE COMPANY: THE CURSE OF THE MERMAID'S PEARL Jynastie Wilson, Whitney Ross, Morgan Hughes, Alison Weiss, Lindsay Auld, Elisa Houot, Kristin Ostby

#10 MG: THE SORCERER OF WESTMINSTER Whitney Ross

#11 MG: HOW NOT TO DIE IN A SWAMP Jynastie Wilson, Saribel Pages, Natalia Vázquez

#12 MG: TANGLED UP Michelle Jackson, Asia Harden, Amy Giuffrida, Natalia Vázquez, Jennifer March Soloway

#13 MG: THE ODD ONES Amy Giuffrida, Michelle Jackson, Kristin Ostby, Lindsay Auld, Vicky Weber

#14 YA: MURDERLAND Shari Maurer, Jynastie Wilson

#15 YA: DEEP ROOTS Joanna MacKenzie, Michelle Jackson, Jen Nadol, Jynastie Wilson, Whitney Ross, Andie Smith, Lindsay Auld, Jennifer March Soloway

#16 YA: A GOOD NIGHT TO SAY GOODBYE Vicky Weber, Asia Harden, Najla Mamou, Amy Giuffrida, Michelle Jackson, Whitney Ross

#17 YA: TERRA Asia Harden

#18 YA: LAWNMOWER LEAVING Jynastie Wilson, Christina Lopez

#19 YA: SECRETS DON'T STAY BURIED Elisa Houot, Joanna MacKenzie, Michelle Jackson, Asia Harden, Jen Nadol, Najla Mamou, Amy Giuffrida, Whitney Ross, Lindsay Auld, Jennifer March Soloway, Christina Lopez, Ann Leslie Tuttle

#20 YA: THE AMULET OF AMUN Ellen Goff, Whitney Ross

#21 A: THE SELF-DESTRUCTION OF SYMPATHY D Jennifer March Soloway

#22 A: BYSTANDER Andie Smith

#23 A: BETWEEN BREATHS Kimberly Fernando, Christina Lopez, Ann Leslie Tuttle

#24 A: THE LOST DIARIES OF VIVIAN SUMNER Vicky Weber, Joanna MacKenzie, Michelle Jackson, Jenna Jankowski, Amy Giuffrida, Kimberly Fernando, Whitney Ross, Morgan Hughes, Andie Smith, Lindsay Auld, Jennifer March Soloway

#25 A: A LITTLE OVER THE TOP Michelle Jackson

#26 A: THE DREAMS THEY CARRY Jen Nadol, Najla Mamou

#27 A: HEIST RACE Kristin Ostby, Christina Lopez, Joanna MacKenzie

#28 A: SWEETHEARTS OF THE OVERTHROW Vicky Weber, Joanna MacKenzie, Kimberly Fernando

In addition, our two other finalists didn't make it to the agent and editor round because they accepted offers of representation after being selected!

Last but certainly not least, THANK YOU. Whether you were an agent, an editor, an entrant, or a finalist, #PitchMe doesn't work without all of you. And #PitchMe REALLY wouldn't work without Tara Shiroff, my partner (pitcher?)-in-crime. Thanks again for all your insights and boundless enthusiasm.

#PitchMe Finalists 2023

Please note that we had several entries with very similar titles, so definitely make sure your title AND initials match before you get too excited:

PB

A.N.W.'s ECHO CAVE

K.M.'s SPACE KNIFE: THE TRUE STORY OF KING TUT'S DAGGER

E.E.'s THE COPPER-COLORED MITTENS

M.T.'s EILEEN COLLINS: DETERMINED, FOCUSED, FIERCE - NASA'S FIRST FEMALE PILOT & MISSION COMMANDER

S.G.'s THE BOY OF THE CINNAMON ISLAND

M.S.'s WREN'S FRIENDS

N.G.'s THE LOCKDOWN RULE

MG

C.L.'s TANGLED UP (contemporary)

M.B.'s WHAT LINGERS AT THE CRESCENT (horror)

E.M.'s THE SORCERER OF WESTMINSTER (historical fantasy)

R.B.'s NIGHT BECOMES NOON (contemporary)

T.B.'s THE ODD ONES (fantasy)

M.A.'s THE MARITIME DETECTIVE COMPANY: THE CURSE OF THE MERMAID'S PEARL (mystery)

J.K.'s THE PECULIAR BLOOMS OF POSEY AVENUE (magical realism graphic novel)

M.D.'s HOW NOT TO DIE IN A SWAMP (horror)

YA

B.R.'s A GOOD NIGHT TO SAY GOODBYE (historical mystery)

A.L.R.'s DEEP ROOTS (contemporary)

O.S.'s TERRA (fantasy)

M.R.'s MURDERLAND (thriller)

J.D.M.'s SECRETS DON'T STAY BURIED (thriller)

R.B.'s LAWNMOWER LEAVING (contemporary)

N.M.'s THE AMULET OF AMUN (historical adventure)

Adult

F.T.'s THE SELF-DESTRUCTION OF SYMPATHY D (speculative)

R.J.'s A LITTLE OVER THE TOP (contemporary romance)

L.F.'s BYSTANDER (thriller)

S.L.'s THE LOST DIARIES (Gothic mystery)

J.K.'s BETWEEN BREATHS (historical women's fiction)

D.L.'s THE DREAMS THEY CARRY (magical realism)

S.S.'s THE IMPERFECT STORMS (women's fiction)

S.P.'s HEIST RACE (thriller)

Congratulations, finalists! Tara and I can't wait to dig in and ultimately share these awesome projects with our agents and editors.

On the other hand, I know that this news comes as a huge letdown to the majority of you. I wish one writer's acceptance didn't always have to equal another writer's rejection, but in most cases, it does (and in most cases, I've been on the raw end of that equation, so I know how much it hurts). To try to mitigate the sting, I'm once again offering feedback to everyone who entered #PitchMe. I took notes on every entry and wrote down something positive about every single one (and usually a suggestion, too). If you don't find an agent between now and October 26 and would like to hear my thoughts on your pitch, query, and first page, you're more than welcome to respond to your original submission with a request for that feedback. I only ask that you hold off until Thursday, October 26, the day AFTER the agent round, so I can spend these next few weeks reviewing the finalists' work.

A Couple of Notes on This Year's #PitchMe Entries

First off, thank you, thank you, thank you for submitting to #PitchMe. This contest doesn't work if we don't get a hefty batch of super promising submissions, and once again, you guys delivered. We've finalized most of our picks, but this year's entries were so great that we're still dilly-dallying over the last couple of slots.

Overall Impressions

• Maybe it's because I've gotten used to reading queries, but so many of the little things that stuck out to me last year didn't stick out to me this one. I didn't notice or care how you spelled my name (or didn't), whether you admitted you're a first-time novelist, or even how you closed your query. I scanned for title, word count, category, and genre, then dove straight into the summary. If the author's bio paragraph connected their lived experience to their book's subject matter, that was certainly a plus, but if a query happened to skip over that pesky bio paragraph, I honestly might not have noticed. The story itself was king.
• Established, best-selling authors can write anything they want, and publishers will throw money at it, but break-in stories have to clear a much, much, much, much higher bar. Write what you love, they say, and let your passion sell itself, but a part of me wonders how much experience such authors have with not selling anything. If you've been at this for a while, if agents and editors compliment your writing but never give you the time of day, it may be because your concepts aren't standing out.

PB Notes

• There were 84 submissions within this category.
• My #PitchMe spreadsheet has two columns for note-taking on each entry: "Pros" and "Cons." Too often, I found myself typing "Good query" under "Pros" and "Concept may not stand out enough" under "Cons." It's clear that so many of you are seasoned writers who've learned how to craft pitch-perfect queries and even manuscripts, but if agents have seen your concept over and over again, it may not matter how strong your query or even your manuscript is. Tara agreed. She pointed out that several of these entries were exceptionally well-written--but about a dog or cat.
• On the whole, Tara thought these entries were really, really strong. In more than one case, she decided not to pick an entry simply because she didn't think it needed #PitchMe's help.
• She--and I--also shied away from rhyming picture books because they're hard to critique and really have to be pitch-perfect to catch an agent's eye. If the verse is on, it's ON, but if the meter is off by even a single syllable, the whole thing kind of falls apart.

MG Notes

• There were 44 submissions within this category.
• And more than half of them--28, to be precise--were some kind of fantasy. Throw in the horrors with fantastical elements, and the number would be well over 30. Nothing wrong with fantasy, of course, and I loved some of these entries, but MG in general and MG fantasy in particular has become quite tricky to sell, so your project really has to go above and beyond.
• Maybe it's just the time of year, but I also came across enough ghost stories in these entries that I started to take note. Here again, some of these ghost stories were my very favorite entries, but it also made me wonder if our agents might be experiencing ghost-story fatigue. 
• Lastly, multiple stories started on the first or last day of school, so those first pages had to work even harder to stand out.

YA Notes

• There were 49 submissions within this category.
• And quite a few of them were also fantasies. That said, there weren't nearly as many, but there were certainly enough to make me jot down a note.

Adult Notes

• There were 84 submissions within this category.
• And on the whole, I'd say that the adult submissions featured a better mix of genres. That said, experience has taught me that my fantasy and sci-fi tastes don't match up very well with what agents are looking for--which has everything to do with me and absolutely nothing to do with the amazing fantasy and sci-fi authors #PitchMe has featured in the past--so those ones really had to wow me to make it onto my longlist.

You may have done the math yourself, but of the 14 awesome agents and 5 lurking editors who will be checking in on #PitchMe, 6 will be looking for PB, 13 for MG, 13 for YA, and 11 for adult.

Please meet me back here tomorrow for the list of finalists!

Second Submission Window for #PitchMe 2023 Now Open

UPDATE: The submission windows are now closed. We received 84 PBs, 44 MGs, 49 YAs, and 84 adults for a total of 261 entries. Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, September 20!

Welcome to #PitchMe 2023! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction and nonfiction (all genres)

MG fiction (all genres)

YA fiction (all genres)

Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. THERE WILL BE TWO 30-MINUTE SUBMISSION WINDOWS to (try to) accommodate work schedules and international entrants. The first submission window opens on Wednesday, September 6, at 10:30 a.m. EDT and closes at 11:00 a.m. EDT. The second submission window opens later that same day, Wednesday, September 6, at 10:30 p.m. EDT and closes at 11:00 p.m. EDT. Hopefully, you'll be awake and/or not at work during one of these 30-minute intervals!

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Previous finalists may enter again AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A NEW MANUSCRIPT TO SUBMIT.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents and editors, check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

First Submission Window for #PitchMe 2023 Now Open

UPDATE: The first submission window is now closed, but the second will open tonight at 10:30 p.m. EDT. For your information, we've received 39 PBs, 29 MGs, 32 YAs, and 59 adults so far!

Welcome to #PitchMe 2023! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction and nonfiction (all genres)

MG fiction (all genres)

YA fiction (all genres)

Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. THERE WILL BE TWO 30-MINUTE SUBMISSION WINDOWS to (try to) accommodate work schedules and international entrants. The first submission window opens on Wednesday, September 6, at 10:30 a.m. EDT and closes at 11:00 a.m. EDT. The second submission window opens later that same day, Wednesday, September 6, at 10:30 p.m. EDT and closes at 11:00 p.m. EDT. Hopefully, you'll be awake and/or not at work during one of these 30-minute intervals!

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Previous finalists may enter again AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A NEW MANUSCRIPT TO SUBMIT.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents and editors, check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

#PitchMe 2022 Results and Wrap-up

Another #PitchMe's come and gone, and I'm delightfully worn out. #PitchMe pitches racked up 72 likes earlier this week from our agents and editors (and several pitches scored 3 additional likes from an outside agent and editor, too)! Here's a breakdown of the action:

#2 PB: MY BA'S AMBODO Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, Jennifer Herrington, Michael Carr, Elisa Houot

#3 PB: SOUR DOUGH Jennifer Herrington

#4 PB: THE PICKLE INCIDENT Alison Weiss

#5 PB: WHISPER TO THE WORRY STONES Jennifer Herrington, Lindsay Auld, Stefanie Molina, Kristin Ostby, Cherrita Lee

#7 PB: QUOKKA CAN'T FROWN Jennifer Herrington, Stefanie Molina, Cherrita Lee

#8 MG: KONRAD BLOOM AND THE REJECTS OF TECH-E ACADEMY Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, Lindsay Auld, Alison Weiss

#9 MG: A RECIPE FOR DISASTER Elizabeth Bewley, Alex Aceves, Lindsay Auld, Lisa Mangum

#10 MG: MAIRA AND THE RAINBOW CITY Elizabeth Bewley, Lindsay Auld, Lisa Mangum

#11 MG: NEWTON'S NOVELTIES Jennifer Herrington, Jon Cobb, Lindsay Auld, Shari Maurer

#14 MG: MURDER AASAN Jennifer Herrington, Jon Cobb, Lindsay Auld, Michael Carr, Kristin Ostby, Savannah Brooks (plus Kristie Choi)

#15 YA: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF A FLOWER Alex Aceves, Stefanie Molina, Lisa Mangum, Savannah Brooks

#16 YA: SONG FOR LOST SOULS Lisa Mangum

#17 YA: ONCE UPON A ROAD TRIP Jennifer Herrington, Elizabeth Bewley, Alex Aceves, Elisa Houot

#18 YA: BEAUTY TO ASHES Elizabeth Bewley, Alex Aceves, Michael Carr, Kristin Ostby, Elisa Houot, Lindsay Auld, Ali Lake

#19 YA: MY NAME IS MARY READ Ali Lake

#20 YA: DANCING WITH THE ALL-STARS Jennifer Herrington

#21 YA: THE WONDER BENEATH Elizabeth Bewley, Alex Aceves, Michael Carr, Kristin Ostby

#22 YA: A MAJOR IN DROWNING Jennifer Herrington, Elizabeth Bewley, Lindsay Auld, Shari Maurer, Kristin Ostby, Jon Cobb (plus Michelle Z. Jackson)

#23 A: PROMISE THEM A STORM Jon Cobb

#27 A: AT THE END OF TIME Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, Elizabeth Bewley, Jen Nadol, Kristin Ostby, Lisa Mangum (plus Michelle Z. Jackson)

#28 A: FINDING THE MUGWORT GIRLS Savannah Brooks

#29 A: THE SOMEDAY GAME Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, Jen Nadol, Julie Crisp

In addition, one of our PBs came to the agent round with an offer on the table!

Also, I just want to say that, if you didn't get a like--or even if you didn't get picked as a finalist--I still believe in you, and I hope you believe in you, too. The only trait every published author has in common is persistence, so keep bashing your head against that brick wall until it comes crumbling down.

Last but certainly not least, THANK YOU. Whether you were an agent, an editor, an entrant, or a finalist, I couldn't have done this without you. And I REALLY couldn't have done this without PB partner-in-crime Tara Shiroff. Thanks again for all your insights and boundless enthusiasm.

Until next year!

This Year's #PitchMe Finalists

 Without any ado, here are the #PitchMe finalists* in no particular order:

PB

A.W.'s THE PICKLE INCIDENT

A.W.'s WORRY STONES (a different A.W., I promise!)

R.J.'s QUOKKA CAN'T FROWN

R.M.K's HEADLINE FROM THE HEIGHTS

K.R.'s I'M NOT A CINNAMON ROLL

K.P.'s MY BA'S AMBODO

S.K.R.'s SOUR DOUGH

(Also, it's worth mentioning that Tara reads these entries blind so her opinions are unbiased!)

MG

T.M.'s A RECIPE FOR DISASTER (contemporary)

C.L.'s MAIRA AND THE RAINBOW CITY (fantasy)

A.M.'s ARDEN WOOD AND THE MAGICAL MUSICAL (contemporary fantasy)

C.D.'s KONRAD BLOOM AND THE REJECTS OF TECH-E ACADEMY (sci-fi mystery)

S.P.'s MURDER AASAN (fantasy mystery)

J.K.'s NEWTON'S NOVELTIES (sci-fi)

D.A.'s THE TRINITY KNOT (historical)

YA

P.C.H.'s ONCE UPON A ROAD TRIP (romantic comedy)

K.N.'s DANCING WITH THE ALL-STARS (contemporary romance)

J.W.'s MY NAME IS MARY READ (historical)

K.B.'s SONG FOR LOST SOULS (fantasy)

A.T.'s THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF A FLOWER (contemporary)

E.C.'s A MAJOR IN DROWNING (speculative mystery)

K.O.'s BEAUTY TO ASHES (horror)

I.L.C.'s THE WONDER BENEATH (fantasy)

Adult

P.T.Z.'s DARK RUN (thriller)

M.F.'s PROMISE THEM A STORM (fantasy)

D.B.'s DREAM MACHINE (sci-fi)

M.P.'s THE WIZARD'S CORPSE (fantasy mystery)

E.K.'s FINDING THE MUGWORT GIRLS (cozy mystery)

R.M.'s THE SOMEDAY GAME (speculative romance)

S.L.'s AT THE END OF TIME (literary fantasy)

E.J.C.'s TOPSIDERS (sci-fi)

Congratulations, finalists! I really can't wait to dig in and help you make these awesome projects just a little awesomer.

If your submission wasn't chosen, thank you so much for submitting, and please, please, please don't give up. I took notes on every entry and wrote down something positive about every single one (and usually a suggestion, too). If you don't find an agent between now and October 20 and would like to hear my thoughts on your pitch, query, and first page, you're more than welcome to respond to your original submission with a request for that feedback. I only ask that you hold off until Thursday, October 20, the day AFTER the agent round, so I can spend these next few weeks reviewing the finalists' work.

*As I alluded to yesterday, the allocation of the wildcards is simply a reflection of what the agents who agreed to participate in #PitchMe are looking for right now. Of the 14 agents who signed up, 4 are looking for PB, 10 are looking for MG, 12 are looking for YA, and 10 are looking for adult. (The lurking editors are only on the hunt for kidlit, from PB to YA.)

Thoughts on This Year's #PitchMe Entries

I've now read every entry, and once again, you guys didn't make it easy on me! Multiple times, I added six or seven entries in a row to the longlist I was building, which made me keep wondering how I'd ever trim it down. As we make our final choices, here's a little food for thought:

Overall Impressions

• Longtime agent Donald Maass has written multiple books about writing breakout novels, but writing break-IN novels--and especially PBs--is probably even harder. Established authors can write to trends and cover previously trod ground because they have relationships with agents and editors--and because those agents and editors know that their names alone sell books. For emerging authors, though, a PB about a dog or a YA about a boarding school may not generate interest.
• Most queries ended with the Query Shark-approved "Thank you for your time and consideration," but many also added something along the lines of "I look forward to hearing from you." I brought this up last year, and I'm bringing it up again because I firmly believe queries shouldn't include this line. It can sound passive-aggressive if an agent has established a no-response-means-no policy, which is never a great look. Save this line for when you send agents requested material (because I firmly believe agents owe writers responses once they've requested your work).
• It felt like roughly half of the novel-length entries were contemporaries while the other half were fantasies. This isn't good or bad--it's simply what the breakdown was--but if you're querying a manuscript in one of these two genres, you may be giving yourself a lot of extra competition.
• More than one query admitted that this project was the first thing its author had ever written. Don't tell agents this upfront! The first thing most writers write is destined for the deep, dark drawer where people keep their old retainers and junior high-era school pictures, so don't make it easier for someone to reject your work.
• And on a related note, you almost certainly don't need to tell agents that this manuscript would be your debut. If you don't mention other books that you've previously published, agents will assume it will be:)

PB Notes

• There were 142 submissions (!) within this category (one less than I reported a couple of weeks ago, as I found a duplicate).
• Far too many of these entries failed to credit illustrators of the comp titles they used. If there's one thing I've learned from Tara, it's ALWAYS CREDIT ILLUSTRATORS! They put the picture in PBs:)
• I also thought some of the bios in these entries were too long. (And this wasn't just confined to the picture books, mind you; it just seemed to be an issue among more of these entries.) Unless your name is Stephen King, your bio paragraph should be the shortest one in your query--and if your name IS Stephen King, your reputation precedes you. Definitely tell us if you have any other published books, any lived experience with what your book is about, or an exceptional platform. (Hint: I don't think my platform is exceptional enough to mention in the body of a query, though I always include links to my blog, Twitter, etc., in my signature block.) Above all, keep it short and sweet.
• A handful of these entries didn't mention their word counts, which made it really difficult to evaluate their marketability (especially in the context of this contest, as we may not have allowed you to send the full manuscript). If you want to give your picture book the best possible chance, keep your word count under 500. Nonfiction PBs have a lot more latitude--agents wouldn't bat an eye at anything under 1,000--but 500 words is a pretty firm ceiling in the current fiction market. 

I'll let Tara have the last word on the PBs: "Comp titles do not have to be about the same topic as your own book, i.e. TIGERS ARE AWESOME does not have to comp to TIGERS ARE CUTE, TIGERS ARE ORANGE, and TIGERS ARE TERRIFYING. You can comp to any book that has a similar theme to your story (friendship! forgiveness! kindness!) or the type of story (lyrical, humorous), but you don't need to strictly stick to the exact topic of your book.

"Please ensure your story is a story 'that's yours to tell.' I saw several PBs about neurodiversity where that was not the author's own background and some about disability because it was 'about my friend with a disability.' We need to leave room in the marketplace for stories from authors who have lived these experiences (neurodiversity, disability, etc.) themselves."

MG Notes

• There were 46 submissions within this category.
• There were also lots of fairies. And stories that revolved around the current climate crisis. There's nothing wrong with fairies or the climate crisis, right (or at least there's nothing wrong with centering a book around them!), but in this batch of MG queries, those plot elements stood out.

YA Notes

• There were 49 submissions within this category.
• I noticed lots of missions to avenge dead/missing parents in this batch of YA queries. (And when I say "lots," of course, I really mean, like, four or five, which isn't many in the end, but that plot point did stand out.) Same note as above: missions to avenge dead parents aren't dealbreakers on their own, but they may have made it harder for an entry to stand out.

Adult Notes

• There were 46 submissions within this category, which is actually one more than I told you two weeks ago. (Clearly, my counting skills need work...)
• This year, I tried to focus on the writing, writing, writing. I mean, I try to focus on the writing every year, but in the past, I've gotten wooed by super marketable concepts and kind of let the writing slide. This year, I said, "No more!" so if I didn't think the writing was ready for prime time, I forced myself to pass on super great ideas.

Lastly, I wanted to add that the nature of this contest creates some artificial issues that straight querying doesn't. Every agent who agreed to participate last year was looking for MG while significantly fewer were looking for adult. Conversely, almost every agent who's participating this year is looking for YA while significantly fewer are looking for PB. Since we want to feature projects that best match the agents' tastes, we have to choose fewer PBs than we otherwise would based on the number of entries (just like I had to choose fewer adults than I otherwise would have last year).

Finalists announced TOMORROW instead of on Wednesday!

Second Submission Window for #PitchMe 2022 Now Open

Update: And that's a wrap! We ended up with 143 PBs, 46 MGs, 49 YAs, and 45 adults for a total of 283 entries. Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, September 21!

Welcome to #PitchMe 2022! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction and nonfiction* (all genres)
MG fiction (all genres)
YA fiction (all genres)
Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

*I’ve asked PB author and two-time #TacoPitch winner Tara Shiroff to help me again!

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. THERE WILL BE TWO 30-MINUTE SUBMISSION WINDOWS to (try to) accommodate work schedules and international entrants. The first submission window opens on Wednesday, September 7, at 11:00 a.m. EDT and closes at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The second submission window opens later that same day, Wednesday, September 7, at 11:00 p.m. EDT and closes at 11:30 p.m. EDT. Hopefully, you'll be awake and/or not at work during one of these 30-minute intervals!

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Previous finalists may enter again AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A NEW MANUSCRIPT TO SUBMIT.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents, check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

First Submission Window for #PitchMe 2022 Now Open

UPDATE: The first submission window is now closed, but the second submission window will open at 11:00 p.m. EDT tonight. For your information, we've received 88 PBs, 26 MGs, 33 YAs, and 31 adults so far!

Welcome to #PitchMe 2022! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction and nonfiction* (all genres)
MG fiction (all genres)
YA fiction (all genres)
Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

*I’ve asked PB author and two-time #TacoPitch winner Tara Shiroff to help me again!

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. THERE WILL BE TWO 30-MINUTE SUBMISSION WINDOWS to (try to) accommodate work schedules and international entrants. The first submission window opens on Wednesday, September 7, at 11:00 a.m. EDT and closes at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The second submission window opens later that same day, Wednesday, September 7, at 11:00 p.m. EDT and closes at 11:30 p.m. EDT. Hopefully, you'll be awake and/or not at work during one of these 30-minute intervals!

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Previous finalists may enter again AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A NEW MANUSCRIPT TO SUBMIT.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents, check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

#PitchMe Results and Wrap-up

#PitchMe pitches racked up 66 likes last week from the members of our agent panel (and one pitch scored an extra like from an outside agent, too)! Here's a breakdown of the action: 

#1 PB: THIS BOOK NEEDS A PASSWORD Jennifer Herrington, Elizabeth Bewley

#2 PB: HAND-ME-DOWN BOOTS Tara Gonzalez, Analieze Cervantes, Jennifer Herrington

#3 PB: SLIME TIME Jennifer Herrington

#4 PB: FINDING FADO Joyce Sweeney, Jennifer Herrington

#5 PB: GUS THE MAGNIFICENT Jennifer Herrington

#6 PB: LIGHTS OUT FOR LUDWIG Jennifer Herrington

#7 PB: STORYBOOK SAFETY INSPECTOR Pam Pho

#8 MG: IF ELEPHANTS COULD TALK Jen Nadol, Pam Pho, Tara Gonzalez, Stefanie Molina, Elizabeth Bewley

#9 MG: BEAST SCOUTS OF THE WANDERING REACH Aida Z. Lilly

#10 MG: THE INFLUENCER Jen Nadol, Jennifer Herrington, Shari Maurer, Katherine Wessbecher

#11 MG: CUTTLEPUNK Jennifer Herrington, Tara Gonzalez

#12 MG: THE SISTERHOOD OF ALOBIBI Joyce Sweeney, Jennifer Herrington, Tara Gonzalez, Lindsay Auld, Shari Maurer, Analieze Cervantes, Katherine Wessbecher

#13 MG: THE GRAVEDIGGER Tara Gonzalez

#14 MG: BLACKBIRD Jennifer Herrington, Tara Gonzalez, Lindsay Auld, Stefanie Molina

#15 MG: EVIE AND THE BOY FROM THE SEA Jennifer Herrington, Aida Z. Lilly, Analieze Cervantes

#16 YA: BLOWN AWAY Aida Z. Lilly, Tara Gonzalez, Elizabeth Bewley

#17 YA: GEEK MYTHOLOGY Pam Pho, Tara Gonzalez, Aida Z. Lilly

#18 YA: THE DEATH MOTHER Aida Z. Lilly

#21 YA: THE SOLSTICE STONE Aida Z. Lilly, Stefanie Molina, Analieze Cervantes, Katherine Wessbecher, Elizabeth Bewley

#22 YA: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD Analieze Cervantes

#24 YA: FAUNA OF MIRRORS Pam Pho, Stefanie Molina, Analieze Cervantes, Katherine Wessbecher

#25 A: SELF-CHECKOUT Analieze Cervantes

#27 A: THE COYOTE PRINCIPLE Jen Nadol, Katherine Wessbecher

#28 A: OLYMPIC ENEMIES Jennifer Herrington, Elizabeth Bewley

#29 A: SECRET SISTER Aida Z. Lilly, Elizabeth Bewley (plus Melissa Danaczko)

#30 A: BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SEXTING Jen Nadol, Aida Z. Lilly, Stefanie Molina, Elizabeth Bewley

In addition, one of our PBs came to the agent round with an offer on the table, and one of our adult finalists, WITCHCRAFT & WHISKEY, had to bow out of the agent round because it received an offer. (Luckily, we had an alternate waiting in the wings!)

Also, I just want to say that, if you didn't get a like--or even if you didn't get picked as a finalist--I still believe in you, and I hope you believe in you, too. The only trait every published author has in common is persistence, so keep bashing your head against that brick wall until it comes crumbling down.

Last but certainly not least, THANK YOU. Whether you were an agent, an entrant, or a finalist, I couldn't have done this without you. And I REALLY couldn't have done this without PB partner-in-crime Tara Shiroff. Thank you for your insights and your boundless optimism.

Until next year!

#PitchMe Finalists

Without any ado, here are the #PitchMe finalists* in no particular order:

PB

C.S.'s FINDING FADO

J.F.S.'s SLIME TIME

C.D.'s THIS BOOK NEEDS A PASSWORD

J.W.'s GUS, THE MAGNIFICENT

M.R.'s LIGHTS OUT FOR LUDWIG

K.L's BOOK LAND SAFETY INSPECTOR

A.L.'s HAND-ME-DOWN BOOTS

MG

T.G.'s BEAST SCOUTS OF THE WANDERING REACH (fantasy)

P.Z.'s THE SISTERHOOD OF ALOBIBI (mystery)

R.R.'s IF ELEPHANTS COULD TALK (contemporary novel-in-verse)

D.P.'s GOOD VIBRATIONS (contemporary)

D.A.'s EVIE AND THE BOY FROM THE SEA (fantasy)

A.V.'s CUTTLEPUNK (contemporary fantasy)

G.P.'s THE GRAVEDIGGER (horror)

K.B.'s BLACKBIRD (contemporary)

YA

E.M.W.'s GEEK MYTHOLOGY (contemporary fantasy)

K.C.'s FAUNA OF MIRRORS (fantasy)

J.C.T's POST-MORTEM DEPRESSION (paranormal)

C.B.'s DARK CORNERS, BRIGHT SPACES (contemporary romance)

S.R.K's THE SOLSTICE STONE (contemporary/historical)

K.C.'s ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD (speculative)

J.S.C.'s BLOWN AWAY (contemporary)

A.H.'s THE DEATH MOTHER (magical realism)

E.C.'s THE FREE CITY (techno-thriller)

Adult

A.R.'s BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SEXTING (romantic comedy)

N.S.'s THE COYOTE PRINCIPLE (literary mystery)

M.W.'s SECRET SIS (domestic thriller)

J.T.F.'s DRAGONS OF WIND AND LEAVES (fantasy)

H.R.'s WITCHCRAFT & WHISKEY (historical fantasy)

S.S.'s SELF-CHECKOUT (contemporary romance)

Congratulations, finalists! I really can't wait to dig in and help you make these awesome projects just a little awesomer.

If your submission wasn't chosen, thank you so much for submitting, and please, please, please don't give up. I took notes on every entry and wrote down something positive about every single one (and usually a suggestion, too). If you don't find an agent between now and October 21 and would like to hear my thoughts on your pitch, query, and first page, you're more than welcome to respond to your original submission with a request for that feedback. I only ask that you hold off until Thursday, October 21, the day AFTER the agent round, so I can spend these next few weeks reviewing the finalists' work.

*You probably noticed that I picked a few more MGs and YAs than PBs and adults. This is simply a reflection of what the agents who agreed to participate in #PitchMe are looking for right now. Of the 12 agents who signed up, 7 are looking for PB, 12 are looking for MG, 11 are looking for YA, and 5 are looking for adult.

Thoughts on #PitchMe Submissions

 I've now read all 251--or all 249, as there were several duplicates--of your amazing #PitchMe entries. *collapses on sofa* And my goodness, you guys didn't make it easy on me! Of the 249 submissions, I probably flagged at least a third and maybe up to half of them to consider for our spots. As I narrow down the list, here's a little food for thought:

Overall Impressions

• If you have a connection to your plot or characters--say, if you and your MC are both retired detectives or Chinese Americans--make that connection very clear. Many writers did this well, but several queries made me wonder why this writer was the one telling this story through this lens. Don't ever make an agent guess!
• Most queries ended with the Query Shark-approved "Thank you for your time and consideration," but many also added something along the lines of "I look forward to hearing from you." In an era when more agents are using auto-responders and simultaneously adopting a no-response-means-no policy, this line may come across as vaguely passive-aggressive. Just something to keep in mind.
• FANTASY was, by far, the most represented genre across every category. That's not an awful thing, per se--I happen to love fantasy--but because of the volume, submissions within this genre had to work even harder to stand out. Several things that caught my eye: a fascinating world, an uncommon superpower, an especially high concept, or a unique genre mashup.
• POST-APOCALYPTIC SETTINGS, especially in YA and adult, sort of caught me by surprise. At first, they struck me as fresh, but as I encountered more and more, they became strikes against their projects instead of points for them.
• Another plot device I bumped into more than once was THE ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS TROPE, and not only in romance. Some of my favorite entries happened to use this plot device, and I know tropes are tropes in part because they're evergreen. But if you're going for unique, especially if you're writing romance, you might want to use another.
• I also encountered lots of WITCHES across the novel categories and quite a few SECRET SOCIETIES in YA and adult.
• Fairy tale retellings, or retellings of the classics, weren't nearly as abundant in MG or YA as they probably would have been a handful of years ago, which I think is a good thing and lines up with market trends. Conversely, in PB, I encountered quite a few FAIRY TALE AND/OR NURSERY RHYME REFERENCES. Unless you approach these stories in an unexpected way (and to be honest, several did), I fear they might not stand out. 
• Finally, I couldn't help but notice several uses of free cities--like the Free City of Detroit, a futuristic city-state. I was surprised to see this concept used by more than one writer, and now that Free Guy has come out, it might show up even more.

PB Notes

• Per my tweet last week, there were 58 submissions within this category.
• I have four young kids, including a three-year-old, so I've read quite a few PBs. When the text of a PB flows, even if it's not in VERSE, it's a delight to read out loud. And when it doesn't flow? It's not. You would think a verse would help, but unless it was consistent and the syllables lined up, I thought the verse fell kind of flat. In fact, in many instances, I thought the verse did a disservice to an otherwise great plot.

And now in Tara's words: "I would say that we were blown away by the entries and really looked for something that stood out to us because we know that's what will stand out to an agent...whether it made us laugh, cry or was just completely unique. Stories that were well-written perhaps did not ultimately get selected as winners if they were too didactic or did not have a completely unique element. Agents want to be able to brand you (your books are funny, sweet, lyrical, family-driven, own voices, etc.), so if they ask you to submit additional picture books, they are going to expect that your additional submissions are similar in tone/theme. I would hold off on querying (we had several submissions where people said they had one great idea and no other books) until you have 3-5 fully polished manuscripts in case (and when!) an agent asks you for more work.

"Some of the PBs had a lot of introduction and didn't get right into the action, which meant that the start was a little slow. Some of them did not have much dialogue throughout the story, and that would make a child potentially less interested. Some of them were much too long for a PB (we had a few that said they were over 800 words), and so really knowing that agents are looking to make offers on books that are approximately 500 words would be helpful for some writers. Some indicated in the query that they had a surprise, twisty ending, but since we only allowed a sample of the story we didn't see that awesome ending and that was unfortunate."

MG Notes

• Per my tweet last week, there were 34 submissions within this category.
• BULLYING was an extremely common theme among the MG submissions, so if that's your only hook, you might want to add another.

YA Notes

• There were 74 submissions within this category, which is one less than I reported last week, as there was a duplicate.
• SIRENS seemed to be the paranormal soupe du jour among the YA entries. I came across VAMPIRES, too, but they weren't as prominent, perhaps because their vampirism didn't play as large a role in how their stories rolled out.  

Adult Notes

• There were 83 submissions within this category, which is one less than I reported last week, as there was a duplicate.
• Of all the categories, this one was the most varied. I'm not sure why that would be, but I thought I'd point it out!
• One question I kept asking as I read these entries was, "Does this love story work in a #metoo-mindful world?" Sadly, in some cases, the answer was simply no.

Lastly, I wanted to say something about the nature of this contest and the issues it creates. Because I want to give the agents a unique and balanced list, I put these projects head to head far more often than I'd like. Do I pick this thriller or that one, and which of these fantasies with a shapeshifting raccoon do I think is very best? An agent can request them all, but I'm a lot more limited, so if you don't make it in, please know that I saw positives in every one of these entries and won't be able to include a lot of really awesome work.

Until next week!

Now Accepting #PitchMe Submissions

UPDATE: And that's a wrap! We received 251 submissions in the first hour, so the submission window is now closed. Keep an eye on this space--and on my Twitter feed--for more #PitchMe tidbits!

Welcome to #PitchMe! To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions. First, it must be COMPLETE, NEVER-PUBLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and second, it must be in one of the following genres:

PB fiction* (all genres)
MG fiction (all genres)
YA fiction (all genres)
Adult fiction (all genres, including commercial, literary, and/or upmarket but excluding erotica)

*Since I admittedly know less about writing and pitching PBs, I’ve asked PB author and two-time #TacoPitch winner Tara Shiroff to help me help you!

1. All submissions must be sent to kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com and include A TWITTER PITCH, A QUERY, AND THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. (PB author-illustrators are also encouraged to share links to their online portfolios.) You must also paste these items IN THE BODY OF YOUR E-MAIL; otherwise, I'll disqualify it.

2. Please submit ONLY ONE PROJECT. If you submit multiple projects, I'll only consider the first.

3. It would also really help if you INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY--PB, MG, YA, OR ADULT--SOMEWHERE IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE, but it's not a requirement.

4. The submission window opens on Wednesday, September 8, at 11:00 a.m. EDT and closes at 12:00 noon EDT or when we reach 150 entries, WHICHEVER HAPPENS LAST. If we haven’t reached 150 entries by September 14 at 11:00 a.m. EDT, the submission window will close then.

5. Once you send me your submission, I’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with a summary of these rules.

6. Lastly, because there's so much need in so many places around the world, I PLEDGE TO DONATE $1 FOR EVERY SUBMISSION RECEIVED, which I'll split evenly between Haitian, Afghan, and Hurricane Ida relief efforts.

For more information, including a timeline of events and a list of participating agents, check out this post. We can't wait to read your work!

Ms. Podos Picks Her Winners

Without any ado, here are Ms. Podos's winners (with her thoughts in orange):

#9 UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY: "The query did a good job of capturing a fantastical plot with multiple surreal elements, which can be so hard to summarize, and the opening page drew me in with its voice, detail, and delicate sorrow."

#10 THE LIBRARY OF UNSPOKEN THINGS: "The query was polished and told me what I needed to know about the character, her arc, and the stakes. Charlotte’s voice shone in the opening scene--she’s a character I want to follow. And I do love an f/f element. :)"

Both UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY and THE LIBRARY OF UNSPOKEN THINGS win requests for the first 3 chapters!

Congratulations, winners! Please e-mail me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com for details on how to submit your materials.

Lastly but never leastly, thank you to Ms. Podos for taking the time to read and critique these entries, and thank you to YOU for taking the time to do the same. Best of luck with your other queries, and if you have a few spare minutes, do come back tomorrow for the cover reveal of EARTH TO DAD!