My Pitch Wars Profile

Welcome to Pitch Wars! If you missed the post with all the details, definitely check that out. It includes important dates as well as submission information (which I haven't repeated here because this post is already too long). Also, you should know that YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATIONS ANYTIME BETWEEN NOW AND 8:00 A.M. EST ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, so hop around and check out all the mentors’ profiles, then get those applications in! (You can find the other mentors’ profiles through the widget at the bottom of this post.)

What I’m Looking For

I’m looking for all things middle grade, so if you’re shopping an MG manuscript, I want to hear about it. But here are a few more thoughts on the kinds of things I really love:

--The most important characteristic of any manuscript is voice, but I think it’s especially important in this category. It’s got to sound authentic or kids will see right through it, so voice is the number-one thing I’m looking for.

--I tend to gravitate toward more emotional MG reads. Favorite recent releases include Katherine Applegate’s THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, Sheila Turnage’s THREE TIMES LUCKY, and R.J. Palacio’s WONDER. They span a lot of genres, but the one thing they all have is HEART.

Why You Should Send Me Your Application

I’m sure most of you have already decided which mentors you want to submit to, but if you’re still up in the air, allow me to try to sway you:)

--When I’m reading a manuscript, I focus on the total package: character arcs and storylines, transitions and pacing, even grammar and punctuation. I plan to provide my teammate with general and chapter notes as well as make a bunch of comments in the text itself. That said, your manuscript is your manuscript, so in the end, it’s totally your call. I just want to help you see your story from a new perspective.

--My team won the inaugural round of “The Writer’s Voice” in May (which means my teammates’ entries received the most agent requests), so I know how to get an entry query- and contest-ready.

--Not only did my team win, but my MG teammates’ entries did particularly well. All three of my MG teammates received three agent requests (out of eight possible), so I know how to spot the kinds of manuscripts MG agents are looking for.

If You’re Looking for a YA Mentor

There are some awesome, awesome mentors looking for YA, so you YA writers are going to have a tough time narrowing down your lists. I do know a few of them personally, so if you’re having a tough time deciding, you might consider these great ladies:

--Elizabeth Briggs is one of my agent sisters and an all-around great writer. Not only is she represented by the best agent on the planet, but she interns for a pretty great agent, too (Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency, Inc.). She also reads A TON of books, so she has a great feel for what’s marketable.

--Monica B.W. was one of my fellow coaches in “The Writer’s Voice,” and since then, she’s become one of my very good writing friends. One of her teammates, R.C. Lewis, went on to sign with Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, who then sold her manuscript--the manuscript Monica plucked out of the slush pile--to Disney/Hyperion for six figures. So Monica definitely knows how to pick ’em.

--Cupid was also one of my fellow coaches in “The Writer’s Voice,” and I was really impressed with her coaching skills. She took one of the entries the rest of us overlooked and turned it into the most-requested entry in the whole competition, so Cupid knows how to polish an entry to really make it shine.

That's it from me. Leave any questions you might have in the comments, then get those applications in anytime between now and 8:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, December 5!

The Mentors

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.