Here's the timeline:
September 4: The submission windows open
September 18: Selected submissions announced
September 18-October 22: Mentoring takes place
October 23: Revised Twitter pitches posted; agents (and editors!) like their favorites
September 18: Selected submissions announced
September 18-October 22: Mentoring takes place
October 23: Revised Twitter pitches posted; agents (and editors!) like their favorites
Submissions
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)
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.
Selections
I'll select 6 entries within each major category--PB, MG, YA, and adult--and up to 6 wildcards. I may pick 6 adults or 3 YAs and 3 MGs or just a single PB with those wildcards; it depends on what I know the agents are looking for and which submissions seem strongest.
I'll select 6 entries within each major category--PB, MG, YA, and adult--and up to 6 wildcards. I may pick 6 adults or 3 YAs and 3 MGs or just a single PB with those wildcards; it depends on what I know the agents are looking for and which submissions seem strongest.
Once I've finalized my picks, I'll e-mail the winning writers and announce the winning titles here and/or on my Twitter feed two weeks after the submission windows close. Then the real work will begin!
Mentoring
For the next roughly 5 weeks, the winning writers will revise their pitches, queries, and first pages with our help. You won’t be obligated to incorporate our thoughts, and the feedback we provide on your queries and first pages won’t actually be featured in the agent round itself. We just want to help you make your pitches, queries, and first pages the very best that they can be.
For the next roughly 5 weeks, the winning writers will revise their pitches, queries, and first pages with our help. You won’t be obligated to incorporate our thoughts, and the feedback we provide on your queries and first pages won’t actually be featured in the agent round itself. We just want to help you make your pitches, queries, and first pages the very best that they can be.
Liking
On Wednesday, October 23, I'll post the revised pitches ON MY TWITTER FEED for the agents (and editors!) to review. Here are the awesome agents who'll be reviewing your pitches:
On Wednesday, October 23, I'll post the revised pitches ON MY TWITTER FEED for the agents (and editors!) to review. Here are the awesome agents who'll be reviewing your pitches:
Each like will count as a partial or full request based on the agents’ preferences. Agents will be able to review and like your pitches for at least 24 hours, at which point you’ll be allowed to submit your materials to all the agents who requested them. These likes represent serious interest in your project, so PLEASE DON’T ACCEPT AN OFFER OF REPRESENTATION BEFORE GIVING THE #PITCHME AGENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A COMPETING OFFER.
I've also enlisted the aid of some lurking editors. Their likes will also represent requests, but even if their publishers allow you to submit without an agent, I strongly recommend that you wait until you secure representation. A smart, savvy agent is worth their weight in gold, and I'm hopeful agents will be even more interested in your project if they know you've got an editor request (or two!) in your back pocket.
Have a question? Ask below!
13 comments:
Hi Krista! Do the first 250 words for PBs include art notes?
Hi Krista! What does complete mean? Can it be a polished first draft? Must it have been beta-read? Where is the line drawn?
Good questions! For the purposes of this contest, yes, the first 250 words of PBs should include art notes. (I'm just trying to make sure the amount of words Tara, Melissa, and I have to read are somewhat uniform across entries.)
And the meaning of "complete" is up to you, Anon. If you feel like your manuscript is ready to be queried, then by all means, enter it!
Hi! Should the twitter pitch include hashtags, emojis, and things of that nature (up to 280 characters), *exactly* how we would pitch it on twitter?
Hi! Should the twitter pitch include things like hashtags (i.e., #amquerying #litagents) and emojis so that it reflects exactly how we would pitch our book on twitter?
When you say Twitter pitch, do you mean the text we’d put in one or the link to an already-posted pitch?
More good questions, all. You're welcome to include hashtags and emojis if you'd like, but it's by no means a requirement. I just want to get a feel for how you've already been pitching your manuscript (or how you would if this is a brand new project).
I mean the text you'd put in one. No need to send a link!
Thank you for this amazing opportunity!
You're welcome, Christine. Good luck!
Hi Krista! Who should we address the query letter to?
You can address it to me. Or me, Tara, and Melissa. Or no one. We're not picky:)
Hi Krista! Is the “Query” what I know as a cover letter? With a brief introduction, comp titles, a blurb, and a bit about myself? Or something shorter than that?
Yep, that's exactly right, Anon!
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