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REMEMBER: EARLY Bird DEADLINE for
New Jersey June Conference is March 1st

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Writing Competition

Tarcher/Penguin and Julia Cameron are seeking undiscovered writing talent!

1.  This competition is open to novel and novella-length fiction as well as narrative nonfiction.
2.  Submissions should be no more than 10 pages (roughly 4-5,000 words maximum), and only one submission per person will be accepted.
3.  All submissions must be work that has not been published previously or awarded any prize in a prior contest or competition.
4.  Submissions should be sent electronically within the body of an e-mail (no attachments) to [email protected], along with your full name and contact information. Be sure to put “TTA [Your first and last name]” in the e-mail subject line. Submissions must be received by March 2, 2012.
5.  Semi finalists will be contacted March 23 to submit (electronically) the full manuscript. The winner will be chosen by Julia Cameron and announced online on April 26.
6.  The winning piece will win a cash prize of $5,000 and a manuscript review by a Penguin editor.
7.  View the complete official rules

TIMELINE

Submissions accepted from Jan 1, 2012 through March 2, 2012
Semi-finalists chosen: March 23 (Tarcher-Penguin will contact semi-finalists for additional material, which will need to be submitted to us by April 6). The semi-finalists’ manuscripts will be reviewed by Tarcher-Penguin editors.
Winner announced: April 26

HOW TO ENTER

1. To enter the Tarcher Top Artist Competition (the “Contest”), entrants must submit one or the other type of creative piece, as follows:

• An original drawn or painted piece of artwork, in jpeg or PDF format based on the theme of the book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

OR

• A fiction or narrative non-fiction written sample taken from a novel or novella-length manuscript; the entry to be no longer than ten (10) pages (roughly 4,000-5,000 words maximum).

The initial entries (of the written samples) must be sent to [email protected] within the body of an e-mail. Be sure to put “TTA [Your first and last name]” in the e-mail subject line. In addition, each entry must include the entrant’s full name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, age and website URL if applicable. Initial entries (of original artwork) and a brief description of how it ties in to the title, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, should be either e-mailed to [email protected] (file size no larger than 200KB; e-mail subject line “TTA [Your first and last name]“) or, preferably, posted to the Tarcher Top Artist Flickr group page (you must include your full name and age in the description area). These submissions will be used in the selection of ten semi-finalists in each category. Final winner selection will take place as outlined below under Judging.

2. Contest begins January 1, 2012. Writing submissions are due no later than March 2, 2012, 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time (ET). Art submissions are due no later than June 1, 2012, 11:59:59 PM ET. Limit one entry per person and per email account. The sole determinant of time for the purposes of receipt of a valid entry will be the computer servers of Tarcher Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. (“Sponsor”). Proof of transmission (screenshots or captures, etc.) does not constitute proof of receipt.

http://www.tarchertopartist.com/official-rules/<

THE WRITER’S NEW PERSONAL ESSAY/MEMOIR CONTEST

$10 ENTRY FEE
They’re looking for your original, unpublished viewpoint about  a particular topic or an experience you’ve had. Essays should be 1,000-1,200 words.

Deadline is November 30, 2011.

First prize: $1,000; a free 10-week creative writing workshop  offered online by Gotham Writers’ Workshop ($420 value); publication in The Writer and on WriterMag.com; and a one-year  subscription to The Writer.

Second prize: $300; free enrollment in a four-week How to Get Published seminar taught online by a literary agent and Gotham Writers’ Workshop ($150 value); publication on WriterMag.com; and a one-year subscription to The Writer.

Third prize: $200; free enrollment in a four-week How to Get Published seminar taught online by a literary agent and Gotham Writers’ Workshop ($150 value); publication on WriterMag.com; and a one-year subscription to The Writer.

http://www.writermag.com/2011essaycontest

I know everyone has a story to tell about something that happened in their life. Here’s your chance to share it, make some money, take a writing class, and get publishing credit.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

As Perseus expands their digital distribution to agents and authors, Bloomsbury is preparing a director competitor to Constellation, Faber Factory and other ebook distribution platforms for publishers. Launching soon, the new service, called Bloomsbury Connect has been in development for months under the direction of managing director, group sales and marketing Evan Schnittman. It’s a companion to the Bloomsbury Reader program, announced in April, which launched last week with almost 600 titles.

Bloomsbury Connect is a “service solution,” focused on publishers, while Bloomsbury Reader is a full “publishing solution” for out-of-print titles, focused on agencies and estates. Bloomsbury Connect will provide clients distribution into all major ebook channels, with support on retailer marketing programs and unified sales and royalty reporting through their association with Royalty Share. Bloomsbury is also partnering with a major ebook conversion company to offer clients conversion services at preferential bulk rates.

Consistent with their global publishing strategy, Bloomsbury Connect will distribute ebooks in all the territories worldwide where Bloomsbury already publishes. In one significant point of differentiation from many competitive plans, Bloomsbury gives clients the option of epublishing under the agency model (as long as the vendor allows it) or a wholesale model.

Bloomsbury Connect expects to launch with some of their own physical distribution clients. They plan to charge a commission of 15 to 20 percent, depending on volume and scale. The service is designed for publishers, but may work with some of the “true publishing” units established by literary agencies–though only to the extent that they publish titles with clear, unfettered rights.

The new Bloomsbury Reader is the company’s proposition focused on literary agencies and estates, run by digital media director Stephanie Duncan. They offer royalties of what the company calls “25 plus 5″–or what most people would call 30 percent–with Bloomsbury providing “quality conversion” and all other standard publisher services. The licensing term includes “an out-clause based on performance after 5 years,” Schnittman says. He adds, “we need a minimum of five years” at the potentially low-level sales of these back-in-print titles. While the rates are below what other newly-created digital publishers are offering, Bloomsbury is targeting long inactive material and trying to make it commercial again. “We are trying to raise the dead,” Schnittman said.

The company is currently pitching the new Bloomsbury Connect, Bloomsbury Reader, and their expanding Bloomsbury Public Library to both publishers and agencies as a broad set of digital options.

The Perseus Books Group’s digital distribution platform Constellation is adding a service offering targeted at the many literary agencies helping their authors epublish, called Argo Navis Author Services. After presentations to a small set agencies, Perseus announced that Janklow & Nesbit and Curtis Brown “are planning to make [the service] available to their clients.”

Separately, co-head of publications at ICM Sloan Harris confirmed to Publishers Lunch that the agency is close to finalizing a deal to participate in Perseus’s initiative. “They are not going to be an exclusive destination for us,” Harris said, “but I expect that they will be one of our most-favored outlets.” As for next steps, “We need to finish our deal [with Perseus], and go back around to every single client on every single title and recommend participation in appropriate cases.” Once everything is in place,

Why enter one Writer’s Digest brand-new and exciting genre competitions?

Well…there’s exposure. You win, you get published. Agents, publishers and future fans will see your work. And, of course, you’ll get the money – $1000 for the first place winners and $500 for second place winners. And, let’s be frank…bona fide bragging rights are a bit of alright.

You’ll get a professional critique of your work, where a professional will tell you what works, what doesn’t and how to fix it.

And finally, you’ll get a pretty impressive addition to your resume if you win.

Now I have read a bunch of manuscript from members that would be a good fit with one of these contests, maybe it is time to try submitting. It would be so much fun to have one of you be a winner.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Yesterday, Ariane briefly mentioned her book with uTales and I said I had info on this to share with you. uTales is in Beta testing right now, but anyone who wants to go on can use this link: www.utales.com/invitation  and use the password: kathy to get into their site. They will ask you to agree with their terms and agreement, but this is not giving any of your rights away.

This could be the answer to all you writers who would like to do something with your book, but can’t find an illustrator.  Below are some questions you might have.

What is uTales?

uTales is a world of digital picture books for kids, driven by a worldwide community of passionate and professional writers and illustrators.

uTales is both a website and an app, but more importantly uTales is one big disruptive idea. We’re a global community aiming to innovate and improve the concept of books in every way we can. We’re making picture books more modern and engaging. We’re making a greater variety of picture books more accessible for kids everywhere. We’re eliminating boundaries for talented storytellers to get published. And we’re trying to make the world a little better for kids, one story at a time.

How does uTales insure the quality of the books?

Only books approved by uTales will be featured in the uTales store and apps. uTales is proud to have an internationally diverse editorial advisory panel in place to approve all books before they are published to insure and uphold the highest safety and quality standards for our readers. This panel is made up of award-winning professional editors, authors, illustrators, and educators.

Our UQEP panel is led by children’s book editor and consultant, Emma D. Dryden, who has, over the course of the past twenty-five years, edited and published hundreds of books for young readers in her work with Margaret K. McElderry Books and Atheneum Books for Young Readers, imprints of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Emma oversees drydenbks, her own children’s book consultancy company, is a member of the American Library Association, and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Board of Advisors.

How do I support charity by using uTales?

We are very proud to have a partnership with Pencils of Promise, and that we, together with our uTalers, help them build schools in developing countries. Our uTalers have the choice to give up to 100% of their earnings to support Pencils of Promise – so every time you read one of their books, you bring education to a child in need.

Beyond that, we create specific uTales books with 100% of the earnings going to Pencils of Promise – and we hope to be doing even more together with PoP in the future. We’re building uTales for the kids.

For more information on Pencils of Promise, check out their fantastic website: www.pencilsofpromise.org

Can I end my uTales subscription at any time?

Yes you can.

For how long will I keep books I have purchased on uTales?

For as long as you have an account registered with us.

How do I create books on uTales.com?

Simply start a new book in our create tool on the website.
Once your book is approved by our UQEP panel (a process that generally takes from a few days up to two weeks), it will be available globally on uTales.com and in the uTales apps.

Do I give away all my rights as a creator?

No, of course not! We are trying to offer the most transparent and simple setup on the market. You’ll find al

This year the New Jersey SCBWI Chapter is asking authors and illustrators who want to present at our annual conference to fill out the form attached in this post to be considered.  You do not have to live in the state for be considered. 

Please check back for the form link later today.  I was not able to upload it to the New Jersey SCBWI website, due to server problems.  I know there are a lot of you who have been waiting for this information, so I decided to paste it into the blog.  Compensation is listed at the end and link at bottom.

New Jersey SCBWI 2012 Conference

Workshop/Intensive Proposal Application

All potential workshop and intensive presenters must submit a written proposal. We are interested in a variety of types of workshops/intensives, both lecture and hands-on.

Submit a separate form for each workshop/intensive you are proposing.

Conference Dates: June 8-10, 2012 2012 Conference Location: Wyndham Princeton

Proposal Due Date: November 15, 2011

We will strive to notify presenters by January 15, 2012

Submit Form to:

[email protected] - Subject: Conference Proposal Application 

Title of Workshop/Intensive: __________________________________

Circle one:

Workshop presentation (45 minutes) or Friday Pre-conference intensive (4 hours)

Name:___________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________

Email: ___________________________________________________

Website: _________________________________________________

Will You Partner with Other Presenters for Your Workshop? ___________

If so, list their names, addresses, phone numbers,emails,and websites:

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Description (Please attach outline) of workshop in 150 words or less:______

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Title of Workshop/Intensive: __________________________________

Maximum number of workshop participants? ______________________

What will your workshop focus on?

Writing Illustrating Marketing Other ______________________________

THE SATURDAY EVENING POST

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/about/submission-guidelines

Our focus has broadened to include well-researched, timely and informative articles on finance, unusual photo/story packages, home improvement, humor, transportation, travel, fashion, entertainment, personality profiles, technology, communication with a healthy emphasis on medical breakthroughs, promising new treatments, prevention, and fitness. Publishes content that provides additional perspective on the ever-evolving American scene. In addition to feature-length articles of 1,000 to 2,000 words, the Post buys anecdotes suitable for “Post Scripts,” as well as cartoons, illustrations, and photos.

Payment ranges from $25 for Post Scripts to $400 and up for feature articles.

Our nonfiction needs include how-to, useful articles on gardening, pet care and training, financial planning, and subjects of interest to a 45-plus, family-oriented readership. For nonfiction articles, indicate any special qualifications you have for writing about the subject, especially for technical or scientific material. Include one or two published clips with your query. We generally buy all and/or first serial rights, as well as online rights. We also welcome new fiction. A light, humorous touch is appreciated.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

WRITER’S DIGEST’S WRITER’S MARKET & POET’S MARKET

The 2012 Writer’s Market is now in bookstores, which means it is time for the publication to focus on the 2013 Writer’s Market. They’re always updating and adding new listings, but Robert Lee Brewer from FW Media needs pitches for articles on the business of writing. If you have access to a truly great writer interview, then yes, pitch me on that, but mostly he’s looking for articles on the nuts and bolts of freelancing. For instance, he’s interested in negotiating contracts, handling taxes, and making pitches that never (or almost never) fail.

He won’t be making any assignments until after the submission deadline of August 31, 2011. So, give it some thought and then give it a shot.

No attachments please. Just send your pitch and a little information about yourself (that explains why you’re the person to write the article).

Submit pitches to [email protected] with the subject line: Pitch for 2013 Writer’s Market.

If you’re pitching for Writer’s Market, please use the subject line:
Pitch for 2013 Writer’s Market.

If you’re pitching for Poet’s Market, please use the subject line: Pitch for 2013 Poet’s Market.

For Writer’s Market, we’re looking for business- and submission-related pieces. If you’re in doubt about your topic, go ahead and pitch.

For Poet’s Market, accepting pitches for articles that cover craft and business topics. Also interested in anything that helps poets get their work out to a larger readership.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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ST. MARTIN’S MINOTAUR/MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA FIRST CRIME NOVEL COMPETITION

Open to any writer who has never been the author of any published novel in any genre. Authors of self-published works may enter as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work. Author cannot be under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel.

Entrants must request an application package by November 15, 2011.

Application must be postmarked by November 30, 2011. If a winner is selected, Minotaur Books will offer to enter into its standard form author’s agreement with the entrant for publication of the winning Manuscript. After execution of the standard form author’s agreement by both parties, the winner will receive an advance against future royalties of $10,000.

To enter, you must first request an entry form by sending an e-mail to:

[email protected] and include the following information:

Name of Entrant:

Manuscript Title:

Address:

Phone:

All requests for entry forms must be received by Minotaur Books by email by November 15, 2011. DO NOT SEND MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS TO MINOTAUR BOOKS.

2. Each entrant will receive an entry form by email containing the address of the judge to whom he or she will send (by regular mail or next-business-day delivery service) his or her manuscript. Entries must be postmarked no later than November 30, 2011 and received by judges no later than December 15, 2011 and must include:

a) A double-spaced and neatly typed copy of the manuscript (photocopies are acceptable), with pages numbered consecutively from beginning to end.

b) A letter or cover sheet containing the name, address, email address and telephone number of the entrant and the entrant’s previous writing credits, if any.

c) The application form, printed from their email, duly completed.

d) A digital copy of the manuscript burned to a CD or saved to a USB stick as a Microsoft Word document. All CDs and USB sticks should be marked with the author’s name and the title of the manuscript.

Each entrant must keep a copy of the Manuscript for his or her own protection. Minotaur Books will not be responsible for lost, stolen, or mislaid manuscripts. Because of the great volume of submissions we receive, the fact that judges are volunteers with full-time responsibilities elsewhere, and the fact that most writers now have the work in their computers, Manuscripts, CDs and USB sticks will not be returned. Please do not send return postage or envelopes for return of your Manuscript.

It is important that you submit your Manuscript as early as possible. Our judges are volunteers who are extremely busy with their primary concerns, and submissions will get a more careful reading if the judge does not have to contend with a flood of last-minute entries.

3.  Entrants must have a valid e-mail address.  In case of dispute as to identity of an entrant, entry will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address provided to Minotaur Books.  “Authorized Account Holder” is defined as an actual person who is assigned an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) responsible for assigning e-mail addresses or the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.  Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, telephone or other communications malfunctions, errors or failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, website, Internet, or ISP unavailability, unauthorized human i

CLIVE CUSSLER SOCIETY ADVENTURE WRITERS COMPETITION http://cusslersociety.com/writers_competition.html

NO ENTRY FEE
Full-length submittals must be original and cannot include characters from another authors’ work – i.e. fan-fiction is not allowed. The length of the manuscript shall not exceed 130K words or less than 50K words. Contest limited to 25 entries.

Competition Rules:

Manuscripts will be accepted beginning October 1, 2011. The competition deadline is January 1, 2012 with a maximum of 25 entries/manuscripts. The competition will be closed with the receipt of the  25th manuscript.

Eligibility:

(a) Participants must be 18 years of age by October 1, 2011.

(b) The Adventure Writers’ Competition is open only to unpublished writers.*

An “unpublished writer” is defined as: an author whose fictional work has not appeared in book, magazine, or periodical format via a Fortune 500 recognized publishing firm. Self-published/Vanity Press authors are eligible as long as their work has not appeared in any of the formats listed above.

(c) Clive Cussler Collectors Society’ Officers, Panel Judges, and their families/relatives are not eligible for the contest.

Rules & Submittal Requirements:

(a) Full-length submittals must be original and cannot include characters from another authors’ work – i.e. fan-fiction is not allowed.

(b) The length of the manuscript shall not exceed 130K words or less than 50K words.

(c) Format: 12 pt.- Times New Roman font, paginated and double-spaced with one-inch margins, and numbered pages.

(d) Writers may only submit one manuscript.

(e) Submitted manuscripts must be of the action-adventure genre. The story must have action and conflict, and the reader must identify with the character(s) in order to draw them into the plot. Fantasy and Science Fiction entries will not be accepted.

(f) The deadline of the competition is January 1, 2012.

(g) Attendance to the Clive Cussler Collector’s Society Convention is not required to claim the Grand Prize.

(h) A minimum of 10 entries/manuscripts will need to be submitted by the deadline for this competition to take place, with a maximum of 25 entries/manuscripts.

____________________________________________________________________

REMINDER:  Two Networking Dinners in NYC on July 19th and 20th.  Still a few spaces open.

September 30th – October 2 – Writer’s Retreat – Princeton Hyatt Regency.  Don’t miss the opportunity to spend the weekend with Editors, Connie Hsu and Heather Alexander.

If you are going to the Annual SCBWI Conference in Los Angles in August and would like to get-together, please let me know.  I will try to put something together.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy