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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: agent pitch contest, Most Recent at Top [Help]
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1. Wrapping up loose ends - giveaways and contests!
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By: Shelli, on 3/23/2011
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  giveaway, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

Today, I have a few things to wrap up today....so here goes.


The winner of The Liar Society book from the Launch Day post is Brenda Drake.

The winner of Cheryl Klein's book from Part 2 (there was also a Part 1 you can check out) is Kate Higgins.

All of the books I have given away to date have been shipped and should have already been received. If you have won something on my blog and didn't receive it, please email me.

Now, on to the winners of the Pay It Forward Agent Query Contest.

Once again, I could not decide on only one so.... I picked one from each genre to suggest to Alyssa. To be honest, I really liked them all - it was more a matter of what I felt was more ready.

12 Comments on Wrapping up loose ends - giveaways and contests!, last added: 3/24/2011
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2. Agent Pitch Contest - Diana Fox (Fox Literary)
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By: Shelli, on 3/15/2011
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  diana fox, fox literary, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

NOTE - My Pay it Forward winner will be announced Friday!

It's time for another agent twitter pitch contest!

Today, the pitch is being judged by Diana Fox from Fox Literary. You can follow her blog or catch her on Twitter.

Here are some other interviews to help you get to know her taste and style:
Literary Rambles
The Blog Realm

Winner: Gets a manuscript critique!

When: Begins today, (Wed at 10AM EST) and ends tomorrow (Thursday) at midnight EST (I will close comments when it officially ends so if you get a comment in, you are counted.)

Why Twitter pitch? Because if you can't get your book in a Twitter pitch, you need to work on narrowing down the story and hook. You can check your character count either on Word (file, Tools/Word Count/Characters with spaces), on Twitter, or here.

Eligibility/Rules:
  • Your pitch MUST only be 140 characters to be counted so please check it twice! This includes spaces and punctuation so you might have to be creative. If your pitch is over 140 characters when I test it, it will not be eligible.
  • Your pitch must be for children. No adult books. They do not represent them.
  • This is for unagented/unpublished book writers only. (if you've published articles or essays - you may enter!)
  • You can only enter ONCE so choose wisely!
  • You MUST be a follower of my blog (and I'd love to see you on Twitter too.). It's only fair to those who are .
What To include: In the comments you MUST leave the following information to be considered:
  • title of book
  • genre
  • your Twitter (140 characters) pitch
  • your email
Example:
Title - Untraceable
Genre - YA Survival Suspense
Email - [email protected]
Pitch - When her forest-ranger father disappears,Grace uses her survival skills to search the NC mtns & finds a secret group plotting against nature

References: Here are a few articles on writing short, one sentence pitches:

76 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest - Diana Fox (Fox Literary), last added: 3/16/2011
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3. Diana Fox (Fox Literary) talks Marketing
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By: Shelli, on 3/14/2011
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  agent, Marketing, interview, Monday, diana fox, fox literary, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

Diana's Agent Pitch Contest starts tomorrow and ends Wed night at midnight EST. Come back tomorrow for deets!

Here is Diana Fox to talk about marketing and tell you what she likes!

Tell us about yourself/your agency


I started my career as an intern at Writers House in 2004, and began taking on my first clients while working as an assistant there. In 2007 I opened Fox Literary, a boutique agency, primarily representing young adult and adult commercial fiction, along with some literary fiction and nonfiction with broad commercial appeal. Since then, I've represented a steadily-growing list, including some bestselling and award-winning authors I've been incredibly lucky to get to work with. I also love the challenges of running my own business, and I've learned so much in the last three years that I could never have learned any other way.


How do you, as an agent, encourage your authors to market themselves?


It depends on the author. Not every author is going to be good at marketing themselves in the same ways, so it's important for individual authors to figure out what works for them. But there are a couple of things I encourage all my authors to do.


1) Have some kind of online presence. What that is can vary--there's so much to choose from when it comes to social media these days, but it should be something the author is good at doing and doesn't hate, and which will help them reach their target audience. I also encourage authors to maintain a basic website with information about how to contact them and on their books (and links to where readers can buy the books!).


2) Network. This category is VAST and networking can take many forms, but I encourage authors to cultivate relationships both with potential readers and with people in the industry, like fellow authors, librarians, booksellers, and other publishing professionals. Some ways to do this include:

  • -- going to conferences
  • -- joining writers organizations (such as the Authors Guild or specialized groups like RWA and SCBWI, which are especially valuable f

    13 Comments on Diana Fox (Fox Literary) talks Marketing, last added: 3/17/2011
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4. Need an agent? Pay It Forward Contest starts today!
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By: Shelli, on 1/31/2011
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  pay it forward, alyssa henkin, agent pitch contest, trident media, Add a tag

Due to those who have helped me, I'm holding my own "Pay it Forward" contest.

It will run this week - Monday, Jan 31 at 9am EST - Friday, Feb 4th at 5pm EST.

The winner will get a personal recommendation from me to my agent, Alyssa Henkin at Trident Media. (Trust me - you want her as an agent!)

This is how it will work:

* I will have people enter their pitch (YA or MG) and chose my top 5 pitches
* Then, those top 5 will send me their full query pitch letter.
* From the top 5 - I will choose 2 or 3 I like.
* Those will get a free query critique AND get to send me their first 3 chapters of their novel.
* I will pick ONE winner that I will recommend to Alyssa. If though she will know I haven't read your whole novel (but I see major potential in writing, story, and premise), you can use my name when you query her, which will get you pulled out of the slush pile.

Rules:

* You must be a follower of my blog and twitter. (If you don't have twitter, that's fine.)
* Your entry must be posted sometime between Monday morning 9am EST and no later than Friday 5pm EST - the contest will start and end by my clock.
* Your pitch must be NO MORE than 4 sentences.
* You must post a pay it forward post this week on FB or blog and post the link with your entry
* Your book must be done (or in revisions to be done in the next couple of months). I don't mind if you are editing/revising it as a draft, but it cant be only 3 chapters done. I want to do the recommendation by spring or so; not wait 6 months. (to be honest, I might forget and I want to stand good on my offer)
* You must be unagented and unpublished in MG and YA (if you have nonfiction or adult that is okay)

To Enter: Follow these 3 easy steps:
NOTE: You can post your entry anytime between Mon Jan 31st at 9AM EST and Friday, Feb 4th by midnight EST. It does not have to be today.

1. Post a "Pay it Forward" post on your blog or FB notes if you don't have a blog. (This can be any day this week during the contest).

* In that post, you MUST recognize someone for giving back to you. Maybe someone who has helped you in your writing or in your personal life. In your post, you can link to my "Pay it forward" post so your readers can also pay it forward.

2. Double check to make sure you are a follower of my blog and Twitter (if you have a Twitter account.)( what can I say - I like to reward my loyal followers and I want to meet you!)

* Of course, you are always welcome to join me on Facebook or sign up for my marketing newsletter that will start soon. I love cyberstalkers :)

3. In your entry, you MUST provide the following information:

  • first, last name
  • email address
  • genre (only for MG or YA)
  • pitch (no more than 4 sentences)
  • the link to your "Pay it forward" post (either on FB or blog)
  • your twitter id (if you have one)
* If you don't follow these 3 steps, your entry may not count.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Good luck to everyone! :)
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82 Comments on Need an agent? Pay It Forward Contest starts today!, last added: 2/3/2011
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5. Agent Pitch Contest starts today!
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By: Shelli, on 12/9/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  adams literary, josh adams, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

It's time for our December agent twitter pitch contest!

Today, the pitch is being judged by Josh Adams from Adams Literary.

Here are some other interviews to help you get to know their taste and style:
Josh Adams Interview
Agent Spotlight on Josh Adams
Tracey Adams Interview

Winner: Gets to submit the manuscript pitched for consideration! (Thanks Josh! :)

When: Begins today, (Thurs Dec 9th) at 10AM EST and ends tomorrow (Fri, Dec 10) at midnight EST (I will close comments when it officially ends so if you get a comment in, you are counted.)

Why Twitter pitch? Because if you can't get your book in a Twitter pitch, you need to work on narrowing down the story and hook. You can check your character count either on Word (file, Tools/Word Count/Characters with spaces), on Twitter, or here.

Eligibility/Rules:

  • Your pitch MUST only be 140 characters to be counted so please check it twice! This includes spaces and punctuation so you might have to be creative. If your pitch is over 140 characters when I test it, it will not be eligible.
  • Your pitch must be for children. No adult books. They do not represent them.
  • This is for unagented/unpublished book writers only. (if you've published articles or essays - you may enter!)
  • You can only enter ONCE so choose wisely!
  • You must be a follower of my blog (and Twitter account if you have one). It's only fair to those who are .
What To include: In the comments you MUST leave the following information to be considered:
  • title of book
  • genre
  • your Twitter (140 characters) pitch
  • your email
Example:
Title - Untraceable
Genre - YA Survival Suspense
Email - [email protected]
Pitch - When her forest-ranger father disappears,Grace uses her survival skills to search the NC mtns & finds a secret group plotting against nature

References: Here are a few articles on writing short, one sentence pitches:

Nathan Bransford (agent)
75 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest starts today!, last added: 12/11/2010
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6. Josh Adams from Adams Literary Stops by to Chat!
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By: Shelli, on 12/8/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  adams literary, josh adams, agent pitch contest, agent, interview, Add a tag


Josh Adams from Adams Literary stops by before our Agent Pitch Contest tomorrow.

Hey Josh, tell us about yourself/your agency.

Together with my wife Tracey, I run Adams Literary, a full-service, boutique literary agency exclusively representing children's and young adult authors and artists. Given the focus of your blog, your readers may be interested to know that in addition to my editorial background, I received my MBA from Columbia Business School, where I won the marketing award—and, prior to co-founding Adams Literary with Tracey, worked for several years in marketing and brand strategy. These are all things that have served me well, and perhaps uniquely, as a literary agent for the children's and YA markets.

How do you, as an agent, encourage your authors to market themselves?

The first thing I'd encourage our—or any authors—to do is to write truly unforgettable books. Their work is their strongest marketing tool. But beyond that, I'd encourage them to build a network of contacts and friends in the industry, to attend conferences as participants and/or faculty, to line up school and library visits so they can connect with their readers, to think creatively about publicity, and, especially for young adult authors, to use social media to their advantage.

How have things changed with agencies promoting their author books? What things do agents/literary agencies do to help promote their author's books?

At Adams Literary, we've always tried to be forward-looking in promoting and marketing our authors' work. While it may seem rather quaint now in hindsight, when we started the agency in 2004, we were among the first literary agencies to have a web site and the first that we know of to publicly provide their client list (some surprisingly still do not). While the site is certainly helpful for people to learn about us as an agency (and most agencies use their sites that way), we view it, and indeed everything we do, as a way for people in the industry—and readers in general—to learn more about our authors and their work. Being tireless advocates of our clients' work—and publicizing them at every opportunity, including at regional and national writers' conferences—is one of our main roles as literary agents.

For people in the industry, we produce professionally designed, full-color printed and e-catalogs for major international fairs (Bologna and Frankfurt), highlighting our authors' work and available rights. For years, we've produced a newsletter that has gone to more than 1,000 people, including editors and publishers here and abroad, although more recently, it has been largely replaced by Twitter updates about our authors' new books and achievements. We also work

11 Comments on Josh Adams from Adams Literary Stops by to Chat!, last added: 12/9/2010
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7. Agent Pitch Contest - Josh Adams @ Adams Literary
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By: Shelli, on 12/7/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  adams literary, josh adams, agent pitch contest, agent, Add a tag

Yes - so I've missed you guys.

I've been working tons and with the holidays can't post as often.

But don't fret - I'll be back on the ball in January!!! with marketing contests and more.

To tie you over, I have a special holiday surprise for all my followers - just for being so loyal and hanging in with me during my blog hiatus.

An Agent Pitch Contest!

Josh Adams from Adams Literary will be reading your pitches and choosing the winners who will get to submit to him personally.

I have met Josh several times and trust me - you WANT to enter this contest. Not only is he smart and has a good eye for books. But he is hilarious and fun! What more could you want.

So polish up your Twitter Pitches and get them ready for Thursday!

Some deets:

  • The pitch contest will start this Thursday 9am EST and last until midnight EST Friday night.
  • Your pitch must fit into my twitter count test of 140 characters. This includes punctuation and spaces. So try to be creative!
  • Must be a MG or YA.
  • You must follow the directions and include your entry in the comments.
  • You must be a follower to enter.

Tomorrow, Josh will stop by to answer a few questions and give you an idea of what he likes.

So come back tomorrow.

More deets to come!
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17 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest - Josh Adams @ Adams Literary, last added: 12/9/2010
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8. Winners of the Agent Pitch Contest
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By: Shelli, on 10/15/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  winner, agent pitch contest, susan hawk, Add a tag

The winner is of Susan Hawk's Agent Pitch Contest is...

Slippers of Pearl by Danyelle
(MG fantasy)

After his uncle—who has a bad habit of dying—is fatally poisoned, Faryn’s family packs him off to the King’s Seat to learn magic and find his place as his uncle’s heir. What he discovers instead is a knack for making magical shoes, that turning a girl into a goose is a bad way to make friends—and dying her bright blue only aggravates matters, sinister apples that enchant all the maidens at court, and a royal edict to undo the apples’ magic if he wants to keep his head.

Danyelle - congrads! Please email meat [email protected] for instructions on your critique with Susan.

Honorable mentions are:

  • The Tweed Coat Mystery by theartgirl
  • Wistful by Jenn
  • Not Your Average Fairy Tale by Chantele Sedgwick
  • Lock 19 by Bree
  • Futureless by Sandy Shin
Congrads to the mentions and thanks to all who entered. Hope this was a good exercise for you.

Don't forget, Josh Adams from Adams Literary will be here next month so keep working on your pitches :)

Have a great weekend!
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11 Comments on Winners of the Agent Pitch Contest, last added: 10/16/2010
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9. Agent Pitch Contest starts today!
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By: Shelli, on 10/5/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  agent pitch contest, the bent agency, susan hawk, Add a tag

It's time for our October agent pitch contest!

Today, the pitch is being judged by Susan Hawk from The Bent Agency.

Here are some other interviews to help you get to know her taste and style:
A Word From Susan
Agent Alert
Meet the Agent

Winner: Gets a query critique of the first 5 pages of your manuscript! (Thanks Susan!)

When: Begins today, Tuesday at 9AM EST and ends tomorrow Wed at midnight EST (I will close comments when it officially ends so if you get a comment in, you are counted.)

What: Leave your paragraph pitch in the comments on this post. Your pitch can be NO MORE than 2 sentences and MUST be something Susan is looking for.

Eligibility

  • If your manuscript is still in WIP - you may enter since this is a query critique
  • Your pitch must only be 2 sentences. Your entry must follow the rules to be counted.
  • This is for unagented/unpublished book writers only. (if you've published articles or essays - you can enter!)
  • You can only enter ONCE so choose wisely!
  • You must be a follower of my blog and promise to come back everyday this month to comment. (This last part is a joke guys :) Followers are eligible.
In the comments you MUST leave the following information to be considered:
  • title of book
  • genre
  • your paragraph pitch
  • your email
Winner(s) will be announced next week!
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47 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest starts today!, last added: 10/6/2010
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10. The Bent Agency - Susan Hawk (Literary Agent)
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By: Shelli, on 10/4/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  agent pitch contest, the bent agency, susan hawk, agent, interview, Add a tag


NEWSFLASH: Agent Pitch Contest starts tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 9am EST!

Work on your 1-2 sentence pitch!

Here is our agent of the month - Susan Hawk with The Bent Agency

Who you are and tell us about yourself/your agency.

I’m the children’s book agent at The Bent Agency, where I’ve been working since the turn of the year. Before this, I worked for close to 20 years in marketing for children’s books. The last position I held before becoming an agent was as the Director of Marketing at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, where I oversaw the marketing efforts geared towards teachers, librarians, booksellers, online and in publicity. Previous to that I was the Library Marketing Director at Penguin Young Readers.

With the birth of my second child, I decided to take some time off, but had been considering agenting as a next step. One day, I read a post on an online group that I belong to, asking for interns at a new agency. The post was from Jenny Bent, and we hit it off. Over the course of the next months, we began talking about me becoming an agent, I decided to take the plunge, and here I am!

It's amazing how kids can change everything and give you a new perspective. Especially on work. Whether we are moms or writers, we all have to deal with balance. How do you, as an agent, encourage your authors to market themselves?

There are lots of ways to go about marketing your books, but there are two key things to consider before doing anything:

What kinds of marketing are you suited for? Some authors love public speaking and would be happy to present to an audience of 100. Others shudder at the thought, but would jump at the chance to work with a small group of children. Some are excited to attend an industry conference, for others this is very draining. Creating a strong online presence can be very successful, but only if you welcome the time commitment, and understand the various tools out there used to build one. I work with authors to think through not only the various options available to them as marketers, but which of those options are best suited to them. I’ve always found that the most effective marketing comes from a genuine interest in not only the object marketed, but in the tool you’re using for marketing itself. Obviously, authors are enthusiastic about the book they are marketing. We talk together to pick a tool that allows them to share that enthusiasm best.

That said, I do think it’s important for authors to have some sort of online presence. How complex that is can depend, but it’s good to make sure that all the basic information about your books and who you are as a writer is out there.

The other key issue is to keep your publisher informed of your efforts; this way you don’t duplicate each other. Also, there are some things your publisher will prefer to do themselves (such as contact national publications). Others may be something that you can handle directly, but this differs from house to house, so you need to loop them in. Wo

9 Comments on The Bent Agency - Susan Hawk (Literary Agent), last added: 10/6/2010
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11. Agent Pitch Winners!
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By: Shelli, on 9/20/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  winner, agent pitch contest, sarah lapolla, Add a tag

Here’s Sarah choice for winner and some honorable mentions (there were so many good ones!)

Winner: High Hopes by Lisa (contemporary YA)
You win a critique of a query letter and your first chapter!
Lisa - congrads and email me at [email protected] for instructions

HIGH HOPES is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey,” but instead of going to Bath, eighteen-year-old Katie Moreland takes a trip to Florida for Spring Break week. There, she meets Hal Tilney, who quickly wins her over with his charm and wit, and who also happens to live in one of the most haunted houses in America – the home where the events of “The Amityville Horror” took place. When Katie is invited to visit for the weekend, her horror-obsessed brain goes into overdrive and she imagines ghosts and ghouls around every corner. Hal tries to explain to her that all the sinister stories about the house are just rumors, but Katie is convinced that the Amityville home is hiding a dark secret. Katie tries to find the source of her supernatural suspicions, but doesn’t know she also runs the risk of something truly scary – losing the guy she loves.

Honorable Mentions

  • Flight by Allison Morris (literary fiction/magical realism)
  • Unraveled by Susan Bradley (YA mystery)
  • Mercy by Jess (YA magical realism)
  • The Last One by Chersti Nieveen (YA dystopia)
  • Waiting for April by Jaime Loren (paranormal romance)
  • The Ghost Writer by MarcyKate (YA ghost story)
The “honorable mentions” are in no particular order and that they were all great!

Next week, Sarah may post some critiques of these pitches so stay tuned.

I'm unplugging this week and heading out of town to be on faculty for SCBWI Carolina conference in Charlotte. I'll be back next Monday with a whole slew of fun new posts!

Have a great week! :)
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19 Comments on Agent Pitch Winners!, last added: 9/21/2010
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12. Today's Agent Pitch Contest!
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By: Shelli, on 9/14/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  rules, curtis brown, agent pitch contest, sarah lapolla, Add a tag

It's time again for another agent pitch contest. I love doing these because not only do they get you in front of an agent but they also help the agents get some fresh queries :)

Today, the pitch is being judged by Sarah LaPolla from Curtis Brown LTD. You can read her interview with me here. And see her agent bio here.

Here are some other interviews to help you get to know her taste and style:
YA Highway
Mother, Write, Repeat
Guide to Literary Agents

Winner: Gets a 1st chapter/query critique from Sarah!

When: Begins today, Tuesday Sept 14th at Noon EST and ends Wed Sept. 15th at midnight EST (I will close comments when it officially ends so if you get a comment in, you are counted.)

What: Leave your paragraph pitch in the comments on this post. Your pitch can be NO MORE than 4 or 5 sentences and MUST be something Sarah is looking for.

Eligibility

  • If your manuscript is still in WIP - you may enter since this is a query critique
  • Your pitch must only be 4 to 5 sentences. Your entry must follow the rules to be counted.
  • This is for unagented/unpublished book writers only. (if you've published articles or essays - you can enter!)
  • You can only enter ONCE so choose wisely!
  • You must be a follower of my blog and either twitter or my newsletter (whichever you would use more :). If I were you, I would also follow Sarah's blog and Twitter too!
In the comments you MUST leave the following information to be considered:
  • title of book
  • genre
  • your paragraph pitch
  • your email
Good luck!!


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62 Comments on Today's Agent Pitch Contest!, last added: 9/15/2010
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13. Agent Pitch Contest - Sarah LaPolla (Curtis Brown LTD)
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By: Shelli, on 9/13/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  agent, interview, curtis brown, agent pitch contest, sarah lapolla, Add a tag

NEWSFLASH: Sarah LaPolla is doing an Agent Pitch Contest starting tomorrow morning at 9amEST! It will be an paragraph pitch of no more than 4 sentences. Winner gets a special prize (revealed tomorrow :)

So get your pitches ready and come back tomorrow for more deets!

For now, here is a little about Sarah!

Hi Sarah, tell us about yourself and how you got into agenting?

I am an associate agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd. and have been with them since 2008. I started as the foreign rights assistant and a few months ago I started building my own list. Before getting my job at Curtis Brown, I received my MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School. I still vaguely consider myself a writer, but I always knew I wanted to be the one to make things happen for other writers, as opposed to getting my own work published. (Maybe, possibly, someday though…) While I was in grad school, I interned with Loretta Barrett Books and the Renee Zuckerbrot Agency, and I knew I wanted to continue down that career path. So here I am!

What is your biggest pet peeve when receiving submissions? Query fails vs query successes?

It bothers me when it is very clear the writer has done no research whatsoever before querying me. Another pet peeve is when authors compare their books, whether for better or worse, to other popular novels. I’ve been getting a lot of Twilight-meets-blank lately and then realize that the only thing remotely close to Twilight in the book is that a vampire shows up. I want writers to be able to describe their work without relying on anything else other than their own story.

As an agent, how do you plan on helping your clients promote their books?

I have my own blog, which I will use as a marketing tool when the time comes (promote books and events, hold contests, etc.) I’m also pretty active on Twitter. I would encourage my authors to do the same. Ultimately, I think the bulk of publicity still ends up falling on the publisher and the author, but the role of the agent is changing in that way. The outlets for effective marketing also change fairly often, so I plan to keep up with those trends as best I can.

What are you looking for and how can authors submit to you?

I love literary fiction, urban fantasy, magical realism, narrative nonfiction, and young adult fiction. I’m also always looking for eng

15 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest - Sarah LaPolla (Curtis Brown LTD), last added: 9/14/2010
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14. Mary Kole Pitch Contest Winners!!
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By: Shelli, on 8/27/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  winner, mary Kole, andrea brown, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

There were so many awesome queries it was hard for Mary Kole to narrow it down to one. WE have 2 winners and a few Honorable mentions. Mary Kole gave some feedback on each one in blue. (wasn't that sweet!)

There were many entries that went over 140 characters some even up to 200 characters!

To both winners - email me so I can put you in touch with Mary on your query critique!

If there is nugget you take away from this - whether chosen or not - it is this: I cannot stress how important it is to FOLLOW THE RULES when querying agents. Sometimes it can be the difference between a rejection or a request! They go through hundreds of queries a week and have to look for ways to say no. DON'T GIVE THEM A REASON to reject you just because you are going to fast or don't pay attention to the details/instructions!

WINNER 1: Blogger Wendy
Title: Burying Elsie
Genre: Contemporary YA
As Elsie dives into drugs, sex & even hardcore shows, goody-goody Shawna must decide if helping her BFF is worth risking all she believes.

Mary said: "I love the character conflict implied by this query and the high stakes. The title tells me that it might not work out for the best, but I’m really curious to see how the downward spiral plays out."


================================


WINNER 2: Blogger Rachael Harrie

Title: From The Other Side

Genre: YA Paranormal

Misfit Verity is murdered by the boy she loves and awakens with strange powers, uncontrollable rages, and an unquenchable desire for revenge


Mary said: "This query kicks ass. It has punch and voice, which is really hard to do in 140 characters. This sounds like something I might really like."


==============================


Honorable Mentions!


Blogger Amanda J.

Title: The Sandman's Apprentice

Genre: MG paranormal

To save her kidnapped bro

20 Comments on Mary Kole Pitch Contest Winners!!, last added: 8/28/2010
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15. Mary Kole - Agent interview and Pitch Contest
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By: Shelli, on 8/18/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  agent, interview, mary Kole, andrea brown, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

Mary Kole's Agent Pitch Contest starts this Fri am at 9EST and ends Sun am at 9 EST. Winner gets a query critique from Mary. Come back Friday at 9 am EST for more deets on how to enter!

Hint - get your 140 character pitch ready!

Now, here is Mary Kole:

Hi Mary, tell us about yourself. How did you get into agenting?

I had been writing YA for about two years, got an agent, and went out on submission. When my manuscript didn't sell, I decided that I wanted to learn more about the business and see things from the "other side of the desk." I'm never really satisfied with what I know and always want to keep learning. I started reading for an adult agency, then started reading and giving editorial manuscript feedback for my now-colleagues at Andrea Brown. It was the first time I really felt completely at home doing in a job, and I've been an official agent with ABLit since August 2009.

As an agent, what would you say is the state of YA today? What are you seeing too much of? What aren't you seeing enough of?

YA is changing, I think. Paranormal is still strong with readers, but editors, who are MY primary customers, are clamoring for really unique paranormal, fantasy, and dystopian, as well as contemporary and realistic stories. I see way too many derivative manuscripts -- girl, sixteen, discovers she has powers (through a diary, book, dream, vision, amulet, ghost, etc.), right as the hottest guy she's ever seen inexplicably transfers into her class...and provides a key to her powers and her destiny. Yawn. I've read it hundreds of times. There are more interesting stories out there and I challenge YA writers to find them.

You are building a great resource/site – Kidlit? How did this come about and what is your goal?

Since you can only query one agent at Andrea Brown at a time, I wanted to differentiate myself and attract submissions. I have eight amazing colleagues and I'm the newest agent, so I wanted to stand out and get my name out there, right from the beginning. But aside from that, I also come from a writing background and really enjoy teaching. This way, I reach out to potential clients, provide valuable content for writers (see more on this, below), and talk about the publishing business and the writing craft -- all of my favorite things to do, wrapped up in one blog!

What is a queryfail for you? What is a query success for you?

The least successful queries fail to make me care about the character and story. Other, smaller failures, involve queries that are too long, opening with a rhetorical question or making hyperbolic claims ("This is the next TWILIGHT!"). Here's a formula for a successful query, from my

14 Comments on Mary Kole - Agent interview and Pitch Contest, last added: 8/20/2010
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16. Agent Pitch Contest Winners!!!
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By: Shelli, on 7/20/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  suzie townsend, fineprint literary, agent pitch contest, dad's life, video, winner, Add a tag

The winner of the lot of boy's books is.....Erika Lynn!

The winner of Personal Demons (one of Suzie's clients books) is Throuthehaze!

please email your address to [email protected]

Agent Pitch Winners

Couple notes:

  • Thanks to everyone who entered!
  • I did check every entry for instructions and character count.
  • To those who were over 140 characters or did not include all the information requested, I sent your entries to Suzie (highlighted in red) and let her make the decision to judge since it was her contest.
  • There are a few who did not win but Suzie wants to see your manuscripts. Mention this contest when you query her.
Suzie's Comments:
These were so hard to judge because so many of them were so good! The secret to an amazing pitch is balancing specifics with just enough interest to have readers going - wait, what happens next?!?!?! And what separates the good pitches from the greats? Same thing that separates good manuscripts from great ones - VOICE.

Prizes
Third Place - a query critique
Second Place - a query critique + 5 pages
First Place - query critique + 10 pages
  • send query and winning pages for critique first or they can just send everything (but mention you are a winner of my contest and that you get a critique)

    The three manuscripts she wants to see - send Suzie the ms straight away, but include the query in the body of the email and mention the contest.

    Winners:

    Great Pitch (but too long):
    • CL with GIRL WITH A TAIL
    Honorable Mentions:
    • Jamie with EVER
    • Mim with THE SHADOW OF MOONLIGHT
    • Danyelle with SLIPPERS OF PEARL
    • Morgan Dempsey with RUNNER
    • writerhailey with DIARY (um, I want to see this ms!)
    Best MG
    Jared Larson with I'M HERE TO SAVE YOUR DAY

    Third Place: Win QUERY CRITIQUE
    Jemi Fraser with STEAMED UP (I would love love love to see this ms when it's ready :)

    Second Place: Win QUERY CRITIQUE + 5 pages
    L.J. Boldyrev with GREYSKIN (I would love love love to see this ms when it's ready :)

    Winner! query critique + 10 pages to first place
    Candyland with 9:59 REWIND
    (I must read this! Really, I might die if I don't know what happens after rewind!)

    Candyland - email me for instructions on how to submit your query to Suzie.

    "At 9:58, Thursday Night Scum singer, C.J. Greyson is shot on stage by the man that killer her father, but at 9:59, she presses rewind."

    30 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest Winners!!!, last added: 7/22/2010
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17. Agent Pitch Contest starts today!
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By: Shelli, on 7/14/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  suzie townsend, fineprint literary, agent pitch contest, Add a tag

Suzie Townsend is with FinePrint literary. You can read her interview from yesterday here. She is looking for the following:

"I'm representing everything from children’s books (chapter books to YA, both fiction and non-fiction) to adult fiction (speculative, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, and romance, especially paranormal). I'm interested in strong characters and voice driven stories that will keep me up at night. I also gravitate towards strong female protagonists, complex plot lines with underlying political, moral, or philosophical issues, and stories which break out of the typical tropes of their genre, like Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series."

Winner: Gets a query critique from Suzie!
When: Today, Wed July 14th. Begins at 9:30 EST, ends Thursday 15th at 9:30am EST
What: Leave your 140 character book pitch (children's books ONLY - including PBs, CB, MG and YA) in the comments.
Eligiblility: You cannot have an agent (obviously) or a book sold/published. This is for unagented/unpublished writers only.
Notes: It must NOT be longer than 140 characters. You can test this in Twitter or do a character count in Word.

In the comments leaves your, title, genre, and your 140 character pitch and your email. If your pitch is over 140 characters (not words!) it will not count as an entry. You can check this either on Word, on Twitter if you have an account, or here.

Here are a few reference articles on writing one sentence pitches:

Nathan Bransford (agent)
Rachel Gardner (agent)
Query Tracker
Scribe Chat
140 character pitch

Good luck!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Faeriality?alt=rss

59 Comments on Agent Pitch Contest starts today!, last added: 7/15/2010
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18. Just because it looks dead, doesn't mean it's dead!
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By: Shelli, on 6/8/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  butterfly, rants and ranvings, agent pitch contest, yvonne woon, dead beautiful, Add a tag

Couple Things:

  • What are you waiting for? If you are searching for the right agent, you still have time to enter the Agent Pitch Contest! What do you have to lose? It lasts until tonight at midnight! So if you do not have an agent, go enter a 3 sentence pitch. Bree Ogden (from Martin Literary) will choose her top 3 who will get a full read, a partial read, and a query critique.
  • I've hit 1,000 followers on Twitter. Only 130 more here and a HUGE marketing prize will be given away to a loyal follower.
  • Next week, Suzie Townsend (from Fine Print Literary) will be here doing another agent contest. Details will be announced later this week :) You can enter more than one agent contest so no need to choose. :)
  • Someone asked me why I doing the agent contests? I have a simple answer and I will share it with you all. Because I want to pay it forward. Someone gave me a break and recommended me to their agent which opened so many agent doors for me. I need to pay it forward for me. That is the only reason.
Just because you think it's dead, doesn't mean it's dead!

Do you ever feel like you should just give up? Put your book aside? Your goals? Your dream of being published?

Do you ever feel like putting one book down and starting to write something else?

I do.

There are days where I ask myself - why am I doing this? There are days when I look at a couple old books, wondering if I should pick them up again. Then I think, maybe I should put this book out of its misery!

Whether you have an agent or an editor, these insecurities always pop up and various points in your process. In your journey.

I was thinking about this the other day at the pool as I watched my kids play.

When do we give up? When is the right time? I think this can apply to anything we are struggling to work for? struggling to conquer. On this particular day, I wasn't feeling too great about this whole writing thing.

I was puled out of my pending pity party when I heard my daughter yell for me and saw her pointing to something in the water.

A huge yellow swallowtail butterfly.

Now due to a book that will never see the light of day, I have a special place in my heart for butterflies, especially yellow swallowtails.

The butterfly was not moving and was floating in the water, still. Peaceful.

I scooped it and up and watched its wings sag as the life left its little body.

I laid the butterfly in the pine straw and waited.

It was clearly dead. No movement.

For a while, my daughter (6) and son (3) stood by watching. Waiting. For more than 20 minutes this went on.

"It's dead you guys. It's not moving."

Daughter: "But why?"

"Maybe God needed more butterflies in heaven."

Daughter: "But i tried to save him."

"Well sometimes things can't be saved - no matter how hard we try."

Daughter: "Maybe he's just resting. Maybe he got tired swimming. I get tired when I swim."

"Maybe."

She starts blowing on the butterfly's wings. "Maybe Ill do CPR."

"I don't think that works on a butte

45 Comments on Just because it looks dead, doesn't mean it's dead!, last added: 6/10/2010
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19. It's time for the Agent Pitch Contest!
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By: Shelli, on 6/7/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  agent, interview, bree ogden, agent pitch contest, martin literary, Add a tag

Winner of the Arc of Sapphrique is..

Stina!

Congrads and email your address to [email protected]


Pitch Contest!

Rules:

1) You can only enter one query so pick your best one.
2) You must be a follower of my blog to enter
3) Follow Bree's blog. Bonus! (FYI you can also follow Bree on Twitter)
4) Leave your query pitch in the comments. It can be no more than 3 sentences and one sentence pitches are fine! Sometimes they are more effective than 3 sentences.
5) You have until June 8th, Tuesday morning, at 9am PST/12 EST to enter. I will go by the time stamps in the blog comments so check your clock!

Some Tips:


Prizes:
  • 1st place winner can submit the entire manuscript
  • 2nd place winner can submit a partial (first 3 chapters)
  • 3rd place winner will get a query critique

Now, here is Bree Ogden!


Hi Bree! Thanks for having fun with us this week! Tell us about yourself and how you got into agenting?

Hi Shelli, thanks for having me. I'm excited about the contest. Well let’s see…I’m a girl who loves books and everything about them. That is the number one most important thing about me (how is that for melodrama?) I have my masters in journalism and I left Northeastern University thinking, “Wonderful! Every newspaper in America is dying a slow painful death, and here I am with a shiny new certificate to work for these sinking ships.” For some reason (that I like to call kismet) I moved to the Seattle area, where I interviewed for an executive assistant position at Martin Literary Management. I fell in love with the business. I mean, head over heels, Prince Charming love. So here I am today!


61 Comments on It's time for the Agent Pitch Contest!, last added: 6/8/2010
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20. BEA Bonanza - Day 4 Agent Pitch Contest!
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By: Shelli, on 6/4/2010
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  catherine fisher, incarceron, bree ogden, BEA bonanza, sapphique, agent pitch contest, martin literary, Add a tag

The winner of Kody's The Duff ARC is....

Carolina Valdez Miller!

(congrads, email me your address at [email protected])

Don't worry, I have 2 more copies of The Duff to giveaway this month and Kody is stopping by next week :) Here is just a sample of what else is coming this month:

  • Firelight
  • Paranormalcy (2 ebooks)
  • Matched
  • Nightshade
  • The Duff (2 more copies)
  • 13th Reality (James Dashner)
  • Replacements
  • Virals
  • The Enemy
  • and much much more! (you saw the pile!)
So don't be discouraged, there are plenty more chances to win some awesome. I'm also giving away books on Twitter sporadically, so you can try there as well.

Agent Pitch Contest

Bree Ogden (with Martin Literary Management) is stopping by on Monday. I've asked her some questions and she has also agreed to judge a query pitch contest. (so nice right?)

Rules:
  • You must be a follower of my blog (sorry but this is for those who visit me more than once :) I'd love to meet you if you are just stopping by)
  • You must follower her blog too. (which is really just a bonus reference for you! :)
  • You can only enter one pitch - be sure it is something she is looking for.
  • Your pitch can only be 1-3 sentences long. (not long run on sentences!)
Here's mine as an example:

After dying in a car accident and witnessing her own funeral, Gabby becomes a 14 year old Bright-in-Training (BIT) and Transfers up to Cirrus, where SkyFones, SkyPods, and InnerNets are all the rage. As if her death isn’t bad enough, Gabby is assigned to protect her school rival, Angela Black, who is now dating her lifetime crush, Michael. As Gabby moves through her Bright Training, instead of protecting Angela as pledged, Gabby illegally sabotages her and learns what happens when you hate someone to death.

Prizes:
  • 1st place winner can submit the entire manuscript
  • 2nd place winner can submit a partial (first 3 chapters)
  • 3rd place winner will get a query critique
So come back on Monday and join in the fun!

And be sure to work on your pitches over the weekend!

Now, today I'm giving away an ARC of Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. It is not released until Dec 2010. <

36 Comments on BEA Bonanza - Day 4 Agent Pitch Contest!, last added: 6/6/2010
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