So, you’ve won a chance to be published by St. Martin’s Press. Congratulations. 382 writers submitted and it was not easy to choose just 18. But one thing is certain. When you see it–you know–the entry jumps off the screen and into your heart. You must read more. Below I’ve posted the winning submissions along with the original editorial comments I sent to St. Martin’s Press. You should also note that this is ONLY my personal opinion and they were originally intended for the eyes of the SMP editorial staff ONLY.

1. Author: Amanda Brice/PARTY LIKE IT’S 1899

All college junior Julie Florence wants is to spend the semester in Paris. French pastries, browsing the boutiques, weekend getaways to Itally…what more could a girl ask for? Of course, she didn’t plan on falling asleep on the train while reading an enchanted Jules Verne book and getting sent back in time to 1899 with her nemesis, Bentley Grant. Can she and Ben find a way to get back to the present or will they be stuck in the bohemian world of the Moulin Rouge and Claude Monet permanently?

First paragraph: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of very little fortune should lust over designer shoes. And if only I’d bought those cherry red peep-toe pumps at Galeries Lafayette, the most unbelievable event of my entire nineteen years never would have happened.

GM: YES, YES, YES! Request the full! It’s titled for YA, not for adult market-but we can worry about that later. This is perfect, done well.  Well pitched and well written. I imagined a sort of Dangerous Liasons for the NA market.

GM: Has literary feel to it and strong potential plot. Leans “highbrow” and may have niche appeal.

4. Author: Bonnie Davidson/Title: AFTER THE END

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Through the binoculars, a zombie was even uglier than when seen up close and personal. Of course, when they were near, you didn’t generally have time to study them too carefully. There were other things to do—like screaming and running. From a distance it was safe for Ari to let his gaze wander over the creature’s rotting skin, its vacant eyes and slack-jawed yokel mouth. Blood stained the lower half of its face, coating cheeks and chin and nearly obliterating the Alpha Kappa Beta logo on the upper half of the thing’s sweatshirt. An “after” then. He could usually tell by the clothes a “before” corpse from one that had been turned after the first wave. Who would bury their beloved Brenda or Beth in a sorority sweatshirt? Most of the first generation zombies wore suits or dresses since they’d come to the banquet from mortuary viewings or funeral services. Or they were naked cadavers straight from the slab at a hospital or city morgue.

 GM: I like the concept and hope there is a story here other than a zombie invasion. I also like that it’s set in NYC and led by Ari Brenner and Lila Teske, very ethnic. Ideally, I would have liked the first paragraph to reflect what it looked like after the invasion-kind of 9/11. I think we all know what a zombie looks like. This offers nothing different. If this is the “immediate” aftermath-show us the “aftermath” and not zombie descriptions. We’ve seen zombies before. There is potential here, but I wonder… I recommend requesting a partial.

5. Author: Elissa Hoole/Title: THE DHARMA BUM BUSINESS

PITCH: Anna and Kat have two goals for their post-graduation road trip: finding proof of God’s existence and losing their bothersome virginities. But Anna didn’t prepare for the fact that Kat is falling in love with her, or the fact that her own desires are…complicated. Add to that the beautiful boys on the brightly painted bus–the tension of temptation and an accidental acid trip that pushes Anna and Kat to the very edge of the bond between them.

FIRST PARAGRAPH: It’s strange how a plan can unfold sometimes–an umbrella shooting up at the touch of a button and extending out in all directions quickly, effortlessly. In so many ways, this journey is exactly the wrong thing to do. I mean, what kind of daughter leaves her grieving father and takes off across the country for no reason, or no reason she can say out loud? But I look at Katy beside me–I see her clutching that book like always, the bright flash of her blue toenails on the dash, and I can’t help but smile.

GM: I like this premise. I like the budding/potential lesbian relationship. I really like that they want to prove God’s existence and the whole Thelma and Louise theme. I’m hoping the author can handle it. I’d like to see more.

6. Author: Jennifer AlLee/Title: VINNIE’S DINER

PITCH: Allie thinks the answer to all her problems is just over the horizon at the US Trivia Championship in Vegas. But her once-in-a-lifetime road trip turns into a nightmare when a run-in with flying tire rubber sends her car, and her plans, skidding wildly off course. An affable man named Vinnie rescues her and takes her to his roadside diner. After meeting the people inside—the burley cook with the lopsided grin, the voluptuous waitress sporting the nametag “Norma Jeane”– it doesn’t take long to realize none of them should be there. Or is it Allie who doesn’t belong? Watching from the window as EMTs pull her own body from the mangled car, she understands that the diner is more than it seems. In Vinnie’s Diner, Allie embarks on a journey of self-discovery, literally facing her demons. In the end, Allie must make the ultimate decision… between life and death.

1ST PARAGRAPH: Here’s some of the stuff I know: Whoopi Goldberg’s birth name is Caryn Johnson; Stockard Channing was 32 years old when she played 17-year-old Rizzo in the movie version of Grease; and flying tire rubber from a big-rig blowout can kill you. I know all this because I’m a trivia nerd, my specialty being entertainment trivia. I know the tire rubber thing because I just saw it on a rerun of CSI. And the reason I’m thinking about it now is because I’m coming up entirely too fast on the semi in front of me.

GM: Perfect Pitch, great first. Definitely want to read more. I would love to have trivia bits thrown in amongst a great, fast paced story filled with demons, revelations, self/dead discovery and humor. This is right up my alley. The characters are cliché but perfect. I want to read this book NOW.

7. Author: Nicole Beattie

Pitch: When 21 year old Dimitri’s parents are killed in a car accident, he fails his college finals and ends up taking the only job he can get – writing obituaries for a newspaper in a quietly decaying New England mill town, while struggling to finish his 1,000 page novel at night. When he’s asked to cover the traditional Halloween feature story, staying at the “haunted” Aspinwall mansion with elderly channeler/hairdresser Madeline LeFevre, he thinks he’s in for the standard paranormal cliché – lots of creaking staircases and psychic babble – and he’s not wrong. But something supernatural follows him home, a beautiful and dangerous female entity that knocks him down the stairs, mocks him with whispered obscenities, carves threatening Latin phrases on the floorboards, but instead of fear, Dimitri finds a determination to catch this Succubus, prove that she exists, and in the process write the story which could launch his career, and his life.

First Paragraph: There’s not a lot of opportunity to get creative with obituaries. Take Mrs. Porrier, aged 85, a school teacher at Lake View Elementary, who killed herself by locking herself in the garage of her four bedroom colonial house with the car running. She had terminal pancreatic cancer, but that’s not the point, the point is that the most interesting part of her life, the moment when she got the car keys out of the zip pocket of her husband’s leather bowling ball bag (Mr. Perrier, otherwise known as “Doc” to his bowling league), the moment she had decided, enough, opening the familiar latch of the screen door, pressing the yellowed plastic button of the electric garage door opener, then pulling the heavy door of the ancient but still functional four door Cadillac, the scent of cigarette smoke still in the carpeting although her husband had given up smoking ten years before, the moment she rolled down the windows (by hand – nothing automatic in that car), then started the engine, that moment right there, before her eyes got heavy, when she still could have, if she wanted, gotten out of the car, opened the garage door, let the October wind blow through, but didn’t, that moment, I can’t include in her obituary. Instead, I have to write the mundane, perfected life details, she taught school for forty years, is remembered by her grandchild Harris in Colorado, her daughter Stella, also a teacher, in California, her husband “Doc” who served two years in the Korean War. She enjoyed knitting, horticulture, and baking. She died of pancreatic cancer. I reduce her to a palatable bit of print, ready to be absorbed, digested, and quickly forgotten. Christ, I wish I didn’t take this shit so seriously.

GM: I smiled while reading this pitch. Even though I knew exactly where it was going (or so I thought) I wanted to read more. I definitely think this has major commercial potential and is easily my favorite so far from this bunch. I’d love to read this entire MS. The first is long and could benefit from some editing (repeating words and lengthy sentences) but it’s really good. Well done. I suggest requesting a partial.

8. Author: Kristan Hoffman/Title: TWENTY SOMEWHERE

Pitch: Originally written for the web as “episodes,” Twenty-Somewhere tells the story of three best friends as they navigate life after college. Beautiful and confident Sophie, goody goody aspiring writer Claudia, and boy-crazy nerd MJ are ready to take on the Real World — or so they think. As relationships go sour, careers sputter, and ethical dilemmas arise, the girls turn to the one thing they can always count on: their friendship with each other. But even that will be put to the test…

First paragraph: Three young women gather at the end of summer to say their goodbyes. Long-limbed Sophie is dressed for a tennis match and has plans to meet X at the courts right after this. She likes to keep busy. MJ sips from her cappuccino, licking foam off her top lip and evaluating the guys in the room. Believe it or not, she’s the nerd of the group. Last but not least is Claudia, late as always. She breezes into the café, spewing apologies in advance.

GM: This reads more like a screenplay than a novel–my guess, due to the fact that it was originally written in “webisodes.” I’d be curious to see how this translates to novel format and whether anyone buys it–literally and figuratively. As a YA girl, I want something happening from the jump in my novel. As a wanna be director; I saw this very clearly in my head. She set the scene perfectly. I sat forward waiting to see what would happen next.

9. Author: Sharon Biggs/Title: A MAD, WICKED FOLLY

Pitch: Victoria Darling longs for a life away from the oppression of her Edwardian upper class family. When her father arranges for her to be married to an upper class boy she hates, Vicky rebels and sneaks out to be with her secret boyfriend, and joins a band of militant suffragettes. But she destroys lives in the process, and must find a way to make things right, even if it means sacrificing her own happiness.

Paragraph: My lace-covered bottom was on full display to the street below, my skirt caught above me on my bedroom window latch. If Mother saw me, she’d have a blue fit. Any dreams she might have of me being the perfect, ladylike daughter would be shattered to bits.

GM: This reads a little YA to me due to the use of the terms, “married to a boy.” I do however, really like the premise and I’m a sucker for the title. I find the first paragraph to be quite interesting and the tone a bit rebellious. I love a slightly rebellious heroine covered in lace.

 10. Author: Pab/Title: MALL BATS

Pitch: When the manager of the music store in a mega-mall is killed in a robberyattempt, he wakes up a few days later with a ringing in his ears and a strange thirst for blood. With the help of some of the other strange people who populate the mall, he has to come to grips with his new abilities and needs, track down both the robber who killed him and the strange EMT who “saved” him, and salvage the relationship he was too cowardly to pursue before he became a bloodsucking creature of the night.

Paragraph: Ever since he was a little boy, Josh dreamed of flying. At first, these dreams stayed in the nether realm of fantasy, where a young boy could imagine himself levitating off the ground and soaring through the firmament, with birds and the occasional airplane in his wake. In his dreams, Josh took to the air like a leaf caught on a passing breeze, deftly maneuvering high above the landscape to which we poor unfortunate non-flying mortals were bound.

GM: I love the beginning. I absolutely love this beginning. I could see Josh clearly, as a young boy caught in a daydream–following a leaf with his eyes as it took flight–imagining himself with the same freedom. Well written. I wanted to read more immediately based on a few sentences in the pitch (very fun) and the first. A fine example of what was expected from the submissions and how to do it well–without being wordy and stretching 3 paragraphs into one!

11. Author: Glenn P. Johnson

Pitch: It’s been nearly two years since Jack dropped out of college, left New Jersey and moved to Boulder, Colorado. He had hoped that he’d make something of himself out west, hoped he would grow into someone who could impress his unfaithful ex-girlfriend Nancy back home, maybe become something like a writer. But after a series of low-paying jobs, and countless personal humiliations– he now finds he’s even worse off than before. Jobless, lonely, broke, evicted and losing the world’s most comfortable couch—he’s about ready to cut his losses, call it quits and head back to Jersey. But then he meets Christina, an attractive, wealthy, mysterious girl from Los Angeles who, for reasons Jack can’t quite seem to understand, has taken a liking to him. He soon thinks Christina may be the girl who can finally erase Nancy from his memory. That is until he learns that Christina’s boyfriend is driving out from Miami to come and visit. Why she has never mentioned a boyfriend or the fact that said boyfriend is six feet five, two hundred and fifty pounds and already on his way to Boulder—Christina refuses to say. But Jack begins to realize that things aren’t quite right with Christina and he suspects she’s harboring more than one secret. Whether he should stay or get out—Jack can’t seem to decide; but he knows that this is an experience that he will remember for the rest of his life.

GM:

12. Author: Jennifer

Pitch: A romantic tale written in free verse, Waiting chronicles Emily’s search for identity during her first year of college at a small liberal arts school.

First Poem:
I’ve been waiting
My whole life
For this moment.
Waiting for the escape,
Waiting for the independence
Waiting to find myself.
And now that it’s here,
I’m waiting to figure out
What to do first.

GM: Love the premise and verse is big now–which she seems to be quite good at. Let’s see a few pages and whether she can carry it. I like it so far.

13. Author: Luke Tennis/Title: BERNARDO THE DAREDEVIL

Pitch: In my novel, BERNARDO THE DAREDEVIL, a middle-aged dreamer cuts loose from his routine existence as a deli owner and a family man to become a man on a high wire.  His son, who narrates, reckons with his dad’s crazy quest for balance by attempting his own hard bargain with the high wire, which leads to a rift in the family and unexpected tragedy.

First Paragraph: My father called himself Bernardo the Daredevil. His real name was Bernard Shapiro. He was a nimble Jewish man with slicked-back hair and skinny calves. He grew up on the wrong side of a deli counter in a narrow joint downtown called Frank’s. Frank was Frankie Shapiro, his immigrant father. In 1947, newly arrived in Baltimore, Frankie opened business in order to have his own domain. King Frankie, he became, Lord of the Pickles and Gefilte Fish, Master of the Potato Salad. Each morning my father, the heir apparent, lashed himself in a meat-stained apron and followed orders. At night, after the last customers cleared out, he placed the chairs on the tables and mopped the floor. Weekends he worked the cash register, because if King Frankie couldn’t trust his own son, who could he trust?

GM: Seems to be this is a great story about father and son, redemption and loss–and from a male POV. I love the start to the story and hoping the REAL story gets going soon. But like all beautiful stories, I’m content to sit, read and enjoy it slowly–let it unfold. I hope this is one of these stories. It has a lot of potential.

14. Author: Simon Barkley

Pitch: Two worlds collide when the opposite personalities of a fame-driven hipster and an invisible working stiff take up residence in one man. For Niles Wilson, only one can survive. After quitting his music career and drug use, he gets a job in an environment overrun by thugs and thieves––the TV industry–– where a battle for his soul ensues as he fights to discover his true identity: a hip young artist, a devoted newlywed, or a drug-fueled maniac on the verge of committing the ultimate crime.

Paragraph: Niles Wilson paced the one room apartment enough to measure a mile. He’d stop, on occasion, to track his breath lingering in the cold dank space. Attempting to keep warm, he pounded fists against the sides of his head. Above him tiny footsteps surrendered to another rapid-fire Spanish argument, which echoed through gulch-like cracks in the plaster. Then, as if stung by a bullwhip, he sprang to an old cinder-block bookshelf and yanked an unread copy of WAR AND PEACE from the top row, which jolted the makeshift structure. Behind that book sat a small Tupperware bowl containing a plastic grinder, similar to the type drugstores sell for turning pills into powder. Along with the grinder, he dug out an old spoon seared by previous flames ignited to escape his present hell. Niles plucked the bowl from its hiding spot, then, slid the book back in place. Ignoring the scurry of cockroaches, he snatched his army surplus trench coat from a laundry heap that grew like a Jersey landfill ever since he finished a string of jam sessions a few weeks earlier — culminating in a canceled record deal, and no band.

GM: I had to read this twice to get it. But once I did, I got it. It seems exactly right–yet, very specific and relatable to a niche few. Quite frankly, I’m not sure whether this is supposed to be humorous or tragic. But, it peaked my interest.

15. Author: Laura Diamond/Title: PICTURE OF FATE

PITCH:College freshman Ashley Thompson has a lot of challenges: surviving in NYC on her own, convincing her parents that she is over her depression, and most recently, managing her on and off again relationship with a 700 year old vampire.
Ashley chronicles Gabriel’s centuries-long life in a journal, but when the diary ends up in her psychiatrist’s hands, she is faced with the decision to expose Gabriel for what he is, or risk being labeled as psychotic. To make matters worse, another vampire is plotting revenge against Gabriel, and the way to hurt him is to make Ashley and her family suffer. It is up to Ashley to use her wits to protect Gabriel’s secret, ensure her parents’ safety, and find the key to survival before everyone she knows is dead.

FIRST PARAGRAPH: How did I get here? I looked up at the imposing structure jutting out from the landscape, an eagle’s perch atop a rugged cliff—the real life image of the painting that had caught my eye and my imagination all those months ago. It represented an innocent enough infatuation that had turned into an insatiable obsession. Excitement buzzed in my head as trepidation entangled its icy fingers in my gut. My breath caught in my throat as I considered my next move. The castle loomed before me, beckoning me to proceed.

GM: Hmmm. Expose your relationship with a 700 year old vamp and let everyone think you’re crazy or stay silent? Sounds familiar. But I would be interested to see how she uses the diary as the first is quite good. To me, the diary is key and the thing that would make this story unique. How she uses it to tell the story using entries, dialogue and real interaction will be the defining factor. It’s extremely hard to pull off. Done well, it can be enormously successful.

16. Author: Rae Carson

PITCH: Princess Elisa is an underachiever. Though she bears the Godstone in her navel, a sign she is destined to be a hero, her people see her as lazy and useless and fat. On her twentieth birthday, she is rushed into a loveless marriage and shipped away to a kingdom in turmoil, where she learns that maybe she and her Godstone are meant to save the world after all. But how can a young woman who has never played the game of politics or attained the love of a man save the world? Elisa only knows she’s going to try—so long as she doesn’t have to give up pastries.

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Prayer candles brighten my bedroom. The Scriptura Sancta lies discarded, pages crumpled, on my bed. My legs cramp from kneeling so long, and the Godstone in my navel throbs. I have been praying—no, begging—that King Alejandro de Vega, my future husband, will be ugly and old and fat.

GM: I love it. I absolutely love it. A self-professed underachiever with a love of pastries and a desire to keep the junk she has in her trunk! Go Elisa! Go buy this book NOW. Request a full. GO BUY THIS BOOK. NB: This is a perfect YA book.

17. Author: Ruth F. Long

Pitch: Seven years after her brother vanishes, Jenny is lured by phantom music into the dangerous Faerie Realm. Every fairytale ever told is born from death, sacrifice and blood, and Jenny finds herself lost in the land where all those myths first came into being. Her only hope of finding her brother and getting back home rests with Jack, the guardian of the Edge. Bound by honour to aid Jenny on her quest, and cursed by his King to betray her, Jack realizes early on that she’s the salvation of the forest. But when the May Queen comes, someone must always die.

First Paragraph:

The trees had swallowed Tom whole.

It was hard to believe how much time had passed since that terrible day. Jenny hesitated at the corner, feeling the familiar lure of the copse of trees on its dome of grass. She could hear laughter, the sound of children playing somewhere in the distance, or perhaps in her head. She wasn’t sure which…

GM: The pitch was wordy but interesting. I was drawn immediately by the notion of Jenny being lured by the music. It reminded me of The Little Mermaid’s singing (what do you want from me? I have a 6 year old).  I would have liked to have learned more about the May Queen since the relationship between Jenny and Jack seemed overstated. I get it. He will do anything for her/they fall in love.  I love the first line. She only needed to submit that and I would have been hooked. NB: This borders on YA in theme and approach. I suggest changing the names of the MCs to start.

18.Author: Barbara Hacha/Title: THE ART OF CARVING METTLE

The Pitch:  THE ART OF CARVING METTLE

As the Great Depression deepens and her family disintegrates, Maddy Skobel flees her central Ohio town —by freight train—determined to make her own way. Learning to survive as a hobo while facing hardship, danger, and violence, Maddy must discover her own resourcefulness and strengths.

First Paragraph: Prologue – 1946

Eddie is coming.  The last time I saw him, he was eleven. In my mind he is still my scrawny little brother, but he will turn twenty-six this year.  I wonder what kind of man Eddie is now.  Does he drink, like our father?  What will he think of me?  There’s so much he doesn’t know.  I walk to my pantry, thinking that I should see what groceries I need to buy to make him a nice dinner, but my eyes are drawn to the second shelf from the bottom.  It holds neatly stacked cans of tuna, tomato soup, and beans of all kinds.  Hidden behind that food is a box printed with bold, black letters that spell out Durrand Vineyards.  It’s not wine inside that box, no matter what the fancy script claims, and I don’t need to open it to remember what it holds.

GM: incredible pitch–the best by far from the entire contest. I’ve never seen anyone describe their novel so well in such a concise way. Very well done. Next–this is the kind of stuff that writers dream of being able to do. This first paragraph is full of background information that many writers waste pages trying to get the reader to “know” about their characters. Useless word count that is smartly and richly summed up here in one, well written paragraph that is so well done the only question it leaves you with is, “where can I get the rest of this story?”

Genre: Horror (zombies)

Format: Short Story

Length: ~4500 words

Synopsis: Riding out a hurricane is a point of pride to many a coastal dweller, but when a category five storm pushes inland, the patrons of a bar hosting a hurricane party are faced with more dangerous things than flood waters and high winds.

~~~~~

“Boy’s dead as a doornail, and serves him right for bein’ out in this
mess,” remarked Gus, considerably more sober but every bit as bitter.
The comment brought back another unfortunate piece of knowledge from
Kelly’s police experience.

“No, body takes longer than that to surface once it’s dead. Sinks
first, lungs fill with water, don’t come back up until the rot sets
in. Someone snag him! Poor bastard may just be unconscious, took some
debris to the head or somethin’.”

One of the college aged kids who hadn’t qualified for a perch, LSU
hoodie saturated to the neck, slogged over to the form and lifted its
upper body out of the water, a hand under each armpit. As he did, the
utility worker half-lunged, half-kicked forward. Teeth met exposed
throat and pulled away hard, tendons once straining with the effort of
the lift now exposed to the open air. The young man barely had time to
gurgle before the jaws clamped down once more, severing wind pipe and
jugular, cutting any further protest short.

Genre: Fantasy (sword and sorcery)

Format: Short Story

Word Count: ~4000 words

Synopsis: No one ever said myths and legends were necessarily accurate. But what’s a guy to do when he’s got a bit of an undeserved reputation? An unfortunate peasant family accosted by bandits helps the mysterious assassin Rigs and his trusty (?) Gnomish crossbow try to figure out that very thing. If they survive, at least.

~~~~~
“Excuse me, hello there.”

The startled rogue spun around to face the sudden and quite unwelcome voice behind him, his scimitar instinctively coming along, leveled to meet whatever throat had produced it at quite a high rate of speed. What it met instead was a gleaming silver longsword, produced from the recesses of the hooded newcomer’s cloak with a practiced, fluid motion, impact separating curved blade from hilt where it had been reforged and tempered several times before.

More pressing in Varmethan’s mind, figuratively and dangerously close to literally, was the tip of a bolt pushed into the skin directly between his eyes. It was precariously nocked on the black crossbow occupying the man’s left hand, brought forth during the same moment that scimitar was introduced to sword. If he focused particularly hard on the bridge of his nose, he could see a green substance of some kind glistening along the forward portion of the shaft.

“Yes, hello there,” continued the voice behind the crossbow without missing a beat, speaking at an almost rehearsed cadence. “Might I inquire as to what your business with these people happens to be?”

Genre: Fantasy (sword and sorcery)

Format: Flash fiction

Length: ~900 words

Synopsis: Master thief Haydn finds himself the unwilling tutor to Michael, yet another guild-assigned protege with no patience and even less brains. When a cart-jacking goes wrong, Haydn takes the opportunity to try and teach his young charge a valuable lesson in tactics, banditry, and, failing all else, gravity.

~~~~~

Ignoring the sounds coming from the drop, the solid thuds of rock hitting rock intermingled with noises significantly squishier, Haydn wiped his face and began heading towards town. The guild would undoubtedly point out that this was his third student this month to meet an untimely end. He figured they’d learn eventually.

Here’s an interview with JJ, Editorial Assistant at St. Martin’s Press. JJ was kind enough to sit with me the night we announced the winners (Thanksgiving eve) to discuss looking forward, how it all went down and what to expect in the near future. Enjoy the interview.

GM: JJ, congratulations on the success of the St. Martin’s Press “New Adult” submissions contest sponsored by #YAlitchat. It was such a pleasure working with you, Dan and the team at St. Martin’s Press. I’m truly honored by your request for my support. In all, we received 382 submissions in a two week period. That’s simply amazing. Did you expect the contest to be so successful–utilizing the power of social media to get the word out?

JJ: Thank YOU, Georgia, for being so helpful with everything! I couldn’t have done it without you–you and the power of Twitter, Ning, blogging, and all the wonderful resources of social media. I honestly had NO idea the contest would be so successful–I had hoped to get at least 50 submissions, but this blew me away. It spoke to me about how many people write fiction in this “grey area” of publishing that get overlooked or shoehorned into other genres by agents and editors.

GM: The contest generated quite a lot of excitement for “New Adult” as a potential new genre–a term coined by St. Martin’s Press. The excitement can be seen via the numerous blog posts, personal emails I’ve received and tweets and DMs on twitter. However, there also seems to be this undercurrent of suspicion and even dismay amongst a few who question whether it’s necessary or simply a marketing ploy. Can you address these concerns?

JJ: To the question of whether or not New Adult is necessary: it is not. To the question of whether or not it is a marketing ploy: it absolutely in some part. Then why New Adult? For many reasons–publishing is a business like (and unlike) any other and it constantly changes and evolves–I would argue it NEEDS to change and evolve–in order to survive.

I look to the YA genre because it’s one sector of the market that I can recall a Before and an After. When I was a child, I remember there was no YA–it was all children’s fiction. Now it’s picture books, young reader, middle grade, and young adult. Moving the “teen” books into their own section allowed the YA genre to expand and grow–I love what it encompasses now!

It’s trickier with this, of course, because I’ve had people accuse me of being ageist. New Adult is not meant to exclude other readers, just as YA is not only for teens. Dan and I think there is a gap in the current adult market–the literary fiction market–for fiction about twentysomethings. You never stop growing up, I think, but little in the market seems to address the coming-of-age that also happens in your 20s. This is the time of life when you are an actual, legal adult, but just because you’re able to vote (in the US, anyway) that doesn’t mean you know HOW to be one. This is the first time when you are building a life that is your OWN, away from your parents and the family that raised you. It’s a strange and scary place to be.

Just as YA is fiction about discovering who you are as a person, I think NA is fiction about building your own life. (Very generalised, of course.) I hope that the creation of this category will allow the adult market to develop and expand in similar ways the children’s market did.

GM:  Back to the contest itself. It’s simply unheard of for a large publisher to read and vet that many submissions in such a short period of time. It’s quite ambitious. Can you explain how you were able to do it?

JJ: I have a lot of practice reading slush. I worked at a literary agency before coming to St. Martin’s Press. In all honesty, if it weren’t for the business aspects of publishing (administrative things such as emails, phone calls, etc.), slush reading wouldn’t take as long as it does. I carved out a few hours after work every night to go through the submissions and divided them into Yes, No, and Maybe. At the end of it all, I went through all the Maybes and divided them into Yes and No. I did the same with the Yes pile until I had a final Yes pile. I also ran them by a few editorial assistants at work for second opinions, as well as taking into considering Georgia’s recommendations. I tried to get them down to 10-15 final Yeses (I am only human after all), but they were so good, I ended up with 18 final Yeses.

GM: There is quite a lot of talent in the pre-published community of writers–in particular #YAlitchat. However, as am I, you very strongly advise writers so seek the representation of an agent. Can you elaborate on the importance of doing so and how you will handle writers from the contest who remain unagented?

JJ: As for needing an agent, I wrote about it in this blog post. I will stress the importance of the agent from two perspectives: from the writer’s and from the editor’s. From the writer’s perspective, you need an agent to guide your career. The agent can help you develop your brand as an AUTHOR, help you navigate the strangeness of contracts, money, and market performance, dish the facts, help you set goals and expectations, and keep you grounded. From the editor’s perspective, an agent is someone we trust to give us stuff we like to read. We build relationships with each other and they lead US to YOU. Also, remember that publishing houses are focused on the final PRODUCT (the physical/digital book), what will make US money; agents focus on YOU and what will make YOU money. Also, on the editorial side, my contract is with the writer for one book at a time and while I work on making your book the best it can be, I can’t handle other questions about your career, the process, what I will do to help promote, etc. That’s not my job. My job is to make your book sing.

As for the writers who decide to remain unagented, that is their own business, of course. If you believe yourself savvy enough to handle the business without an agent, then you are welcome to it. Personally, I wouldn’t. I write fiction as well and I want an agent!

GM: What are next steps for those who’ve “won” a chance to have you review the first fifty pages of their manuscripts? What can they expect during the process?

JJ: Please expect an email from me requesting a synopsis (ah, the S-word!) and the first 50 pages of your manuscript to be sent to me at St. Martin’s (email preferred). It doesn’t have be EXACTLY 50–ballpark is good. I would rather read to the end of a chapter than be cut off in the middle. The synopsis for me to see what happens at the end, of course.

GM: What happens after that? Will you return their partial with editorial notes or do so only for those who will move on to full submission?

JJ: If at that stage I decide to pass, I will send you a letter about why it doesn’t work for me with some editorial comments if I think it’s necessary/worth it. If I request a full, but turn that down as well, expect the same. Remember, everything needs the Boss’s approval as well.

GM: Will you allow those whose partials require revisions to do so and re-submit for consideration?

JJ: Unfortunately, I don’t think I will allow resubmission on partials. However, if I reject a full manuscript with editorial comments and I invite you to resubmit with revisions, please do so. Again, the final say rests with the Boss–he may not want to see a revised manuscript.

GM: From a publisher’s perspective, what do you think a contest like this says about you in the publishing world, to your peers/colleagues?

 JJ: That we’re crazy? Boss and I are very, very open to experimentation and trying new things. If it fails, it fails. We pick ourselves up and try again. St. Martin’s Press has traditionally given a lot of leeway to its editors to acquire what they find interesting and has given us a lot of independence. Our colleagues are great. As for as peers, we’ll see! I think some people are reluctant to change and want to cling to models that are outdated. Adapt or accept defeat is our motto.

GM: How has the contest impacted submissions from agents?

JJ: Since we are a fledgling enterprise, we haven’t had that many submissions from agents yet! We’re still trying to get the word out. Boss and I have been actively introducing ourselves to and wooing different agents and agencies for things to publish, but it’s nice when an agent contacts US because they somehow heard about our endeavor via Twitter, a blog, or another form of social media.

GM:  Seems you will have your hands full over the next couple of months but some are already asking when the next contest will be. So???

 JJ: Oh Lordy, the contest was something unexpected. I initially turned to Georgia to possibly bring up the topic of New Adult on #YAlitchat and she was the one who suggested a contest and helped me get the word out! As for when another one will be, I don’t know. If we find something from this one, maybe Boss will be open to another one. He has rather benignly given me complete independence with this project.

GM: When can the winners expect to hear from you? 

 JJ: Hopefully some time next week. I look forward to working with them! I’m sorry I couldn’t request more, but I am human after all. I have other projects aside from this contest to work on. There is a lot of talent in #YAlitchat and I commend everyone for submitting.

GM: What advice do you have for those entrants whose work was not chosen?

 JJ: Just because it’s not for us doesn’t mean it not right for someone else. Keep writing, keep trying, and don’t give up hope! I had a substantial Maybe pile–if this turns out to be successful, perhaps we will turn to that pile for more. Some of the entries in the Maybe pile were more YA than what we were looking for, and while our mandate is to publish fiction for adults, some of those YAs may find their home with us at other imprints.

 GM: Any parting thoughts?

 JJ: This contest taught me that there DOES exist a need for a niche in the market for protagonists aged 18 to 26, based on the sheer number of people who had manuscripts that fit. Hopefully other publishing houses will come to realise that too.

GM: Thanks so much for making me a part of this process, JJ. I can’t wait to see these books in print and know that in a small way I had something to do with it. Congratulations to you and all the awesome writers who will go on to publish with St. Martin’s Press as a result of this contest.

Click here for  a list of winners (18 total winners) including the top three as chosen by the St. Martin’s Press Editorial Team!

I’m pleased to announce a wonderful submissions opportunity from Gibbs Smith! Editor, Michelle Witte contacted me and asked me to help spread the word. #YAlitchat Community members were alerted last night. Gibbs Smith is seeking both agented and unagented writers with great ideas for middle grade activity books for children anywhere from 6–14 years old. Submit a detailed outline of the proposed project and a writing sample (generally the first three chapters) using the online submission page. They will invite you to send the entire manuscript if they are interested.

Please note: Gibbs Smith not accepting submissions for children’s picture books or fiction of any kind. They will only contact you if they are interested.

For more about what Gibbs Smith is looking for, please read the official Gibbs Smith Blog.

Remember to breathe.

Gatekeepers have always been part of life. To get to the spine surgeon, get cozy with the receptionist. To get to the editor, make nice with the intern who rejects 95 percent of the manuscripts on the slush pile. To talk with the famous professor, approach through the administrative assistant, or see if you can locate which of the three official offices the professor may be in when you go to chat. But for the sales rep, the writer or prospective student—and everyone else—that world is quickly changing.

Distances compact as people play with new technologies. Surprising conversations now beckon with folks we would have never dreamed of contacting last year. Suddenly access is open to people previously hidden behind protective ranks of gatekeepers. They blog their thoughts about the news. They comment on other people’s posts. They tweet about last night’s dinner. They are approachable—possibly more approachable then they realize.

There’s a new democratization at work here. Technology plays a part in making this possible, but there’s a new attitude afoot. People are making pieces of themselves searchable to the public: their twittery/bloggy/commenty voices can be located and absorbed. And not just our heroes, because we are all developing voices and we want to use those voices. And we’re developing an appetite to hear those voices. And we are also hearing new voices and developing new heroes.

So let me be cautious in my contact.

Without the gatekeeper to set up my query, I must quickly frame up the context of my communication so I can approach that surgeon/editor/professor with a brief, tactful query. I don’t want to be like the star-struck Twilight fan who forgets to talk—or breath—and so lose an excellent opportunity.

The impetus is on me (on us) to grow in this framing, this contextualizing skill. Otherwise we run the risk of being just another screaming fan. And that’s just not conducive to conversation.

###

Last week was a slow writing week for me. Due to illness, a mid-week school holiday, and basic scheduling, I had either one or both of my boys home everyday last week.  Since I find it hard to write when distracted, my precious writing time was cut short, very short, well it was almost none existent. Not to be daunted, I decided to use my free time searching for interesting sites on the internet.

During my search I came across a great site: Editorial Anonymous. This blog written by an anonymous book editor offers great insights, valuable tips, and links to other writing sites to check out . This site also featured a section that captured my attention, it was simply titled “Things Not to Send in Slush Pile Ever Again”.

The list included:

• flashlights
• shoe shine kits
• dead bugs
• photos of you
• photos of you dressed in formalwear
• photos of you dressed in your Halloween costume
• photos of you not dressed
• glitter
• confetti
• glitter confetti (I’m serious)
• dolls, handmade or otherwise
• dolls, especially not santa dinos
• tea, coffee, hot chocolate
• seed packets
• money
• dental x-rays
• farting handpuppets (mini whoopee cushion)
• woolen stockings full of jellybeans
• crates of tangerines
• contraceptives
• fake contraceptives

The writer in me was intrigued by this list. I could easily see why certain items were sent; coffee or tea for the editor to drink while they snuggle up with your precious manuscript, or maybe some fruit or candy  to snack on while the harried editor works through lunch to finish reading your masterpiece. I must say that some of the items listed above just stumped me, I really can’t see a reason why someone would send a shoe shine kit, dead bugs, or dental x-rays. This list served as a huge reminder to me, that while I may work on a manuscript to make it the best it can be, the editors have to wade through a lot of junk just to read it.

Writing on the Sidewalk

Suzanne Santillan

Wendy Burt-Thomas’s new book THE WRITER’S DIGEST GUIDE TO QUERY LETTERS was released in January 2009. Wendy was nice enough to share an interview she did while on a blog tour to promote her book with our #YAlitchat family. I hope you enjoy the interview. You can also visit Wendy online at www.AskWendy.wordpress.com.

1. Can you tell us about your book?

The book was a great fit for me because I’d been teaching “Breaking Into Freelance Writing” for about eight years. In the workshop, I covered a lot of what is in this book: writing query letters to get articles in magazines, to land an agent, or to get a book deal with a publisher. Since I’m a full-time freelance magazine writer and editor with two previous books, this was incredibly fun to write because it didn’t require tons of research. I was lucky enough to receive lots of great sample query letters from writers and authors that I use as “good” examples in the book. I wrote all the “bad” examples myself because I didn’t dare ask for contributions that I knew I’d be ripping apart! In addition to the ins and outs of what makes a good query, the book covers things like why (or why not) to get an agent, where to find one and how to choose one; writing a synopsis or proposal; selling different rights to your work; other forms of correspondence; and what editors and agents look for in new writers. It was really important to me that the book not be a dry, boring reference book, but rather an entertaining read (while still being chock full of information). I was thrilled that Writer’s Digest let me keep all the humor.

2. Why are query letters so important?

Breaking into the publishing world is hard enough right now. Unless you have a serious “in” of some kind, you really need a great query letter to impress an agent or acquisitions editor. Essentially, your query letter is your first impression. If they like your idea (and voice and writing style and background), they’ll either request a proposal, sample chapters, or the entire manuscript. If they don’t like your query letter, you’ve got to pitch it to another agency/publisher. Unlike a manuscript, which can be edited or reworked if an editor thinks it has promise, you only get one shot with your query. Make it count! I see a lot of authors who spend months (or years) finishing their book, only to rush through the process of crafting a good, solid query letter. What a waste! If agents/editors turn you down based on a bad query letter, you’ve blown your chance of getting them to read your manuscript. It could be the next bestseller, but they’ll never see it. My advice is to put as much effort into your query as you did your book. If it’s not fabulous, don’t send it until it is.

3. There’s an entire chapter in the book about agents. Do you think all new writers should get agents?

Probably 99% of new writers should get an agent. There are lots of reasons, but my top three are: 1) Many of the larger publishing houses won’t even look at unagented submissions now; 2) Agents can negotiate better rights and more money on your behalf; 3) Agents know the industry trends, changes and staff better than you ever could.

4. You’ve been a mentor, coach or editor for many writers. What do you think is the most common reason that good writers don’t get published?

Poor marketing skills. I see so many writers that are either too afraid, too uniformed, or frankly, too lazy, to market their work. They think their job is done when the write “the end” but writing is only half of the process. I’ve always told people who took my class that there are tons of great writers in the world who will never get published. I’d rather be a good writer who eats lobster than a great writer who eats hot dogs. I make a living as a writer because I spend as much time marketing as I do writing.

5. What are some of the biggest misconceptions that writers have about getting a book deal?

That they’ll be rich overnight, that they don’t need to promote their book once it’s published, that publishing houses will send them on world book tours, that people will recognize them at the airport. Still, you can make great money as an author if you’re prepared to put in the effort. If it wasn’t possible, there wouldn’t be so many full-time writers.

6. What must-read books do you recommend to new writers?

Christina Katz (author of “Writer Mama”) has a new book out called “Get Known Before the Book Deal” – which is fabulous. Also, Stephen King’s “On Writing” and David Morrell’s “Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing.” Anything by Anne Lamott or my Dad, Steve Burt.

7. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a full-time writer?

Seize every opportunity – especially when you first start writing. I remember telling someone about a really high-paying writing gig I got and he said, “Wow. You have the best luck!” I thought, “Luck has nothing to do with it! I’ve worked hard to get where I am.” Later that week I read this great quote: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” It’s absolutely true. And writing queries is only about luck in this sense. If you’re prepared with a good query and/or manuscript, when the opportunity comes along you’ll be successful.

8. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Writing the “bad” query letters. I’ve read – and written! – so many horrible ones over the years that it was a little too easy to craft them. But misery loves company and we ALL love to read really bad query letters, right?

9. What do you want readers to learn from your book?

I want them to understand that while writing a good query letter is important, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can break it down into parts, learn from any first-round rejections, and read other good queries to help understand what works. I also want them to remember that writing is fun. Sometimes new writers get so caught up in the procedures that they lose their original voice in a query. Don’t bury your style under formalities and to-the-letter formatting.

About Wendy Burt-Thomas

Wendy Burt-Thomas is a full-time freelance writer, editor and PR consultant. Her credentials include more than 1,000 published articles, reviews, short stories, poems and greeting cards. She’s also written three books: “Oh, Solo Mia! The Hip Chick’s Guide to Fun for One” (2001, McGraw-Hill); “Work It, Girl! 101 Tips for the Hip Working Chick” (2003, McGraw-Hill) and “The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters” (2009, Writer’s Digest Books). Her fourth book, an update of “The Everything Creative Writing Book” (Adams Media) hits stores in April 2010.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with JJ, Editorial Assistant over at St. Martin’s Press and working quite closely with her over the past week on a submissions contest for unagented YA writers. We talked in depth not only about what she does, but about what St. Martin’s Press is looking to acquire under the leadership of their new Publisher-at-Large, Dan Weiss. Enjoy the interview!

Congratulations on your role at St. Martin’s Press. Can you tell me what you do there?

I am Dan Weiss’s assistant, as well as general editorial assistant at St. Martin’s. My job is to help seek out and acquire submissions to publish, specifically in the areas we are looking to expand–“new adult” or fiction and nonfiction for older teens (college-age) and twentysomethings. I read for a living! How awesome is that?

Awesome indeed. For those who are unfamiliar with St. Martin’s Press, can you give us a brief history?

St. Martin’s is part of Macmillan and has a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction in nearly every category. Notable examples include Augusten Burrough’s WOLF AT THE TABLE, Janet Evanovich’s STEPHANIE PLUM books, as well as the paranormal teen romance series HOUSE OF NIGHT by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.

I’m certain many of my readers are familiar with P.C. and Kirstin Cast for sure. You came to me because St. Martin’s Press is actively seeking specific kinds of Young Adult works. We called them “new adult” or “older YA” on my blog. Can you give me some details?

Dan believes that the market for young adults–that is, adults who are young–is largely untapped. We are a generation that grew up reading YA, but once we grew up, we couldn’t find fiction in the adult sections applicable to our lives. You’re not prepared for the adult world just because you turn 18. We still have more in common with teens than we do with “grownups.” We’re looking for books that call to us (Dan calls us “Gen Y”) and there is a lot in YA that is appealing: finding a place in life, discovering who we are, etc. Hence we want to find books that are like YA, but targeted to us slightly older readers. Of course, if we find a really great YA that’s really for the YA market, we won’t say no! If it’s perfect for another one of Macmillan’s imprints, we’ll try and publish through them.

This is more than just main characters who are older, what about the content of the literature?

I’m fond of the term “bildungsroman”–a coming of age story. Michael Chabon’s THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH is a good example. In all honesty, the age of the protagonist matters little. Hannah Tinti wrote a novel called THE GOOD THIEF (I reviewed it here: http://sjaejones.com/blog/2009/i-like-thieves/), which had a 12-year-old protagonist and it was published as adult. PREP by Curtis Sittenfield, which was about boarding school, was also published as adult. However, while I think the themes in “new adult” and YA are similar, the content would be similar to older, edgier YA. The complaint about too much violence and sex in YA wouldn’t be applicable here. The stories that would apply to us include first serious relationships (possibly leading to marriage), first jobs, college, and all the bits about being a grownup without knowing how to be one (similar to YA, I think). Examples of YA I think could have been published as adult are Malinda Lo’s ASH (which I reviewed here: http://sjaejones.com/blog/2009/the-lesbian-cinderella/), GRACELING by Kristin Cashore (reviewed here: http://sjaejones.com/blog/2009/aloha-and-mahalo/), and A CURSE AS DARK AS GOLD by Elizabeth Bunce (I reviewed that here: http://sjaejones.com/blog/2009/white-harp-reviews-a-curse-dark-as-gold/).

We’re doing a contest to allow unagented writers to showcase their work for your consideration. However, is there an advantage to an agented submission over and unagented submission?

It’s all about the work. A good manuscript is a good manuscript, regardless of whether or not the writer is agented. However, I will say that agented submissions generally have priority–mostly because the editors are familiar with the agents and trust their tastes. On a related note, I think having an agent is advantageous for the author, not for getting submissions read, but for helping him or her navigate the business of publishing.

What else are you looking for in a writer?

Oodles of talent with enough humility to understand why we want to kill their darlings in a manuscript. Being media and web savvy is also a definite advantage. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and blogs are all big pluses, as long as the web presence is maintained with decorum and discretion.

What can an unagented writer expect when sending their submissions to St. Martin ’s Press? What is the acquisitions process?

In many ways, it’s much like submitting to an agent. If we like it, we will contact you and ask for the full manuscript. If we really, really like it, we will offer you a contract, the details of which will vary from writer to writer, book to book. There will be an advance and a pay-out schedule, the likes of which have been described by other publishing bloggers like Kristin Nelson at http://pubrants.blogspot.com/.

And if St. Martin’s Press is not interested in the writer’s work? What is communicated and in what period of time? Please set the expectation.

Dan and I make it our policy to respond to every submission we receive through this contest, so none of this “no response means no” nonsense. We will try and respond in a timely fashion–within reason, of course. I will try and keep response times up to date on my blog.

How about distribution? Are St. Martin’s Press release available readily? Where can we find them?

In bookstores everywhere and wherever else books are sold!

What about eBooks? Are St. Martin’s Press releases available in eBook format?

This varies from title to title. Going forward, Dan and I would like to experiment with digital publishing and we most certainly would love to publish eBooks–either individually or simultaneously with print. Dan has a lot of experience in this area with SparkNotes and we want to continue exploring the changing landscape of book publishing.

Any advice you can give aspiring writers hoping to be published with St. Martin ’s Press?

Read. A lot. It’s important to understand what makes a good book (craft-wise and storytelling-wise) and what makes it sell. But more than that, it’s important to discover what you love and then write it. We can always tell when someone is writing for a fad or a trend. Have passion for your work and never stop writing and honing your skills.

Advice from Dan: It’s important to find what’s unique about your voice. Know your characters inside and out so that there may be authenticity in your work and make sure the stakes are high for your characters, so that your readers may care about them.

Thanks so much to Georgia for hosting me on her blog and for hosting #YAlitchat. I will pop in to chat on Twitter as often as I can.

Looking forward to reading submissions from the contest!

Always,

JJ

St. Martin’s Press “New Adult” Contest:Sponsored by #YAlitchat

St. Martin’s Press is actively looking for great, new, cutting edge fiction with protagonists who are slightly older than traditional YA and can appeal to a younger adult audience. Since twenty-somethings are devouring YA, St. Martin’s Press is seeking fiction with a YA sensibility that can be published and marketed as adult; kind of an older YA or “new adult.”

They are hoping to find what they’re looking for from the pool of #YAlitchat writers on twitter! I’m personally thrilled that they’ve recognized the talent among us and to be a part of this amazing endeavor.

The contest begins Monday, November 9 and ends Friday, November 20, 2009. Submissions will be taken online and read by JJ of the St. Martin’s Press editorial department and Georgia McBride, Founder and Host of #YAlitchat!

St. Martin’s Press “New Adult” Contest Submission Rules
1. One submission per author.

2. All works must be complete, edited, proofed and ready for submission upon request by St. Martin’s Press

3. Protagonist must be at least 18 years old though early 20’s. However, age of protag is not as important as overall story and appeal to adult market.

4. Submission must include author first name, valid email address, 2-3 sentence hook/pitch and first paragraph of story ONLY. Any additional content will be discarded.

5. Please only post submissions on submissions page. If you have a question, please let me know and I will do my best to get it answered for you on my blog or via email.

6. Please read interview with JJ, Editorial Assistant from St. Martin’s Press prior to submitting your work. In it are specific guidelines and details pertaining to what they are seeking to acquire.

How it Works

Submissions will be reviewed by the Editorial Department at St. Martin’s Press and Georgia McBride, Founder and Host of #Yalitchat. Based on the criteria defined by St. Martin’s Press; submissions are assessed and if we are interested in seeing more, authors will be contacted via the email provided in their submission post and a partial (first fifty pages) of your manuscript will be requested. If we request the first fifty pages, and it falls in the middle of a chapter, please round down or up as needed.

Your manuscript should be edited, proofed and ready for submission upon request. If the editorial team at St. Martin’s Press would like to see more of your manuscript after reading your partial, they will request the remainder of your manuscript. Please make sure that your manuscript is properly formatted, spell-checked and ready to go.

Winners

Winners in this “contest” are those who submit and are asked to have their manuscript reviewed for consideration by St. Martin’s Press. Ideally, we would all go on to be offered a book deal, but that is not realistic. The goal is to give as many #Yalitchat writers an opportunity to have their work considered by this great publisher as possible. In doing so, we all win.

St. Martin’s Press is giving away copies of P.C. and Kristin Cast’s latest HOUSE OF NIGHT book to the “first, second, and third-place” winners. That is, authors with novels/concepts that they feel are the most interesting/right for them. The book is TEMPTED, paranormal YA.

Disclaimer

St. Martin’s Press does not guarantee to publish the material requested and cannot be held liable for a book published through St. Martin’s Press with similar content to any submission from the “New Adult” Contest sponsored by #YAlitchat.

Click here to submit!

In between all this NaNoWriMo jizz and everyday life I’m getting ready to send my real book out to a publisher bypassing the agent thing. You heard me. Not some stupid query, not the first five pages, not the first three chapters or a synopsis. The whole manuscript. I think I may be sick. 

I’m going to try and read through it one more time just to make sure everything is as it’s supposed to be. Force a couple friends to reread the new version and see if they spot any inconsistencies and then I’ll pack it up and ship it off along with all my hard work, sweat, tears, hopes and dreams.  It’s gonna cost a fortune to ship all that crap. 

Next will be to force myself to not think about it sitting in some slush pile which may be impossible but I’ll have to find a way. I suppose working on new stuff will be the way to go. Maybe the NaNo story or maybe the other story or maybe a new story. The possibilities are endless.  Hahaha, as if any of that will make me forget the story at a publisher who I’m praying will give it a chance to become an actual book. I can’t even write a paragraph without thinking about sending the stupid thing out.

From Publishers Marketplace November 4, 2009

I’ve been asked to help spread the word within the YA community and to assist in identifying potential content. More details on that later (rumor has it there may be a submissions contest for #YAlitchat members).

Have you written the next great young adult novel? Have an idea for the next great young adult novel? Then you may be in luck. Sourcebooks, Gotham Writer’s Workshop and Serendipity Literary Agency have joined forces to create the Young Adult Novel Discovery Contest.

According to their website, the Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit their manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks and receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers’ Workshop. What’s better than that? There are two other prize tiers as well.
 

Full contest details can be viewed here.

Sourcebooks recently announced an expansion into Young Adult books. I’ll have an interview with the folks from Sourcebooks about it here soon!

I’m trapped in the gym today…it’s club/organization picture day, and I was “suggested” as a candidate for yearbook sponsor in the later part of last school year.  Of course, my initial response when asked was, Hell No! But I never said that aloud…to my boss (yeah, right…I’m snarky…not crazy).

Okay…so…before I start gripping about my newly appointed duties…allow me to (1) apologize for my EXTENDED hiatus, and (2) catch you all up on what’s been going on with me.

A. Not still teaching with Pollyanna Sunshine. I firmly informed my new department head that I’m a one-woman-show…no assistance needed!  In fact, Pollyanna’s “help” crippled me and (more importantly) my class.  I let my department head know that I did not want anymore collaborative teaching situations (whole “My Buddy and Me” thing creeps me out).  I offered to keep the subject I was already teaching (American Literature – 11^th), but instead I got British Literature…Seniors!!!! Yayyyyyy!

B. Got stuck with yearbook. I don’t know shit from shinola about a damn yearbook.  The only thing I know about yearbooks is that the guy I had a crush on in high school, drew a picture of a penis in mine…and I had to do everything in my power to keep my very authoritarian mother from seeing that!  Had she seen that, she would have demanded to speak to his parents immediately.  My yearbook staff, while sweet kids, is inexperienced…kinda like having sex with a 40-year-old male virgin (throwing up in my mouth a little bit).  They don’t know shit from shinola, too!  We all make an interesting group.  All I can say is that yearbook is stressful, and I’ve already had to decline a part-time adjunct teaching job I was offered.

C. Have high blood pressure. I never thought I would admit to having HBP…at 34!  Perhaps the stress of my profession does not agree with me.  Last year, I over did it.  Last year I smoldered from within every time I came to work because I didn’t like co-teaching and I hated my 6^th period class (damn delinquents…literally).  I was teaching as an adjunct professor, two nights a week, at the community college in my neighborhood (which added another 15 miles to my already 32-mile-one-way trek to work).  Also, I was pining away over an idiot asshole who did not care for me the way I cared for him.  I could not just wake up and smell the bullshit.

D. Got accepted to the PhD program I applied for. This is a bitter-sweet situation.  My student loans were in default…HEAVY default.  I was under the impression that they were deferred because I filled out loan forgiveness paperwork, but it was for something entirely different than what I thought it was for.  So…to make a long story longer…I had to defer my admission to Fall 2010 in order to fix my financial issues.  Although the university is offering me a stipend ($1100 a month BEFORE taxes), free tuition, and medical…I would still need minimal loans to cover my personal expenses.  However, I’m grateful for the offer and can’t wait to get started!  It’s a PhD in Education (of course).  The goal is to teach other teachers HOW to implement meaningful/authentic/germane teaching strategies in which to teach the new breed of people/situations we are being faced with in our classrooms.

So now we are all caught up!  I look forward to posting my daily goings-on more often! 

If you haven’t seen this post on Slush Reading, Seuss Style by Jim Hines you’ve definitely been deprived.

Maybe you’re really unique. Maybe you’ve written something so brilliant, profound, funny, tragic, beautiful that you just know in your heart somebody is going to buy it, publish it and the reading public is just going to lap it up.

Maybe you’re right. But here’s the depressing conclusion most of us have probably reached by now. To the publishing industry, we’re nothing.

I’m not ripping the biz. As much as some writers piss and moan, it’s not exactly the agents’ and publishing houses’ fault. There are thousands upon thousands of people out there just like us who want to sell their book. They buy one of Writer’s Digest’s annual Writer’s Market publications and go through them and send queries to every agent in the book (hoping everybody knows what that is — a query letter is your initial contact with an agent or a publisher — you give a VERY BRIEF synopsis of your book, a word count and some contact info.). The slush piles you become part of are deep, and you’ll be lucky if an intern glances at your query long enough to send you a rejection. Sometimes you’ll get really lucky and someone will request the first 50 pages of your book, but those better be a great first 50 pages. Still, getting off the slushpile for most of us is like climbing Mount Everest. And cold-querying unsolicited manuscripts is like beating your head against a wall (don’t let me disuade you though — stranger things have happened).

There are some easier ways to get eyes on your manuscript. There are conferences, writing workshops and programs where you can network and meet people (please, by the way, feel free to send me anything you think I should list here). One of the great things about the Wilkes University Creative Writing Master’s Degree program is that, in addition to instruction on craft, they give great advice from successful, working writers on ways to navigate the industry. Many of the agents and publishers involved in these programs and conferences are accomodating and legitimately open to new ideas and fresh faces.

Here’s the problem. It’s a business. The artwork you’ve been sculpting full of your own pecadillos and eccentricities is a product. And the publisher, if he or she wants to keep their shingle out, has to be concerned about sellability. They’re looking for proven track records, they’re looking for something that’ll sell. They love formula, because it’s measurable. The story about the couple who finally finds love needs three tragic moments, because that worked for Nicholas Sparks, and it has to have a picture of a lighthouse in it somewhere (Not throwing Sparks under the bus. I’ve never read him, I only know him by reputation and obviously the stuff he writes means something to somebody. Just pointing out the phenomenon that businesses — BY NECESSITY — all love tried and true formulas and in bad markets they must try to mitigate risk. Unfortuately, we’re talking about art here, and for the people who produce it often the essence of it is in the risk. Originality is risk).

So some might advise you that if you want to sell something as a writer, go do some market research. Figure out what’s selling, look at the formula and follow it.

But is that really success? Is getting published the brass ring unto itself? Or is producing something of quality, something you’re proud of, something that means something to you.  Something completely different, something that stays with people after you’ve written it? I get all hung up on getting published. Hell, look at the title of the blog.

Any time you find yourself becoming like me, where publishing is the end goal, ask yourself — AND THEN WHAT? You get the satisfaction of seeing your name on the shelf there at Barnes and Noble, but what then? Is your life over? Are you Inigo Mantoya, and now you’re out of the revenge business so you can maybe become the Dread Pirate Roberts (Princess Bride reference)? If you’ve sold out to publish, you’ll likely have to continue selling out … continue sticking to a formula. You get typecast. And when you try to break free and do something original, write the novel you always meant to write, who will take it seriously?

Thank God for independent presses. And thank God for the few literary novels that still get published out there. There’s still hope.

This might be my most rambling and pointless blog entry yet — but does anybody have any stories to share about their own attempts to find success in the industry? How do you measure success? Is publishing the ultimate goal, or are you seeking to become a specific kind of writer, and publishing is just one rung on the ladder? Vent, people, please. Let me know I’m not alone. And give advice to your fellow writers! Me  included.

I was just on the verge of being bitter and twisted (again!) when I heard back from Ben Ball and he would be “delighted” to read Bittersweet.
I’ve forwarded his email to my prospective agent and hope this will finally move my ms from mid-slushpile to the very top!

Cross fingers everyone. I have nervous butterflies and he hasn’t even got the ms yet.

Love to all,
Edwina

There’s so much going on, I’m feeling a bit shaken and stirred. Let’s see if I can recall everything and not overload the post. First, today is the last day to enter Amber Kizer’s wonderful book giveaway. Win a copy of MERIDIAN and ONE BUT CHEEK AT A TIME. Thanks fo everyone who has entered so far. The winner will be announced on August 11!

Next up, my book, PRAEFATIO was chosen as a Waiting on Wednesday last week by Shayla over at the Book Explorer blog! How cool is that? Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly book lust list prevalent in book bloggerdom. I am truly honored and grateful. Here’s the link. PLEASE NOTE: The cover used is one created by my friend Bradley as a favor since I didn’t have a cover! Thanks Bradley but I have a new temporary cover now.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE. I know have a new temporary cover for PRAEFATIO! I decided to get one since I am getting interview requests. So, I contacted the ultra talented and generous Mariana Britto–photographer and artist extroadinare–and she agreed to let me use one of her prints. You can view Mariana’s work at http://skategirl.deviantart.com I won’t post it here since it’s not the official book cover and I don’t want anyone looking for it in bookstores just yet. BUT you can click on the books page to see it.

I have started sending the manuscript out to agents and that’s all I’m going to say right now since I don’t want to jinx anything! For those of you following me on twitter, I may have let a few other details slip the other day. LOL! Keep an eye out for more details as they come in. I can tell you that waiting to hear any kind of news is TORTURE!

My first author interview is complete and will be launched at the end of this week! I am sooooo excited and honored to be asked about PRAEFATIO. What a head trip.

I’ve been asked to be the Writer in Residence at my daughter’s school, so I’ll be tecahing writing skills to 4th graders this year! How cool is that?

Just finished a guest blog for the ladies at If You Give A Girl a Pen on An Unreliable Narrator. Will let you know when it it posted. Thanks, Sarah for the invitation to blog!

Got a review of Lili St. Crow’s STRANGE ANGELS coming in a few days so look out for it.

Have a great interview with debut YA author Jennifer Brown coming in late August. She wrote the forthcoming HATE LIST. SOOOO exciting. Cannot wait to share this book with you. In the mean time, I am reading NEED by Carrie Jones. Just finished Lisa McMann’s WAKE. Awesome book!

Finally, I’m not into motorcycles, my husband is. BUT, I saw this motorcycle over the weekend that took my breath away. I don’t know what to say other than, I literally stopped breathing. Sick Bastards Choppers is responsible. I don’t even know how to ride it. I have no deisire to ride it. I simply want to own it, to love it. Here is the photo.

Sir Lancelot

I had to share this (which I came across via the TeenLitAuthors group):

Hehe yes I really am laughing out loud.

Now, I need to find me some writing mojo. So I can come up with a better beginning than ‘The’. (oh no, I just checked – my first word is ‘the’ – I’ll need to do some major editing before I submit to Rat)

Okay, I have broken the 10k mark with The 12 Step Fairy Program, but I’m falling behind with 50ks in 30 days. Help me out, Fairy Godmother?

I just wanted to spread the word and remind anyone using the 2009 Writers Market to please, please remember to call and verify the contact information. That way all of your hard work doesn’t get tossed in the slush pile due to having the wrong editors name on your query/envelope. I can’t tell you how many magazine/publishers, etc…have the telephone numbers that are changed or out of service. We are talking A LOT of them (obviously many have gone under due to our great economy).

One magazine, who you have all heard of – even if you’ve just crawled out of a cave, had the wrong address, phone number, and editor contact (the editor hasn’t been there for 4 years). I called information trying to get a working number with no luck at all. The operator and I tried everything we could think of. After about 15 minutes I’m able to reach a phone number that is linked (in an ass backwords type of way) to the mag.

Thinking I’ve finally gotten thru and I’ll just find out the new name of the editor, blah blah blah, home-free right? (Nothing is easy like that in my life!) The girls voicemail I have been forwarded to says,

“Hi this is Lisa (insert a 14 yr old giggle fit here). Friday is like my last day and all calls will be taken by our interns. Thanx!!”

After a large case of eye rolling on my part I wait for an intern to pick up. Wouldn’t you know it, I got the intern with the deep southern drawl AND a case of the crippling teen giggles. I ask for the correct editors name,

“Oh, ummmm, you want ummmm, who’s name is it again?”

I try again.

“That’s right, I’m sorry! Ummm, I can’t find the name right now but I can give you our email address.” I respond with a ‘fine’ and then have to wait another 5 minutes to get an email addy, three times, that was totally wrong in the end. The kind child did forward me to a voicemail of someone (it could’ve been her cousin back in Hillville at that point (please don’t give me grief on that comment, I am from the sticks so I can make fun of myself) saying they were on the phone or in a “really, really important meeting right now”.

I left a lame message and hung up.

An hour later I was still exhausted from the total mind circus I encountered. (And no, I never heard back from them.)

National magazine with over 2.5 million readers. Any guesses?

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Attention aspiring writers! What’s the fastest way to get your manuscript to a publisher? Hint: it’s not by mailing it directly to their office. Here the manuscript will be added to the slush pile to reside forever. (If you actually don’t know the first step in getting your book published, don’t expect wisdom here. There are about 4,000 resources out there.) And so masterpiece after masterpiece is relegated to the corner of an unused office until some freelancer takes on the task of finding the diamond in the rough. The very small diamond in the very, very big rough.

Thankfully, there’s hope. Soo Jin Oh (of the wonderful press New Directions) moonlights as a slush pile reader for a major New York publisher, and she’s come up with these handy categories. If your manuscript falls into one of these, don’t forget to add glitter, some candy and a headshot to that manila folder! 

Her Long Blonde Hair Fanned into a Golden Ray As Her Convertible Sped Into the Sunset
“First rule of sending an unsolicited manuscript: know the publishing house. Yes, millions of women (and even some men, no doubt) read steamy romances every morning (I see it on my daily commute), and there’s gold there, I tell ya, gold! I must confess that I spent a good deal of my pre-adolescent years reading romances for teenagers. Love Match was the best, seriously. You won’t get any snobbery from me where romance novels are concerned… but please, please send it to Harlequin. And don’t start with a cliche. Read Love Match. One can pick up a few pointers on how to keep romance novels funny.” 

I Am Empowered, I Am a Survivor
“When did poetry become therapy? I am not sure how poetry, which bards used to memorialize epic wars, which courtly lovers innovated in various sonnet forms to describe their beloved, which the Enlightenment era lengthened into Alexandrines that stretched their sardonic wit, which the Romantics suffused with doubts of a new era of experimental governance and the Industrial Revolution, which the Moderns reconstructed into language concrete as sidewalks…. When did all of this lead to the most popular form for describing the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the talking sessions needed to get over incest, the many scorching brutalities of life that left one in drug rehab (albeit not as colorfully depicted as in A Million Little Pieces). Dante thought the tercet fit to describe the trinity of heaven, hell, and purgatory. While many of these would-be poets have survived hell, they have yet to learn how to make of language a raw and lean art sublime enough to make our living purgatory into a reader’s paradise.”

This Letter Is From an Inmate
“Yes, we all know that there are famous writers who emerged from jail, be it Etheridge Knight, Bobby Seale whose BBQ talk made it into Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, or the many writers whose works have made it into PEN American Center’s This Prison Where I Live. However, general ratio of passable unsolicited proposals (roughly 1 out of 3000… by the way, I am just making up that ratio) still prevail.”

The Angry Divorce Revenge Proposal
“These proposals start off, ostensibly, as a ‘How To Get Divorced Without Getting Screwed.’ But the suggested title says it all: the anger over the recent divorce obscuring any practical useful advice. Oddly enough, it seems that only husbands want to get revenge on their recent ex-wives by writing the sordid details of the unfortunate marriage, the court wranglings… and the alimony. Perhaps much of the rancor is due to the fact that women are the primary recipients of alimony. This is slowly changing (was everyone else as shocked by the salaries quoted in the article?). I recommend such how-to writers that they not descend into a froth of expletives.”

My MFA Thesis
“Okay, I know that the writer just shelled out a fortune to ‘learn’ how to write, so maybe they are entitled to thinking they are due for a book contract. Sadly, all their money went to a plush university, not to a vanity press. Nor did the money go towards the getting of experience, the elixir of life with which, when combined with observation, much reading, reflection, and long years in a hovel writing and rewriting might get you a book (either that or a bent back and bad eyesight). Most such manuscripts are marked by a bildungsromans theme with most of the sympathy reserved for the children and rarely for the parents.”

: : : : : : : :

Speculative fiction is not fantasy fiction, as it rules out the use of anything as material which violates established scientific fact, laws of nature, call it what you will, i.e., it must [be] possible to the universe as we know it. – Robert A. Heinlein

A little while back I wrote:

One of the worst aspects of publishing work in a Web 2.0 world is the myriad tasks the author must undertake. Besides writing the novel the writer must undertake numerous sleazy marketing efforts. In the past that been relegated to the obligatory series of interviews and book signing, assuming that is if the author was lucky enough in his career or her to get to that point.

Today the challenges are different and far more varied. Most of the work still revolves around the writing, editing and marketing of the work. However the marketing piece of the puzzle is a bit of a quandary and requires the greatest flexibility on the part of the fledgling writer. Worse, it is also damn time consuming.

If you go the route of podcasting, which has its myriad appeals and challenges, it requires the author to do production work and possibly the biggest challenge of all: narrating the actual work. The web work can involve a site or minimally a blog for the author’s various fans to turn into. Besides words, structures these endeavors typically require some type of graphics, Search engine optimization and knowledge of key words; all daunting challenges for the uninitiated. If you have money you could have somebody else do it but you still must manage the ongoing mess.

The biggest marketing challenge could be the designation of your work into one of the existing genres. Why? That’s because the genre designation ultimately determines your readers and finally your choices among agents and publishers.

My problem was what the hell do you call Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot? Scif-Fi? Adventure? Romance?  It has all of those elements but what is best for marketing?  An adventure story sort of describes it but there were some science fiction elements as well to the story. After all the core of the story is about the survival of Homo floresiensis on a small tropical island and that is speculative at best. In actuality these small three-foot tall hominids died out 12,000 years ago or maybe as recently as 400 years ago based on some early historical accounts. In any case, nobody expects them to be found alive and well today, at least not with the way China is clear cutting the forests of Southeast Asia. To call it science fiction would really disappoint the hardcore science fiction fans; you know not enough hardware and overall fantasy elements to keep them enthralled to be quite honest with you. I mean if you can’t have sex with an alien then why bother calling it science fiction?

Then I came across the term speculative fiction and the Robert Heinlein definition. The definition seems appropriate for my book but its usage and acceptance as part of the vernacular is no where near as universally accepted as science fiction. As a measure of popularity I did a search fro speculative fiction and turned up only a couple of million hits in Google. Compare that with science fiction with nearly 140 million hits and you have yourself a huge disparity in overall acceptance. So which sandbox do you want to play in, the larger one where you won’t get noticed or the smaller one with a much smaller audience? As I found out perhaps the genre designation is a bit old school and my recent experience with the good folks at Wattpad has drastically changed my perception of the marektplace. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.

Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot is now a Featured Work on Wattpad.com. Flores Girl is a prehistoric science fiction-adventure-speculative fiction, oh before I forget romance eBook that is available for free on Wattpad, the World’s Most Popular EBook Sharing Community. Wattpad delivers free eBook novels to your iPhone, BlackBerry, SmartPhones and other mobile devices. Join the thousands of readers that are following the adventures of Sarah and Richard as they unwittingly introduce a small tribe of prehistoric people living in isolation for a half million years to the ultimate modern predator: humanity.  And you can do so right from your iPhone, BlackBerry or other SmartPhone! Flores Girl:The Children God Forgot is now available as a free ebook novel on the iPhone!

http://www.wattpad.com/125445-Flores-Girl-The-Children-God-Forgot-Part-1

Or try these sites for the free novel download:

WWW.A-FREE-EBOOK.COM

WWW.SCIENCE-FICTION.MOBI

WWW.iPhone-Novel.com

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Building an Author Platform

You must present a strong author platform to get the attention from an agent, editor, or publisher. In the query letter, they are wanting to read who you are, where you’re established in the writing world, and what you’re planning to do to market and promote yourself and books.

So how do we have our query stay out of ‘the slush pile’?

One way, to have an agent, editor or publisher give your letter a second glance, is to provide a strong author platform stating evidence of past publication. This may even be enough for them request a partial or full submission.

I want to share with you my recent experience: I decided to submit one of my blog posts to Ezine Articles. No, I wasn’t looking for cash payment. I was looking to build credits-raise my author platform.

To my surprise, my article, “Turning Nightmares Into Pleasant Dreams”, was immediately accepted and published…click HERE to read the article.

I also earned Expert Author status…click HERE to check it out. Well now, doesn’t that title sound pretty impressive in a query letter?

As an added bonus, I had been given notice that this article would appear on their high-traffic home page…click HERE to view more. Bonus! So now I’ve got exposure.

Building an author platform is similar to keeping past positive references from previous employees. You can *conquer all obstacles* by just submitting an article or post from your blog. It is a simple and painless way to build credits and show the experts just exactly who you are…a fabulous writer.

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Blog Tips:

1.)    Use Flickr for your pictures and avoid copy-write infringements by taking the photos off of Google. Type in the keyword, click on advanced search, and check off the last three boxes on ‘Creative Commons’. Simple and beautiful pictures done legally.

2.)    No registration and FREE, convert web/blog page (html) into PFD format by clicking HERE.

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Related Posts:

PUSHED THE SEND BUTTON

THE JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION

HANG ON AND ENJOY THE RIDE

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