Heads Up #2 - Contest TOMORROW!

Since our contests having been filling up so quickly, I thought it might be nice to post the rules today just so everyone has a chance to read them in advance in order to be better prepared for tomorrow. But first let me state:

This is not the contest post. DO NOT post entries on this post. The actual contest will go live TOMORROW SEPTEMBER 1ST AT 10 ET/9 CT/8 MT/ 7 PT. 

This post is merely a head's up so everyone is well aware of the rules for tomorrow's contest. :)

Okay, now down to the basics. First of all, tomorrow's contest will be a little different in that our mystery guest is an editor who will be offering First 10 page or query critiques as prizes! We are really excited to be hosting our first mystery editor and giving our awesome readers the opportunity to win a critique from him/her.

And as stated before, this will be a tweet pitch contest. Which means 140 characters or less (and yes, we will be checking your pitches so don't go over!!)

The rules for tomorrow's contest:

1) Entries must be left in the comments section of TOMORROW'S post, which will go live TOMORROW SEPTEMBER 1ST AT 10 ET (sorry for the caps, I just want to make sure that is very clear :) And remember, please don't email us your entries! They must be entered in the comments section of tomorrow's post) - don't pay attention to the comment numbers. We'll close the contest when we've reached our limit.

2) Please only pitch completed manuscripts.

3) You can only pitch one project. If you participated in previous MA contests, you can enter this one as well.

4) Please include TITLE and GENRE along with your pitch. (This does not count as part of your 140 characters. So, Title, genre, then a 140 character tweet pitch). Genres = MG, YA, and adult fiction (with a special interest in romance).

5) Your pitch must be 140 characters or less. A Twitter Pitch. If it's too long to tweet, it's too long to enter. We will be checking this so please do not go over the 140 character limit! (Again, this does not include the genre and title. The character limit only applies to the actual pitch).

6) The contest will close when we receive 50 qualifying entries.

7) The winner(s) will receive a critique on the first 10 pages of his/her manuscript or a query critique!

8) If the rules aren't followed, your pitch will be disqualified. Please read the guidelines and follow them.

So get those tweet pitches ready and we'll see everyone tomorrow! Good luck!

Heads Up! September Mystery Agent Contest Coming!!

DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRY HERE.

Saturday is September 1st and you know what that means! Contest Time!!!

This time, we will be doing Tweet Pitches. That means 140 characters - no more than 140 characters - 140 characters only :) We will be checking this so please please please make sure your entry is ONLY 140 CHARACTERS. 

Not to harp on it too much but we hate to disqualify entries that are just a few characters over, so plug those pitches into Twitter to quadruple check the character length :)

As usual, the contest will go live at 10 EST/9 CST/8 MST/7 PST and will close when we've reached 50 entries. The spots have been filling up quick, but if you don't get in, no worries! There will be plenty more opportunities.

Reminders:

• Pitches should be for completed manuscripts only.
• You can enter one pitch for one novel - if you make a mistake, just delete your entry and repost.
• Yes, you are eligible to enter even if you've won MA contests in the past.
• The first 50 qualifying pitches will be accepted - don't pay attention to the comment numbers. We will close the contest when we've reached our limit.
• If the rules (which will be posted on Sept 1st) are not followed, your pitch will be disqualified. Please carefully read the guidelines and follow them.
• Pitches should be tweet pitches - 140 characters
• The contest will go live at 10 am ET/9 CT / 8 MT/ 7 PT on SEPTEMBER 1st

Again, please don't enter the September Mystery Agent contest via this post. Our M.A contests can be entered via a post that goes live the day of the contest (1st of each month). Thank you.

See you on Sept 1st!

(Note: We are double checking on the genres - as far as we know as of right now, MG, YA, and adult fiction with a special interest in romance. We will update if we get new info)

Heads Up! Mystery Agent On The Way!!

Tomorrow is our June Mystery Agent Contest, so polish up those pitches! Full details for the contest will be posted tomorrow, but just a little heads up and a few reminders.

Our Mystery Agent this month is looking for any sub genre of YA, MG, and picture books. More specifically:
- Magical or inspiring MG in the vein of Savvy, The Tales of Despereaux, or Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
- Smart MG action/adventure novels, either high-concept fiction or re-imaginings of existing mythology, in the vein of Rick Riordan, Michael Buckley, and Trenton Lee Stewart
- MG or YA that hints at secret societies, espionage, film noir or high-stakes international intrigue (contemporary or historical)
- MG mysteries or YA thrillers (with the latter category being fairly edgy)
- Contemporary YA with humor and emotional resonance similar to John Green or Matthew Quick
- Intense, challenging or even gritty YA (think Laurie Halse Anderson or Jay Asher…)

Reminders:

• Pitches should be for completed manuscripts only.
• You can enter one pitch for one novel - if you make a mistake, just delete your entry and repost.
• Yes, you are eligible to enter even if you've won MA contests in the past.
• The first 50 qualifying pitches will be accepted - don't pay attention to the comment numbers. We will close the contest when we've reached our limit.
• If the rules (which will be posted tomorrow) are not followed, your pitch will be disqualified. Please carefully read the guidelines and follow them. 
• Pitches should be one-line pitches - try not to push the boundaries on this one - Four sentences separated by semi-colons will NOT count as a one line pitch. ;)
• Anyone can enter as long as your novel falls under the genres our MA is looking for. If this particular MA doesn't rep your genre, no worries - we hold these contests often and try to find agents with diverse tastes so there will be a contest in the future for your particular genre

The contest will go live at 10 am ET/9 CT / 8 MT/ 7 PT

Stay tuned tomorrow for complete details! And good luck with your pitches :)