PBParty 21: THE RHINOCORN

Title: THE RHINOCORN

Genre: Humorous, Character Driven, Picture Book

Word Count: 200

Query:

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Dear Agent,

I am submitting for your consideration my manuscript, THE RHINOCORN. In this humorous, character driven, picture book, Henry, the rhinoceros, is convinced he's a unicorn.  Everyone else at the zoo is not. 

This book runs in the same vein as Kelly DiPucchio's GASTON and Tammi Sauer's MOSTLY MONSTERLY in that the character needs to be himself, even when his exterior doesn't quite match what's inside.

I hold an MFA in Creative Writing, have attended numerous SCBWI workshops and conferences, and have been published multiple times in Highlights Magazine. I am a member of 12 x 12 and maintain a blog at http://www.childrensbookacademy.com/mondays-with-mandy-or-mira.html​

I hope you enjoy my manuscript and I look forward to hearing from you.

Cover Release for SWEET MADNESS

SWEET MADNESS

Coming September 18, 2015 from Merit Press

Lizzie Borden took an axe,

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty one.

BLURB: 

Who was Lizzie Borden? A confused young woman, or a cold-hearted killer? For generations, people all over the world have wondered how Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby, met their gruesome deaths. Lizzie, Andrew’s younger daughter, was charged, but a jury took only 90 minutes to find her not guilty. In this retelling, the family maid, Bridget Sullivan, shines a compassionate light on a young woman oppressed by her cheap father and her ambitious stepmother. Was Lizzie mad, or was she driven to madness?

Mark it to read on Goodreads

Preorder Sweet Madness:

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Trisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather irreverent black lab. She is a chronic daydreamer who prefers the cozy confines of her own imagination to the mundane routine of everyday life.  She writes Young Adult Contemporary fiction, Psychological Horror and Science Fiction and is published with FSG/ Macmillan, Flux/Llewellyn and Merit Press. To can learn more about Trisha’s books, upcoming shenanigans, and her quest to reel in the perfect tuna, please visit her website: www.trishaleaver.com

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Lindsay Currie lives in Chicago with her three awesome children, husband, and a one hundred and sixty pound lap dog named Sam. She has an unnatural fondness for coffee, chocolate and things that go bump in the night. She spends her days curled up in the comfortable confines of her writing nook, penning young adult psychological horror, contemporary fiction and science-fiction and is published with Flux/Llewellyn, Merit Press and Spencer Hill Contemporary. Learn more about her at www.lindsaycurrie.com

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To celebrate, we are giving away four AMAZING books from our publisher Merit Press. 

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A Little Help From Our Friends

Once again I'm trying something new to see how it turns out. Here goes...

It's come to the point where I have to reach a decision. I very much love running contests and helping authors come together with agents. You might say I'm addicted to it. It's so gratifying to have a blog that people visit when they are doing something other than writing. Interacting on twitter and meeting new writers is so much fun. There's nothing I like better than being able to help.

And speaking of help, I also love my day job working with children, specifically special needs children. I want to go on doing this forever!

Unfortunately, we don't always get what we want as the Rolling Stones said.

It's time for a decision. Due to various economic influences, I've started a donation campaign to see if I can continue doing what I love. The hard facts of life are I either have to do this or cut back on my activities. Let me lay out the facts.

As you can guess, hosting contests and doing daily posts on this blog as well as writing my own stories is very time consuming. During a submission week I can easily spend thirty hours just on contest work. Even a mini-contest like the Picture Book Party takes so much time to coordinate, not to mention answering questions and finding agents. There's no way I could manage that and still have time to write with two jobs. True, most contest host have day jobs. One I have managed. Two would be impossible.

A (very) little background information:

-I'm an aide, not a teacher.
-I don't get paid over the summer.
-My school system is in a pinch. They expect to be twenty million in the red in the next few years. We have numerous leaks in our building roof that they can't afford to fix. Needless to say, they haven't given raises in seven years. Seven years at basically the same pay.
-Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (which I support), my hours were cut back a year ago by over ten percent, reducing my pay further. 

It's only fair to my Hubs and family that I do more than I am. Especially with two kids heading to college this fall. It's seek out donations to support my blog or take a second job.

Rather than require a fee of ten dollars to enter my contests, thus making helping me out mandatory, I'd rather see how a crowd funding campaign for my contests and blog goes. 

What I have to offer:

-Numerous contests per year: Query Kombat, Nightmare on Query Street, New Agent, Sun versus Snow, PB Party, other mini-contests. I also take part in Pitchslam and PitchWars.
-Mentors from those contests providing feedback.
-Various giveaways of new books
-Critique workshops and Critique blog hops to help with query letters and first pitches.
-Posts with Advice for Querying Writers
-Posts with Editing Advice on such things as filtering and plot holes
-A newsletter giving early notice of submission dates for contests
-Inspirational posts from guest authors about their Call with agents
-Interviews about query slush from over thirty agents

Just in the last month, four former contest picks of mine have signed with agents. Last year's Query Kombat had almost ten success stories alone. That doesn't include all the writers who have met and found critique partners from my twitter parties.

My current contest drew 200 entries in less than a minute. The contest before that closed in under four minutes. Writers recognize the value of these contests.

I promise one hundred percent of any donations will go toward expenses that keep me working for you, such as electricity for my laptop, a roof over my head, internet to keep blogging. It will not be used for buying books or going out to dinner or anything frivolous.

This was not an easy decision, nor a happy one. If you have entered one of my contests or plan to in the future I'd love your support. If you find my blog a valuable resource and wish to see it continue in full, consider helping out. This is totally your choice. I'll do my best to continue as much as I can of my activities no matter what because I love being your cheerleader so much. 

Sometimes we all need a little help from our friends.

Thank you everyone, and I hope I haven't offended anyone--but no one is perfect. Everyone is free to disagree with my choice, respectfully.

I'll add a discrete donation button in my sidebar, but until then here is the link to donate.    

Getting the Call with Jadah McCoy

Publishing is usually so slow. It's great to hear a success story that works the opposite way. The suffering may be short lived, but it is just as intense! Congrats, Jadah!

Everything happened very quickly, hardly leaving any time for my brain to catch up to reality. I finished my draft of THE CULLING November 2014, let it sit for a month, did my edits and revisions (with the help of Kara Malinczak, an AMAZING editor), and began querying mid-January. Now, I had already been trolling around Agent Query Connect, Michelle's blog, and a few other blogs looking for feedback on my query LONG before my novel was even finished (because procrastination). Michelle did an awesome critique of my original query which pointed out some issues, and those issues were reiterated nearly a year later when I entered Sun versus Snow 2015.

My novel simply came off as too dystopian, and we all know agents and editors treat dystopian as the NSA would treat a person who stands up on a plane and screams that they have Ebola. Agents wouldn't touch me. Rejections rolled in like waves, and the discouragement I felt dragged me under.

In the midst of the neurotic breakdown my fantastically lovely CP had to put up with daily, I entered Samantha Fountain's Agent Match contest, and I had received a full request from a small press. I waited for a response from the press and religiously stalked the comment section of Agent Match to see if any agents requested a partial or full of my novel. No requests. None. Still none. STILL NONE. Fine, I just won't check anymore, ever!

I had swapped work with another entrant of Agent Match, and I received a DM from her in which she stated she had received a request. Joy! Much partying! Confetti and happiness and cake made from rainbows and giggles! I congratulated her then sulked back to my cave where I rocked my manuscript and told it everything would be all right one day. I turned on mood lighting and sang A Great Big World's 'Say Something' to it. My singing was interrupted by another message from her, and it read: Hey, you got one too!

Bad words came out of my mouth, but in a good way. I rushed to look, and sure enough we had both received full requests from the editor of a hybrid press, which just so happened to be a subsidiary of a BIG publisher. With shaky hands, I sent the editor my manuscript and returned to waiting.

In the meantime, I had been eyeballing Curiosity Quills. I think I read every word on their website at least three times, looked through their current published books, tried to glean what kind of manuscript they liked through osmosis. I looked through their science fiction section. There was another book which featured teens living in a sewer in a post-apocalyptic world. No, I said, no, Jadah, your book is too similar and you'll just get turned away again. But, seeing as I hardly ever listen to myself, I submitted anyway.

Less than a week later I received a request for a full from one of Curiosity Quill's acquisitions editors. 'THREE REQUESTS,' I wrote on my Facebook. 'THREE *&^%$^ REQUESTS. They like me! They really &*^%# like me!!'  And a week after that, I received my first offer. Bashfully, I wrote to the acquisitions editor at CQ, who had only received my manuscript a week prior, that I'd like to come to a decision within the next ten days. She wrote back immediately, telling me it wouldn't be a problem and congrats. Swoon.

9 DAYS LATER. All my nails are chewed off. I check my email every 15.32 seconds. I wake up at 4 am every day nervous and panicked. I have nightmares that involve dancing novels, among other things. The morning of this day was no different. What if she just never emails me again? What if she forgot? What if ten days wasn't long enough?! Neuroses in overdrive!!

A few hours into the day I checked my email for the 467th time, and there it was. Shiny. Beautiful. Unopened and full of promise. The email from her. I clicked it, my eyes scanning the email:  "...would love to offer you a contract..." And: "I truly fell in love with your manuscript." Tears. So many tears fell out of my face. Someone who's not me loves my book. My excitement and the unadulterated passion I could tell this editor felt for my work made my decision an easy one.

Yes. The answer was yes. And to think, I almost didn't query them at all. Just goes to show that you NEVER know which doors may or may not open for you, so always, always take that chance.

I am so happy to be with Curiosity Quills, where the staff has been so helpful and informative about the whole process.

Stats: 20 queries sent, 3 full requests, 2 offers. First query sent January 15th, 2015 and contract signed March 4th, 2015.

Blurb for The Culling, a NA sci-fi:In this Bladerunner meets Alien debut, eighteen-year-old Syl lives in the ruins of Earth's first colonized sister planet. By day she searches abandoned skyscrapers for food, but at night genetically-spliced, flesh-eating bugs--the Cull--come out for a meal of their own. When Syl is abducted and her own DNA spliced, slowly turning her into one of the Cull, she discovers the androids who destroyed her world aren't nearly as dead as everyone thought.

Jadah lives in Nashville, TN and works as a legal coordinator. When not babysitting attorneys she can be found desperately juicing her brain for creative ideas or fantasizing about her next trip out of the country (or about Tom Hiddleston as Loki - it's always a toss up when she's fantasizing). THE CULLING is her debut novel.

Visit her: 

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Querying Advice: Researching Agents

You've got a finished manuscript. It's edited and polished to the best of your ability and read by a handful of critique partners and beta readers. You've gone through the same process with a query letter, giving it numerous revisions until it's enticing. You're ready to query.

Do you just fling those query letters out there to the universe?

HECK NO!

You do a little research first. You go onto Query Tracker or Agent Query to develop lists of agents who represent your genre and your age category. You watch agents on twitter to see which ones are informative, smart, and fun. 

So is that enough?

HECK NO!

Now you must take your butt to the website of each and every agent on your list before you send them a query letter. Why, you ask. You got the list from a reputable source. But information can change quickly. It might not have caught up with Query Tracker or Agent Query. What these agencies have can be outdated.

Checking the agent's website lets you make sure that agent is still open to queries. Agents will often close over the summer or over holidays. It also helps you double check that agent is taking your genre. Maybe on Query Tracker it says open to fantasy. But on their website, you find they are not interested in epic fantasy. Ah ha! You've saved yourself a wasted query. Kept yourself from an automatic no.

And you can double check their email address and their query guidelines. Do they want 10 sample pages or 5? Need a synopsis? Their website can tell you for sure. 

Also by checking on an agent's website, you can determine more about them. Have they worked in publishing for a while? Have they worked at other agencies? Do they seem to be legit and have sales to show for it?

Now you can query.

Then low and behold, what should appear in your inbox, but a request for pages. Or better yet, a request to talk!

When you come back down from the ceiling, what's the first thing you need to do--more research!

Now you want to know everything about that agent. You can't take for granted any agent is the best fit for you without research. So besides asking expert friends on twitter, where can you go for information?

Again you should revisit their website and get an idea of clients, sales, and that agent's past jobs and length of tenure. Then you can turn to Google and put in the agent's name and absolute write water cooler. That's the place to go to find out what other writers have to say about an agent or an agency. They really dish on any doubts or worries about an agent there. 

You can also head over to Victoria Strauss and her Writer Beware website. There is tons of great information on it. She has lists of places to avoid and agent warning signs.

And absolutely, positively you want to check into that agent's sales record. Their website may have some information, but is it recent? 

For that, you need to get into Publisher's Marketplace. Unfortunately, to see sales by agent, you'll need a costly subscription. (I recommend you phone a friend, if you don't want to shell out for a membership. See if you can locate someone on twitter with a membership who will do the research for you. The writer community is awesome. I'm sure someone can help.)

And if you do get an offer, you'll want to speak to clients of that agent. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask for honest opinions on how that agent conducts business. Also speak with experienced writers who know about agents. BECAUSE writing is a business. There are contracts involved, and it is your future. You need to get serious and do your homework. Treat it like a job, because it is one. It's great to discover an agent is nice to talk to on the phone and loves your manuscript, but you need to know more.

Did I miss anything? What are your favorite research sites? How do you find out more about agents?

Query Questions with Jennifer Azantian

Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out of the box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They start pulling out their hair and imagine every possible disaster.

 

Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a new series of posts called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites like Agent Query Connect. They are the type of questions that you need answers for the real expert--agents!

If you have your own specific query question, please leave it in the comments and it might show up in future editions of Query Questions as I plan to rotate the questions.

This agent has recently opened her own agency. Jennifer Azantian is now her own boss at the Azantian Literary Agency.

First off, thank you so much for having me and for asking such great questions!

Is there a better or worse time of year to query?

The best and only time to query is when I'm open to submissions. If I'm open, then I'm actively looking and excited. I respond to every e-mail that follows my guidelines and is sent during that period.

Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query?

Definitely not, but I'm also human and you never really know the psychological ramifications of things like that. An error in the first line(s) can set a less-than-stellar mental tone.

Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong?

I do check sample pages without fail, even when I'm 98% certain the project isn't for me based on the query. I have this incredible desire to make sure the author isn't this brilliant writer that I'm going to miss out on. Because of this, I occasionally invite authors to query me with future projects for special consideration.

Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them?

I go through all of my queries first and then will reach out to second-readers or interns once I'm more sure about a project.

Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look?

Yes, I do. It's been a very helpful tool for me to get that bit of space and also be able to go through queries more efficiently.

If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages?

Yes, I do. With that said, I encourage every writer to really evaluate if they need a prologue. I enjoy prologues and always read them in published works, but I think it's incredibly difficult to do well.

How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query?

I know many agents love them, but I'm fairly neutral about them. If they are included and presented in a thoughtful way, they are fine, but too many times I just get names of obscure books or the biggest bestseller of the time. The best way to write a comp title, at least if you're sending it to me, is to choose well-known projects that aren't the mega-hits and to point to  specific similarities.

Some agencies mention querying only one agent at a time and some say query only one agent period. How often do you pass a query along to a fellow agent who might be more interested?

I'm the sole agent here, but I sometimes do offer referrals to other agents who are friends if I feel something is really special and just not for me.

Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript?

One or two lines of thoughtful personalization is always appreciated, but it's not necessary and anything more than that is excessive.

Most agents have said they don’t care whether the word count/genre sentence comes first or last. But is it a red flag if one component is not included?

It is for me because I assume you either aren't well-versed in publishing protocols (I prefer my clients to know about the business of writing) or you are purposefully trying to hide information that I need.

Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query?

Absolutely. I recommend keeping it to as few characters as possible. Get me hooked on those characters first and the ancillary characters will be there for the long read.

Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers?

I believe everything can have subtle influences. It's true that anything can change, especially titles, but it never hurts to go out on submission with a solid title and character names that reflect the world they live in.

How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those?

It varies greatly between as few as 100 and as many as 300. Of those, I'll request between one and five manuscripts. Sometimes I don't request any and sometimes I request more. I don't place artificial parameters on how many projects I can request.

Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one?

It won't tip the scale and I won't require it, but it's definitely nice to see writers be a part of the online community.

Some writers have asked about including links to their blogs or manuscript-related artwork. I’m sure it’s not appropriate to add those links in a query, but are links in an email signature offensive?

The links in the signature don't bother me.

If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested?

 Only if the material was requested, please!

 What bio should an author with no publishing credits include?

Honestly, I don't think they would need any, but one or two lines about any relevant background or education is fine to include if they feel their query is naked otherwise.

What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you?

Not right for me is the simplest summary of a million different micro-decisions, and I feel really badly for authors who try to analyze it. Just a few for me are: I just took on a similar project; This market feels glutted right now; The writing isn't where I want it to be; I'm not feeling some aspects of the story; I like so much about this work, but I didn't love it fiercely enough to be its champion.

What themes are you sick of seeing?

I'm hesitant to say I'm sick of any theme. Good writing and fresh twists will always be winners in my book.

Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent?

I am definitely an editorial agent. I give lots of feedback and often do more than one pass with my clients before going out on submission. I think it's really important to get the most polished version out there as possible.

What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen in a query?

I've seen some seriously weird stuff over the years, but can't think of one in particular that stands out. This isn't really in a query, but I've had people argue with auto-responses despite it stating at the top *This is an automated response*. It is almost always amusing.

What three things are at the top of your submission wish list?

I couldn't pick just three so here is a list of some of the things I'm looking for right now: stories that explore difficult human issues against fantastic backdrops, underrepresented voices (especially in YA and SF), quirky middle grade, historical fantasy, space opera, and meticulously well-crafted/researched epic fantasy.

What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes?

Of all the questions, this one is the hardest! I'll just list some authors that I love by age-group. The list is by no means exhaustive.

MG: Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott, Suzanne Collins, Roald Dahl, Gail Carson Levine, C. S. Lewis, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Brian Selznick, Bruce Coville, Madeleine L'Engle, Lois Lowry

YA: Kristin Cashore, Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowling, John Green, Laini Taylor, Kendare Blake, Suzanne Collins (again), Markus Zusak, Marie Lu, Diana Wynne Jones, Scott Westerfeld, Rick Yancey, Neil Gaiman. Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin

Adult: Patrick Rothfuss, Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, Laurell K. Hamilton, John Scalzi, Douglas Adams, Chuck Palahniuk, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Neil Gaiman (again), Gillian Flynn

As for film/television I have odd and possibly irrelevant tastes. I definitely enjoy shows with speculative elements, but I have a soft-spot for weird comedies and ridiculous dramas. For films, I particularly enjoy psychological thrillers and children's animation. 

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Jennifer Azantian began her agenting career in 2011, first as an intern and then as an assistant and associate, at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. In 2014, after working with senior agent and entertainment lawyer Paul Levine, she opened the Azantian Literary Agency specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and smart-psychological horror novels for middle grade, YA, and adult readers. She bring to her clients a passion for literature born of a writer's heart and an editorial eye honed from reviewing thousands of projects. Of particular interest are stories that explore meaningful human interactions against fantastic backdrops, underrepresented voices, literary science fiction, historical fantasy, non-dystopian/well-crafted futures, internally consistent epic fantasy, and quirky middle-grade.

​

Submission Day for PB Party!

CLOSED. 

The Rules:

Please be a follower of this blog. You can click the "Join this Site" button in the left sidebar. Please follow myself and Sharon on twitter. I imagine we will be tweeting hints as well as partying!

You may send two entries for different manuscripts. That's two and only two, whether you have multiple pen names or multiple email addresses. THEY MUST BE SENT AS SEPARATE EMAILS. Please be honest and not send more. Only one entry will be chosen per person. If you send two, still only one will be picked. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries thrown out (and sadly it has happened in the past.) 

On March 16th at 4:00 pm Eastern the submission window opens. Do not send early or your entry will be deleted. You may resend at the correct time if this happens by accident. I'm recycling an email address as I already have too many. Please send your entry to SunversusSnow at yahoo dot com. 

You should receive a confirmation email. If you do not, please contact me on twitter before resending. The window will stay open until we get 111 (yes that number is because I'm a hobbit) entries. However long that takes. It could be minutes or it could be days. I'm really not sure on this one.

UPDATE: We will consider opening a second submission window at 5:30 Eastern time for an additional 50 entries. It depends on how nice everyone is to me and Sharon. Smile big!

This contest is only for finished and polished manuscripts. It has to be ready to go out to agents.

The Format:

Subject Line: PBParty: Title

Example:  PBParty: Hot Tub Santa

Inside the email please bold where bolded in my example. Single space with spaces between paragraphs. Use Times New Roman or equivalent font and the size should be 12. 

(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing.)

Name: Sharon Chriscoe
Title: HOT TUB SANTA
Genre: (Here please tell us what type of picture book this is) Example: Board Book, Bedtime Rhyme, Nonfiction, Biography, etc. or List Chapter Book
Word Count: xxx (round to nearest ten, hundred for chapter books)

Query:

Your entire query letter here. Include your comps, bio, greeting, closing. (You may use whatever you want for a greeting. Dear Agent. Dear Michelle and Sharon.) 

Here is your chance to make your entry shine and make the agent fall in love with your words. You do NOT need to include contact information in your query.

First 50 Words:

Include your first 50 words for a picture book, 100 words for chapter books. Do not stop in the middle of a sentence. You may go over by one or two words to finish a sentence but not more than five. Single space and put spaces in between paragraphs. You may center or tab if appropriate.

Comments about artwork are part of the 50 words.

For short picture books, less than 50 words may be submitted. Any count under 50 is allowed.

Also I will delete parts of entries after the contest ends, if requested. For those writers uncomfortable with their work being out there for all to see.  


Bonus: You may attach one illustration to your email to show an example of your artwork. If you don't have artwork, don't worry. 


Now for the twitter party fun! Visit daily under the hashtag #PBParty to meet and greet and scout out slush hints.

Monday, March 16th         Tell us what genre you write and when you entered.

Tuesday, March 17th        Happy Saint Patrick's Day! What would your MC do to avoid getting pinched.

Wednesday, March 18      What is your favorite picture/chapter book?

Thursday, March 19          Animal, vegetable, mineral. Tell us if your MC is human or something else.

Friday, March 20                Wish my daughter happy birthday and say how you'll celebrate spring.

Saturday, March 21           Go wild day! Tell us something random about your writing style.

Sunday and Monday, March 22-23  Hold your breathe for the results and hug everyone. 


Sharon and I are so excited for the fun to start. As you've probably noticed we have seven agents and a couple of editors. You never know if this number might go up!

Good luck everyone!