3 S.R. Johannes: Agent Pitch Contest starts today!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Agent Pitch Contest starts today!

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

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

Winner: Gets a query critique from Suzie!

When: Today, Wed July 14th. Begins at 9:30 EST, ends Thursday 15th at 9:30am EST (I will close comments when it ends and I go by the time stamp on blogger.)

What: Leave your 140 character book pitch (children's books ONLY - including CB, MG and YA) in the comments.

Eligiblility:
  • You cannot have an agent (obviously) or a book sold/published.
  • It must only be 140 characters (or less)
  • This is for unagented/unpublished writers only.
  • You can only enter once so choose wisely!
  • You must be a follower of my blog. If I were you I would follow Suzie's blog and Twitter too just b/c they are awesome and she does a lot of contests there.
Notes: It must NOT be longer than 140 characters. You can test this in Twitter or do a character count in Word.

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

Example: YA Survival Suspense - Grace Under Fire

When her forest-ranger father disappears,Grace uses her survival skills to search the NC mtns & finds a secret group plotting against nature

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

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

Good luck!

67 comments:

Unknown said...

TITLE: Out of My Body
GENRE: YA paranormal

To save her mom’s kidnapped soul, 16-year-old Tanya will have to learn to float out of her own body—and, oh God, escape from a sly killer.

Jamie Manning said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jamie Manning said...

TITLE: Ever
GENRE: YA Paranormal

Sixteen-year-old Everly just found out she's half vampire - after being buried alive. Now she has to kill her own kind to save her humanity.

jmanni32@yahoo.com (I forgot this in my earlier post!)

Kerri Cuev said...

Cool contest Shelli! Good luck everyone!

Renae said...

Great contest Shelli! Good luck to everyone!

Adam Heine said...

TITLE: Cunning Folk
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy

A Thai village girl controls fire with her mind. When bounty hunters kill her aunt, she must find someone she can trust before she's next.

Mim said...

Title: The Shadow of Moonlight
Genre: YA Paranormal

Lexy must choose between obeying her family or following Kadin, a werewolf, for a chance to save Jason the boy--I mean zombie of her dreams.

miriam.caldwell (at) gmail.com

LoriMarie LaSpada said...

Title: The Library of Journals
Genre: YA Romance
email: MKTGgenius@aol.com

The bonds of sisterhood are the strongest bonds that exist between two girls. Neither time nor distance can keep them apart.

Thank you for hosting the contest, Shelli.

Paula said...

Title: SYDNEY PARKS AND THE BAYAB TREE

Genre: MG Fantasy

Sydney Parks and an unlikely band of friends have seven days to untangle riddles in a life and death scavenger hunt to save the island.

Danyelle L. said...

TITLE: Slippers of Pearl
GENRE: MG Fantasy

When Faryn's shoes turn his friend into a goose, his ability to figure out how shoe magic works will not only save his neck, but a kingdom.

danyelleleafty *at* yahoo*dot* com

Thanks, Shelli and Suzie!

MarcyKate said...

TITLE: THE GHOST WRITER
GENRE: YA Paranormal

Tessa denies the 1st letter. She rationalizes the 2nd. When the accidents start to happen, she must face her ghosts—in the theatre next door

Shooting Stars Mag said...

TITLE: The Heartbreak Boys

GENRE: YA Contemporary

Alex never thought he'd be a teen father, with a runaway girlfriend, but he made do until Eoghan arrived and changed his whole idea of love.

Jared Larson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carolyn Abiad said...

BURNT AMBER
YA Fantasy
csabiad00@gmail.com

While she’s used to sensing the future, a dystopian djinn universe is the last thing Sybil expects to discover in her past.

Martina Boone said...

Title: The Wind Walker
Genre: YA Paranormal

When she teams up with an enigmatic angel to defend mankind, 17-year old Michaela must battle forbidden love as well as a vengeful goddess.

Unknown said...

Title: Life in a Year
Genre: YA Contemporary

Rejected by all of known humanity after telling a despicable lie, Maggie makes amends and learns to fit back into society on her own terms.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Shelli & Suzie! Wow :)

Title: Steamed Up
Genre: YA Steampunk

In a London where steam power rules & Bobbies don’t, two teens stumble onto a plot to defraud the Bank of England – and that’s the good news

jemifraser(at)gmail(dot)com

A. J. Spindle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
A. J. Spindle said...

Title: Bennett Nelson and the Maker of the Stones
Genra: MG Fantasy
AJSpindle(at)yahoo(dot)com

Bennett Nelson's ship crashes and he washes up on an island full of magical creatures, only to find the islanders have been waiting for him.

Lacey J Edwards said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Title: Shimmering Angels
Genre: Paranormal YA

With a Protector and a Fallen angel, Rayna searches for answers to the mysterious suicides at her school, while battling love and insanity.

-Lisa B.
lisamariebasso(at)yahoo(dot)com

Lacey J Edwards said...

Sorry, forgot my email!

Title: GREYSKIN
Genre: YA Paranormal

Title: GREYSKIN
Genre: YA Paranormal

All Charlie wants is Jack--not the dead girl in the trunk, the hell hounds on her heels, or the voodoo sorcerer as her enemy.

ljb at ljboldyrev dot com

Thanks!

Christina Farley said...

Wow! Great contest!

TITLE: Gilded

GENRE- YA Asian paranormal

PITCH: Armed with taekwondo and archery, Jae hunts her hunter to release the souls of her ancestors before she’s his next victim.

EMAIL: Farley dot ChristinaL at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

TITLE: Soul Debt
GENRE: YA Paranormal

Sal sees fear with a touch, gives fear in dreams, and uses fear to take souls. When he’s forced to get Kit’s soul, his own fear becomes real

EMAIL: tahni.johnson@gmail.com

Candyland said...

Title: 9:59 REWIND

GENRE: DARK, EDGY YA

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

EMAIL: candace ganger at yahoo dot com

trailer mix said...

TITLE: The Pure
GENRE: YA paranormal

A teenage detective with unusual powers finds herself in a love triangle between her protector and the force of her potential destruction.

EMAIL: romina.garber@gmail.com

Melissa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michelle Sussman said...

TITLE: The Sleepers
GENRE: YA traditional fantasy

michelle at michellesussman dot com

An adoptee must choose between love for her friends or the homeland she’s never seen when a risky spell activates on her sixteenth birthday.

Thanks for the opportunity and good luck everyone!

Unknown said...

Title: Fate Crest
Genre: YA Fantasy
Email: Kanonei(at)Gmail(dot)com
Pitch: When people are born with knowledge of their fates, a first-of-her-kind knight struggles with love while hunted by fate-resisting Outcasts.

Jared Larson said...

Title: I'm Here to Save Your Day: The Adventures of Bo Wolf
Genre: MG
Email: iwillwhisperno(at)gmail(dot)com

A brazen boy faces a playground bully to reclaim the jungle gym, only to discover the bully's mom– the lunch lady— is a far worse enemy.

Kelly Hashway said...

Title: Curse of the Granville Fortune
Genre: MG Fantasy

When JB discovers his visions are part of a family curse, he must battle an enchanted forest to find the stolen fortune that started it all.

khashway@hotmail.com

Riv Re said...

Yay! Contest!
TITLE: Eberheardt
GGENRE: YA Fantasy
PITCH:
Fourteen-year-old Becca works together with the Resistance, a group of rebels, to overthrow the tyrants ruling Emberhard.
rivkarno1(at)hotmail(dot)com

Riv Re said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessie Oliveros said...

Title: Pieces of Moon
Genre: YA Fantasy

When Tess travels back to fifteenth century Maya, she must betray the boy she loves to stop her time from becoming the end of time.

jessicaloliveros (at) gmail (dot) com

Shelley Watters said...

Title: BLUE LOTUS
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Email: shelleykuklish@yahoo.com

Pitch: Indiana Jones meets Queen of the Damned; Anna helps her dad excavate a site in Cairo and finds her dreams are more than just in her head.

Anonymous said...

Title: Charlie’s Universe
Genre: MG adventure/science

Pitch: A twelve year-old boy’s discovery of astronomy helps him stay connected with his deployed father in Iraq and find the strength to accept his life as a military child.

Email: ellejauffret@yahoo.com

S. Mozer said...

Title: Not Good Enough
Genre: YA
Email smbmozer@aol.com


For Sam, being one of the best players on the baseball team isn’t enough, not if that’s all the boys care about. After all, she is a girl.

Susan R. Mills said...

Great contest. Must go write pitch before I enter though. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I'm re-posting that interview you gave me on my blog this week (one question a day). Some people have said some really awesome things about you in the comments. You should be proud. :)

Marquita Hockaday said...

Title: In Limbo
Genre: YA Historical

E-mail: marquita_hockaday@yahoo.com

A 15 year old tries to hold onto his girl and cope with his brother fighting in World War I while Spanish Influenza runs rampant in 1918.

Pam Harris said...

Title: Wants
Genre: Contemporary YA

Austin goes completely emo and only Savannah knows why. When she sets her sights on the new guy, so does Austin. Vengeance is a bitch.

pamharris1981@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Title: SHADOWED
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Email: juanpablo.m.sullivan@gmail.com
Blog: http://yaurban.blogspot.com

Pitch: Addison & Kiersten Fall from Grace & must stop the growing number of Shadows,tainted human souls,but only the Lost Archangel has the power.

Vincent J.P. Morrone said...

Title: Journal of a Teenage Psychic

Genre: YA/Paranormal

Bristol finally meets the boy of her dreams, dreams that sometimes end with her murder.

vjpmorrone@aol.com

Cambria Dillon said...

Title: Life After Send
Genre: Contemporary YA

When a 17-yr-old's sext gets into the wrong hands, she's tossed into the viper's den of her peers w/o her once-envied popularity.

cambriadillon (at) gmail (dot) com

Allie said...

YA Paranormal - Lunatic Fringe

Torn between radical feminist werewolf hunters and a beautiful stranger, a girl fights to reconcile her lupine double-life to save them all.

moon@talesofthepack.com

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Title: True Beginnings: Genesis
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

A deadly current of rage turns a study date into a bludgeoning; now True must find a way to contain it before it can happen again.

tetoniadoss@gmail.com

Deb Salisbury, Magic Seeker and Mantua-Maker said...

YA Fantasy - Anchoring the Rain

When Denton loses his cousin inside a necromancer’s prison, he battles blackmail, magic and mayhem to rescue her.

CL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CL said...

trying this again. Thanks so much for this contest, Shelli!


Tween fantasy novel - Girl With A Tail

When a giant wave sweeps fourteen-year-old Mel into the land of evil mermaids, she must swim against the current, outsmart a sea-witch and learn to stand on her own two feet.

conlombardo@hotmail.com

C.R. Evers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Morgan Dempsey said...

Title: RUNNER
Genre: YA SciFi

Falsely convicted of murder, a foul-mouthed spacer must learn to trust the same system that failed him -- before the killer finds him.

dempsey05 (at) gmail (dot) com

<3

C.R. Evers said...

Awesome contest! Thnx for doing this! :0)

Title: UNSEEN

Genre: YA Adventure Fantasy

A runaway slave encounters forbidden love and an unseen enemy while rescuing her best friend. But, success means becoming what she despises.

ChristyEvers (at) att (dot) net

Anne Van said...

Title: Tokyo Dare
Genre: YA Contemporary
Email: vintageinteriors10@yahoo.com

A dare sends a high school student to Japan where her host family thinks she's the devil and a to-do list turns her world inside out.

Nicole Marie Schreiber said...

Title: Mercury's Daughter

Genre: MG Historical Fiction

Inspired by the lives Galileo, Mercator, and Tycho Brahe, a Flemish renaissance girl’s love for her imprisoned astronomer father and her own love of astronomy leads her to challenge the Catholic church as well as her own spiritual beliefs during the crossroads of the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution.

writerhailey said...

YA Psychological Thriller - DIARY

Evan’s memory returns because of a suicidal girl's diary. She could be the reason his mind hid three months from him in the first place.

Email: writerhailey@gmail.com

Meradeth Houston said...

Title: Colors Like Memories
Genre: YA

Julia must keep her best friend from suicide—it’s her job—but it’s also her only hope of finding forgiveness for killing the guy she loved.

Carolin said...

Thank you for holding this awesome contest! =)

GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
TITLE: "Elemental Angels"
EMAIL: c.seidenkranz@googlemail.com

After finding out she is a half-angel,Pina must decided if her allegiances lie with heaven or hell,while neither plays fair to gain her trust

Shaples said...

Title: Fortune's Moon

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Pitch: Cass knows what she saw wasn't a bear attack. Caleb believes her, but he knows what lurks beneath the full moon better than she realizes.

email: me at shannon-lewis dot com

Natalie Aguirre said...

Title: The Third Tower

Genre: MG Fantasy

When Jasmine follows a talking doorknob into Myrrdin, she must discover how her adoption unlocks her magical powers or lose Austin forever.

rmarma2@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Title: The Land of Legend
MG/Adventure
Name: Autumn Fox
When ten year old Lucy is contacted by her supposedly long dead grandfather, she jumps at the chance to see him, especially since it means she gets to go to the mythical land of Tir Na Nog, but danger awaits, and soon, Lucy is fighting for her very life.

email: winterwhite17@yahoo.com

David R. said...

Title: Aerochronica
Genre: YA Fantasy/Adventure

Desperate to strengthen his cause, a young revolutionary crosses the world by airship in search of an ancient text with mysterious power.

E-mail: dsr430 [at] yahoo [dot] com

S.F. Robertson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Janelle Alexander said...

YA Urban Fantasy
Trilunarias

Skye kicks ass-in an arena. But there's no ref to stop the people trying to kill her. Is the fight for her life the one she can't win?

alexanderjanellem at gmail dot com

Thank you!!!

Erin A said...

Title: Ana Hernandez: Wave of the Future
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Ana can’t stand middle school, until a tidal wave sweeps away her class. Marooned on an island, Ana faces the ultimate lesson: cooperate or be eaten by the wildlife.

erin.ashwell@gmail.com

S.F. Robertson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.