Winners!

That's right, winners! D4EO literary agent Mandy Hubbard has made her decision, and here's what she has to say:

*****

Hi All!

Thanks so much for entering. So many great concepts and pitches! I’m choosing just one winner for a full manuscript, and highlighting several that I particularly gravitated toward—I’d like to see queries + 10 pages for those. And for everyone, please do feel free to query! 140 character pitches can be hard to nail, particularly if your work is more about voice and character than plot. So don’t think this is a “rejection” in any way. You can still query!

And as an aside, the last time I did a contest like this, I signed one of the “honorable mentions”. So you don’t even have to win to be a potential winner. J

So without further ado, the winning pitch, by Merliniana:

Charlie’s alone on a spaceship, pursued by villains who want its cargo, and haunted by the memory of a small child he abandoned back on Earth

Please send your full as an attached doc, with your full-sized query pitch in the first page of the doc! Put "Pitch Contest Winner" in the subject line.

Honorable mentions (and requests for a full query + 10 page sample)

Jenn: 16-year-old con artist, Megan Benson scores a place in the Keller mansion before realizing too late this is the one family she can't fool.



Rachel: Told in non-linear chronology, a little bit Hate List, a little bit Heathers, 17-year-old Jenna tries to figure out how she ended up with a dead boyfriend, the murder of her history teacher on her hands and her parents divorced

Susan: 16-yr old Mary O’Conner is a good girl. 19-yr old Robert Marchioni is a good boy. But now that she’s pregnant, no one in their town sees them that way, so it’s time to split.

Danielle Dreger : Falling in love is easy but falling out of love may destroy you-Eleanor learns this after Jake breaks up w/her &she spirals out of control.

Kathryn Holmes:  15-year-old Cordelia just learned that NYC's subway trains are alive. Now, the creatures are in danger—and it's up to her to save them.

Thanks, All!


*****


Mandy's email address for queries is Mandy.Hubbard.Queries@Gmail.com


I would like to thank all the participants of this contest for entering, and of course Mandy for so generously offering her time. Good luck to the winners and everyone querying!

Official Entry Post for the Perfect Pitch Contest

Here it is: The post you've all been waiting for! I hope your pitches are polished and perfected, because it's time to show literary agent Mandy Hubbard what you've got.


Let's go over the rules, shall we?
In order to be eligible for the contest, you must:

• Be an un-agented writer of YA or MG
• Pitch a completed manuscript
• Follow my blog
• Tweet, blog, or post a Facebook update about the contest with a link

It also wouldn't hurt to follow Mandy's blog. Or my Twitter.


And now for the entry details. Please post the following as a comment:

• Title
• Genre
• Word Count
• 140-character pitch
• Email address

The comments section will be open now until Friday, August 19th, at midnight. (Although you might get lucky and I'll forget to shut comments off until the next day, August 20th, which is my birthday. *wink*) D4EO agent Mandy Hubbard will then begin her search for the winning pitch.


That said, let the pitching begin. Good luck, everyone! 

Pitch Contest Reminder

Hey, everybody! I just wanted to remind you about the Perfect Pitch contest taking place Thursday, August 18th. I hope you've got your 140-character pitches ready. D4EO literary agent Mandy Hubbard will request the full manuscript from the winner—you've got to admit, that's a kick-ass prize!

So mark your calendars and stop back here on Thursday to enter. More details here.

Good luck!

Perfect Pitch Contest

Hello, fellow writers! Have you been perfecting your pitches? I hope so, because the pitching is set to commence next Thursday, August 18th, right here on the blog.

Who is this contest for? You must:

• Be an un-agented writer of YA or MG
• Have a completed manuscript
• Be a follower of this blog (It's not too late to hit that "Follow" button)
• Tweet about the contest, linking to the blog

How does the contest work?

On August 18th, I will post an "Official Entry Post" post. In the comments section of that post, entrants will leave their 140-character pitch and their email address. Comments will remain open until midnight, August 19th. The judging literary agent will then peruse the entries and pick a winner, whose full ms will be requested.

And the big question: Who is the judging literary agent?

It's Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Literary!

Along with being a literary agent, Mandy Hubbard, also-known-as Amanda Grace, is the author of Prada & Prejudice, You Wish, But I Love Him, and three other to-be-published novels for teens. At D4EO Literary, she represents authors of middle grade and teen fiction. And she's awesome!


I had the honor of being able to ask Mandy a few questions to get to know her a little better. Take a look!

What is your favorite thing about being an agent vs your favorite thing about being a writer?

Hmm. I think as a writer, it's conneceting with readers. There's something very surreal about writing something by myself on my laptop and then reading a review online for it from someone who lives in a state (or country!) I've never even been to. Everyone draws their own conclusions and opinions about my books and it's amazing seeing different reactions. As far as being an agent, its definitely making a writer's dream come true. Having gone through many rejections as writer, there's something very satisfying and exciting about calling a client with good news!

What are your top three tips for aspiring writers?

1. Give yourself permission to write crap. Crap can be fixed (as in, don't let yourself be paralyzed by fear-- crappy words are better than no words.)
2. Write because you love it, not because you want fame or fortune or just to be published. You have to be in it for the right reasons.
3. Never give up. I wrote several novels before Prada & Prejudice, and Prada went through 9 drafts and 26 rejections. You have to be willing to stick with it when the going gets tough!

Great advice! Okay, Imagine that Agent You and Writer You are a superhero duo. Who are the evil nemeses of each of you?

I think self-doubt can be hard to deal with, no matter what side of the table you're on. As a writer its natural but I never realized how much agents second-guess themselves until I was in the business for awhile and met a lot of them. We constantly compare notes. I think it's harder to maintain confidence as an agent than as an author!

Interesting! So, what type of manuscript are you currently eager to get your hands on?

Really dying for some great, grounded, character-driven fantasy or sci-fi. And I'm always a sucker for realistic/contemporary stories. Haven't yet found that Luxe-style historical, either. So bring it on!

You heard her. Get those pitches ready, writers! Then come back here on the 18th for your chance to win. And if you want to know more about what Mandy represents, check out her website here.

And good luck!

Don't Miss it!

Hi, everyone!

Big announcement coming later today on the Perfect Pitch contest. Be sure to check back!

Perfect Pitch Contest Mini Announcement

Guess who's got a birthday coming up. Okay, it's not until next month, but I thought I'd give you guys a heads-up, because I'm going to be holding a contest. A Perfect Pitch contest. This is a shout out to all unpublished YA and/or MG writers with completed manuscripts. The contest will be in Twitter Pitch style, meaning it can only consist of 140 characters in the comments of the official entry post (not this one), and will be judged by a spectacular literary agent, who will request the full manuscript from the winner. Who is the agent, you're asking? I'll keep that a secret a little bit longer and make the announcement closer to the contest date. But believe me—spectacular!

The contest's official entry post will go up August 18th (two days before my birthday), so get those Twitter pitches perfected and those manuscripts polished. You must be a follower of this blog and tweet or blog the contest, which you can do anytime between now and contest date.

(Just a suggestion: Practice your pitches on your blog or Facebook or wherever, then ask for critiques through Twitter with the hashtag #perfectpitch. Not necessary, but why not get help making your pitches as perfect as they can be?)

You've got three weeks. Go!