The agent I've been speaking with has graciously agreed to judge our query contest, coming up next week (after everyone gets their stellar queries polished — see the post above this one for info on how we're going to do it).HERE'S THE EVEN BETTER NEWS:
I told you the prize was going to be a good one. Didn't I? Didn't I? Well, it's not good. It's freaking fabulous! Here it is. The agent will request a FULL MANUSCRIPT from the winner. The agent has also agreed to request a partial (up to 50 pages) from the two Honorable Mentions. Now, does it get any better than that? I ask you.
Also, the agent is open to requesting material from any of the other participants whose query may not be quite stellar, but whose work sounds like what the agent is seeking. The genre for this contest will be MG and YA only. Any sub-genre within those two age groups is acceptable.
So read the scoop in the post directly above (Welcome to Hell!). It will explain how to improve your query for this contest. I want you to submit the best example you can, and the program we've set up will help you do just that. Submitting your query as a COMMENT in the post above compises the first stage. Also included in that stage is your comments and suggestions to other query writers who've posted. Stage two will follow in a couple of days. More info coming on that in a subsequent post. After that, the contest begins.
When you post your query in the COMMENT section of the Welcome to Hell! post, you don't need to disclose your contact info as you would in the real query that you'll submit to agents. And don't put an agent's name at the top. Just "Dear Agent" will suffice. This query is not your entry in the contest. It's only your draft ready for improvement. I'll let you know when it's time to send in your entries. But we have a field trip scheduled to visit another site before then. Bring a sack lunch.
REMEMBER: DON'T ADD YOUR QUERY AS A COMMENT HERE. SCROLL UP TO THE "WELCOME TO HELL!" POST. THAT'S WHERE YOU NEED TO POST IT.
Will you be announcing the agent? :)
ReplyDeleteHi Michael, Just wondering if we should be putting all our contact details in the query that we post? I'm a bit cautious about doing that for privacy reasons... Would some kind of partial contact details suffice eg a website address? What do you think? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFollowed your link here from AW. Would the contest be only for "ready to go" MS, or is the agent giving a raincheck for those who aren't ready to submit yet?
ReplyDeleteI have a query ready, but the MS isn't quite finished.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteContact details are not necessary at this point. This first stage is for posting your query for peer review and critique to make it as perfect as possible before we go to the second state. The actual Call for Entries is stage three.
Josin,
ReplyDeleteI would suggest you either finish up your manuscript as quickly as possible or hold off for the next contest. We will be having others, hopefully on a regular basis once this blog get better known. Thanks for finding us!
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThe agent will remain anonymous until the winner is announced.
Hmm... Well, I guess I'll have to pass then.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for an agent I can feel good about working with over many years on many projects. I'm looking for someone special. Blind dating just isn't my thing. This might be a wonderful agent, but that doesn't mean he or she is right for me. The contest is a nice idea, though. It's just a shame the agent has decided to remain anonymous.
Good luck to those of you who do submit. If you win, I hope the agent is your perfect match. Best of luck to all of you!