I've been remiss in mentioning my participation in a number of contests this autumn. Pitch Madness has been and gone, and was terrific fun -- especially the Twitter afterparty, which inspired some very clever 140-character pitches. Boiling your pitch down to its shortest, pithiest self is such a good exercise, whether or not you're taking part in a contest. I'm working my way through all the fulls and partials I requested during Pitch Madness now. (If anyone knows how I can squeeze an extra few hours out of my week, I'm all ears.)
Over on Deana Barnhart's blog, Gearing Up to Get an Agent (GUTGAA) is underway, and next week I'll be one of the agents judging the top fifty queries.
On 13 October, the entry window opens for Hook, Line and Sinker, co-hosted by my unsettlingly gifted client Kat Ellis, who knows a thing or two about pitching herself. I'll be judging the YA entries, but there are middlegrade and adult fiction categories as well. I should note that an earlier event on Cupid's Literary Connection was instrumental in bringing Kat and me together -- these competitions really are a fantastic opportunity to get your work in front of agents. They're a lot of work for us, but the prospect of finding a brilliant new client makes them well worth the time and effort. And there's no better way to spend a chilly autumn evening than curled up on the sofa with a mug of tea and a good manuscript.
--Molly
The contests are great, but too many participants. Maybe The Bent Agency can open a little contest on this blog, so my pitch about my America-Germany YA fiction will have a change. Maybe
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