Things have just gotten more exciting on Miss Snark's First Victim. Are you ready?
I'm delighted to announce that our next Are You Hooked? will feature a Secret Agent in the comments box. What's a Secret Agent, you ask? Why, it's a real, honest-to-goodness, bonafide literary agent who has graciously accepted my invitation to participate.
Our Secret Agent will be critiquing our next submissions along with the rest of us. At the end of the round, the Secret Agent will choose which submission is the strongest. The lucky winner will receive a little prize from the agent.
Once the crit round is over and the winner has been chosen, I will reveal the identity of the Secret Agent, along with a short bio and any info the agent has chosen to share concerning what he/she is currently looking for.
The call for submissions will take place on Monday, July 14. So you've got plenty of time to polish your first page. Because, yes, this is going to be a classic First Page Are You Hooked.
Spread the word. Get your work in tiptop shape. Post your questions here. And mark your calendars for the 14th of July.
Hey, that is exciting. Nice job getting an agent to pop in, Authoress.
ReplyDeleteJuly 12th is a Saturday. Do you mean Saturday, the 12th, or Monday the 14th?
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Sounds great either day.
Oh My!
ReplyDelete(drops dead of delight and fear)
How did you wrangle an agent to get on here? Is this going to be a regular thing?
What am I... How am I... Which story????
(panic attack)
(tries to breath)
I'm not sure this is the sort of thing I need in the middle of a redraft and writers block.
But, since we're doing this.... What genre does this agent rep?
After all, if Secret Agent reps literary and romance I don't want to submit something overtly sci-fi or horror.
P.S. 250 words, correct?
Ack! Yes, I got the date wrong -- thanks for pointing that out (I will change it). The correct date is Monday, July 14.
ReplyDelete*hands Just_Me a paper bag*
Yes, 250 words (rough equivalent of a first page). Don't worry about the genre of the agent; this Very Kind Person is going to crit everything that is posted here, regardless of genre. After the contest, I will post all the info, and then you'll know whether this is a person you'd eventually like to query.
And I promise that this is only the FIRST Secret Agent we'll have. ;)
Sounds cool. Can it be any first page or, like the MC one, would you prefer an active WIP or finished novel page?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, will link to this post on my blog. :)
~Merc
The choice of material is up to you, Merc, though I do suggest you choose a first page that's in really good shape -- something you wouldn't hesitate to share the entire first chapter of. The more polished, more far along it is, the more helpful the feedback will be for you. And, too, no agent wants to hear from you if your novel isn't finished. So the first page of a finished, edited novel would be the best choice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, too. I think this will be of interest to many aspiring authors!
Wow! This is awesome! I'll also be posting a link to my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Authoress! :) That's what I wanted to know.
ReplyDeleteNah, don't have any novels in good enough shape (well, the finished ones) to query about so that's why I wanted to know. :P I can probably polish something well enough to submit.
~Merc
Awesome. Should be back from vacation by then.
ReplyDeleteWord is being spread.... hopefully we'll have a few more people for this crit session.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hunting down an agent for a treat for us. :o) I'm looking forward to what everyone presents.
This sounds interesting... I think I'll submit my first 250 words. It sounds like a helpful event.
ReplyDeleteYou said page. Is this double spaced?
ReplyDeleteYes, always. Use 250 words as your guideline, as I will not be double-spacing the posts here.
ReplyDeleteI am going to be a schtickler about length of submissions, since I don't know what the response will be. Mustn't overwhelm our Secret Agent! ;)
"The call for submissions will take place on Monday, July 14."
ReplyDeleteSo, does this mean we should wait until the 14th or later to send our submission? Or does it mean we can send it anytime between now and the 14th?
I just want to make sure I'm clear before I send my entry.
Thanks!
Ed,
ReplyDeleteI will post the call on the 14th with the exact instructions. As soon as I've posted the call, you can submit. You will have until 9 am EDT on Thursday the 17th to get your submission in, and then submissions will be closed.
Do you want the title and the author's name as it would appear on a first page, or no title and no author's name? Just first page?
ReplyDeleteComplete submission instructions will be posted on Monday. All entries will be posted anonymously, so there will not be any author names included.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it would be a good idea to use a screen name other than "anonymous." ;)
Probably a dumb question, but will the post be here for everyone to see? If so, I suppose that small word count wouldn't count as 'previously published online' when we submit to a publisher, but that was a concern that popped into my wee cranium.
ReplyDeleteNo question is a dumb question.
ReplyDeleteYes, the posts will be for everyone to see. And "previously published?" No. Your name won't even be attached to it.
Expunge that from your cranium, wee or otherwise, and enjoy the contest! :)