And we're halfway through the auction submission process. Hard to believe!
Jodi and I have already had one fun-filled evening of slush reading, and we've got our second one scheduled for this evening. I really couldn't do it without her--bouncing our responses off of each other makes the whole process easier. (I can imagine trying to do this on my own, staring at the screen as words bleed together and I long for chocolate. It wouldn't work.)
I want to assure all entrants that formatting errors don't matter as we consider your work. So if you forgot italics or your spacing is off or whatever, please don't fret over it. We're ignoring all that and focusing on words.
Somehow, the idea that loglines were required to be in italics has infiltrated the ranks. There is no such requirement! I will italicize the loglines of the winning entries prior to the opening of the auction. If you didn't already italicize yours, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
Okay? I'm not that anal retentive! (No, really.)
If you have any other questions, pop them into the comment box. (For general questions about the upcoming YA/MG submissions for the Baker's Dozen Auction, please see THIS POST.)
And now I'm off to tackle a trying-to-balance-slightly-overwhelming-life-stuff-with-writing weekend. It happens (as you all know). Fortunately, I'm getting better at moving with the ebb and flow, instead of snarling and gnashing.
Well, I do a little bit of that, too. But not nearly so much as I used to.
Have a glorious weekend!
Can't wait to see the winning entries!
ReplyDeleteI shall be forcing myself to ignore my novel this weekend so that I'm fresh to give it a nice polish next week. Must not open word document, must not open word document...
Really grateful for all that you do! This website has already been such a huge help, in a platform to receive feedback from others and the chance to learn from others' work as well. Good luck on your weekend quest!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the enormous stress-reducing note on overlooking format matters.... You rock!! I am grateful for the forum and exposure you have provided. I look forward to reading the winners. Good luck YA/MG writers!!
ReplyDeleteI am blown away with the energy and commitment you give to writer wannabees like me. My latest marvel of an epiphany came when I read a comment of a follower I value, point out what was lacking in someone's writing, but that someone found a fan of an agent from the same writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Authoress.
Wishes for a speedy pen this weekend.
It's beyond amazing that you put this together, combined efforts & all! Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteAuthoress--I remained concerned because my adult hist fic entry is a prologue set in my MC's childhood.
ReplyDeleteSo many believed it was MG or YA because of this and it is definitely not. I want to be sure that you and your wonderful assistants know the MC is only a child in that brief prologue. The rest of the story is set in her adult life.
Thanks again for doing all that you do!
I debated saying anything about this year's Baker's Dozen for a long time, and then I decided I may as well say it because it's been bothering me and I haven't seen anyone else mention it.
ReplyDeleteI'm really sad you decided to charge for it. Not because I don't understand why, but because as a foreigner who simply can't afford US$8 for a chance at a lottery, it meant the entry I'd been working on was all for naught.
I've had an email prepared for ages to send to you ever since I discovered you a year or so ago, but I work long hours and kept missing the deadline. No worries--gave me more time to get my book right. I lost my job a couple months ago, and with no distractions, I finally gathered the courage to send it in...only to realise the Secret Agent contest was going to be a lottery from now on. I sent it in anyway, but naturally, luck wasn't with me and I didn't get picked.
So it's been kind of hard to be all joyous about the upcoming Bakers' Dozen and the Secret Agent contests. Before I could count on a clock. Now I can't count on anything but money or luck, and I have neither it seems.
I wish success to all the people who managed to gain entry. You have no idea how lucky you really are.
Anonymous @ 7:49: Is your entry for the YA/MG category? If so, and you want to get into one of the submission windows, let me know. I would front the $8 so you can enter. (if lovely Authoress has a way to let one person pay for another?)
ReplyDeleteAlishamarieklapheke: Don't worry! We always take the possibility of prologues into account when we see younger characters in adult submissions.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 7:49: I'm sorry you feel this way, and that you've been having such bad luck getting into the Secret Agent contests. (Which are not *all* lottery from now on, but it sounds like you've been missing the ones that are first come first serve.) Keep trying with the Secret Agent contests. You're not alone in the bot not picking you; the bot doesn't pick a lot of people, but for popular genres, this is the best way to ensure fairness.
The Baker's Dozen is not a lottery. The submission windows for the Baker's Dozen are first come first serve. If you make it into the submission pool, that is when you pay. From there, Authoress and I read the submissions, and whether you make it to the final round is purely a matter of how well your submission stacks up against the others.
I see your frustration, but please understand that all the decisions for this year's Baker's Dozen (and the Secret Agent contests!) have been made carefully, and considering what is most fair to everyone involved, including Authoress, who spends countless hours working on this blog.
Marynoel: How very sweet of you to offer to pay for Anonymous! This is one of the reasons I love this blog so much -- the readers are so thoughtful and generous! <3
Since the submission process is automated, you'd have to submit *for* Anonymous, which means you wouldn't be able to submit one for yourself. In the interest of fairness, the bot only allows one submission per person.
Everyone: Authoress and I spent several hours reading through the adult submissions this week, and we've seen some truly wonderful things! We're excited to get to the kidlit submissions soon! Thank you SO MUCH for your understanding and patience!
<3 <3 <3
@ Jodi Meadows (aka Ferret Queen)
ReplyDeleteAh, that makes sense, with the submission windows. So if, say, both Anonymous & I were hoping to enter, I could technically give my roommate $8 to submit for Anon? Haha, sorry to make it so complicated..
Marynoel -- How kind you are. (And tenacious -- LOL!) Honestly, this is something you would have to work out privately with Anon (and, apparently, your roommate). From the bot's perspective, it doesn't matter who sends the submission, but the submission and the payment are a package deal. The payment has to occur in order for the submission to be accepted.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being another example of why this is such a wonderful community. :)
Just an idea -- if Anon has a PayPal account, and Marynoel does too, Marynoel could simply "money transer" eight bucks to him/her in advance of the submission window, and then the money is all ready to go in Anon's account and there's no messing around with the actual submission process....
ReplyDeleteWow! I just came back to check up on the blog and saw both Jodi's comments and Marynoel's.
ReplyDeleteJodi--thanks for the explanation and the understanding. I get that this is a very big undertaking for Authoress. In no way do I want to diminish how much this costs her in personal and financial terms. I just wanted to let her know that for some of us, paying is just not possible. However, that's not to say I resent anyone for being able to enter. Not at all. I'm just mad at myself for not having gotten in when the going was good.
As for Marynoel--you are an angel. I really, really appreciate your offer. But my entry was adult, and I won't take it up on your offer because I can't let someone spend that kind of money on me for something like this. I also don't want you to miss your chance. Don't worry--I'll keep trying at the Secret Agent stuff. Who knows--maybe my stuff's not ready for other eyes and that is just the universe's way of letting me know there's more work to do.
Thanks to all for understanding. And yes, I was whining just a little bit, but let's pretend I wasn't ::Grin::
Authoress, I'm wondering how you feel about swearing in the YA entries. I beleive I've seen you mention in past Secret Agent contests that swearing is not permitted/frowned upon. Is this the case with the Baker's Dozen contest? I wouldn't want my entry to be passed over because of something like this.
ReplyDeleteRamona -- Entries aren't passed over because of swearing. If an entry with *colorful* language is chosen as a winner for the Baker's Dozen, I will replace all swear words stronger than hell or damn with the first letter plus asterisks, as has always been my policy on the blog. So no worries.
ReplyDeleteOh wise and wonderful Authoress: when will we know the selections for the adult sf&F categories?
ReplyDeleteFiligree-- Entries are not broken into categories. The 25 adult winners will receive emails on Nov. 12.
ReplyDeleteGotcha. I'm still querying on other fronts, so if one of those pans out, I'll ask you to withdraw my entry then.
ReplyDelete