YA/MG Submissions Today

Hang onto your hats!  Though, in all honesty, I don't expect the 22-minute deluge we experienced on Tuesday.  I think it's safe to say that all 150 slots will not fill up today.  If they did, it would certainly be a record.  (It would also mean a minimum of six 2- to 3-hour sessions with Jodi, just to get through them.  So it's a good thing we really like each other.)

Okay, folks--here it is, one final time:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

• YA/MG submissions will be open on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
• Send your LOGLINE and the first 250 words of your COMPLETED AND POLISHED MANUSCRIPT. 
• The word count is set at 310.  This allows for a maximum of 60 words for your logline.  (Most loglines are shorter than this.)
• To submit, GO HERE and follow the directions. Be sure to check your word count and preview your entry before hitting "submit."
• YES, you may submit your entry if you were in any Secret Agent contests this year.
• NO, you MAY NOT submit if you were one of last year's 60 Baker's Dozen entrants...UNLESS it is a DIFFERENT MANUSCRIPT.
• YES, you MAY submit a YA or MG manuscript this week if you have already submitted in the adult category.
• All entrants must pay an $10 entry fee. You will be asked to pay before your entry is completed. You do not need a Paypal account to pay the fee (you should be given the option to use a credit card), though it's certainly easier when you do have an account.
• Please do not enter if you are already agented.
• Please notify me if you receive an offer of representation prior to the announcement of winners. Also, please understand that the entry fee is non-refundable.
• By entering this contest, you are giving implicit permission to have your work posted and publicly critiqued.
• All non-winning entries will be given the option for public critique at a later date.  Details to be announced.

SOME EXTRA THOUGHTS:

• When you are getting ready to cut and paste your entry into the submission form, it might be a good idea to make sure you are pasting FROM A PLAIN-TEXT DOCUMENT.  Certain goofy HTML tags (that you can't see) tend to mess up the formatting, sometimes to the point of making the text of your entry disappear (don't worry; I found all the missing ones in the database...but I'd rather not have to go looking for them!).  
• If you do not have a Paypal account, and you find that Paypal does not offer you the "pay with card" option, it is likely that you have, at some point, registered for a Paypal account--and Paypal remembers.  (Creepy, that.)  Try clearing your cookies or using a different browser or...something.  I don't pretend to understand this.  I only know that Paypal can be a bit quirky.
• It doesn't matter if your Paypal account uses a different email address than you used for your entry--the Authoress Bot doesn't care!  Your payment will be automatically credited to your entry, and all will be well.
• YES, you will receive a confirmation email!  Look for it.  It contains a link to pay for your entry, which is your back-up in case you ran into difficulty while trying to pay from the web form.  The bot will mark your entry at "processing" until payment is received, and it will know who you are when you pay.

Pop your last-minute questions below!