Happy Friday!
The emails to the winners of the Baker's Dozen adult category have gone out. If you did not receive an email, then your entry has not been chosen for this year's auction.
I'm sorry for the not-personal-ness of that, but the administrative work of sending out the rejection emails would be too time consuming. Please accept this public post as my THANK YOU FOR ENTERING and KEEP WRITING, KEEP FOLLOWING YOUR DREAM.
Because it's not about contests. It's NEVER about contests. It's about your writing, your journey, and your dream.
If any of you (non-winning entries) would like to take advantage of my special, 3-page critique offer, THE DETAILS ARE HERE. Feel free to post questions below.
As for the YG/MG category: Jodi and I FINISHED READING ALL THE ENTRIES LAST NIGHT.
*falls over a little bit*
I will post some post-slush thoughts next week, though Jodi has already covered the main points in her blog post at Pub Crawl. And the YG/MG winners will receive their emails on November 22.
Okay! I'm off to start my day. Thanks again to everyone who entered this year's Baker's Dozen!
Miss Snark's First Victim
Yay! Congrats to the winners who get to go into the final rounds!
ReplyDeleteAs a previous Baker's Dozen "winner" (BD 2011), I have a couple of things to say. There are going to be some strong emotions today, either of delight or of grief. I remember during "my year" someone commenting that they were giving up writing completely. (I hope we talked that person off the ledge.) The reality is that writing is a very up-and-down endeavor. You might be celebrating today, but be one of the entries that doesn't get a bid in the BD itself in Decemebr. You may feel that your writing is worthless, but tomorrow an agent asks for a full.
ReplyDeletePlease remember that, when you sent in your entry to the Baker's Dozen, you met THE ONLY GOAL YOU CAN CONTROL--that is, sending your work in. You can't control getting an agent, getting your submission picked up by a publisher, or whether readers will give you a 5-star review. You can control whether you actually write, whether you write to the best of your ability, whether you revise, and whether you send work in.
To those of you who found an e-mail in your inbox this morning: congratulations. Now keep writing. To those who didn't: commiserations. Now, keep writing.
Your fellow writers salute you. You wrote, you took a risk, now write again.
CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS!
ReplyDeleteAnd omg the 22nd is sooooo far away
I'd like to thank Michael G-G for his words above. After rejections on a full and a partial this week, and am empty inbox today...yeah. I needed to hear that, Michael. And congrats to the winners.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael; the journey is ongoing. You might win a contest and contract with an agent, then spent a year or two with rejections from editors and publishing houses. Everyone's experience is so different.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the winners!
Michael G-G, you're a star. Beautifully put.
ReplyDeleteAnd AG, honey, one of my best friends gave me a little wooden block with a saying on it last Christmas after a staggering losing season (110 queries out on a Women's Fiction piece from July to November and not a *single* request for material, plus my BD 2012 entry (same book) didn't make it into the auction.) The block reads, 'Somewhere, someone is looking for exactly what you have to offer.'
Believe it, sweets. This road to successful distribution of our beloved work ain't for quitters. Most people give up after only the first ten years. ;)
Congratulations to all of the winners of the adult round. Well done and I'm certain well-deserved. Celebrate!
Michael G-G deserves great credit for sharing his wisdom, and his very right-minded approach to the hardships of querying! All we have in this business, sometimes, is each other. Whatever we can do to turn victories into triumphs -- and disappointments into a step toward a victory -- we owe to ourselves and each other.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners! You all should be proud, not just those who made it on the auction block. It takes guts to enter, and this journey is not an easy one. Be proud of what you've accomplished and keep going!! You're all rock stars.
ReplyDeleteAnd to Jodi and Authoress, congrats on finishing the slush! Now dive into a box of chocolates and open a nice bottle of wine; you've more than earned it.
Congrats for the winners, and thank you Jodi and Authoress for the hard work you did. We appreciate it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThaniks for your wise words, Michael-G-G too.