Friday Fricassee

Best Weekend Plans Ever:  A 2-night writing getaway!

Well, maybe not the best ever.  There's no ocean involved (sadly, sadly).  But my wonderful husband, upon listening to me lament (once or twice) about my need for intense work time, made some last-minute reservations at our favorite hotel.  They've got free wifi, big desks, and it's right across the street from one of our favorite bistros.

"What will you do, though, while I'm writing?" I asked.  (Because, yanno.  Seriously.)

Mr. A shrugged.  "Oh, I'll find something to do."

Isn't he amazing?  Thing is, he will find things to do.  Not the least of which will, no doubt, be decompressing from what's been a very intense time at his day job.  But he's also an invaluable part of my writing process, because he reads, critiques, brainstorms--and makes me laugh.

So, yeah.  I'm the tiniest bit excited about this!  I'm in the midst of a huge and wondrous almost-rewrite (revisions on speed, if you will). We're talking voice overhaul, character overhaul, backstory overhaul--it's wonderful!  (You know I love revisions.  This is the best of all worlds.)  And a change of scenery with a bed I don't have to make and food I don't have to prepare is just what I need.

Anyway, that's my weekend!  If you'll be joining me in ANY way--a quiet Saturday morning writing time with coffee, an evening of drafting, a 30-minute gem of writing time in the midst of a busy weekend--let me know!  It always feels good to know that we're not writing in a vacuum.

Also--a reminder that submissions will open on Monday for our Logline Critique Round Two!  I'll post the guidelines on Monday morning.

And now, adieu!  Wish me well; I have high hopes for high productivity!

The 2012 Baker's Dozen ALL-STAR AGENT LINE-UP

Ladies and Gentlemen!  It is with honor and delight that I present to you the 17 agents who will be bidding during this year's Baker's Dozen Agent Auction:

• Amy Boggs, Donald Maass
• Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson 
• Danielle Chiotti, Upstart Crow
• Josh Getzler, Hannigan Salky Getzler
• Melissa Jeglinski, The Knight Agency
• Sarah LaPolla, Curtis Brown
• Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown
• Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy
• Lauren MacLeod, Strothman Agency
• Victoria Marini, Gelfman Schneider
• Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy
• Tamar Rydzinski, Laura Dail
• Brooks Sherman, Fineprint Literary
• Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, Larsen Pomada
• Tina Wexler, ICM Talent 

Applause, applause!  This wonderful group already knows that I'm oozing thankfulness for their participation in this year's auction.  Some of them are back for the THIRD TIME!  And some of them are already sharpening their nails and filing their teeth.

If one or more of these agents already has your query or some requested material, ENTER THE AUCTION ANYWAY.  The only reasons not to enter are if a) you've promised an exclusive to any agent, on or off this list, and b) you've been offered representation or are already agented.

All right, then -- let the fun begin!

Good News For Logline Critique Round One Participants

The witty and wonderful Adam Heine has agreed to host REVISED LOGLINES on his blog!  This offer is open to all 40 entrants from ROUND ONE.

So, dear entrants, if you've revised your logline as a result of having received critique on MSFV, here's your chance to receive critique on your new version!

Adam's instructions:

• E-mail submissions to firstimpactAE(at)gmail.com. You'll get an auto-reply if I got it. 
• Put "Logline Revision" and your ORIGINAL POST NUMBER in the subject line, so I don't miss it. 
• List the TITLE and GENRE, just like you would for Miss Snark's First Victim. 
• Please send all submissions before Tuesday night, October 9th. The sooner, the better. 

Also, there's no word count limit (though short loglines are happy loglines), and anyone who leaves a critique of the loglines will be eligible to win a 15-page critique from Jodi Meadows.

Did you catch that last part?  Adam has an ongoing Cool Thing on his blog, in which he offers prizes as an incentive for critiquing posted work.  He said there's no reason why this Logline Round shouldn't be included in that, so there you have it!

(I'm blessed with the Best Critique Partners in the Known Universe. It's true.)

The revised loglines will post on Adam's blog on Friday, October 12.  I'll remind you in my Friday Fricassee that morning, so you can high-tail it over there, offer your fabulous words of wisdom, and be entered for a chance to win the 15-page critique from Jodi.

(Oh, goodness.  She is FABULOUS.  I can never repay her for all she's poured into my own work.  You definitely want a chance to win this critique!)

Hooray!  Post your questions below.  And remember -- Round Two is coming up next week!  Details tomorrow.

Yet Another "Indirect Success"

It's a blessing and an honor to know that this blog is touching the lives of writers who, though they may not boast a direct win here, attribute a portion of their success to their involvement here.  Today's story:

Hi Authoress,

I’ve entered the Secret Agent contest twice. The first time I won! It was back in August 2009 with my novel Light Bingers. The agent ultimately passed but by then, I was well into another manuscript. Fast forward to January 2011 and I entered the SA contest with my novel Platinum Diaries. This one, I didn’t win. And actually, I wasn’t all that disappointed. I knew it would be rare for lightning to strike twice, so I was really looking for some good feedback. And that’s exactly what I got.

The comments basically said the same thing: Love the voice, but nothing’s much happening. After that I became slightly obsessed with the openings of books, reading everything I could get my hands on, randomly opening books in the library to read the first page. I rewrote the beginning, cutting out the first six pages, starting the story where the action started.

One of the agents I submitted to with my new opening was The Sheldon Fogelman Agency. It was a long time in the making—the full story is on my blog, but one day in April I got an email from Janine Hauber saying that she manages foreign rights at The Sheldon Fogelman Agency.

Janine was taking on clients of her own and wanted to know if my novel was still available. Of course it was! We had a pre-phone call. Then an editorial meeting was held with the entire staff, and then she called again and offered!

I just wanted to say thank you to Authoress and for all the participants on this wonderful site. I lurk/learn here more than I participate, but without the SA contest and those comments, I might never have changed my opening. I believe that is what got my foot in the door with all the agents who requested from me, and ultimately an agent!

Thank you all so much!

Karen Denise

The Third Annual Baker's Dozen Agent Auction -- Dates and Guidelines!

14 agents are ready to outbid each other in the 3rd annual BAKER'S DOZEN AGENT AUCTION.  Do you have a crisp logline and completed manuscript? Then this auction is for you!

THE DATES

October 30: Submissions for adult fiction (all genres except erotica), 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (100 max)

November 1: Submissions for adult fiction (all genres except erotica) , 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (100 max)

November 6:  Submissions for YA/MG fiction (all genres), 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (150 max)

November 8:  Submissions for YA/MG fiction (all genres), 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (150 max)

November 12: 25 winning entries in adult category notified via email

November 19: 35 winning entries in YA/MG category notified via email

November 30: 60 winning entries posted on blog

December 4: auction is LIVE at 11:00 AM EDT (agents will place bids)

December 5:  auction closes

December 6:  winners announced

THE SUBMISSIONS

• During the appropriate submission window, send your LOGLINE and the first 250 words of your COMPLETED AND POLISHED MANUSCRIPT. 
• 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.
• NO, you MAY NOT submit more than one manuscript in the same category.  You may, however, submit one entry in each category (1 adult and 1 MG/YA).
• 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.

THE BIDDING AND CRITIQUING

• As soon as the winning entries post on November 30, critiquing may begin.  Critiques will be offered by one of our two participating editors (adult or YA/MG, depending on your genre), one of our two participating authors (adult or YA/MG, depending on your genre), and as many of our blog community members as show up.
• Agent bids will consist of the number of pages they would like to read, up to a full manuscript.
• There is no guarantee that every entry will receive an agent bid.
• Each of the 60 winners is requested to critique a minimum of 5 other entries.
• Agents will be reading the entries beginning on November 30, but bidding will not begin until 11:00 AM EDT on December 4.  This will give the agents several days to decide which entries, if any, they'd like to place a bid on.
• Critiquing may continue after the bidding has closed (December 5).

QUESTIONS

If I've missed anything, please leave your question in the comment box below.  But please MAKE SURE YOU CHECK ALL THE RECENT BAKER'S DOZEN AND LOGLINE POSTS before asking.

Hooray!  I'll be announcing our participating agents, editors, and authors in the coming days. Keep your eyes pealed!