September Secret Agent #1 (removed)

removed

Secret Agent Submissions Today!

Submissions for the Secret Agent Contest will be open from noon to 6:00 pm EDT today.

GUIDELINES ARE HERE.

(Remember, it's not a lottery today; it's first come, first served.)

Best of luck!

Friday Fricassee

So, let's talk about THINGS!

1.  I apologize for posting the SA guidelines late.  Labor Day threw me off a bit.

2.  Just making sure that you all realize that this month's SA is for ADULT ONLY.  I know it doesn't happen often, but there you have it.

3.  So far, we've got 11 agents on our Baker's Dozen line-up.  Final number--and names!-- will come later.

4. Thanks again to all of you who helped spread the word for the BD Agent's Auction during our BLITZ.  Keep talking it up!  Each year, I'm surprised by how many people (particularly on Twitter) start saying, "Oh my gosh, what are you all talking about??" And by then, they've missed the opportunity to submit.

5.  The CP dating entries have been taken down (for security purposes).  Please be sure to LET ME KNOW if you make a perfect match via MSFV!  I'm always delighted to hear about things working out like that.

6.  The wait time for my Authoress Edits queue is down to 2 1/2 months (from 3 or more).  If you're considering hiring me and would like to secure your place in line, here's the info you need.

7.  I'm wondering just how many new readers have joined our ranks in recent months!  If you'd like to say HI, today's your day!  Pop into the comment box and introduce yourself.  (Or, for that matter, say hi anyway--even if you're a REAL OLDTIMER.)

8.  Have a magnificent weekend!

September Secret Agent Early Info

Please note: This is NOT the call for submissions! The contest will open next Monday, September 9.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES (please read carefully):

*There are TWO WAYS to enter: a) via email to authoress.submissions(at)gmail.com OR via web form at msfv.thoughbin.org
* THIS IS NOT A LOTTERY: The submission window will be open from NOON to 6:00 PM EDT. and will close when 50 entries have been chosen or 6:00 PM arrives, whichever comes first.
* 2 alternates will also be accepted, for a total of 52 entries.
* PLEASE NOTE: You are responsible for figuring out your own time zone. "Time Zone differences" are NOT a reason for not getting your entry in.
* Submissions received before the contest opens will be rejected.
* Submissions are for COMPLETED MANUSCRIPTS ONLY. If you wouldn't want an agent to read the entire thing, DON'T SEND IT. If an "entire thing" doesn't exist, you shouldn't even be reading these rules.
* Manuscripts THAT HAVE BEEN IN A SECRET AGENT CONTEST DURING THE PAST SIX MONTHS (March-August) will not be accepted.
* You may submit A DIFFERENT MANUSCRIPT if you've participated in any previous Secret Agent contests.
* Only ONE ENTRY per person per contest. If you send more than one, your subsequent entry(ies) will be rejected.
* If you WON A CONTEST WITHIN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (i.e., offered any kind of prize from a Secret Agent), please DO NOT ENTER THIS CONTEST. (Unless it's a different manuscript.)
* Submissions are for THE FIRST 250 WORDS of your manuscript. Please do not stop in the middle of a

GO HERE to submit via our web form.

If you choose to submit via email, your submission for this contest should be formatted EXACTLY as follows:

SCREEN NAME: Your Screen Name Here
TITLE: Your Title Here
GENRE: Your Genre Here

(Followed by the excerpt here.)

* No "chapter one," chapter titles, etc.
* You will receive a confirmation email with your lottery number.
* Submissions go to authoress.submissions(at)gmail.com. They DO NOT GO to my facelesswords address. Or any other address.
*It doesn't matter what you put in the subject line. The only thing you MUST NOT do is to use "RE:" The bot will think you are attempting to respond to an email, and will reject you.

As always, there is no fee to enter the Secret Agent contest.

This month's contest will include the following genres:

• speculative fiction
• urban fantasy
• mystery
• romance: historical, contemporary, paranormal

Another Indirect Success Story!

It's been a while, and I'm delighted to bring you this success story in the author's words:

Contests are a little bit like the first day of school. You dress up your first page in its finest duds, hope the teacher (i.e., judge) likes it, and are scared beyond all get-out that you won’t make a single friend. 

Or maybe that’s just what they were like for me.

When I entered the Baker’s Dozen in November 2012 with my hot-off-my fingertips YA Contemporary Fantasy, I had high hopes. Everyone who had heard the concept loved it. It was about a Jinn, aka a genie. Not many genie books were around at the time, and I thought I had a good shot at making it in the Baker’s Dozen.

And, well, I got schooled.

I didn’t make the cut. But the positive feedback I received on the generous K.T. Crowley’s Web site, which hosted loglines for critique, fueled me. The concept was solid, the writing was there (I hoped), but my first page needed work.

Turns out my first chapter needed work. As in a revamp. A rewrite. A retooling. I was fortunate to receive feedback from three published authors whose critiques I had bid on and won as part of charity auctions, including, coincidentally, Jodi Meadows, who had selected with Authoress the winning Baker’s Dozen entries.

I absorbed all the feedback and zeroed in on my opening, concentrating on making it the best it could be. The start of Chapter 3 became the start of Chapter 1. Reworking this was like throwing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle in the air and trying to reassemble them into a picture that made sense. It wasn’t easy. But I did my homework, read books about opening pages, read more opening chapters than I can count, and I learned. At least I hoped I did.

When the January 2013 Secret Agent contest came along, I was lucky enough to have my number chosen. If it wasn’t, I’m not sure I’d be writing this today.

Because when I put my shiny, first page in its new outfit up there on its first day of school to meet the teacher, it had a great day. The best. Readers loved it. And, so did the teacher. The Secret Agent chose three winners and asked for the full manuscript. My first page was one of those winners. 

I hadn’t even begun querying, and I had a full out. I had planned to start querying that week regardless of the contest outcome, and I continued with the plan, sending to a handful of agents.

One liked it. A lot. Asked for the full. Asked if anyone else had the full. I explained about the contest win (for which she offered huge congratulations) and told her about the Secret Agent.

She offered me representation within a couple of days. And that agent, Lucy Carson of The Friedrich Agency, sold my January Secret Agent winning entry BECOMING JINN and its sequel to Macmillan’s Feiwel and Friends in May.

My agent and I worked on a revision before we went out on submission, but that first page, which I spent all that time honing for the Secret Agent contest, never changed. Through my agent’s reads, through my betas’ reads, the first page remained as it was. And, you know what’s pretty cool?

I recently received my line edit from my editor. The first page that won me the Secret Agent contest, that led to my offer of representation, well, my editor didn’t make a single mark.

I can’t wait to see that page in print. And for you to see it too.

Thank you Authoress for running your Secret Agent contests. I’m thrilled to have my success story start with you. If that weren’t enough, I also managed to make some friends on that contest day, one of which has become a beta and dear friend with her own contest success story (go Nat!).

The tentatively titled BECOMING JINN is scheduled to be released in Spring 2015. You can see a sneak peek and follow its journey at www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com and follow me on Twitter at @loriagoldstein.

~Lori Goldstein