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Friday, July 12, 2013

Happy Twitter Pitch Party Day, you beautiful pitchers, you!

*IT'S TWITTER PITCH PARTY TIME*
*Belted out to the tune of 'peanut butter jelly time.' Now that's stuck in your head. You're welcome.*


WOOHOOO! It's time! It's time! 


--->We go live at 5am pacific time on 7/12/13, and the pitching will continue all day long. The agents/editors will respond to the pitches they want to request. IF an agent or editor does not respond, but favorites your pitch instead, please view their feed to see if they've mentioned what they want from starred pitches, OR ASK ONE OF US FOR HELP.

--->If you did not get through to the top 56, and even if you did, please join us for the Twitter Pitch Party!
ANYONE can participate!

--->BUT (yes, there's a but, not butt--sorry), your manuscript MUST BE COMPLETED AND POLISHED.

Did you read that? Go back and read it again. I'll wait. *whistles*

Completed and polished. Please, please, please do not pitch an idea or a half-written manuscript.

--->Twitter pitches MUST BE 140 Characters or Less, and they HAVE TO INCLUDE THE HASHTAG. Don't make the agents and editors work to read what you're pitching because you've broken your pitch into more than one tweet. That will just annoy them, irritate your fellow pitchers, and ensure that your pitch gets lost among the others.

--->Please keep your Twitter pitching to no more than TWO PER HOUR, per manuscript. Do not fill up the feed with your pitch over and over again. This, too, will annoy the agents and editors involved, as well as ruining it for everyone else--which I know you don't really want to do, do you? (Plus, people WILL remember you for it.)

Twitter pitch parties are a LOT of fun--trust us, we've both done many as both hosts and pitchers--but please don't get carried away. TWO PITCHES PER HOUR is plenty, and doesn't bog down the feed.

Please respect us, the agents and editors participating, and your fellow writers by respecting these rules.

You are welcome to pitch more than one manuscript, but please only pitch EACH manuscript no more than TWICE per hour.

Follow along with the hashtag: #PitchMAS

Make sure you follow all of our blogs, and following us on Twitter probably wouldn't hurt either. (We often post the same #PitchMAS related info, but you never know when only one of us will tweet something important.)

#PitchMAS

Tamara

Jessa

For the list of awesome participating agents and editors, please go HERE.

PLEASE ask any and all questions in the comments below! One of us will respond as soon as we can.

XO,
Jessa & Tamara

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

#PitchMAS in July Entry 56

Title: PLAY ON
Category/Genre: YA/Contemporary
Word Count: 50,000

Pitch: Small town baseball god Luke is on the hunt for that crazy-stupid kind of love. With Jenna, he’s convinced he’s found perfection personified . . . until he discovers the scars covering her wrists.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 55

Title: WHEN THE WORLD MADE PERFECT SENSE
Category/Genre: Women's Fiction/Magical Realism 
Word Count: 80,000

Pitch: Hannah discovers a hidden book, and realizes it is about her own life.  The story has landed in the present moment.  There are 236 pages left.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 54

Title: DECEPTIVE CADENCE
Category/Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Word Count: 85,000

Pitch: When Cadence’s family is killed, her guardian angel offers her the chance to save them—by going back eleven years and reliving her life. But she doesn't anticipate a stranger, bad-boy James, threatening everything.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 53

Title: MORTOS
Category/Genre: A/Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 90,000
 
Pitch: A whisper, car accident, and former soldier named Mira lying twisted on the asphalt. Death stops when she rises. And then the man who tried to kill her comes back...to court her.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 52

Title: PATHWAY TO THE SKY
Category/Genre: Middle Grade/Adventure
Word Count: 34,250

Pitch: Smoothclaw may be the smallest prairie dog, but when his town is threatened, he finds a mountain meadow for his clan and fights the invading humans. It’s Watership Down meetsBraveheart.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 51

Title: SPLITZVILLE
Category/Genre: Paranormal
Word Count: 98,600

Pitch: An inept death angel and a lesbian with anger management issues collide over their mutual infatuation with a former mental patient who channels the ghost of Friedrich Nietzsche.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 50

Title: WAITRESS 
Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Word Count: 95,000


Pitch: When wannabe model Beth swaps designer clothing for a waitress uniform, she discovers how well she fits in with her bed-hopping coworkers thanks to a simple lie. But maintaining her party-girl reputation? Not so simple.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 49

Title: STATIC
Category/Genre: NA/Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Word Count: 87,000

Pitch: Rule #1: Stay away from the sea, it will drown you. Rule #2: Stay away from him, he controls the sea. Rule #3: Break rule #2.


#PitchMAS in July Entry 48

Title: Retribution
Category/Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Word Count: 80,000

Pitch: Davey's shopping list: a dozen white lilies, her favorite. Absolut vodka, his favorite. A gun, bought with enough money to skip the waiting period. 4 unmarked graves, one for each of her killers.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 47

Title: LIMITLESS
Category/Genre: YA/Scifi
Word Count: 90,000

Pitch: Cassandra Dhatri's determined to become an astronaut, but sixty-three other genius contestants stand in her way. Even if she survives selection, her short training couldn't possibly prepare her for what's waiting out in space.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 46

Title: SNOW FALLING
Category/Genre: Adult Fantasy 
Word Count: 95,000

Pitch: The "evil" queen has been sorely misunderstood: Snow White is a power-hungry brat with an ax to grind. Literally. 

#PitchMAS in July Entry 45

Title: French Kissed
Category/Genre: Women’s Fiction
Word Count: 80,000

Pitch: Before the Hatfields/McCoys, the French/Eversole feuds bloodied the hollers of Hazard, Kentucky. Sadie Eversole will do anything to prove she loves Clay French, even if it breaks her father’s heart. Or gets her killed.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 44

Title: WHEN WE GROW UP
Category/Genre: Humorous PB
Word Count: 480

Pitch: Mrs. Terwilliger's students are weird. Their responses to "what do you want to be when you grow up?" are weirder. Maybe one will give a normal answer before their frazzled teacher goes bananas. Maybe.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 43

Title: AN ABSENCE OF LIGHT
Category/Genre: NA Sci-Fi
Word Count: 75,000

Pitch: Fleeing with bloody hands and a stolen BMW, Leah must escape charges for a murder committed by shadow creatures only she can see.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 42

Title: FLY TRUE
Category/Genre: MG/Fantasy
Word Count: 48,000

Pitch: Separated as babies to fool fate, twins Adanna and Zander discover the key to surviving the quest that all twelves undergo, is finding each other and fighting together, even though never have both twins survived.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 41

Title: ZOMBIES STOLE MY CAKE
Category/Genre: YA/SF
Word Count: 86,500

Pitch: Lola survived the apocalypse but lost her memories. Her only clues are the cult that's chasing her and these mysterious syringes in her backpack that may be the cure for the Plague... oh. Oops.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 40

Title: TOO LARGE! TOO LOUD!
Category/Genre: PB
Word Count: 380

Pitch: Lying sleepless in bed and discounting sheep as too boring, Tyler imagines other entertaining animals, but the roaring lion scares him and the chimpanzee throws nuts. He may have to reconsider the lowly sheep.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 39

Title: NO REST FOR THE WANTED
Category/Genre: YA Thriller
Word Count: 98,000

Pitch: Lora's got an escaped criminal on her tail, a cute bodyguard with secrets, and a missing vault to find 007-style.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 38

Title: FAERIE WANDERER
Category/Genre: Upper MG/Fantasy
Word Count: 76,000

Pitch: When twelve-year-old Maia’s best friend is accused of stealing, she decides she’ll stop at nothing to clear his name. But having to take on Faerie’s most powerful Goddess may be more than she bargained.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 37

Title: OLD MACDONALD’S VOWEL FARM
Category/Genre: Picture Book
Word Count: 704

Pitch: Old MacDonald only grows E, I, and O. The sheep can't BAA without 'A's and without ‘U’s, Isabella will grow into a hen who cannot CLUCK. Can she convince Farmer MacDonald to grow all vowels?

#PitchMAS in July Entry 36

Title:Pirate's Don't Cry
Category/Genre:Picture Book
Word Count: 687

Pitch:  Captain Cuddles was the roughest toughest pirates who sailed the seven seas. Until he spotted Lucy on a cruise ship wearing a treasure he has been searching his whole life for…pink fuzzy bunny slippers.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 35

Title: The Accidental Socialite
Category/Genre: NA Contemporary
Word Count: 75,000

Pitch: Accidentally famous in a foreign country, small town girl Paige must take control of her reputation before her new life in London is ruined. Not an easy task when your lady parts trend on Twitter. 

#PitchMAS in July Entry 34

Title: Princess Super Charlotte
Category/Genre: Picture Book, superhero
Word Count: 309 words


Pitch: Charlotte is no ordinary princess. Instead of attending high tea, she saves those in danger. Charlotte thinks her super powers make her special, but soon discovers the other princesses have their own super secrets.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 33

Title: TOOTH AND TOENAIL
Category/Genre: MG/Fantasy
Word Count: 31,000

Pitch: When she finds out the assignment is Toenail Brigade not Tooth Fairy, Moth Hazelflower decides rappel hook beats pink tutu any day! Think Tinkerbell meets Artemis Fowl.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 32

Title: The Princess Who Was Not
Category/Genre: MG/Fantasy
Word Count: 45,000


Pitch: Raised as the princess, Lilia's really a Flyer. Now war is imminent and the real princess needs her help on a deadly quest for a miracle.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 31

Title: SHADOWCATCHERS
Category/Genre: Upper MG Fantasy
Word Count: 43,000


Pitch: Fourteen-year-old Zane earns a fortune catching shadows. But when he discovers he's actually stealing souls, he must choose between the job that keeps him in luxury, or quitting and becoming a target himself.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 30

Title: The Shard of Gabriel
Category/Genre: YA/Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 87,000


Pitch: If Bartholomew finds the Shard of Gabriel, he'll become the demon he once was. So long as he endures working with an attractive angel. And resists the power of the Shard. Actually, he’s probably screwed.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 29

Title: UNDYING
Category/Genre: Upmarket Women's Fiction
Word Count: 86,000

Pitch: Cameron's wife shouldn't be cooking breakfast. After all, he buried her yesterday. Yet the woman in his kitchen not only claims she's his wife, but refuses to accept she's dead.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 28

Title: GYRE
Category/Genre: NA Fantasy
Word Count: 70,000

Pitch: When evidence of Atlantis is unearthed, twenty-one-year-old archaeologist Chelsea Danning must keep a classified Navy sub safe from time-travelling hijackers bent on making it a valuable pawn in the Atlantean-Lemurian war for time itself.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 27

Title: RANDOM ACTS OF NUDITY
Catagory/Genre: YA/Contemporary
Word Count: 63,000


Pitch: Fifteen-year-old Vi goes from nobody to notorious when her ex leaks their sex tape. In the course of a day, she transforms from plus-size honors student to the schools biggest joke.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 26

Title: THE GREATEST ARCHITECT WHO EVER LIVED
Category: Picture Book / Bio
Word Count: 882

Pitch: Frank Lloyd Wright once called himself “the greatest architect who ever lived.” His story is told from the first-person perspective of a child, someone who wants to be an architect, too.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 25

Title: PRELUDE
Category/Genre: Adult BDSM Erotica
Word Count: 70,000

Pitch: Moira D’Arcangelis is pure vanilla—until best friend Kara introduces her to New Orleans’ underground kink scene. But when a legendary Domme from Kara’s past returns, Moira will risk everything to keep her new lover.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 24

Title: STUMPED
Category/Genre: YA Contemporary
Word Count: 75,000

Pitch: American Pie meets The Sessions. Misadventure follows hilarious failure as 16-year-old Ozzy struggles to dump the burden of his virginity and prove he can still be a man as a legless dude in a wheelchair.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 23

Title: ROGUE HEALER
Category/Genre: YA/Light Sci-Fi
Word Count: 80,000

Pitch: Stay away from humans. Easy for Lexi—until she falls for Garrett. Her species can't survive without donor bodies, and he'd be perfect. But preventing Garrett's donation means betraying her people. And they're watching.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 22

Title: THINGS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
Category/Genre: Fiction PB
Word Count: 459

Pitch: Jack's afraid of the thing in the closet. Monty's afraid of the lump in the bed.  Both should be afraid of what's down the hall!

#PitchMAS in July Entry 21

Title: KATIE CLARK IS SPECIAL ED
Category/Genre: MG/Contemporary
Word Count: 60,000

Pitch: Katie's parents have kept her autism diagnosis a secret for 12 years - even from Katie! But when she finds out, she's determined to show the world she's a whole lot more than "special ed."

#PitchMAS in July Entry 20

Title: BRAINWASHED!
Category/Genre: MG Comedy
Word Count: 51,000

Pitch: Duke and his arch-rival Maddie have discovered that the evil salon-owner Madam Roza is using magic shampoos to turn her clients into mindless zombie servants. Now they have to stop her before everybody gets BRAINWASHED!

#PitchMAS in July Entry 19

Title: The Gear'd Heart
Category/Genre: NA/Fantasy, Steampunk
Word Count: 95,000

Pitch: Keira Fennel confronts conspiracy, murder and forbidden magic in a desperate search for her father, but her skill with gears makes her the villain’s next target and puts everyone she loves in danger.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 18

Title: ECHOES BURNING
Category/Genre: YA/Weird Western, Historical Sci Fi
Word Count: 70,000


Pitch: It's 1869. A corrupt banker is bent on taking over the town. Lucy's newspaper is under attack, but she needs to figure out who killed her Pa. And the blacksmith...can shoot fire from his hands?

#PitchMAS in July Entry 17

Title: KINGSDAUGHTER
Category/Genre: Adult Fantasy
Word Count: 94,000

Pitch: The Kingsdaughter’s only chance to keep her country together: invite every warrior to a tournament. Champion gets the throne. Magic armor hides her face; they won’t know she’s in the fight until she’s won.


#PitchMAS in July Entry 16

Title: A QUESTION OF FAITH
Category/Genre: YA/Paranormal
Word Count: 80,000


Pitch: A devout fifteen-year-old learns she is magic. Now her boyfriend is missing. Guess she better master her power, even if it damns her to Hell.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 15

Title: THE ART OF BREAKING
Category/Genre: YA/Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 86,000

Pitch: After dying and coming back as an Imaginary friend, Luca must give up her dreams of being a normal teenager—and the chance at a once-in-an-afterlife romance—or risk breaking the Imaginary world beyond repair.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 14

Title: ISA
Category/Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Psych Thriller
Word Count: 70,000


Pitch: Human/wolf hybrid Isa's companions: Her part-shark best friend, a pissy half-hawk, and a human/deer boy she may accidentally eat due to her growing insanity. Their goal: Discover the birthplace of the hybrids – and destroy it.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 13

Title: SHADES AND SHADOWS
Category/Genre: YA/Contemporary Fantasy
Word Count: 75,000

Pitch: Ari thought good and bad were as obvious as the freckles on her face—until she meets Sam. He's a ghost with a request, and Ari can't say no to all that Southern charm.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 12

Title: Hobbs in the Horror of the Harlequin Hullaballoo
Category/genre: MG Mystery
Word count: 30,000

Pitch:Clowns-turned-burglars? Hobbs is the scruffy dog for the case. He bites the bad guys and slobbers over the good. If only he weren’t such a scaredy cat.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 11

Title: COPERNICUS NERDICUS
Category/Genre: MG Adventure
Word Count: 52,000

Pitch: When thirteen-year-old Copernicus joins a battle-bot themed video game tournament, he uncovers a plot to brainwash contestants. Copernicus and his robotic ally must destroy the source, before everyone transforms into an army of kid-controlled robots.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 10

Title: JUST DEBBIE
Category/Genre: YA Rom-Com
Word Count: 78K


Pitch: Quentin Roth is going to spend the first half of prom night trying to set up his best friend Debbie with her crush of four years... and the second half trying to get her back.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 9

Title: UNLIMITED WISHES
Category/Genre: MG Magical Realism
Word Count: 41,000

Pitch: Thirteen-year old Luke discovers his cell phone can grant wishes. But thanks to autocorrect, even the simplest wish can have the most catastrophic consequences. Wishes? I thought you said Witches!

 

#PitchMAS in July Entry 8

Title: VIRAL
Category/Genre: YA apocalyptic action/adventure
Word Count: 60,000

Pitch: The only thing deadlier than the virus that killed six billion people: being the daughter of the scientist who engineered it.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 7

Title: The REFORMED THIEF
Category/Genre: Contemporary Romance
Word count: 85,000

Pitch: Valentina Philips is a respected curator for the Met. She's also an art thief. When Luca, former lover/current jewel thief reappears as she's mounting a Faberge egg exhibit, she knows it can't be a coincidence.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 6

Title: ASHER LOCKE AND THE KNIGHTS OF ARCADIA
Category/Genre: MG Fantasy/Adventure
Word Count: 54,000

Pitch: Asher's dad is trapped in the magical world behind the school's boiler room and Asher's gonna rescue him. The only thing in his way? An army of Troglins, dragons, and 10,000 miles of death. Perfect.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 5

Title: RED AND BLACK
Category/Genre: YA/Science Fiction
Word Count: 87,000

Pitch: When her “diplomatic visit” with the Galaxy’s mind-controlling Empress goes wrong, 17-year-old Pon joins the Rebellion, determined to fix her mistake. Even if she has to kill to do it. Les Misérables meets Star Wars.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 4

Title: WITH FLOWERS IN HER HAIR
Category: New Adult
Word Count: 71,000

Pitch: Self-assured Bliss Beasley's one twenty-something who doesn't want romance or need to be rescued by Prince Charming. In fact, at tonight's wild Halloween party where reality blurs into fantasy, she's desperately trying to avoid both.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 3

Title: MUTINY ON THE NAPOLEON
Category/Genre: SF/Space Opera
Word Count: 80,000

Pitch: Captain Maggie MacIntyre’s mutinous crew abandons her. She takes refuge with smugglers who plan to collect the bounty on her head and be done with her. Mac has other plans.

#PitchMAS in July Entry 2

Title: FLUSHED
Category/Genre: MG Adventure
Word Count: 40,000

Pitch: Ten-year-old Lucas thinks his dad’s full of poop when he warns of bathroom abductions by pirates. Turns out he’s right, and Lucas gets flushed down the toilet to become a sewer-sailing swashbuckler. 

#PitchMAS in July Entry 1

Title: CATCH ME WHEN I FALL
Category/Genre:YA Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 69K

Pitch: When seventeen-year-old Dreamcatcher, Daniel, falls for the human he’s supposed to protect, he will risk his eternity to keep her from being used in a witch’s war that will bring on the apocalypse. 


Sunday, July 7, 2013

SUBMISSION WINDOW IS OPEN!

SUNDAY 7/7/13 - MONDAY 7/8/13
*SUBMISSION WINDOW*

For PitchMAS in JULY, we will be accepting your 35-word pitch submissions VIA EMAIL ONLY.

 The submission window will be open from Sunday 7/7/13 at 9:00amPST until Monday 7/8 at 6:00pmPST

We will delete any submissions received before or after that submission window. 
Submission emails MUST look like this:

Email subject line: 
PitchMAS Blog Pitch Submission

Body of email:
Name: Jessa Russo
Title: DIVIDE
Category/Genre: YA/Fantasy, Fairytale Redux
Word Count: 70,000
Pitch: Things not on Holland Briggs' senior year plan: burning her ex's house down, poisoning her ex-best friend, or turning into the Beast from fairytale lore. But that's exactly what happens.

Please email your 35-word or less BLOG PITCHES to this email address: pitchMAS@gmail.com 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

#PitchMAS Pitch Submission WINDOW DETAILS and EMAIL ADDRESS:

SUNDAY 7/7/13 - MONDAY 7/8/13
*SUBMISSION WINDOW*

For PitchMAS in JULY, we will be accepting your 35-word pitch submissions VIA EMAIL ONLY.

 The submission window will be open from Sunday 7/7/13 at 9:00amPST until Monday 7/8 at 6:00pmPST

We will delete any submissions received before or after that submission window. 
Submission emails MUST look like this:

Email subject line: 
PitchMAS Blog Pitch Submission

Body of email:
Name: Jessa Russo
Title: DIVIDE
Category/Genre: YA/Fantasy, Fairytale Redux
Word Count: 70,000
Pitch: Things not on Holland Briggs' senior year plan: burning her ex's house down, poisoning her ex-best friend, or turning into the Beast from fairytale lore. But that's exactly what happens.

Please email your 35-word or less BLOG PITCHES to this email address: pitchMAS@gmail.com 


  • PitchMAS submission window opens at 9:00am pacific time, Sunday, July 7th. Submissions received before that time will be deleted. 
  • PitchMAS submission window closes at 6:00pm pacific time, Monday, July 8th. Submissions received after that time will be deleted.
  • Your email MUST be formatted exactly like the example above. Submissions that are not formatted correctly will instantly be disqualified. You will NOT be notified if you are disqualified. 
  • PitchMAS is for completed manuscripts only. The only works we are closed to at this time are poetry, graphic novels and short stories/anthologies. 
  • You are welcome to pitch more than one manuscript, but each must be in its own submission email. 
  • We will read through all submissions and post the TOP 50 right here on the blog on Thursday, July 11th. PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT on the pitches we post UNLESS you are an agent or editor. 
  • TWITTER PITCHES: If you do not get through to the top 50, and even if you do, please join us for the Twitter Pitch Party on Friday, July 12th. This will go on all day long, and agents/editors will respond to the pitches they want to request. Twitter pitch parties are a LOT of fun, but please don't get carried away. TWO PITCHES PER HOUR is plenty, and doesn't bog down the feed. Please respect your fellow writers by respecting these rules. You are welcome to pitch more than one manuscript, but please only pitch EACH manuscript no more than TWICE per hour
Follow along with the hashtag: #PitchMAS

For the list of awesome participating agents and editors, please go HERE

PLEASE ask any and all questions in the comments below! One of us will respond as soon as we can. 

XO,
Jessa & Tamara 

Friday, July 5, 2013

#PitchMAS Pitch-Honing WORKSHOP

Because of the sheer volume of comments on the pitch-honing workshop, you'll have to click "'load more'' at the bottom of the page a few times to see all of the comments.

Comment below with your pitches (both 35 word blog pitches and 140 character Twitter pitches, or just one--whichever you feel you need help with). Your peers will comment and help you hone your pitches into something that will grab the attention of our esteemed editors and agents during the live pitch fest.

Please, please, please read each other's comments and share your thoughts and pointers. That's what today is all about! 

An example of a comment during the pitch-honing workshop could look something like this:

Jessa Russo
EVER, YA Paranormal Romance

35 word blog pitch:
Seventeen-year-old Ever Van Ruysdael knew her heart was on the line when she met Toby James. What she didn’t know was that her soul and the souls of those she loved were also in danger.

Twitter pitch:
17yo Ever knew her heart was on the line when she met Toby James. What she didn’t know was that her soul was in danger as well. #PitchMAS

Once your comment has posted, people can respond telling you what would work better for your pitch,  what they like, dislike, etc, and we can all help each other with honing our pitches and making them contest ready.