#PitchWars: Why You Want Me As Your Mentor

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in Blog, Contests & Hops | 17 comments

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A woman holding and playing snowball outdoorIt’s that time of year again–#Pitchwars! This is a massive contest put on by author Brenda Drake in which aspiring writers work with a mentor to ready their manuscripts for a BIG AGENT ROUND. Mentors and mentees work together for one month on their entries. Agents peruse the entries and if they like what they see, they request pages. The mentor-mentee team with the most requests wins the whole contest and fabulous prizes like gift cards, etc! It’s a MASSIVE contest that had over one thousand entries last year.

Let’s look at more about the contest:

Rules & Regs

1. Writers submit their applications to up to FOUR mentors. Be sure to research the mentor list to choose those who want to represent what you write. (List is below)

2. Mentors read their submissions and choose one lucky writer and two alternates.

3. Manuscripts MUST BE COMPLETE. No fudging this. Mentors work with you on your entire manuscript.

4. Writers may submit more than one manuscript–as long as they are finished.

5. Submission guidelines are at Brenda’s site HERE.

 

The Schedule

  • 11/20 Mentor’s post bios and wishlists
  • 12/2: Submission Window
  • 12/3 -12/10: Mentors read their applications
  • 12/11: Mentor’s announce their picks
  • 12/11 -1/17: Mentors work with their writers
  • 1/22-1/23 Agent Round

 

So why should writers apply to me to be their mentor? 

Brag Time

1. My mentee and I won the ENTIRE CONTEST last year with a grand total of 8 agent requests. Also, my mentee signed with her agent Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary as a result! I wanna go double or nothing!

2. I’m a freelance editor and work with LOADS of manuscripts, pitches, and queries in many, many genres.

3. I have an agent from a high brow literary agency and I’m pubbed (soon-to-be) by a traditional publisher–Plume, an imprint of Penguin.

4. I’m a contributor to award-winning sites WriterUnboxed.com and RomanceUniversity.org, as well as TheDebutanteBall.com.

 

What I’m Looking For

ADULT NOVELS:

1. Historical Fiction

2. Women’s Fiction

3. Literary (especially with suspense, thriller, & mystery elements)

4. Romance (adventure stories & plot-driven romance, think Outlander by Diana Gabaldon)

5. Time Travel or multi-era books

 

***Like an agent, I’ll be looking for the story that appeals most to me and has writing that is as tight as possible. Remember that this is a contest for mentors as well. I want to win!!!

 

What I’m NOT Looking For

1. YA, NA, or MG—Sorry. I did YA last year and I’d like to mix it up.

2. Sci-Fi

3. Epic Fantasy

4.  Christian or Inspirational Fiction

 

The List of Agents

 

1.       LouiseFury – Bent Agency

2.       SuzieTownsend – New Leaf Literary

3.       NicoleResciniti – The Seymour Agency

4.       JohnM. Cusick – The Greenhouse Agency

5.       SarahLaPolla – Bradford Literary Agency

6.       VictoriaMarini – Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency

7.       JessicaSinsheimer – Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency

8.       Pamvan Hylckama Vlieg – Foreword Literary

9.       QuinlanLee – Adams Literary

10.    JenUdden – Donald Maass Literary Agency

11.    EmilyKeyes – Foreward Literary

12.    Brianne Johnson – Writers House

13.    CarlyWatters – P.S. Literary

14.    LanaPopovic and Natasha Alexis – Zachary Shuster Harmsworth

15.    MollyJaffa – Folio Literary Management

16.    EvanGregorgy – Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency

17.   Stefanie Lieberan – Janklow & Nesbit Associates 

18.   Rena Rossner – The Deborah Harris Agency

SECRET WORD: NO

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17 Comments

Join the conversation and post a comment.

  1. Camille
    November 20, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    You and I are taking it this year…mark my words. I’ve got a multi era, paranormal, historical romance that was highly influenced by Gabaldon. I’ll give you your two-for-two 😉 Sheesh, I’m not usually this cocky…but something’s just clicked. It’s kismet!

    Reply
  2. Piper
    November 20, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    Congrats on winning the whole thing last year, Heather! It sounds like your help really benefitted your mentee. I’ve got to say, whenever I see writers extending themselves to help others, I’m really impressed. Not enough writers provide that kind of help, so kudos to you. My stuff is a bit too eclectic to submit for such an opportunity, but good luck to you for this year!

    Reply
  3. Susan Kramer
    November 20, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    Maybe for next year Heather, I’m nearing Chapter 5 of my manuscript with the help of NaNo. This is because I started over this year with a stronger story-line. Also discovering it leans toward the paranormal.

    I wish you the best, I know you will succeed and kicking myself I haven’t finished my first draft to take part in this.

    Reply
  4. Lynnette Labelle
    November 21, 2013 at 12:22 am

    Heather,

    Would a romantic suspense (serial killer type) work for your romance category? It would be plot-driven and filled with adventure. 😉 Thanks.

    Lynnette Labelle
    http://www.lynnettelabelle.com

    Reply
  5. Joan Mora
    November 22, 2013 at 5:10 pm

    So thrilled you are mentoring – hope I get the chance to earn your second win. Like Camille, my manuscript also has 3 elements you’re looking for: historical, literary with mystery elements and multi-era.

    You, Brenda Drake, the other mentors and the agents are incredibly generous to share their time. I hope I find myself in the position to offer the same to someone one day. Soon. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jerry Quinn
    November 24, 2013 at 2:06 am

    How do you feel about cross-genre? Like, mythic history with a literary bent? I have a deconstruction of fairy-tale archetypes if they lived within the confines of real history. I’m not sure if I’d call it mythic retelling or historical, because I’ve got classic archetypes fleshed out *as if* they had lived during the 12th century, but it’s not specific people who actually lived then. I also wanted to check if that comes too close to your “no thanks” category of “epic fantasy.” FWIW, this is empathetically NOT sword-and-sorcery. There is no magic, no quest, etc.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Heather Webb
      November 24, 2013 at 12:58 pm

      This sounds fascinating, Jerry. I love sword and sorcery, I’ve just had too much of it lately. But I love the way you’re thinking here. Bring it on!

      Reply
  7. FishOutOfWater
    November 24, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    How do you feel about detective fiction that is pretty psychological thriller-like with mental illness elements?

    Reply
  8. Diane
    December 1, 2013 at 1:20 am

    Firstly, thank you for participating in this contest. It’s a very generous commitment that you and the other mentors and organizers have made and it is much appreciated. Would you be open to a comic mystery with a strong female protagonist?

    Reply

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