St. Martin’s Press “New Adult” Contest:Sponsored by #YAlitchat
St. Martin’s Press is actively looking for great, new, cutting edge fiction with protagonists who are slightly older than traditional YA and can appeal to a younger adult audience. Since twenty-somethings are devouring YA, St. Martin’s Press is seeking fiction with a YA sensibility that can be published and marketed as adult; kind of an older YA or “new adult.”
They are hoping to find what they’re looking for from the pool of #YAlitchat writers on twitter! I’m personally thrilled that they’ve recognized the talent among us and to be a part of this amazing endeavor.
The contest begins Monday, November 9 and ends Friday, November 20, 2009. Submissions will be taken online and read by JJ of the St. Martin’s Press editorial department and Georgia McBride, Founder and Host of #YAlitchat!
St. Martin’s Press “New Adult” Contest Submission Rules
1. One submission per author.
2. All works must be complete, edited, proofed and ready for submission upon request by St. Martin’s Press
3. Protagonist must be at least 18 years old though early 20′s. However, age of protag is not as important as overall story and appeal to adult market.
4. Submission must include author first name, valid email address, 2-3 sentence hook/pitch and first paragraph of story ONLY. Any additional content will be discarded.
5. Please only post submissions on submissions page. If you have a question, please let me know and I will do my best to get it answered for you on my blog or via email.
6. Please read interview with JJ, Editorial Assistant from St. Martin’s Press prior to submitting your work. In it are specific guidelines and details pertaining to what they are seeking to acquire.
How it Works
Submissions will be reviewed by the Editorial Department at St. Martin’s Press and Georgia McBride, Founder and Host of #Yalitchat. Based on the criteria defined by St. Martin’s Press; submissions are assessed and if we are interested in seeing more, authors will be contacted via the email provided in their submission post and a partial (first fifty pages) of your manuscript will be requested. If we request the first fifty pages, and it falls in the middle of a chapter, please round down or up as needed.
Your manuscript should be edited, proofed and ready for submission upon request. If the editorial team at St. Martin’s Press would like to see more of your manuscript after reading your partial, they will request the remainder of your manuscript. Please make sure that your manuscript is properly formatted, spell-checked and ready to go.
Winners
Winners in this “contest” are those who submit and are asked to have their manuscript reviewed for consideration by St. Martin’s Press. Ideally, we would all go on to be offered a book deal, but that is not realistic. The goal is to give as many #Yalitchat writers an opportunity to have their work considered by this great publisher as possible. In doing so, we all win.
St. Martin’s Press is giving away copies of P.C. and Kristin Cast’s latest HOUSE OF NIGHT book to the “first, second, and third-place” winners. That is, authors with novels/concepts that they feel are the most interesting/right for them. The book is TEMPTED, paranormal YA.
Disclaimer
St. Martin’s Press does not guarantee to publish the material requested and cannot be held liable for a book published through St. Martin’s Press with similar content to any submission from the “New Adult” Contest sponsored by #YAlitchat.
This seriously is one of the coolest things EVER! I so wish that 1. my manuscript was ready for submission and 2. my characters were 19 instead of 16
Will winners have information posted anywhere? (Hooks, paragraphs, etc?)
Posted by sara | November 9, 2009, 12:40 PMHi Sara-I will be updating with info on what was requested/when. I don’t have a timeframe for how often I will update on the progress/winners. This is ongoing. We’ll be reading long after the contest is officially over.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 9, 2009, 1:00 PMThis is a neat idea. However, every time I try to submit, I get a message saying that I need to put in a valid email. I AM putting in a valid email – must be a glitch. Will try again later.
Posted by Glenys O'Connell | November 9, 2009, 3:38 PMGo ahead and post your submission here, on this blog, just be sure to follow the submission rules. I will be forwarding to St. Martin’s Press. We’ve been having issues with the email thing all day. Seems to work for some and not others. May be related to those who blog on WP. Sorry about that.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 9, 2009, 4:25 PMThank you!
Posted by Glenys O'Connell | November 9, 2009, 6:36 PMI had the same problem with the email error message. Then I realized that I had typed my email after the “enter valid email address” message in the reply box rather than deleting that message. That might be the problem for some people.
Posted by Kerri | November 11, 2009, 2:15 PMI just figured it out… you don’t type your name after “Name (required)” or your email after “Email (required)”. You actually have to backspace and delete “Name (required)” and then enter your name, and then backspace and delete “Email (required)” and type your email.
Very poor web design. I’ve never seen anything like that before! But if you erase those and type in your own information, it works.
Posted by Harried | November 15, 2009, 10:46 PMAfter witnessing the murder of her best friend, Jamie, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, 17 year old Lindsay knows she has to escape before the killers come after her. Life at home is miserable with her stepfather’s violent moods, so how much worse can life on the streets be? She quickly discovers it can be far, far worse than she anything ever imagined, especially when her streetwise friends start to disappear without trace…and when she is betrayed by the only person she feels she can trust, she knows she must rely only on herself to rescue her friends.
Girl On The Run
CHAPTER ONE
“Andy Duncan is nobody’s friend!”
“Yes he is! He’s my friend!”
“No he’s not! He’s only your friend because you give him money!” I could have bitten off my tongue when I saw the hurt look in Jamie’s eyes.
“So I’m not good enough to have friends unless I buy them?” he asked quietly.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. You’re a wonderful person, Jamie – Andy isn’t. Andy is a druggie who’d sell his own grannie to get his next fix.”
“I was a druggie once, too, Linds. Maybe I can help Andy. He’s my friend.”
I wanted to scream. In fact, if I heard the words ‘He’s my friend’ one more time, I would scream. And maybe never stop. Instead, I said: “I’m your friend, Jamie”
Posted by Glenys O'Connell | November 9, 2009, 6:41 PMGlenys-Thanks. I have forwarded your entry. Good luck-Georgia
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 9, 2009, 7:04 PMDark Abyss
Pitch: Akali is a witch. She just doesn’t know it yet. That is until she and Isaac, her friendly kidnapper, begin a whirlwind journey to stay alive and free his family from an ancient curse.
1st Paragraph: With his lids closed, Isaac stood in the cramped kitchen of the apartment that barely had enough room for a sink, much less the out-of-date appliances. Inhaling, the bitter sweet aroma of burnt wood and flesh filled his senses. His eyes snapped opened. After years of searching, he’d finally found her.
Posted by Judy | November 11, 2009, 1:17 PMGot it, Judy. Thanks.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 13, 2009, 7:49 PMPitch:
When Tony’s grandfather dies, he leaves him with an ancestral power to heal sick people, but will Tony use his power in a benevolent manner to save the dying boy who caused the death of Tony’s girlfriend?
1st Paragraph:
Something tickled his left ear. First, it felt like a moist gust of wind and then it morphed into the deep voice of a powerful, sexy woman. “Tonantzin, I am with you now.”
Posted by Michael M. Pacheco | November 12, 2009, 7:26 PMGot it, Michael. Thanks.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 13, 2009, 7:50 PMWhen the affair between Augustus’ daughter and Marc Anthony’s son is discovered, a cycle of scandal and intrigue begins that rocks the city of Rome and forces the lovers to make desperate choices.
Julia, Daughter of Rome
Chapter One
Julia covered her eyes with the blanket, shutting out the morning, the day she dreaded, the one she had prayed would never come. She heard Scribonia in the kitchen ordering the slaves about. The aroma of bread filtered into the room, and Julia scoffed at the idea that a baked loaf would make any difference in a day that was bound to bring sorrow. This morning she wanted nothing to break her fast, wanted only to postpone the inevitable.
Posted by Joyce | November 13, 2009, 2:24 PMThanks, got it, Joyce.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 13, 2009, 7:49 PMI also am having issues uploading my submission. Here it is. Would you please fwd. it to St. Martin’s for me and let me know. Thank You.
Karen
karendlatham@yahoo.com
http://niyrak.wordpress.com
Cleo’s personal vendetta against an ancient vampire, Balthazar, is what led her to Tyler. She never intended to care for a human, especially a Hunter. Their bond was sealed the moment she spared his life.
I sat at the desk staring at the blank sheet of paper in front of me. I knew what I had to do. The thought of leaving The Hunter though, brought so many emotions to my mind that I almost couldn’t hold back the tears. My life had been so simple these last few years. I had one objective. To kill Balthazar. It was all that fueled me, all that consumed me. His betrayal had sent me into such a dark place I never thought I would see light again.
Posted by niyrak | November 13, 2009, 2:32 PMThanks. Got it, Karen.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 13, 2009, 7:48 PMCornelius Latimer has been shuttled from family member to family member, his one consolation being his amazing talent for technology and invention. When his eccentric Uncle dies and leaves him a fortune, he indulges in a steam-driven fantasy world of his own creation. Too late, he learns that even cold steel has an ugly side. In a race against time and powerful men, he must right his wrongs before he loses all he holds dear.
Paragraph:
My name is Cornelius Latimer, and I am in love. The object of my affection isn’t tall and blonde with all the right curves. It isn’t even human. My love belches steam and breathes fire. My world runs on heated water and hard metal, and I am a master of both. My Uncle, Rufus Harrison, has funded my expeditions. He’s gifted me with a lab containing all the parts and space I could possibly need. For weeks I have been toiling over my journals, crafting my biggest and best creation yet. It’s heady, this feeling of power. But I made a fatal error. I told a friend about my machine. And now someone who should not know, does. I should tear everything apart, but I can’t.
Love does strange things to people.
Posted by Vanessa Barger | November 15, 2009, 10:35 PMReceived it. Good luck!
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 15, 2009, 10:49 PMI just found out about the contest on Thursday. I think my book is perfect for the twenty-something audience, but it needs some editing and although I intend to do everything humanly possible, I doubt it will be ship-shape and proofed by Friday. Do you know if they will accept any pitches/paragraphs after the contest deadline?
Posted by Harried | November 15, 2009, 10:41 PMHi. You will have until Friday to submit to the contest for this particular search. That is not to say that we will not work with St. Martin’s Press on another opportunity like this one in the future. If your manuscript is not ready NOW, I recommend waiting. You would only be hurting yourself by sending in a manuscript (if it was requested) that was not polished and ready to go. Good luck- Georgia
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 15, 2009, 10:47 PMOr, if I have my pitch/paragraph and first fifty pages all set, will I be likely to have a couple of weeks to finish polishing the manuscript, in the event it is actually requested?
Posted by Harried | November 15, 2009, 10:48 PMSorry… our posts just crossed there. I don’t want to send it if it’s not ready, but I don’t want to miss this opportunity if it will take several weeks for the readers to get through all the partials.
Posted by Harried | November 15, 2009, 10:50 PMWe are requesting partials next week at the conclusion of the contest. We have asked that no submissions be made on manuscripts which are not ready to be considered. If your manuscript is not completed and fully revised and edited/proofed, then we ask that you please hold off on submitting. We will have another opportunity to work with St. Martin’s Press in the future.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 18, 2009, 8:56 PMThank you for replying. I am definitely waiting to submit another time.
Posted by Akela | November 21, 2009, 9:50 PMI loved reading all the new submissions. This just keeps getting more and more exciting. What a wonderful opportunity for unagented authors.
Posted by Ebyss | November 18, 2009, 11:47 AMPitch for The Safe House:
When an attack on her campsite by vampire-like creatures leaves her parents in the Hollow’s possession, eighteen-year-old Kimberly Hunter is forced to rely on twenty-year-old Akara guard, Brian “Silver” Hayes, who hunts down the creatures and other evils like it. Kimberly is determined to rescue her parents, if it costs her life while Silver is just as determined to keep her safe even if it means she’ll lose her loved ones forever.
First Paragraph:
Blood. There was so much blood. Where was she? He couldn’t see her face, didn’t know her name but the connection was there. One he hadn’t felt with another. He only knew that he had to reach her before it was too late. Where was she?
Posted by Traci Kenworth | November 18, 2009, 8:21 PMThanks. Received. Good luck!
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 18, 2009, 8:54 PMPitch:
In Against All Odds, eighteen-year-old Mary Kilpatrick looks forward to her first year at Boston College, but her studies are interrupted by a handsome FBI agent and al-Qaida terrorists. Soon she’s caught in a deadly game of intrigue where the stakes are high and growing with every deadly moment.
First Paragraph:
Mary said her goodbyes in the kitchen to her family, all except her father who’d be driving her to the bus station. They’d had so little time alone, so little time to talk over the summer. Days seemed to have flown by since her high school graduation, coupled with all the hard work of the farm that kept them busy from dawn to dusk. She took a few minutes to walk through the downstairs, running her hand over the familiar furniture. Nothing would be the same after today.
Posted by Marsha Lytle | November 19, 2009, 9:26 PMReceived. Thanks. Good luck!
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 19, 2009, 9:33 PMTitle: The Haunted Child
Pitch:
A curious glass eye proves to be a talisman drawing Tobin, Jenna and Brooke together to solve a supernatural mystery: a local celebrity’s child has vanished… and no one remembers she ever existed. The mismatched threesome will use religion, magic and computer programming to find the vanished girl… before it’s too late.
First Paragraph(ish):
Tobin lived with his mother in a narrow apartment above an artificial limb store. The apartment was dark even when the day was bright, and never seemed clean, even when Tobin’s mother, Evelyn, dusted and swept, which wasn’t often because she kept two jobs. The artificial limb store was dark and vaguely sinister, which only increased Tobin’s interest in its gloomy secrets. An antique leg carved out of wood and fitted with straps of leather was prominently displayed in the front window, along with a large clear jar filled with glass eyes. The door was almost always locked and the lights never seemed to be on, though occasionally Tobin and his mother would see the shopkeeper locking up on his way out. He always nodded, but kept his eyes on the sidewalk as he shuffled away… When Tobin had still been quite young his mother sent him to the corner market for some milk while she finished cooking his dinner. When he returned to the building he found the lights of the artificial limb store were on and the sign in the door read “open”. He hesitated, and then approached the door to peer through the glass. The shopkeeper was standing just inside and he opened the door and invited Tobin to come in. As Tobin stepped into the shop the man turned to “open” sign around to read “closed” and locked the door behind him.
Posted by Gabriel paul | November 20, 2009, 10:33 AMReceived. Thanks. Good luck.
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | November 20, 2009, 3:00 PMAny chance that there is another contest for us “first writers” to enter?
Posted by Joy McMillan | May 9, 2010, 9:35 PMAre you still reading? And it 35 too old for a character?
Posted by Maude Larke | July 14, 2010, 1:43 PMContest is long closed. 35 may be too old for a YA protagonist if that’s what you mean. But it all depends on your story and how you tell it. Good luck!
Posted by georgiamcbridebooks | July 14, 2010, 7:33 PM