#PitchWars -- By the Numbers

Every year after the #PitchWars picks are announced, a lot of people wonder how many subs there were, what was the dominating category and genre, why one MS / author got picked over another... While we're not tech savvy enough to make a bunch of cool graphs and charts, or mathematically inclined enough to give you impressive stats and figures and percentages, we can break down our inbox for you.

First, let's take a look at the numbers....

Total number of submissions received: 38*

*This is a low number compared to what other mentors received. But we are not complaining! We will take quality over quantity any day. Not to mention, our wish list was very specific, so naturally our submissions would be lower.

~ Submissions by Category ~

Total number of Adult: 27
Total number of New Adult : 11

~ Submissions by Genre ~

Contemporary Romance: 16
Erotic Romance: 1
Women's Fiction: 10
Mystery: 2
Thriller: 2
Romantic Suspense: 3
Fantasy: 1
Sci-Fi: 2
Memoir: 1

~ Requests ~

We made a total of 11 official requests, and 1 unofficial request. The unofficial request was done behind-the-scenes. One of the benefits of the submission form is that we can see which other mentors an author subbed to, so we could reach out to those other mentors, discuss the sub and share requested pages. Yes, we know. Sneaky! But that's just part of the fun of #PitchWars.

Fulls: 6
Synopses: 5 

~ Common Reasons We Passed ~

There was a TON of talent in our inbox this year, and we could've made the argument to work with any single one of them. But, alas, we can't. Some really tough decisions needed to be made, and here are our top reasons for ultimately passing on a submission.

1. Info Dumping / Backstory / Too Much Narrative -- An opening chapter that has too much narrative packed full of back story and info dumps didn't grab our attention. Yes, this is something that can be easily fixed by cutting all or most of it and /or starting the story in a new place. However, with a limited amount of time to read, we needed to be sucked in from page one. If we weren't, we passed. In some instances, we were intrigued enough by the premise / query that we requested the synopsis to see where the story was going.

2. Nothing Happens -- This goes hand-in-hand with number one above. We wanted to have something exciting happening in that first chapter, something that piques our interest. It didn't necessarily have to be some big plot revelation, but there needed to be something to keep us reading. A majority of the submissions we passed on for this reason is simply a matter of not starting the story in the right place. The good news is that this is an easy fix.

3. Unlikable Characters -- If we didn't connect with the characters, found their actions / reactions unbelievable, or didn't get enough information about them to care, we passed. Especially with romance and WF, the characters are so super important that we need to love them.

4. Wrong Genre -- We were very specific with our wish list. We clearly stated what we did and did not want. Any submissions we received that didn't match our list were often marked DNR (Did Not Read). This is why research is so very important. Whether you're submitting to a contest mentor, agent, or editor, you absolutely have to pay attention to what they want and don't want. Don't waste your time or theirs by sending them something they probably won't read. It leads to hurt feelings all around. (Trust me, it wasn't easy for us to DNR a submission.)

5. POV & Tense -- This seemed to be a big one this year. With the genres we requested, there are some rather clear "rules" about what is and isn't acceptable in regards to POV. We saw a whole range of weird things: an omniscient romance; a contemporary with multiple POVS (more than 3) that shifted from first to third, etc. POV is easy to teach, but hard to implement, especially if several POVs need to be cut and/or rewritten. With only a two month mentoring period, we had to weight the amount of revisions against what we could reasonably do.

6. No Unique Hook -- Like it or not, publishing is a crowded place. In order to get noticed, you need to have that something special, a unique hook that separates your book from all the others vying for attention. What makes your book different? Why should we read your book instead of someone else's?

7. Subjectivity -- Yes, the dreaded, "We just didn't connect with it." We all hate hearing that, but sadly, it's a reality. There were some fantastic submissions that didn't have any real issues, but we weren't drawn into it. This is purely simple preference and personal tastes.

8. Poor / Inaccurate Representation -- We were very vocal about our desire for diversity and #ownvoices; and you guys delivered! (Thank you for that!!) This can be a very delicate subject, and we really took our time and treated it as such. If a marginalized voice was represented in a manner we felt was offensive or inaccurate, we passed. If we were presented with something that wasn't #ownvoices and we knew very little about the topic, we passed. We're big advocates of ensuring that not only are these stories told, but that they're told accurately.

#PitchWars Mentor Bio and Wishlist

Welcome to PitchWars 2016!!!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be a mentor again. There are so many fun, NEW things happening this year, too, so pull up a chair, sit down, and prepare to be thrilled :)

Let's start with the most important announcement of all, shall we?

I HAVE A CO-MENTOR!! 

That's right. I have teamed up with the super lovely, highly talented, and uber-fun Meredith Ireland! We are seriously so damn happy we can't stand it. We're all like....


via GIPHY

This means y'all get a two-for-one! A tag team of awesomeness! A duo of delightful fun! 

So, who the hell are we and what do we know? We're glad you asked. Allow us to introduce ourselves and tell you why we're qualified to be your mentors...

KARA LEIGH MILLER:

Hello! I'm Kara. I'm a multi-published romance author represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. I currently live in Michigan, but was born and raised in a very small Central New York town. As Kara, I've written and published a variety of things ranging from erotic romance to young adult to Christian romantic suspense -- most of which have since gone out of publication.  My alter-ego, Lexi Lawton, recently signed a three-book deal with Entangled Embrace for a series of contemporary NA romances. 

• I've worked as a professional acquisitions editor for a little over three years now. Until just recently, I was the Editorial Director for Anaiah Press, LLC. I had to temporarily step down due to some massive writing deadlines, but I'm still on-staff as a Senior Editor where I work with a small list of authors. Additionally, I'm a freelance editor and part-time ghostwriter. 

• I have two college degrees: one in Criminal Justice and another in Paralegal Studies.
• I did a very short stint as an Agent Apprentice with Corvisiero Literary Agency last year. Sadly, family issues prevented me from continuing on with them, but that doesn't mean I won't return to the agenting side of things in the future. Never say never!
• I'm a huge Pit bull lover and advocate! Really, who wouldn't love these sad, pathetic, squishy faces??

• I'm NOT a coffee drinker, but I can't go a day without a Pepsi. I also have a killer sweet tooth, and I have a constant supply of Hershey's and tootsie rolls on hand. 

MEREDITH IRELAND:

Hi there! I’m Meredith, the second half of this power duo. I recently signed with Lauren Abramo of Dystel & Goderich for my Women’s Fiction/Contemporary Romance novel SCATTERED thanks to #DVPit. You can read about my agent journey HERE. I also have an erotic romance short story called Ink & Ocean coming out in 2017 in the kINKED anthology. 

• As a 2016 Writing in the Margins mentee, I have a good feel for what you’re currently and about to go through.
• I have a law degree I use some of the time.
• I went to law school at U Miami (Go CANES!), and college at Rollins in Orlando, but I grew up in NYC.
• I’m adopted. I was born in Seoul, Korea, but raised in an Italian American family.
• Unlike Kara, I’m allergic to cats, but I have a goldfish named Emo that has lived for a freakishly long time.

• Like any good writer, I love coffee and bourbon (just kidding… sort of)
• I love to travel but I have two tiny people who rather like me here

And now, here are a few of our favorite things....

BOOKS / AUTHORS
Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert)	Renegade (Lora Leigh)
Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo)	Wait for You (J. Lynn / Jennifer Armentrout)
The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)	Taming Darkness (Kat Daemon)
Bared to You (Sylvia Day)	The Saint (Tiffany Reisz)
MOVIES
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	Napolean Dynamite
The Grand Budapest Hotel	The Minion Movie
The Godfather	Anything w/ Mark Wahlberg
Gone with the Wind (a problematic favorite)	Spy (w/ Melissa McCarthy)
TV SHOWS
Mad Men (I know, it’s not on anymore, but it still counts)	The Big Bang Theory
Modern Family	The Last Ship
FOOD
Korean BBQ	Chicken Alfredo w/ broccoli
Soft pretzels with lots of salt	Chopped salads from Subway!
Peruvian chicken w/ every available side	A thick, tender, medium-cooked steak
HOBBIES
Before children: rock climbing, cross-stitching, traveling, lifting After children: missing my hobbies!	Scrapbooking, reading, going to the gym

Now that you know a bit more about us, we'll (finally) tell you what you really want to know...

What categories are we mentoring? 

ADULT and NEW ADULT

What are we looking for? 

ROMANCE!!

via GIPHY


More specifically, we want...

• Contemporaries with romance at the center of the plot
• Romantic suspense a la Lora Leigh, Julie Ann Walker, etc.
• New Adult stories that have the potential to be aged-up to the adult market. (College-set contemporary NA stories are a very, very hard sell right now, so while we are open to NA, if your book has the potential to be aged-up, your chances with us just got a lot better!) 
• Contemporary-ish romances set in the 70s, 80s, or 90s.
• Erotic romance. (If 50 Shades of Grey is one of your comp titles, please move along. We are not the mentors for you.) We would love to see something new and fresh. A female domme, perhaps. And please be sure there's an actual romance in your story and not just pages and pages of sex.
• We love us some alpha males! Tough as nails on the outside with a sensitive heart. 
• Characters over the age of 25-30 a la Something's Gotta Give.
• Love triangles! Give us some heartbreaking angst with an impossible choice.
• Taboo stories -- We love the dichotomy of, "We want each other, but we can't /shouldn't." Absolutely NO incest (step-sibling romances are okay) bestiality, pedophilia, or rape. 
• Women's fiction with STRONG romantic elements.
• Thriller & mysteries with STRONG romantic elements.
• Very, very light sci-fic a la Station Eleven with STRONG romantic elements
• Friends to lovers.
• Exotic locales. Make us fall in love with places we've never been before!
• DIVERSITY! We openly welcome and are excited for your diverse stories, so give us your LGBT, persons of color, and all your diverse characters. Remember... 

via GIPHY

...And as long as you make us fall in love with your characters, we'll be happy!

• At the end of the day, we want a strong, compelling voice that makes us want to follow along with a hero/heroine who has tension we fall in love with. 

Things that are firmly on our NO list...

• Horror
• Paranormal -- this means everything from vampires to ghosts to shifters to witches, fairies, dragons, etc. We're not looking for anything supernatural. 
• Hard core sci-fi / fantasy or anything with a strong magic system. (There are better mentors out there for this type of stuff.)
• Weak, whiney heroines
• Virgins -- No. Just no. We want heroes and heroines who know what they're doing in the bedroom!
• Rape. We absolutely do NOT want a story that deals with rape, has rape as a major or minor plot point, or has a character that dealt with a rape in their backstory that is then used as a character flaw. 
• Historical anything. 
• Cozy mysteries
• Literary fiction
• Dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic
• Small towns in romance. We'll gladly take a look at WF, thrillers, etc. that take place in a small town. No "city girl moves to small town and falls in love with small town boy." No "character whose life falls apart and so returns home to small town and falls in love with past boyfriend/high school sweetheart." 
• WF that centers around a Bed & Breakfast remodeling. 

N is for NO!
It's also the scavenger hunt letter you need ;)

Don't forget -- PitchWars Needs Your Help!!

via GIPHY

Please, please don't forget to support PitchWars! Doing so not only ensures the continuation of a fantastic writing contest, it will also earn you a few extra entries. READ ABOUT IT HERE!

So, what's next? Check out the other mentors' bios and wishlists, and then hop on over to Brenda Drake's Blog for a complete list of participating agents and details on how to enter. 

GOOD LUCK! 

WE CAN'T WAIT TO READ YOUR SUBMISSION!

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Closed to Submissions

I am floored by how fast Anaiah Press is growing. I never dreamed I'd be making an announcement like this so soon after we "opened the doors" but here I am saying it:

I am temporarily closed to direct submissions. 

Until further notice, I will no longer be accepting direct queries for any imprints. If you are still waiting on a response from me, you will get one soon, I promise. And if I extended an invitation for you to revise and resubmit, please do so as I will still take a look at those.

But don't worry! If you have a YA or NA manuscript you think is a good fit for Anaiah Press, you can send it to the Senior Editor of our Surge Imprint, Laura Maisano at: Laura.Maisano (at) AnaiahPress (dot) com

Got a romance? Send it over to the Senior Editor of our Romance Imprint, Claudia Carozza at: Claudia.Carozza (at) AnaiahPress (dot) com

And of course our general submissions inbox is always open! Submissions (at) AnaiahPress (dot) com

Be sure to check our submission guidelines before sending that query :)

How to Write a Bad Query: Part Two

Welcome to the second installment of How to Write a Bad Query. At this point in time, I have a total of three posts in this series. (Part three will go live in early February.) However, I plan to keep this as an ongoing series, adding new parts when I have more wisdom to share.

If you missed part one, you can take a moment and go read it HERE before we get started.


The Arrogant Query

Authors have to have two things (1) confidence and unfaltering belief in the book they've written, and (2) the ability to take rejection. However, it's important to have these two things in moderation. When you have item #1 in excess, it leads to queries like this:

Dear Editor,
     Have I got a book for you. GLUCOSE INTOLERANT VAMPIRES & THE HUMAN WOMEN THEY LOVE is going to be bigger than Twilight, The Hunger Games, and The Vampire Diaries combined. I'm so excited for this book and cannot wait for you to share in my joy.
     And it's your lucky day, too! I've queried forty-seven agents and publishers alike. Once the bidding war is over, I will choose the best possible person to represent my book. Please note that I have already picked the cast for the movie adaptation.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Okay, so this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have seen queries where an author will talk about selling all their subsidiary rights when they haven't even sold the actual book yet. We get that you're excited about your book and all the possibilities, but the ratio of books in publication compared to books in publication that are turned into movies is skewed very heavily against you. I'm not saying it won't happen, but be realistic when you query. Sell the book first. Everything else will come later.



The No Query at all Query

I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. There have been queries just like this one:

Dear Editor,
     My book is attached for your review. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Anyone want to take a guess as to what's wrong with this one? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Right. So, moving on...



The Telling Query

Authors are constantly being told to show don't tell. Well, the same advice applies to your query.

Dear Editor,
     Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where there was no milk? That is the life that sixteen year old Bertha must endure. BERTHA WANTS MILK is the story of a young girl who is tasked with the daunting chore of locating a cow and repopulating her town with milk. She will face heartache, setbacks, and hopelessness as she is faced with one obstacle after another. Complete at 82,000 words, this is a young adult fantasy about learning how to grow up and persevere.
     Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

*Yawn* Oh, sorry, did I doze off? The only thing you should be telling us in your query is the title, word count, genre, and all that other identifying information we discussed during part one. As an editor, this type of query makes me think only one thing: the book will be as boring and dry as this query. Honestly, ask yourself, would you want to read 82,000 words that were written exactly like this letter? Probably not.

How to Write a Bad Query: Part One

As an editor, I read a lot of queries. Some of them are knock your socks off fantastic and others leave me wondering, what were they thinking? So, I've decided to share my knowledge with you in a new blog post series entitled: How to write a bad query.

Yes, you read that correctly ;-)

Despite the hundreds and thousands of websites that "teach" you how to write a stellar query, there's no magic formula for writing a query letter, and the argument can be made that there really is no wrong way to write one....but let's face it, there is. You can go anywhere and learn how to do it right. Well, no worries! I'm going to teach you how to do it the wrong way. Why?  Because I hope that you won't make any of these mistakes.

(**Please note that although the situations are real, the examples are completely fictional and are a figment of my own imagination**)


The Fantastic Pitch & Nothing Else Query

Anyone who has ever researched or actually written a query letter knows that the book pitch is hands-down the most important part of the entire letter. If you can't pique an agent or editors interest then you have no hopes of getting them to read your book. However, giving said agent or editor some identifying information is equally important. Why? Because we like to know what genre the book is, how long it is, who you are, what credentials you have, how to contact you, etc.

Dear Editor,

     Tallulah would do anything to land her dream internship -- including playing babysitter to the boss's obnoxious tween son, Furbrow. But when Furbrow sneaks out of the house to go visit a girl who convinces him to sneak into a movie, Tallulah must figure out a way to get Furbrow home and tucked safely into bed before his parents return. That's a lot easier said than done though -- especially when Tallulah is faced with an impossible decision: tell the truth about Furbrow and possibly lose her internship or keep it a secret even though she knows that's not the right thing to do. Is she willing to risk her personal morals for a shot at a life-changing opportunity?
      Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

As you can see, there is no information in this type of query. We have no idea what genre this book falls into -- YA? NA? MG? -- it's anyone's guess. Is it 50,000 words or 150,000 words? Has Amy Author ever been published before? If so, where? What type of book?

Please, please, I beg you, take the extra paragraph and give us some information! It really will help you in the end, I promise.


The TMI Query

On the flip side, I have read queries that told me the author's entire life story and absolutely nothing about the book. Granted, I like to get to know the authors I will be working with. It's good business to build rapport and develop a relationship. Your query letter is not the place to do that!

Dear Editor,
     When I lost my husband to cancer last year, I knew I had to find something to help me cope. I turned to the written word and have healed through my writing. If it weren't for the journey I took with the characters in this book, I would've been reunited with my husband in Heaven much sooner than I should've been.
     Upon deciding to write this book, I quit my job as a teacher and focused on this new, exciting career path. Prior to teaching, I was a marketing executive and before that a sales clerk at a major department store. As you can see, I bring a variety of life experience to the table and will use my knowledge to help sell my book.
     My children are grown and out of the house. Having not blessed me with grandchildren, I am fully devoted to working on this book and the sixteen other books I have planned and outlined. I at your complete disposal.
     Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Wow. Okay, well, I'm sorry for your loss and for your lack of grandchildren, but could you maybe tell me something about your book? The title, maybe? Please, give me something, anything!


The "I Can't Follow Rules" Query

Every single agent and publisher will outline their submission guidelines on their website or blog. Most of them are easy to find and even easier to follow. Before you send a query letter to anyone, be sure to find these guidelines and follow them!

Dear Editor,
     Brazen Blueblood is the last of her kind, and she's fighting to stay alive. The world wants her dead because she saw something she wasn't supposed to see. With the help of a kind, homeless stranger, a stray dog, and her trusty blue metal sword, Brazen will face her demons and hopefully she'll come out alive.
     BRAZEN BLEEDS is a young adult fantasy complete at 90,000 words.
     I currently haven't had anything published, but I'm a contributor to a successful young adult blog. I'm active on social media and have built a strong following on Twitter.
     Your guidelines ask for the first three chapters pasted into the email. I've taken the liberty of attaching my full manuscript because there is no way you can get a feel for my characters in three short chapters.
     Thank you for you consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Uh....can you say reject? Seriously folks, those guidelines are there for a reason. If you don't follow them, you're asking begging for a rejection. This type of query tells me two very important things: (1) you can't follow simple rules, and (2) you're going to do whatever you want and will probably be very difficult to work with. No thank you. Next!

Open for Submissions

As many of you know, I've taken a new position as Managing Editor of the Surge Imprint at Anaiah Press. I'm very excited about this new endeavor, and I'm even more excited to start building my client list. So, I thought I'd take a moment and detail exactly what I'm looking for in both an author and a book.




In an author, I'm looking for someone who is:

• fun, easy -going, has a good sense of humor, and is excited about the editing process
• willing to learn and work hard to make their book(s) the absolute best it can be
• able to meet deadlines and willing to openly communicate should issues arise 

In a book, I'm looking for something that:

• keeps me turning the pages into the wee morning hours
• keeps me thinking about it long after "the end"
• puts me through a range of emotions. I'm a real sucker for a book and characters that can make me cry

My specific wish list:

• YA or NA with strong romantic elements. I prefer books where the romance is the primary focus.
• Contemporaries are my absolute favorite, but I do occasionally like a good dystopian or fantasy.
• I would love to see a YA romantic suspense.
• A cross between Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High.
• Strong heroes and heroines.
• I prefer 3rd person POV that tells the story from both the male & female perspectives, but will consider 1st person POV stories.

Things I will *NOT* accept or consider:

• Excessive cursing
• Premarital sex or heavy making out
• Underage drinking and/or drug use
• Anything that promotes an anti-Christian message (This means no voodoo, witchcraft, or made-up religions)
• Unnecessary violence

For full Anaiah Press Submission Guidelines, go HERE!

If you have something that you think is a good fit for me, then I invite you to query me directly at:
karaleigh.miller (at) anaiahpress (dot) com

I look forward to reading your submissions!