Unmask The Agent Comp is Now Closed

Sorry! Too Late – see you next year 🙂

How do you place I hear you asking? Below is the list of agents participating in this year’s Nestpitch and next to them is a list of the Masks they will be wearing. Your job is to match the agent to the mask – that’s it!

All you need to do is go through the Agent post here: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2015/03/27/abracadabra-shim-shalala-sham-agent-reveal-now/ and the Bunny Mask post here:https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/agent-mask-time-would-you-like-a-20-amazon-voucher/ (it also helps if you quickly go to the agent’s bio and/or blog for more clues) and match the agent.

The first person to correctly match all twelve agents to their masks wins! That’s it! (email timeline will be used to confirm who sent the correct entry in first)

And if there are no correct winners then those participating will go into a lucky draw and a winner will be selected at random.

When:

The window will only be open for TWO HOURS – that’s it, so timing is everything.

The Window will open on Wednesday May 13^th at 10.30pm Australian EST. That’s 7.30am New York US time and 12.30pm UK time. I chose these times to ensure everyone, no matter where you live, can play along.

You don’t need to have participated in #Nestpitch2015 or to even follow this blog, all you need to do is get to know our agents – and I have no doubt you ‘all know these agents anyway.

Please make sure you send your selection ONLY during the open window because there are no second chances, I will not be sending any ‘too soon’ or ‘too late’ emails – it’s up to you to play along during the window only.

ONE GUESS PER PERSON! (please don’t try to hedge by using more than one email address, you may get away with it but damn if you will not carry some nasty Karma with you)

How to submit:

Send you email, with the correct subject line (see below), to nestpitch@outlook.com. Within the body of the email match all 12 agents to the masks you believe belong to them, for example:

1. Agents Name = Mask
2. Agents Name = Mask (and so on)

Please send your picks to nestpitch@outlook.com

In the subject line you MUST put UNMASK THE AGENT MY PICKS

If you fail to send your selection during the window or fail to put the above in the subject line, your email will be voided.

**Please note, there will be NO auto reply.

Please pass this on, re-blog if you’d like and tweet / re-tweet to pass the word along.

And now for the agents & masks (note they have all been alpha sorted & the below in no way suggests the correct match)

Camilla Wray		Bend it like Beckham Bunny
Cate Hart		Disco Bunny
Christa Heschke		Energizer Bunny
Dawn Michelle Frederick		Hippy Chic Bunny
Jessica Schmeidler		Ms. Soccer Bunny
Jordy Albert		Pancake Bunny
Maria Vicente		Professor Bunny
Mollie Glick		Rock Star Bunny
Patricia Nelson		Ski Bunny
Saba Sulaiman		Snow Bunny
Uwe Stender		Warrior Bunny
Valerie Noble		Wonder Woman Bunny

The winner will be announced on Tuesday May 19^th 2015. 

And to celebrate the Nestpitch blog rolling over the 25,000 hits mark in less than 19 months I have decided to give one lucky random person who submitted to Nestpitch2015 an additional $20 Amazon Voucher – winner to be announced on May 31^st 🙂

 

Agent Mask Time! (Would you like a $20 Amazon Voucher?)

Hi all,

Those who were part of Nestpitch2014 or have been following this blog will know how this works, however, for the newbies, I’ll quickly go over this. Each year the participating agents of Nestptich take on a ‘mask’ – in other words, they are in disguise! When they leave their Easter Treats for the submissions, they do so as a Secret Agent Bunny – yep that’s right, you may know who the participating agents are but you’ll have no clue as to who has requested what – well some clues.

Below are the Agents Bunny Masks, along with clues, some cryptic some not so much. And that is where the fun begins. While you will not know for certain until AFTER Agent Requests (May 11^th) are made, you can join in the fun of Unmask the Agents; and if you get it right, there could be a $20.00 Amazon Voucher in it for you (USD). Best of all anyone can play! Yes that’s right; you don’t need to have submitted to Nestpitch2015 in order to be in the running for the Voucher.

So how does it work I hear someone shouting – simple! Got through the masks and then go through the Agent List (you’ll find the participating agents in a previous blog post so that’s not too hard) and match them up.

And you get lots and lots of time!

There will be an announcement after May 11^th stating when the Unmask the Agent window will open- make a note of it as the window will only be open for 12 hours. The first correct match to ALL twelve agents will win the $20.00 Voucher – it’s that simple; and that hard! (if there are no correct matches a random winner will be selected from those who have sent in their matches in the time-window). To help you make your choices I suggest you follow all the agents, read their Blogs & Websites, interact with them on Twitter and keep your eyes and ears open for clues that will help you make the match.

So here we go, in no particular order and designed to make you think – 

SKI BUNNY

A Ski bunny who knows Persian Literature & is no closet Bollywood fan, this Secret Agent Bunny likes to see
experience new cultures and is a major fan of the ever expanding New adult category.

PROFESSOR BUNNY

When not lost in a book, studying another language or walking playing with some four legged friends of the ‘here’s my lead’ kind, you’ll find this Secret Agent Bunny engrossed in something on T.V, there could be a Watson or a Doctor involved.

 

WONDER WOMAN BUNNY

As a child this Secret Agent Bunny was into Star Wars and the A-Team, as well as creating and telling stories to school friends. Later, as an adult, the bunny read the first three Twilight novels in one week! Clearly this bunny was destined to be a super hero.

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM BUNNY

Regularly seen with a four legged friend, you’ll often spy this Secret Agent Bunny at a Writer’s Conference or indulging in some cultural travel experiences between conferences.

 

DISCO BUNNY 

When this Secret Agent Bunny isn’t dancing in his/her bedroom to a certain boy-band, they are likely to be found in bed, editing and sipping a vanilla latte (especially on a Sunday).

 

HIPPY CHIC BUNNY 

This Secret Agent Bunny loves YA/ Upper YA fantasy and Sci-Fi and tends to go for the quirky or strange. He/ She is also an activist for left-handed people in a right handed world.

 

ENERGIZER BUNNY 

Hops from plot to plot, getting a charge out witty mysteries and punny contemporaries. Attracted to serious thinkers who choose light over darkness. Accepts all readerships, but genres must stay within the scope of reality.

 

MS. SOCCER BUNNY

The Secret Agent Bunny loves PB’s MG & romance in YA, also a YA revenge thriller would fit just fine at the moment. This bunny is also known to use exclamation points – a lot !!

 

ROCK STAR BUNNY

This Secret Agent Bunny prefers spunky MG & not-so-sappy YA, while surrounded by fur & feathers. Dark chocolate is preferred, milk chocolate is for those can’t take risks. When not deep in a book, this Secret Bunny Agent is more than likely on the hunt for a good donut or a craft beer, possibly on a pair of skates 😉

SNOW BUNNY

So how does this Snow Bunny  keep that figure you might ask? Evidently the secret is loving what you do for a living and also being a bit of a yoga enthusiast. Whatever this Secret Agent Bunny is doing, it must be working!

 

 

PANCAKE BUNNY 

Prior to publishing this Secret Agent Bunny instructed literature and writing at university-level. You’ll often find this Bunny on Twitter sharing tips and dropping wish-list hints, and in-real-life you’re likely to see this bunny at the odd Writers Conference.

 

WARRIOR BUNNY 

This Secret Agent Bunny can be found making deals across the Pacific and Atlantic, at various writing conferences or enjoying a well earned latte at some little corner café. When not reading, editing or jetting about to another conference, you’ll likely find this bunny congratulating an author on Twitter or engrossed in a suspense thriller. Hint, this bunny looks good in a hat 😉

 

So, that’s it folks! OK not quite. We also have at least one BUNYIP – Scratching your head as to what a Bunyip is? Well, in Indigenous Australian culture it is believed a Bunyip is a secretive creature, often found lurking around creeks and billabongs. In #Nestpitch culture… Bunyips are Secret Agents who couldn’t make it this time but might just take a peak at what’s happening and if they like something; they’ll leave their own ‘special’ treat – and seriously Bunyips really are damned hard to spot so who knows how many more are lurking; right?

So, now its time to have some fun. Go look over the list of agents and then compare them to the list of masks. When the times comes (not now!), right after the Agent Submission Window closes, we’ll be posting another update with the Unmask The Agent Round– as I say anyone can play & with a $20 Amazon Gift Voucher up for grabs why wouldn’t you!

It’s time for a bit of fun – wouldn’t you say?

Unmasking the Easter Pitch Magic!

Well – Hasn’t this Easter Sparkled! 

We still have a few things in the pipeline  – Bunyip Sighting’s are possible and Scorecards are being tallied –

Now – lets Unmask Those Agents!

 Pooja Menon – Cocktail Bunny      

Gina Panettieri – Bookworm Bunny

M Melissa Jeglinski – Laptop Bunny

   Cate Hart  – Artist Bunny

Jordy Albert – Soccer Bunny  

Sarah Negovetich – Juggler Bunny

Camilla Wray –  Ninja Bunny

  Dr. Uwe Stender – Mad Scientist Bunny

Erin Niumata – Shopper Bunny  

Pam van Hylckama – Giant Bunny

And we have one clear winner of the $25.00* Amazon Gift Voucher.  Out of respect and privacy, we’ll keep her (yep it’s a female) to ourselves and have emailed the winner, though, I have a feeling you might hear about it on twitter 🙂

We have now completed the Request List, (not including any Bunyip requests).

All those who had pages requested will receive an email from me. some have already been sent out, the rest will be sent over the next 4-8 hours.  If you had a pitch with a request but have not received an email by 10pm April 20th USA EST (mid-day April 21st Aust EST), please contact me as it’s important you understand and adhere to the request submission requirements.

And we can announce the winners of the other Amazon Vouchers up for grabs!

We had 2x Full Msnuscripts Requests.

One from #TeamEpic & the other from #TeamPeeps!

#TEAMEPIC – SHARON JOHNSTON

– Dr. Uwe Stender requested a FULL for SJ-3: The Sandman’s Apprentice – MG Paranormal 

 

#TEAMPEEPS – DANNIE MORIN 

– Dr. Uwe Stender requested a FULL for DM-5: The Winter King – NA/Urban Fantasy

Each Author will receive a $12.50* Amazon Gift Voucher

And Dannie’s team just pipped a few other’s with the pitch with the most requests

– at 5 requests for DM-6; YA/Contemporary- CHEMICALS COLLIDE

That author will receive a $10.00* Amazon Gift Voucher!

*Note – all e-voucher values are in AUD and winner will need to confirm email their details – an email will be sent to sent to all four winners within 24-hours, if you are one of the winners and do not receive an email in the next 24 hours with the SUBJECT LINE of AMAZON VOUCHER WIN, please email me.  The e-vouchers will be sent at the end of the month.

 An email will go out to all the above in the next few days, however, feel free to share your good news on twitter, on Facebook and wherever you’d like share and shout out your good news!

To everyone who submitted, whether your pitch was featured or not, congrats on a wonderful job, on an amazing selection and diversity of genre and category mixes.  To those selected, whether you got five requests or none, know that your MS stood out to some 17 people within the industry and its only a matter of time before it stands out to the RIGHT agent or publisher 🙂

My Team are currently working on scorecards for ten pitches which made it to RESERVE status, the three top will have their pitches featured on this blog at the end of the month, while all ten will receive a scorecard feedback, also by the end of the month.

I’m looking forward to following the progress of all our featured pitches.

– May The Bunny Force Be With You! —

 

 

Like the Nestpitch blog?  In that case, I’d appreciate your VOTE!

The Nestpitch blog up for Best Blog Site 2014 (Australia) & there’s also a Peoples Choice Award.   Voting is open to everyone worldwide & is anonymous, so I’ll never know if you voted or not (but if you do, thank you).  If you can spare a  minute and would like to vote, here’s the link – http://www.writerscentre.com.au/community/best-australian-blogs-comp/peoples-choice/

 

Submissions Window is Now CLOSED

The submission window for NestPitch NOW OPEN, and will remain open for 24 hours 12-noon 1^st April to 11.59am 2^nd April (USA EST) There’s no cut off number. Everyone who submits during the window will make it into the contest.

All entries will receive a receipt.  If you don’t, check with Nik Vukoja on Twitter @nestpitch and/or @nik_vukoja

Send your entries to nestpitch @ outlook .com (no spaces)

For formatting instructions and rules go to this post go to:

https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/nestpitch-update-rules-conditions-whats-a-bilby-anyway/

 NestPitch is a contest where participants email their 35-word pitches together with the first 300* words of their (finished) manuscript,(100-word for PBs).

The selected pitches will be featured on these blogs:

Brooke Powell  www.thecakenovelist.blogspot.com 

Kimberly P. Chase  http://kimberlypchase.blogspot.com.au/ 

Jeffe Kennedy  http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/blog/

Tina Moss  http://www.tinamoss.com/  

Amanda Foody  www.amandafoody.blogspot.com 

Dannie Morin http://dcmorin.blogspot.com.au/ 

Sharon M Johnston  http://downunderwonderings.blogspot.com.au/ 

Sharon Bayliss  http://sharonbayliss.blogspot.com.au/ 

Stacey Nash  http://www.staceynash.com/

 

And yes, you should all be throwing your hands up in the air and dancing at such a brilliant group of people giving freely of their time (P.S. show your love & great taste and follow their blogs)

 Then agents, their identities hidden, will leave a request for pages, partials and/or fulls of the featured pitches.

Entries must be embedded within email (no attachments) with following:

Name: YOUR NAME

Title: TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT

Genre: Category/Genre of Manuscript (i.e. NA Romance)

Word Count: (nearest 1000)

PITCH: 35-word (max) log-line

Answer to qu:

(question:in one sentence, max 15-words in the sentence: If my Main Character were an Easter Egg, what flavour would s/he be & why)

 First 300-words of your manuscript. If the 300^th word falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of the sentence.  For Picture-book submissions please only submit 100-words.  If the 100^th word falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of the sentence.

Please ensure

(i)                 your manuscript has not been featured in another Pitch Competition in the past 12 months – that’s ANY pitch competition (not twitter pitches), from the period April 1^st 2013 to 31^st March 2014 (you can have entered, but can’t have been a finalist)

(ii)               your manuscript IS NOT published.  This INCLUDES self-published. 

Bet-cha your booty shakin’ around your kitchen table with excitement 🙂

Our Slush Bilbies & Nest Bloggers will read through the pitches and pick the top 72 pitches for the agent round; April 17^th – 18^th

We try to get a good mix of various genres,but the writing comes first. Basically, if the submissions aren’t ready, it’s in your best interest that we pass, the last thing anyone wants is your manuscript to be old & tired from “doing the rounds” before its ready.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your Pitch On!

 

And remember, not matter what happens, whether you get your pitch featured or not, you’re awesome for being courageous and determined enough to put your work before other people.  Writing, as with all art forms is subjective and what is loved by one person one day is out of style tomorrow.  Timing go hand-in-hand with talent — and always remember 

 

Have you been paying attention…?

Well if the answer is YES, then you’ll notice we now have TEN agents from NINE different agencies taking part in #nestpitch with the lovely Erin Niumata – Senior Vice President – Folio Literary Management joining us! 

Now, for those playing along, you’ll know that Erin will have taken on a Bunny Mask; which one?  Some of you will know straight away, the rest… told you to follow us.

We have such a STELLAR list of agents and agencies. I would like to take a moment to personally thank every single Agent and Agency, not just those participating as Secret Bunny Agents, but those who’ll be playing along as Magic Bunyips and those who couldn’t be part of this year’s fun but wished the best for #nestpitch.  I feel honoured and a little humbled by your support – THANK YOU ALL!

I’ll also send out a wonderful THANK YOU with hugs and a kiss to my amazing team of author’s who’ll be working tirelessly to find the best pitches.  You’re all super-stars!

And before I forget, I need to send a special thank you to those who have helped over the past 6-months or so by reading the drafts of #Nestpitch, offering suggestions, tweeting about #nestpitch and/or generally being generous with their time. There are so many of you so I’ll not list you all, but love & kisses to you all.

Now, down to business. 

With the Submission Window now hours away, yep, that’s right… 12noon 1^st April USA EST, I wanted to run through a few points.

(i)                 Please read the rules & conditions, it’s vital that you follow the rules because the last thing we want is to have an awesome pitch that has forgotten to add their genre/category (for example)

(ii)               #Nestpitch is open to everyone, world-wide.  All can enter, subject to following the rules and conditions.

(iii)             The window will be open for 24hrs, so there’s plenty of time to enter, no matter where you are in the world.

A quick heads up re: time differences (OK I might have to follow Snow White’s example to stay awake):

New York USA 12 noon 1^st April

London UK 4pm 1^st April*

Melbourne Australia 3am 2^nd April**

*UK & the rest of Europe please take into account Daylight Savings Start Dates in your countries and adjust accordingly.

** Daylight Savings will end on April 6^th Melbourne timezone.

To help everyone, I’ll be opening for a quick Q&A on Twitter between 7-9am NY EST Sunday 30^th March, that’ll be 10-12pm Melbourne Australia Time.  I’ve picked these times as it’s the best option for all time-zones, however, if you see me flittering about on Twitter during the day, feel free to ask any questions.

A quick reminder of the schedule:

Apr 1^st -2^nd        Submission windows open 1^st April NOON USA EST until 11.59am 2^nd April USA EST

Apr 3^rd -10^th     1^st Round – Slush Bilbies select top 120 nests*

Apr 12^th           Match Agent to Bunny Mask window open NOON USA EST until 8.00pm April 12^th

 Apr 11^th -15^th  2^nd Round – Nest Bloggers  pick their 72 nests*

Apr 16^th              3rd Round – Nest Bloggers post their top choices

Apr 17^th -19^th   4th Round Secret Bunny Agents  stock *nests

Easter Sun.     Stocked *nests* revealed/Secret Bunny Agents identities revealed

Apr 21^st           Unmask the Agent Winner Revealed

Apr 22^nd          Bunyips can now offer belated presents*

Apr 23^rd           All #NestPitch requests should be received by Secret Bunny Agents.

Apr 28^th           All Bunyip requests should be made& sent

Apr 30^th           Special additional surprise revealed!

May 1^st            Update on #nestpitch Blog thanking everyone + a special <surprise>

 

I’d also like to take a moment to remind you of two other #pitches in April. 

#LV14 – the submission window will open on April 4^th.  This pitch is for Y & NA only. For more information go to:  http://likeavirgin.kristinaperez.com/

Also there’s #PitchSlam April 20^th. http://tangynt.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/pitch-slam-battle-of-the-bands/

Both #pitch comps look like a lot of fun & I’d strongly recommend aspiring authors (with polished manuscripts) give them a go.

 

 Good luck to everyone!

Secret Agent Bunny Masks – Can you guess the Agent hiding behind the Mask?

Time to reveal the Bunny Masks! 

How this works:

Each of the agents has taken on a Secret Agent Bunny Mask and your job is to identify who is wearing which Mask. (you’ll find the Agent List here: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/agent-reveal/ )

There’s an Amazon Voucher in it for the first correct answer.  For more info, go to: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/operation-unmask-the-agent/

For those who haven’t been watching/listening carefully, this is how #nestpitch will work.  On April 1^st, you will send us your pitch + 300.  Go to here: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/nestpitch-update-rules-conditions-whats-a-bilby-anyway/ for all the rules and conditions, and please follow the rules.

Then our Awesome Super-Cala-Fragile-Istic team of Slush Bilbies will pick the top 100-odd.  For more information on the Slush Bilibies, go to here: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/slush-bilbies-revealed/ 

From there our Scrum-didle-iumptious Team of Bloggers will each pick their favourite pitches to post on their blogs.  The selected pitches will be notified via email also.  For Blogger  info go here: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/nest-bloggers-revealed-oh-magic-bunyips-explained/

We will have a full line-only list of all those selected on this blog

plus a link to the Bloggers page.

Once the pitches are posted, the Secret Agent Bunnies will hop from nest to nest and leave a chocolate treat. Something like this (for example)

Golfer Bunny has left you 1 Box of Caramel Eggs – for all the *TREATS* got to here:

https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/easter-pitch-hunt-welcome-to-nestpitch/

You’ll need to know what Easter Treat equals what request so I suggest you save a copy of the Easter Treats request items to your desktop; or better still, print a copy off.

At the end of the Easter Egg Treats day… you will be sent a second email with a list of agents who made a request.  If any agents have given specific email addresses, this will be added to your email. If not, please email to the Agency Website but remember to follow the guidelines with regard to what to write in the Subject Line.

And; while all this is happening, we will announce the winners of:

(i)                 The winner (s) of the Unmask the Agent (open to all not just those participating in #nestpitch)

(ii)               The winner (s) of the most requests

(iii)             The winner (s) of the most FULLS requested

Remember all of the above winners will receive an AMAZON Gift Card 

& not forgetting, Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and I are running a 35-word pitch clinic here starting this weekend.

Go to: https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/post-it-forward/ for more details.

 Now to the Bunny Masks, and in no particular order Da-Daaaah!!!

(1) COCKTAIL BUNNY

As well as Adult fiction, this Cocktail Bunny wants YA that’s creative and fresh (open to all genres) and has strong characters that are flawed yet unique. Cocktail Bunnies like their Literary/Commercial fiction with a multi-cultural bend, and will curl up with their big curly-furred dog to read smart, intelligent Mysteries and Thrillers and historical fiction. Cocktail Bunnies have a low threshold for overdone.

(2) BOOKWORM BUNNY

Bookworm Bunny is looking for Psychological Suspense with a twist (think THE OTHERS), dark, creepy, hair-raising YA & NA, clever mysteries with a keen sense of place, humorous MG series, and contemporary Romances and Women’s Fiction of all descriptions.

(3) GIANT BUNNY

This Cocktail Bunny really likes animals, Supernatural (the TV show), and Loki from the Avengers.  Giant Bunny is extremely chatty on-line and very open about their style of agenting.  Giant Bunny also recently got a serious hair cut; that’s a big clue!  When not adopting new fury friends, Giant Bunny likes to read the gamut – Picture Books, MG, YA, Adult, Romance even PB’s for adults – hehehe

(4) LAPTOP BUNNY

This Laptop Bunny wants innovative MG and YA projects with a pull towards more historical settings although a modern, emotional story would be welcome.  Also loves contemporary Romance and Women’s Fiction and anything that really manages to surprise me.

(5) MAD SCIENTIST BUNNY

Mad Scientist Bunnies would naturally want non-fiction, but can you believe it, this Mad Scientist is also looking for YA, MG, Adult Mysteries/Thrillers and literary fiction too – Even a Mad Scientist’s enjoy a good bit of fiction – now, can you guess who this Mad Scientist is?

 

 

(6) SHOPPER BUNNY

Shopper Bunny is *shopping* (sorry couldn’t help myself) for commercial women’s fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, psychological thrillers, suspense, humour. This Bunny loves sassy Southern and/or British heroines.

 

(7) SOCCER BUNNY

Soccer Bunnies Like romance?  Who Knew? Well, this Soccer Bunny does like Romance, especially contemporary and historical (has a soft spot for Regency), YA sci-fi/fantasy, contemporary, historical–particularly partial to YA with, you guessed it, romance!

(8) JUGGLER BUNNY 

As the name suggests, this Juggler Bunny has a lot going on, balls in the air anyone?  But they still have time for great writing and new Clients, as long as they are MG and YA; open to any genre within those age groups, but prefers speculative fiction.

No idea who Juggler Bunny is?  Here’s a clue, could you spell this Agent’s name without looking?

(9) NINJA BUNNY

Haaa-Yah! Ninja Bunny wish list: My main big wishes are brilliant storytelling and inspiring or heart-breaking characters; I want to feel like I’m living, not reading, the story. Also anything that brings me to tears either through love, fear or sadness would be wonderful – Sounds like tis Ninja likes a good cry after beating up the bad-guys!

(10) ARTIST BUNNY

This Artist Bunny is super hungry for MG/ YA/ Adult Romance, Fantasy and wants to curl up on the sofa with a great Mystery.  And this Agent Bunny knows the business from both sides of the process;…and that’s a big clue 🙂 

Oh, and don’t panic if you don’t see your genre or category, these are TOP agents who work for AWESOME agencies, eight agencies to be accurate, trust me, their colleges are watching, and waiting, and intending to leave treats under these Bunny Masks.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!

I can’t tell you who they are; but we do have 4 confirmed Magic Bunyips lurking…

• Purple Bunyip
• Yellow Bunyip
• Green Bunyip
• Blue Bunyip 

This means, if a Bunyip sees a *NEST* they simply MUST HAVE, they’ll whisper a special code word to me and I’ll let them leave their own unique treat.

Phew! this has been a BIG post.

You know what to do right?

Get your 35-word pitch sharpened by joining us at the Post-it-Forward clinic

Polish your Manuscript until it sparkles with fairy dust.

Submit on the 1st of April

& Play along with Unmasking the Agents!

Oh…and a few final thoughts,

(i) if you come across an agent or a blogger or a bilby on Twitter or wherever, thank them for being part of this.  They all give of their free time.

(ii) Play nice; art is subjective and therefore not everyone agrees all the time.  Remember that when talking to or about anyone involved.

(iii) spread the word, the more that play the bigger the fun 🙂

Last but by far least; here is a quick list of the AMAZING TEAM we have for #nestpitch 

Slush Bilbies:

Emily Mead The Loony Teen Writer,http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/  

Susan Nystoriak  http://smnystoriak.wordpress.com/ 

Cassandra Page  http://cassandrapage.com/  

Louise (Lou) Gornall  http://bookishblurb.com/blog/ 

Heather Bryant http://heathermbryant.blogspot.com.au 

Katy Upperman http://katyupperman.com/ 

Stacey Trombley  http://hopelessya.blogspot.com.au/ 

Nest Bloggers: 

Brooke Powell  www.thecakenovelist.blogspot.com 

Kimberly P. Chase  http://kimberlypchase.blogspot.com.au/ 

 Jeffe Kennedy  http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/blog/ 

Tina Moss  http://www.tinamoss.com/  

Amanda Foody  www.amandafoody.blogspot.com 

Dannie Morin http://dcmorin.blogspot.com.au/ 

Sharon M Johnston  http://downunderwonderings.blogspot.com.au/ 

Sharon Bayliss  http://sharonbayliss.blogspot.com.au/ 

Stacey Nash  http://www.staceynash.com/

Bye for now 🙂

AGENT REVEAL

Hello all,

I’m very excited about today’s blog post – I get to reveal the Agents who will be participating in #nestpitch, and once you’ve read through the list, I know you’ll understand why!

…and so here they are…

Pam Van Hylckama – C0-founder /Agent – Foreword Literary 

Pam started her literary career as assistant to Laurie McLean in early 2012. In January 2013, after selling 21 books in her first year, Pam was promoted to agent.  when Laurie mentioned creating Foreword, Pam jumped at the chance to follow her and created a new agency together.

website: http://forewordliterary.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookaliciousPam

Melissa Jeglinski– Agent – The Knight Agency

Established in 1996, The Knight Agency has gained worldwide recognition for the success of our authors in the fiercely competitive publishing marketplace. Our philosophy is simple: what you give is what you get.  We are dedicated to cultivating prosperous, long-term writing careers by giving clients unparalleled service.

Website: http://knightagency.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJeglinski

Pooja Menon– Agent – Kimberley Cameron & Associates 

Pooja joined Kimberley Cameron & Associates as an intern in the fall of 2011, with the aim of immersing herself in the elusive world of books and publishing. She soon realized that being an agent was what she was most drawn to.

Website: http://www.kimberleycameron.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/friscodreamer 

Gina Panettieri  – President – Talcott Notch Literary 

Founded in 2003, Talcott Notch Literary is a rapidly-growing boutique agency representing the freshest new voices in both fiction and non-fiction. With more than twenty years in the publishing industry, President and Executive Editor, Gina has expertise in every aspect of writing and publishing and has helped thousands of writers achieve their goals.

Website: http://www.talcottnotch.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginapanettieri

Jordy Albert – Co-founder & Senior Agent – The Booker Albert Literary Agency 

Founded by Jordy Albert and Brittany Booker Carter, former agents of the Corvisiero Literary Agency. We are a hands-on agency that strongly believes in taking on clients for their whole career.

Website: http://www.thebookeralbertagency.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluedragonfly81

Camilla Wray –  Agent – Darley Anderson Literary (UK) 

The Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency handles a broad range of best-selling commercial fiction including thrillers, mysteries, crime, horror, fantasy, women’s, chick-lit, accessible literary, comedy and a growing list of children’s fiction.   The Agency was founded by Darley Anderson in 1988 and is based in London with a regional office in the book town of Hay-on-Wye.

Website: http://www.darleyanderson.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CamillaWray

Sarah Negovetich – Junior Agent/PR Team Leader – Corvisiero Literary Agency  

Corvisiero Literary Agency is a boutique literary agency founded by Marisa A Corvisiero, Esq. a former agent with the L. Perkins Agency.  This agency is a place where authors can find professional and experienced representation.

Website: http://www.corvisieroagency.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahNego 

Cate Hart – Junior Agent – Corvisiero Literary Agency 

Corvisiero Literary Agency offers  international agenting services to fiction and non-fiction authors in a wide spectrum of genres. Please see our agents’ profiles to determine which agent is the best fit for you, and be sure to read our Submission Guidelines before submitting your work.

Cate has kindly agreed to do a Five Minutes With… interview her on NestPitch (watch out for it) where you’ll get to learn more about her and perhaps get an insight into her Bunny Mask.

Website: http://www.corvisieroagency.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CateHart

 

Dr. Uwe Stender – President  – TriadaUS Literary Agency

 

Founder, Dr. Uwe Stender, is a Full Member of the AAR (Association of Authors’ Representatives), and has been a guest speaker at several major conferences including the SCWC in San Diego, the Crimebake (Mystery Writers of America New England Chapter), CAPA-U in Hartford, Connecticut, the Writers’ League of Texas in Austin, Penn Writers, and he spoke on a panel at the Book Expo America in New York City.

 

TriadaUS Literary Agency is always open to any strong fiction and all non-fiction projects.

Website: http://www.TriadaUS.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UweStender

 

Erin Niumata – Senior Vice President –  Folio Literary Management 

Folio Literary Management places both fiction and non-fiction with major publishers throughout the U.S. and around the world. We represent many first-time authors, some of whom have gone on to become bestsellers and major award-winners.

Erin has been in publishing for over twenty-three years. She started as an editorial assistant at Simon and Schuster in the Touchstone/Fireside division for several years; then moved over to Harper Collins as an editor, and then she went to Avalon Books as the Editorial Director, working on Romance, Mysteries and Westerns. Erin has edited a very impressive list of authors.  Let’s sum it up with she’s worked on 28 NY Times Bestsellers.

Although Erin is currently closed for submissions, she’ll be joining us on #nestpitch which means ladies & gents, here’s your opportunity to submit to an agent currently not taking submissions!

Website: http://www.foliolit.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ecniumata

That’s eight nine ten AWESOME agents from seven different agencies folks!

Also, while no one knows who they are, we currently have four MAGIC BUNYIP Agents ready and willing to lurk around the pitches.

These agents, just like their name-sake, will be in the shadows, watching…ready to pounce on the perfect pitch.

And who knows, we may even get the odd extra agent putting their hand up before the Bunny Mask reveal.

Non-participating #Agents, if you’re reading this and want to play, please contact me on nestpitch @ outlook . com (no spaces) by midnight 19^th March. 

Now, you may have noticed there is no mention of agent preferences, which was deliberate.  For those following this blog and/or @nestpitch, you’ll know that there will be a Bunny Mask reveal on March 20^th.  Alongside each Bunny Mask will be hints and an insight into each agent.  Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to match the agent with the mask.

And there’s more than one reason to do this.  The obvious, you’ll know which agents are looking for what genre/category.  But wait, there’s more!  There’s also another game we’ll be playing, Match the Agent with the Mask – and there’s an ACTUAL prize – a $25 (AUD) Amazon gift voucher to be won!  Refer to Unmask the Agent post for more details (it mentions 15 agents but we are happy to play with the eight we have), but in short, you get to match the agent to the mask and the first correct answer, gets the voucher.  As I say, you need to refer to the post for details; however, I’ve also posted a timeline below for everyone’s FYI.

Now, some of the bio’s beside the Masks will be very direct, such as “Looking for MG/YA” other’s will be more cryptic, referring to an agents interests outside of agenting and other’s will be a mix of the two.  In other words… you’ll have to do your homework.  You’ll need to follow these agents, keep up with their twitter feeds, read their agent bio’s on their websites and read/follow their blogs and interviews.

Here’s the thing, you SHOULD be doing this already, so for many of you, the connections will be as clear as day.  If they’re as clear as mud, you have some work ahead of you, but the reward is there.  Aside from a chance to win the voucher, you’ll also get to KNOW the agents which will help for your nestpitch submission and/or in any future submissions.

This side competition is open to everyone (not running or affiliated with #nestpitch) regardless if your pitch is selected or not, even regardless  if you submit, it’s a bit of fun for everyone.  Learning with benefits!

Oh, and to help everyone with their 35-word pitch, we will be holding a workshop, together with Rhiann Wynn-Nolet the co-founder of and #LV14 & CritTiki Lounge, on the 21^st of March for 1 week, refer to the previous post, Post-It-Forward for details.  Rhiann and Kristina Perez will also be hosting LV14 on April 4^th

There’s a lot happening here in #nestpitch, if you’re not following us, why not?

Updated Timetable:

March 15^th           Introduce the Agents

March 18^th           Five Minutes With… interview with Agent Cate Hart

Mar 20^th               Update the Bunny Masks

Mar 21^st                Wind opens for Post-It-Forward – please send in your 35-word pitches

Mar 22^nd              Comments accepted for Post-It-Forward

Mar 29^th               Comments closed for Post-It-Forward

March 3oth        Twitter Q&A window will open for 2 hours – time to be advised

Apr 1^st -2^nd               Submission windows open 1^st April NOON USA EST until 11.59am 2^nd April USA EST (equiv. times in UK, Australia posted)

Apr 3^rd -10^th        1^st Round – Slush Bilbies select top 120 nests*

Apr 12^th                Match Agent to Bunny Mask window open NOON USA EST for 8 hours, until 8.00pm April 12^th USA E ST – Emails must be received during this time to be eligible.

Apr 11^th -15^th       2^nd Round – Nest Bloggers  pick their 72 nests*

Apr 16^th                     3rd Round – Nest Bloggers post their top choices

Apr 17^th -19^th       4th Round Secret Bunny Agents  stock *nests

Easter Sun.        Stocked *nests* revealed/Secret Bunny Agents identities revealed

Apr 21^st                Unmask the Agent Winner Revealed

Apr 22^nd              Bunyips can now offer belated presents*

Apr 23^rd               All #NestPitch requests should be received by Secret Bunny Agents.

Apr 28^th               All Bunyip requests should be made& sent

Apr 30^th               Special additional surprise revealed!

May 1^st                  Update on #nestpitch Blog thanking everyone + a special <surprise>

Please read the RULES & CONDITIONS before entering your pitch on April 1^st.  I don’t want to become some sort of tyrant but they are there for a reason.  People who don’t adhere to them WILL have their submission deleted. (Note: while I understand every effort will be made to format correctly, if after emailing, your submission de-formats, this will not negate your submission, as long as you have followed all the other rules)

And remember if your MANUSCRIPT has been featured in another PITCH CONTEST (featured= posted for agent review/bidding) in the past TWELVE months, the period between 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2014, it is not eligible. Any questions, leave me a comment here or ask during Twitter Q&A.

Also, don’t forget to check out our AWESOME TEAM of bloggers & slush readers!

“Operation Unmask the Agent”

Hello all,

I’ve called this post

“Operation Unmask the Agent”

– it’ll make more sense in a moment, and it’s going to be a bit of fun!

But first a reminder. The is a #pitch competition for all genres & all age-groups. Yep that’s right, PB, MG, YA, NA & Adult. And every genre.

The only exception is straight erotica.

Submissions will consist of :

A 35-word pitch, answering a question & the first 300=words of your MS & in the case of PB; that’s 100-words.

Now, there is nothing wrong with a bit of lovin’ and there’s nothing wrong with a lot of lovin’ everything from unquenched desires to steamy sex; where we draw the line is, how shall I put it, we’re not accepting submissions for sex-only novels.  In other words, if it’s in context, such as (for example) a historical-romance, go for it.  But we don’t want porn –sex for the sake of sex.

It should go without saying, but just in case it doesn’t, submissions with paedophilia, bestiality, cruelty to children or animals, unnecessary racism/bigotry, stories that condone or sensationalize rape… these will be automatically deleted.

Now, if your story is set, say in the 1800s and deals with racism, naturally that is accepted, as would be a story with a theme of xenophobia – and so forth, as long as it’s in context.  Sensationalism of any kind, where the one party is victim to another, simply for the sake of sensationalism, that will not wash.

I will be holding a Q&A (ref. below) and am happy to answer questions prior also.

For the entire Rules & Conditions to the previous post titled Rules & Conditions.

OK, for the fun part.

The pitch-competition will be a lot of fun in itself, with Secret Bunny Agents & Magic Bunyips etc, but there’s going to be more. To understand what these are and to meet the Nest Bloggers & Slush Bilbies, refer to previous posts.

OK, here we go!

When doing something, I think its always more exciting if there’s a carrot dangling. 

And yes, having awesome agents ready and willing to read your submissions is a pretty big carrot, but I wanted an even bigger one!  So, after the Secret Bunny Agents have filled their favourite nests, and before the Magic Bunyips start their lurking, the submission request numbers will be totalled and … the winner is…

The pitch, from all the Nest Bloggers, which gets the highest number of FULL REQUESTS, will receive a…

$25.00 (AUD) Amazon Gift Voucher.  If there’s two with the same number, the voucher will be split, If there’s more than two, then, the first time (time-line wise) will each get an Amazon Voucher for $12.50 (AUD)

And…

The highest total number of requests, regardless if they are partials or fulls, will receive a $10.00 AMAZON VOUCHER.  Again, if there are two, then the voucher will be split and if there are more than two, the first two time-line will each win a $5.00 (AUD) Amazon Voucher.

Isn’t that great!

The better your nest, the bigger the Easter Treats!

But, I have another little game up my sleeve.

I was thinking, how can we make this “FUN” for everyone,even those not participating, even those who participated but were not selected. 

And I came up with something.

We have nine (9) Secret Bunny Agents + four Magic Bunyips

How this will work.

At Agent Reveal Time, all participating Secret Bunny Agents names and brief bios will be shown, what you will not know is which mask they will wear.  This will be revealed after Easter.

To demonstrate.  Lets call my imaginary Agent Jo Bloggs.

Jo Bloggs is an Agent at ABC Literary specialising in MG & YA.  Jo is especially interested in adventure stories, think pirates. 

So, there will be 10 such agents.

It’ll be a guessing game if Jo is a Rapper Bunny or a Farmer Bunny or maybe a Football Bunny.  Not even the agents will know who is wearing what mask… everyone will have to guess.  But guessing is so much more fun if there’s a reward.

So, whether you submit or not, everyone can play.

Below is an example with made up names, and there’s only five.  It’s to demonstrate only. The idea is to match the agent with their bunny mask . The idea is to match the Agent to the mask.

Agent Name                                            Bunny Mask Name

Jo Bloggs                                                        Zorro Bunny

John C Smith                                                  Tech Bunny

Jayne Doe                                                       Rapper Bunny

Bobbie Brown                                                 Farmer Bunny

Sam Citizen                                                     Football Bunny

This is complete and utter fun and serves no purpose but to play along. 

I’ll give more detail as we get closer but you can do a chart or an (=) for example Jo Bloggs = Rapper Bunny, John Smith = Zorro Bunny (etc)  The entries will be sent through via email per the below schedule & I will be available for questions.

And the winner is…

The rules are simple.  The time-line you can submit your Unmask the Agent email will serve as both your entry and your entry time.

This competition/game is open to everyone.

Only one entry per person (please play fair, cheating just ruins it for everyone)

The winner will be the first person, time-line wise to guess and match all the agents with their masks.  If no one guesses right, then all who sent in an entry email will go into a draw with a random winner picked.  If more than one person guesses correctly, then the first correct entry received will be the winner.

And what do you win?  An Amazon $25.00 (AUD) gift voucher!

There will be more details as we get closer to the date, but for now, take a look at the Time-Line Schedule below (note Unmask the Agent submission is April 12^th):

Schedule: 

March 15^th      Introduce the Agents

Mar 20^th           Update the Bunny Masks

Mar 21st-29^th      Run a 35-word Pitch clinic

Follow @NestPitch & @Nik_Vukoja on Twitter for more information.

March 30th        Run Q&A on-line allowing people to ask questions

Follow @NestPitch & @Nik_Vukoja on Twitter for more information.

Mar 30^th           Post on Twitter submission window to open April 1^st

Apr 1^st -2^nd        Submission windows open 1^st April NOON USA EST until 11.59am 2^nd April USA EST (equiv. times in UK, Australia & Europe will be posted)

Apr 3^rd -10^th     1^st Round – Slush Bilbies select top 120 nests*

Apr 12^th           Match Agent to Bunny Mask window open 8am USA EST for 12 hours, until 8.00pm April 12^th USA EST (times diff for other countries will also be listed) – Emails must be received during this time to be eligible.

Apr 11^th -15^th  2^nd Round – Nest Bloggers  pick their 72 nests*

Apr 16^th              3rd Round – Nest Bloggers post their top choices

Apr 17^th -19^th   4th Round Secret Bunny Agents  stock *nests

Easter Sun.     Stocked *nests* revealed/Secret Bunny Agents identities revealed

Apr 21^st           Unmask the Agent Winner Revealed

Apr 22^nd          Bunyips can now offer belated presents*

Apr 23^rd           All #NestPitch requests should be received by Secret Bunny Agents.

Apr 28^th           All Bunyip requests should be made& sent

Apr 30^th           Special additional surprise revealed!

May 1^st            Update on #nestpitch Blog thanking everyone + a special <surprise>

So, spread the word, share the love, play nice, & don’t forget, there’s also #Pitchmadness with Brenda Drake in March… off you go, hop to it… & gave fun

Until Nest Time

          Super-Bunny- Power- Out!

Slush Bilbies – Revealed

Hello again…

 As promised, please find below our talented Team of Slush Bilbies. 

But just before I introduce them, I wanted to take a moment to discuss a few of the #NestPitch Rules. When I first thought about running a #pitch-fest I considered the ones I’d participated in.  My experience has been that #pitch competitions are run by generous individuals within the writing community and attended by professional & fun agents who understand how hard it is to put your work before an agent. 

They were well organised, playful and unique. Their hosts were approachable, attentive and extremely helpful and their rules were designed to be firm-but-fair.  These were the criteria I wanted for #NestPitch, which is why I have added the rules regarding previously published works and previously featured pitch submissions. 

Since posting, I’ve had one or two (or perhaps a few more) people contact me on these two rules.  I can understand the frustration in having been featured yet not having been offered representation, however, this rule stands & for two reasons. 

(i) Agents are busy people with ACTUAL clients to represent and nurture.  When an agent agrees to be part of a #pitch-fest they are doing it at the expense of completing other tasks on their do-do list. By ensuring the pitches featured are new and unique, we are ensuring that agents will continue to give of their time to #pitches in general, which naturally opens opportunities for aspiring writers.

(ii) As an aspiring writer, I’m speaking from experience when I say I know the frustration, the second-guessing, the annoying of friends, family, the postman, to read and re-read your submission, and then the final SEND & with it comes instant insecurity and regret…if only I had… But nothing is more frustrating than seeing the same pitch featured on several blog posts and in several #pitch contests.  While agents may feel they “Have seen this all before” and turn away from the laptop, aspiring writers may in equal portion feel “Oh God, not Such & Such again; why do I bother.”I think most would agree neither of the above is the desired response.   

As for the question of Published Works, I’m not going to delve into the whys & why nots.  I have no issue with self-publishing. In fact, I see it as a very real and viable opportunity and option for many authors.  I also know of several self-published authors who have a wonderful product and a strong following.  However, if self-published authors wish to be truly considered “Published” in the traditional sense of the word, they must also acknowledge their work is published in reference to competitions. I am sorry if some people don’t agree, however these are the rules.  

I hope the above serves to clarify the reasoning, however, if anyone still has questions I’m more than happy to answer them.  Either post a comment on here or speak to me when I’m on Twitter.  I tend to be on Twitter under my personal name @Nik_Vukoja but if you follow me and @Nestpitch you are bound to catch me at one of them.  I’ll ask that people, other than agents, NOT send email-questions; I’m often on Twitter and am happy to answer questions on-line or via comments.

 You can find the rules & conditions in a prior post on this blog

 <if you’re a AGENT & want to know more about NESTPITCH, SECRECT BUNNY AGENTS or MAGIC BUNYIPS, please contact me via Twitter or email: nestpitch@outlook.com >

 

…and now, the Slush Bilbies REVEALED (aren’t they awesome!) 

( i) Emily Mead 

I’m a writer and reader of all things YA and MG. Last year I participated in the Like a Virgin pitch contest, and loved the experience of having agents read my work. This time around I’m hoping to do some reading! I’m also an intern for Entranced Publishing, and this year I’m polishing my YA contemporary for querying.

I blog at Aussie Owned and Read http://aussieownedandread.com/, interviewing Aussie authors or imparting my wisdom,

And also at my personal blog, The Loony Teen Writer, http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/ 

(ii) Susan Nystoriak 

Lover of all creative arts, aside from author, other hats include music teacher, wife, mother and animal lover.  As a writer, I tend to stay within the speculative fiction realm at the Adult and New Adult levels.  I am very active on Twitter, and have taken part in numerous writing/pitch contests, several resulting in requests for partials and fulls,and most recently, my NA manuscript was selected for the #SunvsSnow pitch contest.

Aside from opportunities to present my work before an agent or editor, those contests have led to some wonderful writer-family connections.

As a Crit-Partner/Beta reader for writers, I’m honest but encouraging.  I’m also happy for feedback from others and love to share.

On my blog, S.M. Nystoriak’s Writer’s Block, http://smnystoriak.wordpress.com/ you will find interviews with emerging and established authors, both traditionally published and indie/self-published.  It’s fascinating what we can learn from each other!

You can also find me on Twitter: @smnystoriak

(iii)             Cassandra Page 

I’m a mother, author, editor and geek, living in Canberra with my preschool-age son and two Cairn Terriers. I have a serious coffee addiction and love to read speculative fiction. When I’m not reading or writing, I’m a geek, especially of the Doctor Who and AD&D variety—because who said you need to grow up? My debut novel, ISLA’S INHERITANCE, comes out with Turquoise Morning Press; http://www.turquoisemorningpress.com/ in the second half of 2014.

If you want to hear more about it, you can cyberstalk me via the following links:

Website: http://cassandrapage.com/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/CassandraPage01

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassandraPage01

I’m also a regular contributor in  the Aussie Owned & Read blog; http://aussieownedandread.com/ along with a group of very talented Australian Authors.

(iv)             Louise (Lou) Gornall 

I’m currently studying for a BA (Hons) in English language and literature with special emphasis on creative writing. My debut YA urban fantasy, In Stone, was published last July.

I play gate keeper at Swoon Romance and the lovely Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Literary Agency; http://www.d4eoliteraryagency.com/ is Yoda to my Luke Skywalker. YA aficionado. Brit bird. Film nerd.

Identical twin. Junk food enthusiast.

Rumored pink Power Ranger and avid collector of book boyfriends.
This is my blog: http://bookishblurb.com/blog/

This is Mandy’s blog: http://www.mandyhubbard.blogspot.co.uk/

(v)  Heather Bryant 

I lived in a little city in Australia with far too many voices in my head. I’m an escapist reader and writer and love any story with ‘real’ characters who drive the plot. At the moment I’m is a reviewer for Aussie Owned and Read, and author assistant to the wonderful Sharon M. Johnson, and shopping my most recent WIP (a YA fantasy), working full time, and eating far too much chocolate (haha, like that’s even a thing).

In other words, I’ve seen the query and pitching worlds from both sides.

I can be found on twitter here: https://twitter.com/heather_b88

Blogger here: http://heathermbryant.blogspot.com.au 

Aussie Owned and Read here: http://aussieownedandread.com

(vi) Katy Upperman 

I write contemporary young adult fiction featuring cool girls, hot boys, and steamy kisses. My work is represented by Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents, Inc. http://www.gelfmanschneider.com/ I’m a graduate of Washington State University, a former elementary school teacher, a Soldier’s wife, a mama, and a Florida resident. I blog about writing and books at http://katyupperman.com/, and I’m a reviewing member of http://www.thebookanistas.com/ and a http://yaconfidential.blogspot.com.au/ Operative. When not behind my laptop, I can be found running, baking, or swimming in the surf.  

(vii) Stacey Trombley 

I’m a teen (and occasionally tween) at heart who you’ll never catch in the adult section of the book store. I write both YA and MG of any genre you can think of. Since I’m completely contest obsessed and have entered more than is at all sane, I totally know what its like to bite your nails waiting for any hint at all we liked your work.

I blog at both HopelessYA http://hopelessya.blogspot.com.au/

and Middle Grade Minded http://middlegrademinded.blogspot.com.au/

Phew! How Awesome is THAT LIST! 

By the way, has anyone noticed that 1/3 of the Team is made up of people with an “S” in their first name?

Sharon Johnston – Nest Blogger  Stacey Nash – Nest Blogger   Sharon Bayliss – Nest Blogger

Susan Nystoriak – Slush Bilby   Stacey Trombley-Slush Bilby

And the rest of the Team:

Jeffe Kennedy – Nest Blogger   Amanda Moody – Nest Blogger   Brooke Powell – Nest Blogger

Kimberly Chase – Nest Blogger   Tina Moss – Nest Blogger   Dannie Morin – Nest Blogger

Cassandra Page -Slush Bilby   Heather Bryant -Slush Bilby   Lou Gornall – Slush Bilby

Emily Mead -Slush Bilby   Katy Upperman -Slush Bilby

But wait there’s more…. Actually you’ll have to wait…sorry

>& don’t forget to take a look at our NEST BLOGGERS bios in the previous post < 

Next post will be a timetable and a few surprises… that way you can plan ahead and play along.  I’ll be posting again after 5^th Feb — if any of you don’t know #adpit is running on Feb 5^th; it’s well worth taking a look J

What I can tell you is that we are getting together some incredible agents to put on their Secret Agent Bunny Masks & a few have taken on the mantra of Magic Bunyip… a billabong is a great place to lurk and spy!

And…it’s not going to be all about the pitch.  To make it fun, there’s also going to be a game or two everyone can play… damn, I’ve given away too much; “Will the jury please ignore that last statement.”

The additional fun & games post is a few weeks away.

Oh, and if anyone wants to know more about cute little bilbies, yes they are real, 

there’s quite a few society’s in Australia who are working to protect them.  Sadly, they need our protection, they are endangered species.

& one, OK two final things.

Next week is #pitmad, for info go here >>> http://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/
& in March there’s Brenda Drake's #pitchmadness, for info go here >>> http://www.brenda-drake.com/

Until Nest Time….  

Nest Blogger’s Revealed – oh & Magic Bunyip’s explained

 

 Hello all. Well, it’s time for the Nest Bloggers Reveal

– is it just me or does anyone else hear

Da-Da-Da-Ti-Da

– OK, it’s just me I guess, never mind.

But just before we introduce the Bloggers, I also wanted to take a moment to talk about Magic Bunyips. OK, you understand how this works and just to be sure, you’ve had a quick look at the previous posts;

yep you’re OK with this; except you still don’t know what a Magic Bunyip is.

Magic Bunyips:

Bunyips are Australian mythological creature that lives near or by a billabong (pond) and kind of lurk in the bushes.  They are a bit shy and a little scary but really, they are nice, most of the time.

In #nestpitch, the Magic Bunyips are Literary Agents who want to play but can’t be a Secret Agent Bunny.  So, rather than miss out all together, they are going to lurk around the nest-sites and, if they see anything they like, then they will leave their own ‘treat’ – it’ll be different to the Secret Agent Bunny Treat, but it’ll still be YUMMY!

HOWEVER; unlike Secret Agent Bunnies, Magic Bunyips will need to pay a price for their lurking, and the price is: CRITIQUE! Yep, that’s right; if a Magic Bunyip leaves a treat s/he must offer someone else a critique.

Here’s how it works: If a Magic Bunyip finds a nest they admire, they can also leave you a treat.

*1 caramel swirl Bunyip* = Full

*1 dark chocolate Bunyip* = Query + 100 pages

*1 milk chocolate Bunyip * = Query + 50 pages

*1 white chocolate Bunyip * = Query + 25 pages 

For each Request the Magic Bunyip must offer:    

*1 caramel swirl Bunyip* = first 1500-words of MS feedback/critique

*1 dark chocolate Bunyip* = first 750-words of MS feedback/critique

*1 milk chocolate Bunyip * = offer 1-page Synopsis critique

*1 white chocolate Bunyip = Offer a query letter critique 

So, if a Magic Bunyip puts a Milk Chocolate Bunyip in a nest, they must offer 1-page synopsis critique per below:

Bunyip’s agree to offer the above, via their website/blog or any other media option (FB/Twitter etc.) within 60-days of #NestPitch ending (in other words by mid June-2014).  Any or all of the above can be offered in conjunction with other offers/promotions but must be open to everyone and offered within two calendar months of #NestPitch ending.

<if you’re a AGENT & want to know more about NESTPITCH, SECRECT BUNNY AGENTS or MAGIC BUNYIPS, please contact me via Twitter or email: nestpitch@outlook.com > 

Please note: until the submission window is open, unless you are an agent, I would prefer potential participants to leave a comment or contact us via Twitter with any questions rather than use the email address. 

And now for the first of the fun.

Each Nest Bloggers Blog link is attached, do I need to say more? 

Oh… & there are nine… that really needs to be repeated N.I.N.E

here we go…

(i) Brooke Powell 

When not writing, Brooke’s a professional cake decorator. She loves her cakes so must that she shared this, “For my first novel, I thought it would be fun to write a recipe for my MC to make as her ‘signature dessert’ and put it on my own menu. It wasn’t. When I tested the recipe it took over five hours to make, and I cut it from the book and quit selling it after the first order.”

Brooke’s Blog: Book Bites —  www.thecakenovelist.blogspot.com

Brooke’s Agent/Agency:

Melissa Sarver-White of Folio Literary; http://www.foliolit.com/

Novels: Her debut is The Minor Fall. & she just completed her second title, All Good Things.

Like everyone on this list, Brooke ahs been through the Query Letter Trenches, the fears and the tears and knows what it’s like to want an agent or publisher offer.

Location: Port Reading, New Jersey

(ii) Kimberly P. Chase  

holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which basically means she’s kind of a geek and loves flying airplanes. Her debut novel, THE APOLLO ACADEMY, released in August 2013 and is now an Amazon Science Fiction Romance best seller and a Writer’s Digest eBook Honorable Mention Award recipient.

Additionally, Kimberly is the creator of Trick or Treat with Agents, a Halloween themed pitch contest held every October.

Like so many author’s Kimberly is always willing to help aspiring writers.

You can find Kimberly’s Blog here: http://kimberlypchase.blogspot.com.au/

Her Website here: http://kimberlypchase.com/ And her début novel on Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Book 2 in the Apollo Academy Series. 2014 release, date TBD. Cover Reveal in March 2014!

(iii) Jeffe Kennedy

is an award-winning author with a writing career that spans decades. Her works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook.

Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns;  the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, including the newest, Five Golden Rings, which came out as part of the erotic holiday anthology, Season of Seduction, in late November; and a  contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera, which released beginning January 2, 2014. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, will hit the shelves starting in May 2014. A spin-off story from this series, Negotiation, appears in the recently-released Thunder on the Battlefield anthology.

Jeffe can be found online at her website: http://www.jeffekennedy.com/ every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog, http://word-whores.blogspot.com.au/ on Facebook, and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy.

She is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg of Foreword Literary. http://forewordliterary.com/

You can also find Jeffe : http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/blog/

Or look up her books at:

Kensington Publishing 

http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/catalog.aspx/312069 http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/25515

Carina Press

http://ebooks.carinapress.com/E7B6F7C1-E734-444C-882E-6B8BEF0B87C5/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=21C85739-A2CD-4E94-A986-99096210D20D

Recent: Five Golden Rings Current: Master of the Opera Future: The Mark of the Tala

iv) Tina Moss

is an author of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and New Adult novels.  She lives in NYC with a supportive husband and alpha corgi, though both males hog the bed and refuse to share the covers. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching cheesy horror flicks, travelling, and karate. As a 5’1″ Shotokan black belt, she firmly believes that fierce things come in small packages.

Tina is often helping with various online opportunities for aspiring writers, most recently as  one of the Mentors on Brenda Drake’s #PitchWars.

Tina’s website:  http://www.tinamoss.com/ 

AGENCY: Literary Counsel http://www.literarycounsel.com/

BOOK: A Touch of Darkness    LOCATION: NYC

(v) Amanda Foody

is a young adult writer represented by Molly Jaffa of Folio Literary Management, http://www.foliolit.com/. Apart from working on her YA fantasy novel SHADOWBOUND, she is a college student in Williamsburg, VA. Having gone through the query trenches before she and Molly joined forces, Amanda was very willing to raise her hand in paying-it-forward help.

She can be found on twitter or on her Blog: www.amandafoody.blogspot.com and enjoys tea and spinny chairs.

(vi) Dannie Morin

is an addictions therapist with a writing problem. By day, she’s a counsellor for teens and learned her trade working with young people with cystic fibrosis. By night, she writes, edits, and critiques like a boss.

She’s a hyperactive participant in the Carolinas Region of SCBWI, a vociferous member of the Scribophile online writing community, and a freelance editor. She is a contributing blogger at YA Stands and pens young adult and new adult contemporary and urban Fantasy with a grittier-than-average bent.

Dannie is very active in the writing community and is one of the #PitchWars Mentors, so knows what it takes to get a pitch right!  She’s represented by Thao Le of Sandra Dijkstra Literary; http://www.dijkstraagency.com/

She can be found at: http://dcmorin.blogspot.com.au/    Her Twitter handle is: @Dannie_Morin

Dannie lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Bruce, and their daughter, Calliope, who is so full of magic and eagerly anticipates her Hogwarts owl post in ten years.  She’s also a fan of all things Boston & an official unofficial Disney princess.

(vii) Sharon M Johnston

Sharon is a writer from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who has short stories published in anthologies and was also runner-up in the Australian Literary Review’s Young Adult short story contest with KARMA. By day she is a public relations executive and by night she writes weird fiction and soulful contemporaries while her husband, two sons are fast asleep.

As a Mentor in last year’s #PitchMadness & most recently #SunvsSnow; and a regular contributor on Twitter and several blog sites, Sharon is familiar with the process of ‘pitching’ from both sides of the coin.  A strong believer in supporting writers no matter where they live or what stage of the writing process they are at, Sharon jumped at the chance to again be part of another #pitch contest.

Sharon’s début YA-Science Fiction Romance SLEEPER was released in Dec -2013.  SLEEPER is the first in the Toy Soldiers Series. You can find Sharon at: http://downunderwonderings.blogspot.com.au/

SLEEPER can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeper-Toy-Soldiers-Series-Johnston-ebook/dp/B00H1IKYXW

or through her Publishers; Entranced Publishing – http://www.entrancedpublishing.com/

(viii) Sharon Bayliss 

is a science fiction and fantasy author. Her début novel, The Charge, was released on 3/2/13 by Curiosity Quills Press http://curiosityquills.com/.  When she’s not writing, she enjoys living in her happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening).

As a child, Sharon enjoyed playing in mud, collecting frogs, and was so certain that there was a ghost in her closet that her mother admits that she half-expected to really find one there. She began writing her first novel at the age of fifteen (handwritten in a spiral marked ‘private’).  It’s hardly surprising she’d end up in this industry!

Sharon’s also very active on Twitter and can be found posting all sorts of stuff on her Blog: http://sharonbayliss.blogspot.com.au/

(ix) Stacey Nash

is YA speculative fiction author who eats way too many sweets while she’s writing.

She is from New South Wales, Australia. When she isn’t reading, writing, or working on her stories, she’s a mother to three kids and three kitties. It’s a full house!

Her début novel, a YA sci-fi called FORGET ME NOT comes out with Entranced Publishing http://www.entrancedpublishing.com/ on February 17, with the sequel, REMEMBER ME releasing August 11.

You can find Stacey on Twitter or on her Blog: http://www.staceynash.com/

She’s also a contributor on Aussie Owned & Read: http://aussieownedandread.com/

Phew DONE!

How Awesome is THAT LIST

But wait there’s more…. Actually you’ll have to wait

>>> see you next time, when we reveal the SLUSH BILBIES 

( and then, not long after, the AWESOME AGENT REVEALS) <<<

until nest time 🙂