I have more PBParty tips for you, after seeing a bunch of questions come in. Here’s a link to my first post of tips. I hope these posts will help your entries gleam!
Submit your first 60 words (70 max). Every word counts. That includes:
- All art notes
- Speech bubble tags
You may count words the way Word would, so hyphenated words can count as one unless-you-decide-to-put-tons-together-where-they-don’t-belong.
If you have a short sentence after 60 words, it’s okay to include it as long as the entire entry isn’t longer than 70 words. Please remember that 70 is the max. Not 72. Or 74.
Please do not paginate your entry or include spreads in the text.
WARNING: Make sure your query is professional, or it will disqualify you. It must have an enticing blurb/pitch–the kind you’d have in any agent or editor query. Don’t tell the ending, make us NEED to read your book!
Last year, a bunch of people were disqualified because they overloaded their queries to try to make up for the low word count. Make your first 60 – 70 words gleam. Believe in them! Then let your professional query make us wish we could zap your full manuscript into our hands ASAP.
You don’t need to live in the US to participate! This is open to unagented writers around the world. I put a World Clock in the FAQ of the contest page to help make sure you don’t miss our two windows on March 1: Midnight – 1 am EST and 6 pm – 8 pm EST.
Don’t wait until the last minute to get your entry ready. In case of tech issues, it’s best to send it earlier in the window. Once the second window closes, it won’t reopen until the 2022 contest.
**Most participants chose to have their entries taken down after the 2020 contest, but a few are still up on Michelle’s website. Here’s a link, in case they help. All agent and editor requests are still up! It was so much fun to watch them pour in last year…and we have more agents and editors than ever. I have a feeling we’ll have tons to celebrate in the near future!
I also have another Success Story going up tomorrow–with a query letter that worked! You can check all of them out here. I love celebrating great news and can’t wait to add more PBParty Success Stories.
Here’s what I learned from participating PBParty agents and editors. This can help you decide between a couple of stories, but always send your best work. Especially if it’s something you know you were meant to write.
Even though we had quite a few agents and editors say they aren’t looking for rhyme…a bunch love rhyme when it’s done right. And we have our Rhyming Pro, Lori Degman, to make sure any rhymers that go into the final round gleam. So there will definitely be rhyming manuscripts in the finals. Yay! But…they need to be spot on and irresistible.
I only have details from about 20 agents and editors…so these are things we’re keeping in mind, but we are hoping to find at least a few amazing entries in every category listed on the Google form. Yes, even bios this year! I’m seeing much more interest in them since last year.
I added an asterisk for each agent or editor who mentioned a category…but many said they’re open to everything, so they aren’t counted here.
Diverse/Own Voices: * * * * * * * * * * * *
STEM: * * * * * *
SEL: * * * * * * * *
Humor: * * * * * * * * * * *
Heart: * * * *
Character Driven: * * * * * * *
Lyrical: * * *
Activism/Social Justice: * * * *
Conservation/Nature/Environment: * * * * * *
Bios: * * * *
*Hook to today’s events and mood with interesting or unusual structures (not a straight chronological narrative)
Rhyming: Yes (if spot on) * * * *
No * * * * *
Avoiding:
Pandemic books & sentimental stories * *
Additional agent comments:
With the pandemic causing many publishers to tighten their belts, I’m hearing a lot of editors emphasize that they’re looking for picture books with very kid-friendly, commercial concepts, as well as Own Voices projects, particularly upbeat ones.
I’m really picky about rhyming books–they can be challenging to sell, and hard or pretty hard to get right.
The toughest sell I’ve noticed recently is books that aren’t plot-driven. If there isn’t a clear series of events and character arc, a project is much harder to place.
I’m not the best agent for didactic (lesson oriented) stories, books for the very young, toilet humor, rhyming texts.
Tough sells: Linear narratives, stories that don’t appeal to both adult and child.
I’m particularly looking for very commercial, humor-driven picture books—like the next WE DON’T EAT OUR CLASSMATES, DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, GRUMPY MONKEY, or something with series potential like THE BAD SEED.
Western landscape/National Parks (I love Evan Turk’s YOU ARE HOME)
Fun and quirky STEM that cater to kids’ interests.
I’m also looking for books with a little bit of magic and a lot of heart, like OCEAN MEETS SKY, THE BEAR AND THE PIANO, THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MORIS LESSMORE, and THE OCEAN CALLS, to name a few.
I’d especially love something on the environment and climate change, feminism, social justice etc. I’m a sucker for animal stories and fictional stories with educational elements.
I would love to find non-fiction from BIPOC creators about little known figures and STEM themes. I would also love to find a funny and whimsical book in the vein of Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings. Also anything that showcases the queer experience!
Nonfiction that delights and inspires—especially if it has a feminist/disability/multicultural/queer angle.
A story about a child who has a collection of some kind (rocks, shells, buttons, etc. – not so much baseball or character cards) (It could have a fantasy element to it, as in the splendid IN A JAR by Deborah Marcero)
I’m looking for picture books that cover difficult topics in a gentle, child-friendly way. Preferably non-anthropomorphic characters, and STEM/STEAM themed as well.
For author/illustrators: There are two agents who only rep illustrators or author/illustrators and one said:
I’m exclusively representing illustrators (including illustrators who also write) so for me, the artwork is the most important piece. I’m looking for distinct, confident styles that are technically accomplished and would be immediately recognizable as belonging to that illustrator alone.
Additional editor comments:
I am an evangelist for social justice and feminism, as well as books that innovate and break ground. I am seeking underrepresented voices, and stories that illuminate the beauty, dignity, and capacity within every human being. (I love this so much, I had to include it!!!!)
Realistic fiction that empowers children.
In addition to the weekly PBParty Celebration Sunday and Motivation Monday chats, I’ll tweet daily discussion topics at 9 am EST every morning in March. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if they don’t enter the contest. I’ll share another blog post soon with tips for Twitter discussions and great ways to become friends with more PB creatives.
*Don’t forget that the next PBParty New Draft Challenge & Critique Train is on March 25! You have plenty of time to get your ideas ready to go.
And now, I’m heading back to PBParty planning and answering questions. 🙂
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