Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 47

From pitch to published!

I was absolutely delighted to receive an email recently from Robyn Thomas, one of the winners of my last pitch contest, saying she is now published!



Here's what Robyn had to say:



It COULD happen to you! If you're considering entering the VALENTINE'S DAY PITCH THE BOOK OF YOUR HEART contest then please read on...



I entered Nicola's last Entangled pitch contest – in October 2011 – and went on to sell the book, currently titled Freefalling, to Lori Wilde's Indulgence line. I'm all set for a May 2012 release, and you could be next!



My one sentence pitch was one of the three chosen by Liz Pelletier, and (after picking myself up off the floor) I sent her the full ms a few days later. I went back to my work in progress, and tried not to think about it.



The weeks ticked by, and I began to check my inbox with more trepidation. An email arrived and I skimmed it about a dozen times, looking for the words regret, however, not at this time, or anything of a negative nature. But those words weren't in there. It was an offer! Entangled Publishing wanted to buy my book for their Indulgence line.




It has only been a few weeks since I got The Call, but I've already heated up my ms to match the line, submitted something else for consideration, and pitched a possible series. And I'm anticipating my first cover, which I just know I'm going to love.



It's an amazing experience… and it all started with a pitch on this very blog. Why are you still reading? Polish those pitches, and enter the contest!



So there you have it!

The contest starts tomorrow so I hope you have your pitches ready to wow the editors.

 

And in breaking news...

I have another fabulous editor joining in the judging!

 

NINA BRUHNS, the Editorial Director for Entangled's Dead Sexy imprint, will request a partial and synopsis or a full manuscript and synopsis.

 

She'll let the author know what problems, if any, they need to tackle in order to publish with Dead Sexy and if close, her editors will work with the author to get it in shape for publication.

 

Thanks Nina!

 

So what are you waiting for?

The Valentine's Day PITCH THE BOOK OF YOUR HEART contest starts here tomorrow!!

 

Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart contest!

It's time for the VALENTINE'S DAY PITCH THE BOOK OF YOUR HEART contest to begin!



I have 6 editors from Entangled Publishing taking pitches here from today to the 10th February.



Winners will be announced on Valentine's Day!



Pitches can be for any age-range, any genre, and lengths from 10k to 120k words.



"Entangled is a boutique publisher of romance fiction. We pride ourselves on quality stories and commercial covers, and our innovative business model offers our authors the best of indie and traditional publishing. To find out more, see our website. And don't forget to look through our current open submission calls."



Before posting your pitch, you may want to check out the Imprint Guidelines on their website.You can also check out each editor's current wish-list over the last week right here on this blog.



To enter the contest, leave the following in the comments of this post. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight EST on Feb 10th.



Title

Genre/Sub-genre

Word Count

1-3 line pitch

Email address



-Entries must be for a completed manuscript (novellas included.)

-Contest open to unpublished & published writers.



You do not have to indicate which editor you are pitching to; all the editors will read all of the entries. Each editor will choose at least one winner.

Winners will be announced Valentine's Day- keep an eye out on the blog here and on my Twitter account for the announcement.



You can post up to two different pitches, but each pitch must be written in a separate comment.



*Editors reserve the right to not choose a winner, based on quality and quantity of submissions.



So what are you waiting for?

Let the pitching games begin!

Editor's wish-list: Kerri-Leigh Grady

Hope you all spent a lovely weekend honing your pitches for the Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart contest starting here tomorrow!



Here's what Kerri-Leigh (Associate Editor at Entangled Publishing) is currently interested in acquiring:



She loves paranormal romance and UF worlds that aren't complicated by numerous mythical beasties, smart romantic comedy, dark comedy, romantic thrillers/suspense/horror, dystopian romance including steampunk, reunions, BFFs falling in love, marriage of convenience, [strong] woman in jeopardy, man in jeopardy, supernatural elements, clever monster elements, multi-cultural characters, alpha nerds, high stakes adventure, and general hilarity.

She's open to F/M, F/F, and M/M pairings in all heat levels.



For Indulgence, she's looking specifically for the following: reunions, BFFs, marriage of convenience, ugly duckling, [strong] woman in jeopardy, man in jeopardy, road trip, alpha nerds, high stakes adventure and suspense, forbidden love, fish out of water, and smart romantic comedy. I'd love to find a military hero where the romantic conflict rings true and is related to the challenges of being a mil-girlfriend or milspouse.



Kerri-Leigh is generously offering a 5 page critique as a prize.



Thanks Kerri-Leigh!



So there you have it.

You've met the editors.

You know what they're after.

And if you've written something completely out of the box, that's great too.



Pitches start right here tomorrow!

Editor's wish-list: Alethea Spiridon Hopson

Alethea Spiridon-Hopson is the Managing Editor & Senior Editor for the Indulgence series.



Here's her current wish-list:

Boss-secretary with a twist: not actually bosses and secretaries, but in different setups like Leanne Banks' Shocking the Senator.



Makeover stories, but the heroine's personality can't change and it has to be done in such a way that the hero didn't just finally fall for her because she changed her appearance.



Best friend's little sister.



Single dads.



Millionaire playboy.



Reformed Rakes/ Bad boys.



The bet



Enemies to lovers.



Best friends to lovers



Nanny to wife



Temporary fiancée.



Alethea has generously offered a FULL manuscript request as a prize.



Thanks Alethea!

Cover reveal for NYT bestseller

Today I'm happy to be a part of New York Times bestseller Jenna Bennett's unveiling of her newest cover!



Here's a little about Fortune's Hero:



Last year, space smuggler Quinn Conlan was on top of the world. He had everything a man could want: a fast ship, a great crew, a gorgeous girlfriend, lots of money, and adventure and excitement around every corner.





That all changed when he agreed to ferry a shipload of weapons to the beleaguered planet Marica, currently under siege by Rhenian forces. Now he's stuck in a prison camp on the moon Marica-3, subjected to weekly sessions with the camp's "medical team," and praying for a quick death before he breaks under the torture and spills everything he knows about the Marican resistance.



When the opportunity presents itself, Quinn takes a Rhenian med tech hostage and heads into the inhospitable interior of the small moon. There, he has to keep himself and Doctor Elsa Brandeis safe from the deadly flora and fauna, as well as hidden from the prison guards searching for them, all while formulating a plan for getting his crew out of prison, his ship out of impound, and everyone out of orbit.




But when Elsa professes her love, can Quinn take the beautiful doctor at her word, or will trusting her—and his heart—condemn him and his crew to an eternity on Marica-3?



Fortune's Hero releases with Entangled Publishing August this year, look out for it in a bookstore near you!

Editor's wish-list: Libby Murphy

Today I'm introducing the lovely Libby Murphy (my fantastic editor at EP, she's truly amazing: insightful, enthusiastic, and she even makes revisions fun!)



Libby would like to see submissions for adults and young adults written with a killer voice, and she especially loves quirky characters and plots. She loves sci-fi with aliens, robots, and high tech; urban fantasy and time travel; contemporary romance; women's fiction with a strong romantic element; and suspense and mysteries. She craves humor, anti-heroes, and underdogs, and strong, capable heroines are a must. For Indulgences, she's looking specificaly for the following: Best friends, best friend's younger sister, millionaire playboy, athletes, relationship because of a bet, arranged marriages, bad boys, revenge plots, reunions, adventure (Indiana Jones meets Bridget Jones!), romantic comedy, forbidden love, geeks (hero or heroine), and military heroes. I'm not likely to request sheiks or royalty, but if the royalty is the heroine, that's definitely more likely. I'm a huge sucker for snarky heroines, funny heroes, and heroes who are the strong, silent type.

Libby is especially interested in Flirts and Ever Afters that fit the following:



Scientists or inventor-types who walk the line between good and bad (like Batman)



Paranormals with a villain hero/heroine who is redeemed by the end



Disaster or apocalyptic events in which people find love, despite everything falling apart around them (can be sci-fi, fantasy, or contemporary featuring a natural disaster, for example)



Quirky contemporaries or paranormals—humor is a must!



Sci-fi, especially if it has a Tron, I, Robot, or a Terminator type setting



Thrillers set in a small town



Zombie hunters :)



Romantic Comedy (would love to see a trilogy about a group of girlfriends finding love)



Libby is generously offering a critique of the first chapter of the winner of her choice.



Thanks Libby!

Editor's wish-list: Lori Wilde

Lori Wilde is the Managing Director of Entangled Publishing's INDULGENCE series.



Indulgence is an innovative line of category romance novels. They're looking for fresh voices and realistic stories that reflect how women live and love in the new millennium. Whether funny, mysterious, dramatic, snarky, sexy, or heartfelt, these stories are active, fast-paced, and dialogue-heavy. Be bold. Be daring. Get out of the box.





Specifically, we want:



•Quality storytelling

•Bold authors who aren't afraid to push creative boundaries

•Prolific authors who can write three to four books a year

•Proven category tropes such as matchmakers, ugly duckling, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, reunited lovers, Beauty and the Beast, emotional rebirth, lovers from different worlds, rags to riches, cops, cowboys, CEOs, etc.

•Stories featuring alpha heroes (from billionaires to the oldest brother who runs a bar) and the confident (or by the end of the book confident) women who love them

•Sparkling dialogue

•Emotional depth depicted through strong conflict, theme, symbolism and sub-text

•Manuscripts must be 45-60K words in length.



Lori Wilde has generously offered a critique of a partial manuscript (first 3 chapters) and synopsis.

 

Thanks Lori!

 

So all you writers of category romance, start polishing those pitches.

 

Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart starts Feb 8th, right here!

Editor's wish-list: Liz Pelletier

First up we have Liz Pelletier, senior editor at Entangled Publishing.



Liz judged my first pitch contest a few months ago and from that contest one of the winners is now published with Entangled!



So what are Entangled acquiring and interested in seeing during this contest?



Novels in the following subgenres of romantic fiction for our Entangled Books, Entangled Select, and Entangled Teen imprints:





•Contemporary



•Upper YA/New Adult (17-22 yo protags) that will appeal to crossover audiences



•Historical



•Romantic Thrillers



•Science Fiction



•Paranormal and Urban Fantasy



•Fantasy



-Manuscripts must have strong romantic elements.



-Adult and New Adult novels should be 70k to 120k words in length for all genres except contemporary romance, which should remain under 90k.



-YA novels should be 50k to 100k words in length.



What's on Liz's Indulgence (category romance series) wishlist:

 

Best friends, misunderstood heroines, ugly ducklings, revenge plots, CEOs and secretaries, really just about any common category trope except sheiks and royalty-related. Personal preference is for heroines with snarky voices, but a sweet-natured heroine who makes a cold millionaire smile can win me over.

 

You can also pitch for their Ever-After & Flirt imprints.

 

For all submission guidelines, check here

 

Liz is generously donating the same prize as last time, a partial request!

(Though last time, she ended up requesting 3 from pitches that caught her attention!)

Thanks Liz.

 

Stay tuned for another editor's wishlist and prize on offer tomorrow.

Pitch the Book of your Heart!

It's that time of year again, when the hearts and flowers are out in force.

Yep, Valentine's Day is almost upon us and this year, I'm doing something different to celebrate.



I'm giving you the warm and fuzzies by running another pitch contest!



I have 5 fabulous editors from Entangled Publishing offering requests for full manuscripts, partials and critiques.



Last time I ran this contest a few months ago, one of the winners sold her manuscript and is now published!



So what are you waiting for?

Go polish those pitches now!



I'll be introducing you to each editor over the next 5 days so you can get a feel for their wish-lists.

The VALENTINE'S DAY PITCH THE BOOK OF YOUR HEART contest will start Feb 7th, run until Feb 10th, with the winners announced on Valentine's Day!



Here's what you'll need:



-a completed manuscript

-a one to three sentence pitch that wows

-title, genre, wordcount, email address



The last contest was only open to unpublished writers but I've had several emails from published writers wanting to participate, so this time the contest is open to both!



For more information about what Entangled Publishing acquires, go here.



Stay tuned to meet the editors and get your pitch ready for the 7th!


And please spread the word: on your blog, Facebook, Twitter.



Thanks!

Hero wars

The fabulous folk at Entangled Publishing have come up with an innovative way for readers to meet the heroes from their books.




Hero Wars!




Starting today, follow the #herowars hashtag on Twitter for some fun!

There'll be quotes and ribbing and a general feelgood free-for-all!

And check out the Entangled blog for hero stats.




If you'd like to join in the fun, please retweet, respond and post #TeamDrew everywhere!




Shari Jones, my heroine in BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD, envisions Drew Lansford as Hugh Grant (she has a real thing for the English actor!)




Personally, I see Drew as Daniel Craig: touch of arrogance, aristocratic, hot!



Let the battle begin and may the best man win!