Slush Day contest

Call me crazy, but I actually miss the days when I would look through slush as an editor. It's fascinating to see all of the books and stories out there waiting to be discovered. Since I'm weird—and bored today, this being the more dominant factor—I'm hosting a Slush Day contest.

Basically, anyone who either posts their query letter in the comments (if you're up for public critique and feedback) or emails it to me (if you'd prefer feedback privately) will get their query letter critiqued. Every query I receive before midnight my time (7 pm Eastern Time) will receive a critique, though I can't guarantee it will be today, depending on how many submissions I receive.

The prize? The best query (or more if I so decide) will also get a critique of the first 10 pages of their manuscript.

So post QUERY ONLY in the comments below if you're up for public scrutiny. I'll make each crit into a separate post, so you could also receive feedback from the public at large, if they're so inclined. If you're a bit shy and prefer private feedback, email QUERY ONLY to slushday@belletrinsic.com .

Rules: 1 query per person. Query letter only. Any genre, fiction or non. No revisions of critiqued will be reviewed. Winners and prizes awarded at my discretion. No queries received after 7 pm Eastern Time will be reviewed. I'll offer feedback throughout the day but no guarantees on when I'll get to yours. I'll amend the rules as I see fit (i.e. if I realize I left out something really important).

If you're curious about my credentials, you can find details here. Please note: I am not an agent nor do I currently work for any agency or publisher, so submitting a query here won't get you anything other than helpful feedback.

Also, I'm not into snark when offering critiques, so you don't need to worry about being mocked. If you're up for public crit, I'll be patrolling comments to make sure a positive tone pervades. (Don't make me use the delete button!)