My Picks for Query Kombat
So as I said on twitter nine of my picks are going strong into the second round. Those I don't want to disclose yet. But what about the other ones? And the alternates? I know there are a lot of questions about which host picked what entry?
I've been in enough contests myself to know how much closure helps. It's hard to be almost there or to be wondering if you were a close candidate. Please remember how subjective this writing business is. Votes in a contest are no indication of where a story can end up. You can't judge a work of pages and pages by the query and first page alone. I do expect there will be many success stories because of Query Kombat and many success stories for entries that didn't make it into the contest. The best way to ensure this is to be persistent and keep moving forward. Don't let the subjective nature of the industry get you down.
And speaking of subjective, did my picks have anything in common besides great queries and strong first pages? Well, they tended to have humor in their first page. Sometimes unexpected humor. They also tended to be middle grade and quirky. But there were one or two I picked simply because they featured a topic that really appealed to me personally. I would likely give a pass to an amazing entry of a darker or more serious subject. See what I mean--subjective.
I was rooting for each and every one of my picks, even when they were fighting against one another. I wish you guys all the success in the world. If you get an agent or a publisher, please let me know. Nothing would make me happier! Here they are in no particular order:
History Hound
Wytchcraft
Avenging Angels
Repo Girl
Dream Pirate
Burrito Thief
The Space Mafia
One-Eyed Cat
Wishwell
Too Many Legs
Whispering Willows
Alternates:
Rocketeer
Gia
Bacon
Eye on her Head
Quest Seeker Unleashed
Princess of Christmas
Genie Smackdown
StageKiller
And I saw a lot of brilliant entries that my co-hosts nabbed for the contest or were part of their alternate choices. Round 2 begins tomorrow over at SC's blog, and I hope you cheer on the remaining 32 Kombatants.
I've been in enough contests myself to know how much closure helps. It's hard to be almost there or to be wondering if you were a close candidate. Please remember how subjective this writing business is. Votes in a contest are no indication of where a story can end up. You can't judge a work of pages and pages by the query and first page alone. I do expect there will be many success stories because of Query Kombat and many success stories for entries that didn't make it into the contest. The best way to ensure this is to be persistent and keep moving forward. Don't let the subjective nature of the industry get you down.
And speaking of subjective, did my picks have anything in common besides great queries and strong first pages? Well, they tended to have humor in their first page. Sometimes unexpected humor. They also tended to be middle grade and quirky. But there were one or two I picked simply because they featured a topic that really appealed to me personally. I would likely give a pass to an amazing entry of a darker or more serious subject. See what I mean--subjective.
I was rooting for each and every one of my picks, even when they were fighting against one another. I wish you guys all the success in the world. If you get an agent or a publisher, please let me know. Nothing would make me happier! Here they are in no particular order:
History Hound
Wytchcraft
Avenging Angels
Repo Girl
Dream Pirate
Burrito Thief
The Space Mafia
One-Eyed Cat
Wishwell
Too Many Legs
Whispering Willows
Alternates:
Rocketeer
Gia
Bacon
Eye on her Head
Quest Seeker Unleashed
Princess of Christmas
Genie Smackdown
StageKiller
And I saw a lot of brilliant entries that my co-hosts nabbed for the contest or were part of their alternate choices. Round 2 begins tomorrow over at SC's blog, and I hope you cheer on the remaining 32 Kombatants.
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