Kid Lit for Haiti Online Auction #KidLitForHaiti

What is Kid-Lit for Haiti?

Kid Lit for Haiti is an online auction featuring talent donated by authors, illustrators, editors, art directors, and agents.  100% of the proceeds benefit the students supported by the 501c3 Nonprofit organization called The Friends of HaitiInc. 
All money from this auction will be used for scholarships for students in Haiti.

This auction has ended! 

UPDATE: Thank you so much for participating in the 2014 Kid Lit for Haiti online auction. Please check back in 2015 -or subscribe to this blog so you can be notified when we offer this opportunity again!

2014 Kid Lit for Haiti raised over $3,500.00 in donations! Thank you!

What kinds of things are included in the 2014 Kid Lit for Haiti auction?

Manuscript critiques, Mentorships, Signed Books, Advanced reader copy books, Portfolio reviews, Book club set, Social Media Consultation, Membership in 12x12, and access to an online seminar.

Who is participating?

Melissa Manlove, Editor from Chronicle Children’s Books—manuscript critique (2000 words = up to five of your picture books critiqued!!!) Last chance to bid is today-December 14 2014!!****this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Jennifer Rofé, Agent from Andrea Brown Literary Agency (ABLA)—Five Page PB, MG or YA critique this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Denise Vega,award-winning author/teacher/mentor— picture book critique  this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Denise Vega, awardwinning author/teacher/mentor—critique of first fifteen pages of YA or MG this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Denise Vega, award-winning author/teacher/mentor—set of 8 books to use for book club or classroom this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Denise Vega, award-winning author/teacher/mentor—set of four novels in hard cover this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Tricia Lawrence, Agent at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (EMLA)—Fifteen page MG or YA critique this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Julie Hedlund,author/creator/social media guru—offering 2015 Silver membership in 12x12 this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Julie Hedlund,author/creator/social-media guru—course How to Make Money as a Writer this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Kate Messner, award-winning writer/teacher/TED talk celeb—signed ARCs (advanced reader copy) ofboth of her Jan. 2015 publications This auction item has closed! Thank you. 

Dan Lazar, Agent at Writers House— critique of three chapters (up to fifty pages!) This auction item has closed! Thank you.

Lindsay Eland, award-winning author, RA for the RMC SCBWI, mentor—offering critiqueThis auction item has closed! Thank you.

Lindsay Eland, award-winning author, RA for the RMC SCBWI,mentor--two signed books this auction item has closed. Thank you!

Stephen Mooser (!!!!),award-winning author and co-founder of the SCBWI—signed bookThis auction item has closed! Thank you.

Stephen Mooser (!!!),award-winning author and co-founder of the SCBWI—critique This auction item has closed! Thank you.

Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor winning author—offering two signed books This auction item has closed! Thank you.

Matt de la Peña, award-winning author—offering two signed books This auction item has closed. Thank you!

Giuseppe Castellano, Art Director at Penguin Random House, award winning illustrator, SCBWI mentor --Giuseppe is offering an illustrator's portfolio review This auction item has closed. Thank you!

Giuseppe Castellano, Art Director at Penguin Random House, award winning illustrator, SCBWI --he is also offering an illustrator mentorship in which he will work with an illustrator to bring one illustration from sketch to final--offering in-depth critiques at each stage (via email or on-line face-to-face platform.This auction item has closed! Thank you.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi, critically acclaimed illustrator, and now author-illustrator--signed and doodled copy of any book she has illustrated PLUS social media platform critiqueThis auction item has closed. Thank you!

Six Separate Critiques on the first 10 pages of your PB, MG, or YA ManuscriptThis auction item has closed! Thank you.

Signed and Doodled board book set from Illustrator Julie Rowan-ZochThis auction item has closed! Thank you.

WIN a copy of CHAINED by Lynne Kelly (click to read the glowing reviews)This auction item has closed! Thank you.

Help spread the word and you could WIN a copy of CHAINED by Lynne Kelly!

Please support #KidLitForHaiti by sharing about it on Twitter or Facebook. Then place a comment on the bottom of this post and me know where you shared. One lucky winner will receive a copy a Lynne Kelly's book, signed and personalized (shipped to a U.S. address).

REMEMBER: 1. TWEET or Facebook
                         2. Comment below, and tell me where you posted.

idea for sharing (you can copy and paste this)

CRITIQUES from Authors/Editors/Agents/Art Directors/Illustrators available on #KidLitForHaiti online auction! at http://bit.ly/10Zv9YZ

or:
Signed ARCs + signed and doodled books available from authors and illustrators supporting #KidLitForHaiti at this site  http://bit.ly/10Zv9YZ 

or
Get a CRITIQUE, a PORTFOLIO review, membership in 12x12, signed ARCs and more at #KidLitForHaiti auction http://bit.ly/10Zv9YZ  

or 

Kid Lit Publishing folks donating their talent to support #KidLitForHaiti auction  http://bit.ly/10Zv9YZ

or 

Illustrators supporting #KidLitForHaiti You can bid for #illustrator items at  http://bit.ly/10Zv9YZ

or

Authors giving away Books or Critique or Class! Why-to help students at #KidLitForHaiti here  http://bit.ly/10Zv9YZ

Auction closing times: 11:59pm Mountain Standard Time

How to bid:

Click on the above hyperlinks to bid and discover details about the generous auction donations. Bidding will take place in the comment section on the individual post where details about the participant and the item they are offering are found. 

When does the auction open and close?

The auction is now open! Items have varying closing dates. Please check each item for respective closing date (ranging from December 11, 2014 to December 16, 2014).

Tell me more about the charity Kid-Lit for Haiti supports.

THE CHARITY is a “mom & pop” nonprofit 501 (c)3 charity called The Friends ofHaiti Inc. (TFOHI). My father started this charity after he helped build a community center in 2009/2010 in Pignon, Haiti (a community with a water poverty index even lower than that of Calcutta, India). After he built the community center, he continued volunteering in Haiti and couldn’t help but notice the lack of medical care—one hospital he visited had a total of four doctors for the entire city. It didn’t take long for my dad to have his big idea—to form a charity to provide scholarships for Haitian students who want to go to medical school to become a doctor or nurse.

The terms of the scholarships we provide for the Haitian students require the student to remain in and work in Haiti for a minimum of five years upon graduation. We hope this will be a step in helping Haiti become a self-sustaining nation. Our scholarship students were hand selected from a pool of bright individuals who had no funds for school, because they’d lost either one or both parent in the 2011 earthquake; or they come from a family with a monthly income of less than $30/month (if you’d like to learn more about Christila—a young lady who my Colorado student-volunteers support—click here)

The charity is all-volunteer based; nobody in the charity takes a salary—100% of your money will directly support a student. I call it a “mom and pop” charity because, well, my dad, my stepmom, my brother and I are all involved. Furthermore, my father takes a personal interest in the life of every student we support. He visits their home, he brings them food and clothing, he visits with their teachers, and he follows up on their grades.

Last December, my father and stepmom spent the entire holiday month flying several trips from Nevada to Florida, delivering dozens and dozens of pieces of luggage to Food for the Poor, since Food for the Poor offered to share space on their plane flying from Florida to Haiti. Each tattered piece of luggage was jam-packed with medical supplies, rice, clothing and used computers—all donations for the students and their community.

Once the Food for the Poor plane landed in Port au Prince, a representative of The Friends of Haiti Inc. met the flight and received the donations to distribute to the students. Why fly—it was less expensive than shipping—and my dad and stepmom did this on their own dime. Furthermore, they didn’t just give away their time in December, 2013; in December, 2012 they also flew back and forth until they succeeded at delivering 45 pieces of luggage so the students, the school, and the Haitian community could have some essentials.

If you’d like to donate to the charity, but you did not win an auction item, please contact Kim Tomsic at:
 ktomsic @gmail.com.

Why Kid-Lit for Haiti?

I once listened to Sherman Alexie speak at a sold-out SCBWI conference; the speech came after he won the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature for his novel The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian. His speech received laughter, tears and a standing ovation—behaviors for which he expressed surprise. Sherman Alexie typically writes for the adult market, and so he acted shocked at the goodwill and generosity of folks from the children’s literature industry. Perhaps a joke, but he said something like—wow, you people root for one another. But it’s true—you’ll not find a better bunch than those in kid-lit.

The people in the kid lit industry are simply kind and generous—so it shouldn’t be shocking that I got a fast and easy YES from the folks whom I asked to participate in an auction to support a charity that finances students in Haiti.

How to bid:

Click on the above hyperlinks to discover details about the generous auction donations. Want to bid? Find the post featuring the particular item for which you'd like to bid; then add a bid by writing in the "comment" section your increased bid and your contact information. 

When does the auction open and close?

The auction is now open! Items have varying closing dates. Please check each item for respective closing date (ranging from December 11, 2014 to December 16, 2014).

What happens if I win?

Winners will be notified and must be prepared to make a donation in the amount of the high bid payable directly to TheFriends of Haiti Inc. Because there are a handful of charities all named The Friends of Haiti Inc. be sure to use the PayPal button I provide for you or follow the hyperlink in this post. Our charity is based out of Henderson, Nevada. Remember our charity name has “Inc” and also it is a “(dot) Org”. www.thefriendsofhaitiinc.org  Payment from the highest bidder is to take place immediately following the auction. After you make the payment, you’ll forward a copy of the receipt to me at ktomsic@gmail.com, and I will put you in contact with the person who is donating your winning item.

Who is the organizer behind this event ?

Hi! I’m Kim Tomsic. I volunteer in many capacities with the SCBWI. Though this is not an SCBWI event, it’s all SCBWI members donating to it. I am an author and a philanthropist, and I serve on the board of directors for my father’s “Mom and Pop” charity called The Friends of Haiti Inc. . 
WHO ELSE IS BEHIND THIS: An incredible group of high school volunteers:  Cayman Tomsic, Mei  Zachwieja, Jason Fontillas, Andrea Staehelin, and Patrick Simpson.

Corporte Sponsors of Kid Lit for Haiti: 

Thank you, thank you, thank you: 

Rock Creek Spine and Rehabilitation, 

                                Ben Oliver of Four Star Realty

                                                                                Boulder Shares. 

THESE folks have generously sponsored our students in Haiti for three years in a row:

ROCK CREEK SPINE AND REHABILITATION

Click Here to learn more about Rock Creek Spine and Rehabilitation 
Click here to learn more about BEN OLIVER of Four Star Realty
Click here to learn more about Boulder Shares and Leslie Sosnowski

BEN OLIVER,
FOUR STAR REALTY

Critique with Writers House Agent, Dan Lazar --First Three Chapters of Your Manuscript #KidLitForHaiti

KID LIT FOR HAITI:  Dan Lazar is donating a critique of the first three chapters (up to 50 pages!!!) of a middle grade or YA novel. Auction Closed! Thank you for participating!

I met DanLazar at the SCBWI conference in California; since then, he has been a generous source for quotes and interviews for the articles I’ve had published in the Bulletin (SCBWI’s member magazine). Dan is an editorial agent and has an impressive client list.

Writers House is one of the largest literary agencies in the industry. As a company, they represent a wide range of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction.

Dan is always on the lookout for distinct fiction and great, lively non-fiction. He represents adult and children's books (and for children's books, he focuses mainly on middle grade and YA). For fiction, he love stories that introduce him to new worlds -- or even better, recreate the ones he may already know. He also especially loves historical fiction of all kinds. For non-fiction, he enjoys memoirs, narrative non-fiction, all stripes and studies of pop-culture, and even small gifty books that strike his fancy and make him smile. He’s a huge fan of graphic novels and memoirs. And as the oldest child of six who has changed many, many diapers in his life, he’s equally intrigued by any book with unique views on parenting and family life.

Dan’s interests include: Literary and commercial fiction, Women's fiction, Historical fiction, Thrillers, Mysteries, Gay and Lesbian, Young adult, Middle grade, Graphic Novels or Memoirs, Judaica, Memoir, Narrative Non-fiction, Fitness, Pop-Culture, Humor

Dan has represented many adult titless, and he represented the following sales in kid lit:

Children's titles include:
DORK DIARIES, Rachel Renee Russell (Aladdin) -- TIMMY FAILURE, Stephan Pastis (Candlewick) -- POPULAR, Maya Van Wagenen (Dutton) -- JUST JAKE, Jake Marcionette (Grosset & Dunlap) -- LIFE OF ZARF, Rob Harrell (Dial) -- MOSQUITOLAND, David Arnold (Viking) -- GALACTIC HOT DOGS, Max Brallier and Rachel Maguire (Aladdin) -- STARBIRD MURPHY AND THE WORLD OUTSIDE, Karen Finneyfrock (Viking) -- THE ODD SQUAD, Michael Fry (Hyperion) -- DESMOND PUCKET MAKES MONSTER MAGIC, Mark Tatulli (Andrews McMeel) -- THE MONKEY GOES BANANAS, CP Bloom (Abrams) -- THE ORIGINALS, Cat Patrick (Little Brown) -- THE BOY RECESSION, Flynn Meany (Little Brown) -- SERAPHINA, Rachel Hartman (Random House) -- CHEESIE MAC IS NOT A GENIUS OR ANYTHING, Steve Cotler (Random House) -- THE POPULARITY PAPERS, Amy Ignatow (Abrams) -- BROTHER FROM A BOX, Evan Kuhlman (Atheneum) -- THE DEFENSE OF THADDEUS LEDBETTER, John Gosselink (Abrams) -- I'LL GET THERE, IT BETTER BE WORTH THE TRIP, 40th Anniversary Edition, John Donovan (Flux) -- MIDDLEWORLD, JP Voelkel (Egmont) -- WILL & WHIT, Laura Lee Gulledge (Abrams) -- ALFIE IS NOT AFRAID, Pat Carlin (Hyperion) -- 33 MINUTES, Todd Hasak Lowy (Aladdin)

This auction: is for a three chapter critique (up to 50 pages!!) of a Middle Grade or Young Adult manuscript with agent Dan Lazar (critique via email). If you are the winner, please format your pages in Times Roman, 12 pt. font, double spaced.

How do I bid?

Place your bid in the comment section by increasing the previous bid by increments of $10. Please include information about how I may contact you if you are the winning bidder; I can be reached for questions in the comment section here or at  ktomsic@gmail.com . 

When does the auction for a Dan Lazar critique close?

**This Auction will close on December 12, 2014**

Official UPDATE: Auction items close on their respective date at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST)

here's the math time for U.S. residents (you can simply Google the time comparison if you live somewhere else in the world) :

 Pacific Time is one hour behind mountain time; central time is one hour ahead of mountain time; eastern time is two hours ahead of mountain time so:

11:59 om MST = 10:59 pm Pacific Time or 12:59 am Central Standard Time or 1:59 am Eastern Time

What are other items on the Kid Lit for Hait (#KidLitForHaiti) Auction?

To Visit a full list of all the auction items featured on Kid Lit for Haiti: PLEASE CLICK HERE

What happens if I win this item?

I will contact the winning bidder (remember to provide your contact information!). You will make your donation at this donationlink and then you will email a copy of your receipt to me at ktomsic@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with Dan  

How do I know when new auction items are posted to this blog:

You can receive emails when new auction items are listed. Simply enter your email address in the upper left corner of this blog where it says "Follow by email". You will only receive an email when a new post is created on this blog.

How to Find a Literary Agent by Kim Tomsic

Would you like to find that perfect literary agent for your project?  This article is packed with useful advice like please don't use glitter and rainbows to get their attention.

Start your quest for an agent by researching sources like The Guide to Literary Agents (GLA). Your goal is to search the pages and find an agent who is reputable and fits the type of book you are writing (picture book,young adult novel, romance novel, biography, historical fiction, cookbook, etc.). 

In the GLA, you will find a wealth of useful information including: agents name and email address; information about the agency for which they work; the agent's client list; their website/blogsite; if they're a member of various associations (i.e. SCBWI); how the agent prefers to receive submissions (i.e. snail mail or email/ query and first five pages/query only/attachments or no attachments/ etc.) and **vitally important** the type of projects the individual agent prefers (i.e. Middle Grade or YA or Picture Book, etc.) . You can also research agents and their specific taste on their agency website and on #MSWL which stands for Manuscript Wish List.

Once you find the agents who you believe would be a great advocate for your project, you begin by writing that agent a query letter. Remember, it's crucial that your research was precise and you learned about the agent prior to submitting. If your project is a cookbook, you shouldn't send a query letter asking for representation to an agent who is looking for YA dystopian material. If you are pitching a picture book, you shouldn't write to agents who only want to represent memoirs. All your research should be complete prior to writing that query. 

Your query letter is the first impression you'll make, and agents want to deal with smart and informed people. They want to know that you’ve selected them for a specific reason vs. throwing darts. You can be sure that if your query reads like you’ve queried them and every agent on the planet, they won't waste their time with a further look.

Do:  Craft your winning query letter by telling the agent:
1. Why you chose to query them (a simple one-line sentence);
2. The logline, working title, genre, and word count of your manuscript;
3. What your manuscript is about in one interesting paragraph;
4. What's in bookstores now that is similar to your manuscript (so they can decide if it's a money maker) OR what books your book would be shelved next to (and please don’t say it’s the next Harry Potter);
5. If you've been previously published;
6. Your education, affiliations (i.e. SCBWI), or special credentials as it might pertain to this manuscript;
7. A courteous closing and how to contact you.

It's ideal to break your query letter down into three paragraphs: the hook, the book, and the cook.

Don'ts

Here are a few things not to do—no matter how tempted you are—if you want to stay professional:

Don’t tell the agent that your mom, sister, classroom, and priest LOVED your book.
Don’t call your manuscript a fiction novel (that’s like calling it a story story or a book story).
Don’t submit to multiple agents WITHIN the same agency.
Don’t pack an envelope and mail a query to a "green" office IF that agent only accepts email submissions.
Don’t add attachments UNLESS the agent says they prefer submissions that way.
Don’t have your email filtered to their trash by adding attachments, submitting to multiple addressees, or by adding special stationary and do-dads to your email…these gadgets often land your masterpiece in a SPAM folder, and the agent never has the opportunity to see your brilliant work.
Don’t address your letter "Dear Agent." Remember, address to their name and spell it correctly. The agent needs to know you’ve selected them.
Don’t add glitter and rainbows to your submission; be professional and let your writing do the talking.

For a peek at  How to Write a Query Letter, 

http://kimscritiquingcorner.blogspot.com/2013/06/ive-seen-lot-of-query-letter-posts-but.html

For more information on writing query letters, I think Nathan Bransford's award winning blog is excellent (by the way, he just left Curtis Brown, so don't query him).

p.s. Make sure you check out predators and editors to avoid disreputable agents.

Guide to Literary Agents

Guide to Literary Agents

Guest column by Dan Lazar on writing a great query letter.