Dispelling the Rumors and Myths about Pitches, Queries and Synopsizes

Pitches, Queries, Synopsizes, Oh My!

Twitter is an amazing social networking tool that offers the opportunity to engage people with whom you wouldn’t meet unless traveling to a conference.   #Kidlitchat moderators Bonnie Adamson and Greg Pincus host a weekly forum for those interested in children’s literature. Authors (both published and unpublished), agents and editors show up online at 6 p.m. Pacific Time to discuss a weekly topic. In order to view the conversation a person need only login to Twitter and search #kidlitchat. To participate, type your tweet and add #kidlitchat to the end of your post. Because of the hashtag, both followers and non-followers will see your post if they are participating in the forum.  

Last night’s #kidlitchat covered a topic that often keeps writers up at night. Pitches, queries and synopsizes, oh my! The conversation covered the daunting question of what to include in your pitch to adequately express the essence of your 50,000 word manuscript while using only a few lines.  Here are highlights from the discussion:

Advice:

“Focus on major plot points. Clearly define character conflicts.” Debbie Ohi writes, draws kidlit/YA. Illus I'M BORED (@SimonKidsYA, 2012). Rep: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. 

“You always need a pitch. Even when your neighbor asks you "what's the book about?" Pitch=30-second commercial.” Kristine C. Asseline Author of contemporary YA & MG fiction & non-fiction. Organizer of Central MA Kid Lit Gatherings. Repped by Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management.

“One thing my crit group has joked about is writing each other's pitches. should do it!” Amber Keyser. Amber is the Go-to-girl & YA novelist for action-adventure transmedia saga, Angel Punk. Rep'd by Stephen Fraser. Wielding pen & pitchfork from Portland, OR.

“I have a 60-word limit on the summary reviews I write for publications. I try to write one before and after I finish a project.”  Also “Synopses = plot; queries = plot + emotion; pitches = hook + plot + emotion crammed on the back of a matchbook (or in a tweet!)”  David Elzey  David is a writer and reviewer of books for children and young adults, currently unagented, working on a YA comedy set in the 1970s called THE EROSION PROJECT.

“Synopsis is about the emotional arc: what the MC wants, the struggle to get it and the resolution.” Shevi Arnold. She also said, “Plot is this happened, then that happened. Emotional arc is about the meaning behind actions.”  Shevi is an Author and illustrator of the literary fantasy, Toren the Teller's Tale, and the humorous middle-grade novel, Dan Quixote: Boy of Nuevo Jersey. 

“My wisdom on pitches is here. press Kurtis Kurtis Scaletta is a kid lit author, online ed manager at @loftliterary, baseball fan, dad. Rumors that I'm building an army of robots to take over the world are unconfirmed.

“Great resource from Georgia McBride - head to http://YALITCHAT.org to see real pitches and responses from Agents and Editors.” Greg Pincus Greg Pincus writes poetry, novels, and screenplays, blog kidlit at gottabook.blogspot.com. He also talks social media strategy at the Happy Accident.· http://www.thehappyaccident.net

“Leave out all extraneous detail. Make sure you focus on what's at stake for your protagonist.” Danielle Rumore Danielle is a PR exec by day. Aspiring YA novelist by night. Part-time runner. Defender of boy books. Repped by John Rudolph of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

“1st tip is to remember queries and synopses are different things. Queries should not try to tell "the whole story." And “For the pitch in your query letter, just the tease, not the resolution.” E.M. Kokie E.M. Kokie’s  debut YA novel PERSONAL EFFECTS to be published by Candlewick in 2012. Represented by Chris Richman of Upstart Crow.

“Agree with E.M. Kokie - queries are meant to "hook" someone. Get them interested enough to request MS - but don't tell too much!” Danielle Rumore

“For pitch-make sure you have something in there about what is interesting/different about either character or situation” Dee Garretson  Dee is the author of WILDFIRE RUN & WOLF STORM HarperCollins teacher's/bookclub guide http://bit.ly/gaYWr9 GARGOYLE IN THE SEINE, his. mystery, repped by Michele Rubin Writers House

“It's all about....who is this character? What do they love (and fear) more than anything?” Crissa Chappell Crissa is the author of TOTAL CONSTANT ORDER (HarperTeen). Next up is NARC (Flux summer 2012).

“Pitch=what is your book about? Synopsis=tell me the plot, who is the book about and what happens, including  the ending.” Jill Corcoran Jill Corcoran is a Literary Agent with Herman Agency. Editor of DARE TO DREAM...CHANGE THE WORLD, Kane Miller Books, Fall 2012.

“Even when I don't need official synopsis, I always write a pitch during process to keep writing on track.” Jody Feldman Author of books even boys will read. Thanks AZ and GA for making The Gollywhopper Games your winner! And look for The Seventh Level, now in paperback.

My favorite tweets of the night include advice for writing a one page, three paragraph query letter:

“@mimicross: @crissachappell my fav query formula is, The Hook, The Book, & The Cook, basically 3 paragraphs”

“The three paragraphs of a query are: 1)Why this agent 2)the book's hook 3)Why you” Shevi Arnold.

Questions:

Q: “I've been told not to ask questions in the pitch/hook. Agents/editors please weigh in on that.” Julie F Hedlund, Julie is Author of Children's Picture Books + Freelance Writer, Essay Writer, Travel Writer.  

A: “Don’t ask questions in your pitch/hook” Jill Corcoran.

Q: “How about questions in the query? Questions like, "Will Susie make it to the palace in time to catch her prince?" Been told it's a no-no.” Julie Hedlund

Q: “Why is that a no-no?” Katie Davis  Katie writes books. Draws pictures. Records podcasts. Makes movies. Has webinars. Gives speeches. http://www.katiedavis.com

A: “It isn't, if it is at the end.” Jill Corcoran

Q: “Some say PITCHES aren't for kid lit and only queries and synopsizes are used to land an agent. Is it true that PITCHES are for adult lit only?? True or False? #kidlitchat” Kim Tomsic @bkshelfdetectiv (that’s me!)

A: “False.” Jill Corcoran

A: “Don't know who told you that. I've been to pitch sessions at SCBWI conferences.” Shevi Arnold.

Q: “Jill, have you moved next step with someone (now a client) based on starting with an elevator pitch or only w/ queries?” Kim Tomsic

A: “Oh yes, I have been moved to action by an elevator pitch, but the ms has to stand on its own.” Jill Corcoran

Q: “Hi, Tommy Greenwald. Did you personally Pitch Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading to agent or Nancy Mercardo or did you query?” Kim Tomsic

A: “I pitched CJJ to agent as PB called THE BOY WHO HATED READING, her advice was to make it MG.” and also “then I sent her new title (CCJ's GUIDE etc) and first couple chapters and she was interested... “Tommy Greenwald Tommy is the author of Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading (Roaring Brook Press). He is also an ad guy and kids book writer, father of charlie, joe, jack and charlie joe jackson.

Q: Should your query represent/show your main characters voice or even be written in the main character’s voice?

A: “Voice is like salt in a query = a little goes a long way. Get the flavor of the MC's voice, but don't overpower.” E.M. Kokie. E.M. Kokie’s  debut YA novel PERSONAL EFFECTS to be published by Candlewick in 2012. Represented by Chris Richman of Upstart Crow.

General Thoughts:

“Pitch sessions are like speed dating--harrowing concept, IMO :-).” Bonnie Adamson Children's writer/illustrator, represented by Marietta B. Zacker; ARA/IC, SCBWI-Carolinas; co-host of #kidlitchat and #kidlitart.

“Pitches are not hard unless you don't have a clear understanding of what your book is about. If you do, just answer that question.” Jill Corcoran

“Weird to (1) write novel ~80K (2) distill to 1 page synop (3) 1 paragraph hook/pitch (4) 1 sentence for elevator. Whew!” Amber Keyser.

RESOURCES:

Jane Friedman's blog includes a fantastic article called  "The Basic Pitch Formula for Novelists" Here she provides step by step instructions for crafting a perfect pitch.

My wisdom on pitches is here. press Kurtis Kurtis Scaletta is a kid lit author, online ed manager at @loftliterary, baseball fan, dad. Rumors that I'm building an army of robots to take over the world are unconfirmed.

“Great resource from Georgia McBride - head to http://YALITCHAT.org to see real pitches and responses from Agents and Editors.” Greg Pincus Greg Pincus writes poetry, novels, and screenplays, blog kidlit at gottabook.blogspot.com. He also talks social media strategy at the Happy Accident.· http://www.thehappyaccident.net

Yoga Poses to Ward Off the Evils of Writer's Block

Yoga Poses to Ward Off Evils such as Writer’s Block

by Kim Tomsic          

As I bowed forward in a yoga pose meant to flush my lymphatic system, the yoga teacher announced that we were “loosening the noose of our judgmental mind.” It was an “Ah ha” moment that reminded me that yoga is a fantastic tool to dissipate the dreaded writer’s block. With the proper hold, move, twist and asana there are several opportunities to have the body work to dissolve that metaphorical noose that may lay siege to the imagination.

The inspiring pose:

Eagle: Eagle requires the student to wrap their right elbow under their left elbow, followed by twisting the right forearm around the left forearm until the hands connect above the twisted arms; the second part of the pose requires balancing on the left foot while placing the right thigh over the left thigh and then hooking the right foot behind the left calf. Hold and squeeze. Repeat on the other side.

What’s in it for the writer: This pose squeezes the lymphatic system causing it to flush and refresh. What’s the benefit? The lymphatic system not only helps the immune system by removing excess fluid, waste, debris, dead blood cells, pathogens, cancer cells and toxins from your body, but it also works with the circulatory system to deliver oxygen, nutrients and hormones. To me that’s a recipe for a fresh batch of creativity.

In addition to Eagle, there are several poses to loosen the noose of the mind. Down dog is known to improve focus and stimulate the mind. Rabbit is a pose that nourishes the brain and is great for memory, focus and relieving mental fatigue. Standing Leg Stretch increases circulation to the brain and adrenal glands. And Kundalini Yoga is an entire class that can create an internal center of creative energy.

Why am I not describing exactly how to achieve these positions? Because I think it is important to learn from a teacher, to be safe, and to tweak your pose to achieve proper alignment. Please know that not all teachers are created equally. I am a fan of CorePower studios and Bikram Yoga because of the level of training and education their teachers possess. I’m also a fan of listening to your body and trusting (not exceeding) your comfort zone.

On a closing note, I'd like to say that even with the recent hoopla in the New York Times about yoga, I continue to show up on my mat and accept that all sports are not meant for all individuals. That is the beauty of a gift called choice.
Please take the time to answer a question. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cheers,
Kim
Questions:
Do you have a favorite pose to stimulate creativity?
What are your thoughts on the New York Times article?
What other yoga studios require their employees to go under rigorous training before allowing them to teach? 

The Sisters Brothers: A Macabre Poetical Comedy

Book Review by Kim Tomsic

When The Sisters Brothers popped up as Amazon's must-read book of the year, I happily succumbed to marketing pressures and downloaded the book. I can now report that Amazon's plug was not mere smoke and mirrors, but instead a genuine enthusiastic recommendation.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt involves two brothers who work as hired killers during the time of the gold rush. Elie Sisters, the lovable younger brother, attempts manners and big-hearted gestures. Charlie Sisters, the older brother, comes off callous, soulless, and yet somewhat reasonable. These hired killers aren't cardboard cutouts of the black hat wearing villains who typically appear in westerns. Sometimes they're lovable, charming and full of charisma. Their bizarre back and forth banter is a combination enough to create a macabre poetical comedy. For anyone who watched Pulp Fiction, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Jacket flap

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living–and whom he does it for.

With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters–losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life–and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

In a word or two: Original, hilarious, riveting

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; Reprint edition (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062041266
• ISBN-13: 978-0062041265
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches

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The Future of Us: Hagen Daz at Carrot Calories

THE FUTURE OF US: Review by Kim Tomsic         

         It's a book that offers two for the price of one! The Future of Us by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher will capture your imagination within nanoseconds. You couldn't possibly expect anything less; Mackler and Asher are two of YA’s best authors. Smoosh together The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things with Thirteen Reasons Why and the result is crafty innovation--The Future of Us.

      

Jacket flap: It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present

     Enjoying Mackler and Asher’s combined talent is like paying for an iPad and getting a free iPhone thrown in the mix; it’s like eating Hagen Daz plus crème brulee at the cost of carrot calories; it’s like paying for Ramada, but staying at the Four Seasons. You get my point.

The Future of Us is told in two alternating first person points of view: high school juniors Emma and Josh. Furthermore it’s told in the unusual format of present tense, which makes the stakes feel high. 
Many plot points keep the pages turning in this exciting book--for example there's the nostalgal of life before texting, before caller ID and before Pluto was axed off the list of planets. There's also the thrilling side of the book when readers conjure the heap of possibilities in their own life, possibilities that could be if glimpsing the future was possible.

The Future of Us, written by two award winning SCBWI members,  is a must read and easily earns a five out of five lollipop rating.

Available at:

Tattered Cover

Boulder Books

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

ISBN-10: 1595144919
ISBN-13: 9781595144911
Published: Razorbill, 11/21/2011

Is Polly Middle School's Version of Patti Stanger?

Special UPDATE:

A signed copy of this book is available SIGNED COPY FROM AUTHOR !  But only until December 15, 2014            

Tis the season for snow days, cozy baked aromas, and curling up with a good book. Author Lindsay Eland’s Scones and Sensibility won’t bring on the snowflakes, but it will satisfy any middle grade reader with fun entertainment and yummy bonus recipes.  

            Scones and Sensibility (Egmont 2010) stars a delightful yet meddling main character named Polly. Her resume includes (a) daughter to bakery shop owners, (b) Jane Austen’s biggest fan, (c) romance enthusiast (d) 20th century wannabe, and (e) self-appointed town match maker.  Polly sets out with good intentions and wild plans to provide love and romance to the needy citizens of her small shore community. But she ends up creating chaos to the point that the police become involved.  As the back of the book states, “When Polly learns the pitfalls of playing matchmaker, will she be able to patch up relationships while making sure that love can take its course?”  It’s a question to which any reader will have a fun time discovering the answer.

            Scones and Sensibility is packed with a cast of interesting characters including Jack the Nipper, the kite shop owner and Clementine, the older sister. But Polly won my heart with her throw-back ways. She prefers not getting bogged down in the world of iPhones and Wired Magazine, and instead loves the simple life of silk ribbons, doilies and romance books. Polly is no Patti (as in Patti Stanger (the Millionaire Matchmaker), but she’s well on her way!

Available for $6.99 at:

Tattered Cover Book Store

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Boulder Books

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
      Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 28, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1606841580

ISBN-13: 978-1606841587

NaNoWriMo It's on!

If you hear people saying NaNoWriMo, it's not the return of Mork from Ork. It's the shortened way to say November is National Novel Writing Month. And the 2011 games have begun!

The event includes thirty days and thirty nights of abandoned writing. The goal is to succeed at pumping out 50,000 words in one month. Many published authors claim their best work came out of participating in NaNoWriMo. Holly Cupula is one such author. Her YA book DON'T BREATHE A WORD will be published by Harper Teen for release on January 3, 2012.

Of course you don't whip out a book in one month and then print it the next month. The chapters go through an editing phase (hence Holly writing in November 2010, publishing January 2012). One Twitter participant recommended making December ReviseOhWriMo. An excellent idea.

If you want in on the excitement, it's not too late for you. Just visit the the NaNoWriMo website. They'll keep track of your word count, keep you motivated, and help you get started with writing the next breakout novel. 

Please list additional NaNoWriMo success stories in the commet section below.

Daemons in the Mist - A Book Review

"Seventeen year old Patrick Connolly has been drawn to Nualla ever since he first saw her, but as the years pass she seems to take absolutely no notice of him. Until, that is, he rescues her from a confrontation in the school hallway. Little does he know that he’s about to be thrust into a world of life altering secrets and things that shouldn’t exist, because the fog and mist of San Francisco is concealing more than just buildings."

DAEMONS IN THE MIST by author/illustrator Alicia Kat Dillmn, is a story that takes you on a journey where human and Daemon worlds collide. The opening scene takes place at a prep school in San Francisco. Think TWILIGHT, but replace vampires with daemons.  The story is packed with plot, adventure, sexual tension, and many clever twists and turns.

Daemons in the Mist is YA paranormal romance / urban fantasy cleverly presented from two first-person POVs, high school seniors Patrick and Nualla.

Patrick lives an ordinary life. He has decent grades, a small circle of friends, and parents who neglect him. His crush, Nualla, doesn’t know he exists until a bizarre encounter at school develops and she curiously acknowledges him for the first time.

Nualla lives an extraordinary life. She is beautiful, wealthy, and a Kalodaemon princess. She presents herself as human, but is truly Kalodaemon through and through. This means she’s a “good daemon, like an angel. [Kaladaemon’s] influence humans to aspire to greatness, but are not unfailingly virtuous.”

The Positives: Voice, humor, setting, pacing, characters, plot, intrigue.

The Drawbacks: Gratuitous drinking, gratuitous cussing and a bothersome use of punctuation.

Drawback: I'll get this out of the way first, because the positive is where I want to leave the focus. The biggest drawback I found in the story is the level of gratuitous drinking. The amount of alcohol consumption in this story doesn’t match the plot or contribute to the storyline. It fit in the opening scene, but afterwards it could have been axed or made as simple background noise. Furthermore, Patrick is a skinny, 5’11” boy without a lot of experience with alcohol. In the opening scene (and possibly at Skye’s club) it’s unbelievable that he could quickly consume at least six shots (and then some) without experiencing alcohol poisoning—the level of oxygenated blood would have depleted to dangerous levels when matched to the rate of the shots they took. It’s irresponsible to let YA readers think otherwise. There are other references to alcohol throughout the book promoting drinking as cool (like you can join us if you drink). I found it surprising toward the end when Patrick uses alcohol in attempt to stop his headaches. It seemed he had moved to full on addict mode, but nothing gets developed on this point. I’m certainly not against exposing the reality of teens and drinking.  It either happens in the background of a story, or it develops as a central theme. When liquor is used as a big point in a story, it fits because it adds to the plot or the character arc. In John Green’s YA fiction LOOKING FOR ALASKA, it worked with the character, plot and set of circumstances.   

POSITIVES: The positives of this story outshine the few minuses named above. Author Alicia Kat Dillman is a master at painting a beautiful scene. Her words perfectly capture an eerie and magical feel for the San Francisco mists. Furthermore, Dillman does a great job with world building and effortlessly collides the ordinary human world with the daemon world. I found it entertaining that the daemon world is created with a great super-geek genius level of technology, yet they still have an annoying level of bureaucratic red tape to deal with.

I was easily sucked into the plot since Dillman quickly moves the story forward by piling on the tension and adding riveting chapter endings. Furthermore, she clearly has a great sense of humor and successfully achieves character voice in a way that rings true. Funny one-liners are peppered throughout the story and comic relief balances the building tension. DAEMONS IN THE MIST is packed with great pacing and the right balance of dialogue, introspection and action.

Not only is Dillman a gifted writer, she is also a talented artist. You should check out her website at Kat Girl Studio.

Publisher: Korat Publishing (May 20, 2011) 

Language: English 

ASIN: B0051XZNAI

Available: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Korat (ebook and print formats offered)

Book Review of IMAGINARY GIRLS

REVIEW: by Kim Tomsic
Author Nova Ren Suma has no idea how fantastic she is. I was an instant fan when I read her middle grade debut, Dani Noir . I certainly couldn't  wait to see what she crafted for her first YA novel. When I discovered that Nova Ren Suma would be at the SCBWI summer conference and signing copies of Imaginary Girls,I planned to be first in line. It was a smart strategy, because I landed a signed first-edition copy. Can you believe she only brought ten copies of this highly desired novel to the conference? Imaginary Girls sold out in two-minutes flat, leaving about eleven-hundred disappointed shoppers. Not to worry, four additional printings have gone to press since the conference. I just checked with Tattered Cover Bookstore and they have a couple of copies on hand at each of their store locations.

My Two-cents:Imaginary Girls is a riveting tale of sisters, Chloe and Ruby. The story opens with a scene of teenage partying followed by a horrific drowning.  Chapter after chapter continue in a gripping and unsettling manner; I turned each page unsure of what was real and what was imaginary. The sisters (especially Ruby) possess the town's attention, and as you read, the characters will capture your unwavering devotion too.

Jacket Flap Description:
Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about

Where to Buy:

Tattered Cover Bookstore

Barnes and Noble (and say hello to Jeff, a great Community Service Representative with the store)

Boulder Bookstore (copies also on hand here!)

IMAGINARY GIRLS

ISBN-10: 0525423389
ISBN-13: 9780525423386
Published: Dutton Juvenile, 06/14/2011
Pages: 352
Language: English   

A Five out of Five lollipop rating!

What's a HIGH CONCEPT hook?

Agents love them, editors want them, so what are  "high concept" books? To know a high concept book, you must first meet the high concept hook.



Elana Roth of Caren Johnson Literary Agency describes a high concept hook as one where the premise is bigger than the characters and the pitch can be said in one line.


Liesa Abrams is an executive editor at Aladdin, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Books (she acquires and edits tween and middle grade fiction). She describes high concept as something that is easy to say and easy to memorize. Her example is an upcoming title byTodd Hasak-Lowy called 33 Minutes: A countdown to recess when a boy's former bestfriend promises to kick his butt.

Liesa Abrams says high concept is "something easy to say and easy to memorize."

Elana Roth describes high concept, "when the premise is bigger than the characters and when the pitch is something you can say in one line."  

Today, in Publishers Marketplace, there are two great examples of HIGH CONCEPT pitches and high concept books to come:

(the logline is separate from the high concept pitch)

NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS is great example of High Concept YA: pitched as Life As We Knew It meets Lord of the Flies to Dial by Faye Bender Lit

Art sketch by David Deen

The logline: young adult trilogy, told from the perspective of four teens as the discovery of a biological bomb in the air ducts of a busy suburban mall unfolds, the entire complex is quarantined, people start getting sick, supplies start running low, and there's no way out

David Lipsky and Darin Strauss's THE UNACCOUNTED. The  high concept pitch: teenage Jason Bourne meets The Prisoner of Zenda,

logline: a love story and an epic adventure set in both a modern-day American high school and in a glamorous Europe, to Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow, in a three-book deal, for publication in Winter 2013, by ICM/UTA (World English).

Update: these aren't perfect examples, but they are recent deals reported in Publisher's Marketplace, and now books I want to read simply based on the logline.

Kate O'Sullivan of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt won a six-publisher auction for Andrea Tsurumi's debut picture book, Accident!, in which Lola the armadillo kicks off a crescendo of calamities in her Richard-Scarry-ish world. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Stephen Barr at Writers House negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.

Neal Porter of Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books has acquired world rights to husband-and-wife team Aaron Bagley and Jessixa Bagley's Vincent Comes Home, which they are co-authoring and co-illustrating. The book is about a cat who has lived his entire life at sea and wonders what it would be like to go “home.”

Heather Howland at Entangled Teen has bought Never Apart by Romily Bernard, about a girl and boy who die repeatedly, falling between parallel worlds, but always being found by the same killer until the fall that unravels everything. Publication is slated for summer 2017; Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary did the deal for world rights.

Liza Kaplan of Philomel has acquired Emily Barr's YA debut from Camilla Borthwick at Penguin Random House U.K. in a six-figure, two-book deal. The One Memory of Flora Banks is a psychological thriller as well as a coming-of-age novel, starring a protagonist with no short-term memory who must navigate the Arctic landscape of Norway. The book will publish simultaneously in the U.S. and U.K. in January 2017.

The Body Expresses What the Voice Won't Utter: STITCHES

One look at author/illustrator David Small and you know he is a man who has overcome powerful circumstances. You know this not by something that smacks you in the face, but by his energy. It speaks a combination of grief, survival, relief, humor and freedom.  

STITCHES, a National Book Award nominee, is Small's autobiography presented as a graphic novel.  

Small takes you on an emotional journey in STITCHES. He grew up in an abusive home. At age fourteen another layer of tragedy was added to his strained existence when a tumor was discovered growing in his neck. Small, who had no real voice in his home, now had a tumor that left him literally speechless for more than a year.

He eventually gained back his ability to speak, grew up, moved out, got married, and started a career. But the tumor would not be dismissed; it insisted on haunting him again. It was when he was dining with his wife at the Fisher Lake Inn that he discovered the horrible bump in his neck had returned. Psychosomatic or not, he and his wife could visiually see the growth that sprouted over the course of a meal...or a lifetime. It occured to Small that he had dealt with his trauma medically, but he had never dealt with it emotionally...until he wrote STITCHES. He says, "the body expresses what the voice won't utter."

Small says he received healing through writing and illustrating his graphic memoir.

The story is literal and figurative: his voicelessness .As an armchair-psychologist, this tumor, which prevented him from speaking, is why he can dramatically express a wealth of emotions in a single sketch.

 

"David Small's STITCHES is aptly named. With surgical precision, the author pierces into the past and, with great artistry, seals the wound inflicted on a small child by cruel and unloving parents. STITCHES is as intensely dramatic as a woodcut novel of the silent movie era and as fluid as a contemporary Japanese manga. It breaks new ground for graphic novels. "   
Francoise Mouly — Art Editor, The New Yorker — Editorial Director, TOON Books

Stitches was nominated for the National Book Award under the category of young people's literature in 2009.

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393068579
• ISBN-13: 978-0393068573
• $15.95 Paperback/ $24.95 Hardcover list price

Available:
Tattered Cover
 Powell's Books 
 Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Want to Be a Published Children's Book Author. Contest Announced!

"MeeGenius is searching for the next great children’s book author, and is extending an invitation to aspiring and published authors to submit a manuscript. Winning manuscripts will be beautifully illustrated, professionally edited, and published online at MeeGenius. It’s as simple as writing, submitting, and having MeeGenius’ online community vote" or having a judge choose your project as their favorite.

Details:
FIRST PRIZE: Publishing Contract + $1,500 + Meegenius library donated to school of your choice.

THREE RUNNER-UP PRIZES: Publishing Contract with $500 Cash Prize
Your book will be professionally edited, beautifully illustrated, enhanced with all of MeeGenius’ features, and then published to the iPhone, iPad, Android, Google TV and the Web. In addition to the $500 prize, you’ll continue to rake in cash with royalties on each of your books sold.

QUICK DETAILS OF THE HOW AND WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR:

1.Write a great children's book for readers ages 2-8
2. 10-20 pages max, roughly 75 words per page (450 characters)
3. submit by November 1, 2011 (winner announced by March 7, 2012)
4. Follow all the formatting guidelines (see example here) and do not submit illustrations


Follow this link for guidelines AND please follow formatting instructions to a tee!

Formatting

• Make sure to Download the Example Manuscript, which shows how to properly format your entry.
• Each page should be no more than 450 characters (roughly 75 words per page).
• Triple-space between pages, and label the page number in the manuscript (please see the example manuscript).
• No text formatting — all of the type should be the same size and style.
• Please make sure your entry is free of spelling errors and has been thoroughly edited prior to entry.

Conditions

• Please review the Official Rules and Conditions, and the MeeGenius Publishing Agreement

More Questions?

• Please email the people at Meegenius at challenge@meegenius.com

FOR ENTRY FORM LINK CLICK HERE

JUNIPER BERRY a book review

The cover art for M.P. Kozlowsky's debut book JUNIPER BERRY  promises "A tale of terror and temptation." Kozlowsky delivers the trepedation in spades.

Imagine you're an only child and your parents are comprised of the best parts of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt--loving, kind, famous and beautiful. They are dream parents who adore you until something inexplicable and horrible changes everything. How would you solve what went wrong and what would you trade to get your world back?

JUNIPER BERRY is a middle grade mystery complete with famous parents, a monocular, a barking Kitty, and the very odd boy next door. But more than that, it's a Tim Burtonesque tale that offers up balloons with fright and whispers distant echos that remind readers of books like Neil Gaiman's Coraline.

JUNIPER BERRY
author M.P. Kozlowsky drawings by Erwin Madrid
Middle Grade Fiction ages 8 and up
Walden Pond Press (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers) April 26, 2011
ISBN 10 0061998699
ISBN 13 978-0061998690
List Price: $15.99

RATING: 5 out of 5 lollipop rating

Buying links:

TATTERED COVER BOOK STORE (On shelves now)
Boulder Bookstore
Barnes and Noble
The Strand