And the winners are...

A huge thanks to everyone who entered the pitch contest.
So many fab entires! I'm glad I didn't have to decide the winners...and I'm now handing you over to Flo Nicoll (my lovely ed!) who had the unenviable task.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who’s entered this pitch – the KISS team has been absolutely blown away by the amount and qualities of entries!

We’ve spent a very enjoyable - although very difficult! -  morning reading all the 47 (yes, 47!! What a result!) entries and after much deliberating, we’ve decided on our three winners.

In no particular order, these are…

RUMOUR HAS IT by Evie Huxtable – we loved the concept of the heroine being a boyfriend-dumping professional! It’s a fun, sexy twist on the world of dating, and spot on for KISS. We can’t wait to see the fireworks between Saskia and Jamie…

INSERT GROOM HERE by Kwana – the reality TV show setting, and the fact that the heroine is falling for the very man who’s supposed to be filming her falling for someone else, instantly appealed! Can’t wait to see how Eva gets her happy-ever-after with her off-screen – and very unlikely! – hero!

THE BIG BANG THEORY OF DATING by Jane Linfoot – who can resist a burlesque heroine, how intriguing?! The ultimate in opposites attracting, and the hero’s ten-date challenge, all contributed to a really fun, snappy pitch that had us dying to read more.

So, I’ll be in touch with this talented threesome asap, and they will all get their partials critiqued within a week (although, if full manuscripts are available, we’ll be eagerly reading them too!).

However! Because the standards of this pitch were so high, quite a few others of you will be hearing from the KISS team too… watch out for the emails coming your way!

Thanks again to everyone who’s taken part, and, of course, a huuuge thanks to the amazing Nicola Marsh for hosting this pitch – I think we can all agree she’s done an incredible job!

Love Flo x

This is why I love pitch contests...expect the unexpected!

It's fantastic that Flo was so impressed with other pitches besides the lucky winners and she'll be contacting 15 of you to take a look at your manuscripts.

WOW!

Thanks again, peeps, for participating, and a huge thanks to my editor Flo and the team at Mills & Boon UK.

You guys launched my career 10 years ago and I'll never forget it.

Kiss pitch contest!

It's time for the celebrations of my 10 year anniversary in the publishing industry to begin!

Flo Nicoll, my fab editor from Mills & Boon UK is taking pitches here starting now.

Flo will choose 3 lucky winners and critique their Kiss partials within 1 week!

That's a super-fast turnaround from an extremely busy editor at a major publishing house.

Before posting your pitch, you may want to check out the imprint Guidelines below:

KISS is sharply contemporary, glossy and chic, attracting readers who enjoy a short hit of romantic excitement with a thoroughly modern twist! Smart and stylish, sweet or sexy, these stories offer fun, flirty reads featuring smart, sassy heroines, equally matched by 21st century alpha heroes!

KISS Key Elements

• Contemporary romance series with a range of sensuality – we're looking for authors who can convey that young urban feel with sparkling characters and simmering tension - either with or without the hot sex!
• This series is all about the 21st century alpha male hero!
• Vibrant, sexy, spirited, fun – but still offering a strong emotional pay off and happy ever after.
• 50,000 words.

Featured in KISS:

Sparky, spirited heroines in control of their own destinies and with friends to help them through – these ladies are more than a match for their men.

Flirty, cheeky, alpha heroes, who expect their partners to be their equals - these guys are absolutely irresistible!

KISS is: all around you! Just look out for edgy, modern-day characters, sometimes struggling, sometimes knocked sideways by love, but finding their happy endings with plenty of laughter and attitude along the way…

• TV: Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty, New Girl for their fab, witty dialogue
• Films: What to Expect When You're Expecting, Bridesmaids, 500 Days of Summer, 27 Dresses, No Strings Attached, The Holiday, Friends With Kids, Crazy Stupid Love.
• Authors: if you enjoy authors such as Kristin Higgins, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Tasmina Perry, Jennifer Cruisie or Meg Cabot you'll love KISS!

To enter the contest, leave the following in the comments of this post. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight EST on May 14th.

Title
1-3 line pitch
Email address

-Entries preferred for a completed manuscript but partials accepted.
-Contest open to unpublished & published writers.

Winners will be announced by end of this week- keep an eye out on the blog here and on my Twitter & Facebook accounts for the announcement.

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

*Editor reserves the right to not choose winners, based on quality and quantity of submissions.

So what are you waiting for?
Let the pitching games begin!

Happy anniversary to me!

10 years ago today, I got The Call from Kimberly Young at the Mills and Boon London office that changed my career.

I went from physiotherapist to published author and haven't looked back.
I'm so lucky to be doing my dream job!

My first book will always hold a special place in my heart.

Tomorrow, the celebrations kick in here with my current M&B editor, the lovely Flo Nicoll, offering 3 lucky winners a 1 week turnaround on a Harlequin Kiss partial critique (so get those pitches ready!)

In the meantime, thanks to the many writers who've contacted me about my new how-to book, celebrating 10 years in the industry.
I'm so glad it has galvanised your writing and helped clarify points for you.

Still at the introductory price of $0.99!

Amazon
Kobo
Smashwords
iTunes
And Barnes & Noble tomorrow!

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

Thanks to everyone for entering the Valentine's Day Pitch the Book of your Heart contest.

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce the winners:

LORI WILDE'S winner (critique of a partial & synopsis): Bronwyn Stuart's Mixing Business with Pleasure.


LIZ PELLETIER'S winner (Partial critique): Mustang Sassy by DL Snow
(and a bonus! A full request for A Quirkey Affair by Michelle Stuart)


LIBBY MURPHY'S winner: (critique first chapter) Live to Tell by Marisa (Winner)
(and another bonus request: Head Over Wheels by Danielle Dreger)

ALETHEA SPIRIDON HOPSON'S winner: (a full manuscript request) Julie Rowe's Molly Gets Her Man

KERRI-LEIGH GRADY'S winner: (5 page critique) Iron Guns, Blazing Hearts – Heather Massey 
(and a bonus request Project Shadow – Rachel K)

NINA BRUHN'S winner: Eve's The Waiting Game
(Nina has also emailed several participants inviting them to submit with the idea that she can bring them closer to the word count during revisions!)

A HUGE thanks to the wonderful editors from ENTANGLED PUBLISHING who generously offered their time in this contest. Much appreciated.

For the winners, you can find editor email addresses here at EP's website.

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!

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!!
 

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!

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!

Critique winners!

I'm thrilled to announce the critique winners from my pitch contest last week.

With an added bonus!

The amazingly generous Liz Pelletier (originally offering to critique the first 5 pages of one winner) has requested the FULL manuscripts of 3 entrants!

-BITERS (the winner) by Sarah Shade
-MR RIGHT NOW by Kristina Knight
-FREEFALLING by Robyn

I'd love to critique all entrants but with time constraints (I barely sleep as it is!) I've had to choose one, and that winner is:

-TOKYO DARE by Anne Van.

If you didn't win this time, please don't be disheartened.
I loved reading all the pitches and I know Liz had a really difficult time narrowing the field too.
I hope to see your books on the shelf real soon, or stay tuned for more pitch contests!

Congrats again to the winners.

Pitch & win critiques!

As most writers have discovered at some stage, synopses suck.

It's extremely difficult to take your fabulous manuscript and highlight the best bits in a succinct, cohesive way.

It's harder yet to to write a query, a 3 paragraph summary of your book.

The hardest?  A pitch, a one or two sentence summary.

So of course, that's what I'm asking you to do for a chance to win critiques.

I'm doing you a favour, honest. How can you convince someone else to read your story if you can't describe it in a snazzy, short, convincing way?

For tips, check out:

Rachelle Gardner's post on One-Sentence Summary

Nathan Bransford's post on How to Write a One Sentence Pitch

So, what's the prize?

-A critique of the first 5 pages of your manuscript by LIZ PELLETIER, senior editor & co-founder of ENTANGLED PUBLISHING (What they've achieved in a short space of time is truly phenomenal. I love working with them!)

-A critique of the first 5 pages of your manuscript by a USA TODAY, Waldenbooks & Bookscan bestseller with 30+ books under her belt. (Yeah, that'd be me!)

So here are the rules:

-As this is a blog contest, it's only open to followers of my blog (feel free to follow now to participate.)

-Your pitch must be 1 or 2 sentences max.

-Post your entry in the comments section here.  Your entry must include:

1. Title, genre, word count

2. Your polished 1-2 sentence pitch

3. your email address

-Entries must be for a completed manuscript (novellas included.)
-Contest open to unpublished writers only.

This contest will run for 1 week, entries closing 11.59pm Monday 16th October.

FYI
Entangled Publishing submissions: We are seeking novels and novellas in the following subgenres of romantic fiction for publication in Summer 2012 and beyond:


•Contemporary (including category series romance.)
•Upper YA/New Adult (17-22 yo protags) that will appeal to crossover audiences

•Historical

•Romantic Thrillers

•Science Fiction
•Paranormal and Urban Fantasy
•Fantasy

Their latest October 2011 wishlist is here.

Good luck!
And please spread the word: on your blog, Facebook, Twitter.
Thanks!

(Don't forget the chance to win my latest release all week here!)