The Eastern PA SCBWI Equity and Inclusion Team is excited to offer two scholarships for our Query Grind 2022 webinar series including query package critiques and a submission opportunity! The deadline for scholarship applications is October 20, 2021. See details below.
About Query Grind
Do you have a middle grade or young adult manuscript ready or almost ready to query? Join us for our Query Grind 2022 webinar series as three industry professionals discuss how to strategically query and start working with an agent, plus a bonus editor webinar on selecting the right comp titles and a submission opportunity!
January 27, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Things To Know About Literary Agents with Literary Agent Linda Camacho, Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency: You’ve written and polished that manuscript, so now what? This webinar will go over next steps in your journey to publication, from how to land one, yes, but most of all, how to actually work with an agent. An agent’s role in your writing career is a big one, but what do they do and not do, exactly?
February 24, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
No Stress Comp Titles—Choosing the Right Comparison Titles for Your Book with Editor Rachel Diebel, Feiwel & Friends: For querying writers, choosing comparison titles can be a daunting task – finding the right titles that both show your project’s place in the market and also demonstrate its uniqueness can feel impossible! As much as we love to hate them, getting the right comp titles is an essential part of positioning your work, from the query letter all the way to publication. This webinar will explore the basic rules for selecting appropriate and effective comp titles and how to use them to position your book in a query letter, as well as giving a “behind the scenes” look into how comparison titles are used on the editorial side of the business.
March 21, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Voice: Level Up! Exploring Commercial vs. Literary Voice with Literary Agent Leslie Zampetti, Dunham Literary: What do agents and editors mean by voice? How do commercial and literary voice differ? How can you develop or improve your authorial voice? Come explore the multiple levels of voice in this webinar with agent Leslie Zampetti as she shows you how to enhance and optimize your authorial voice. This presentation includes mentor texts, exercises, and tips on distinguishing between various voices and developing your own distinct voice.
May 19, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Tackling (and Surviving!) the Query Trenches with Literary Agent Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary Services: Seeking representation is a daunting process with all sorts of unspoken rules that can sometimes feel arbitrary and frustrating. This presentation will address how best to strategize querying literary agents: the dos, the don’ts, and the don’t worry abouts of composing and sending query letters, along with some suggestions for how to cope with the uncertainty of this phase of your writing career.
All presentations will be recorded and the recording link provided to all participants registered prior to the event. See registration page for registration cutoffs for each webinar.
About the Scholarships
The Equity and Inclusion Team of Eastern PA SCBWI is honored to announce two full scholarships with the complete three-query critique package to be awarded to story creators whose work promotes the mission of the Equity and Inclusion Team. These stories should allow all children to embrace and celebrate their own experiences as well as foster appreciation for the richness of other cultures and lived experiences in our world.
To apply, please email the following with “Query Grind Scholarship” in the subject line to epa@scbwi.org:
- A brief letter of introduction, explaining how you/your manuscript connects to the mission of the Equity and Inclusion Team
- A 5-page sample from your manuscript
Application deadline: Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Current SCBWI members who reside in Eastern PA will be considered first, but current members from other regions may also apply. Please note that if no applicants meet the requirements, Eastern PA SCBWI reserves the right not to award the scholarships for this event.
About Query Package Critiques
A limited number of query package critiques are available with this webinar series. A query package consists of a one-page query letter; a one-page synopsis (single spaced); and the first 20 pages of a manuscript (double spaced). Query packages will be critiqued by all three agents in the series—Linda Camacho, Leslie Zampetti, and Saba Sulaiman.
As a bonus, critique participants only will have an opportunity to submit to editor Rachel Diebel after the third round of critiques are returned in July. To participate in this opportunity, register for a query package critique.
For more information, including submission due dates, see the registration page at https://epa.scbwi.org/events/webinar-series-query-grind-2022/.
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