Pre-Launch Querypalooza for Writers of Color!

Due receiving less submissions than would be needed, we are unable to hold this Querypalooza and so are cancelling it. Instead, we are working on finding other ways to serve our community! Stay tuned! :) <3

Those who submitted should have received an email. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Estimated Time to Read this Post: 10 minutes

** Welcome to Some of Our Voices! **

Yes, yes, the website is new and pretty. We'll give you some time to look around :)

Did you check out all the pages? How bout this one?

Did you follow us on Twitter? Well, what are you waiting for! 

Are you back? Isn't it so pretty :)

well, before we ~officially~ jump-start this organization, we wanted to do something just for us, by us.

A taster of what's to come, of sorts. A way to nurture ourselves and each other.


So, take it away, SC!


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Hi all! I'm SC Author. It's time for

a Querypalooza (*not* a contest) for us writers of color!!!!!!!!

Update: A new announcement!!!!!!!! Please say hi to Deb!!

Hello there! I'm Deb, your co-host for Become An Agent! I'm a speculative fiction writer hoping to help showcase black women as main characters in fantasy & science fiction. As I write this, my current manuscript is in submission limbo, so cross your fingers on my behalf. If you have any questions or general need of help, my Twitter handle is below. I tweet and retweet in sporadic bouts, but I reply if tagged. If you're into ramblings and video game obsessions, you can also join me over at my blog for weekly posts when I keep up with my schedule.


Twitter: @DebtheAuthor
Blogger: www.thewritemage.com

What is this Querypalooza?

If you ever participated in Become an Agent...well, this is the same thing (lol). It's the fifth time I'm hosting it! This is a 'contest' all about queries and first 250 words. Will you stand out amongst the plethora of queries in the agent's inbox?

What if we told you we can figure that out without querying agents?

When I was querying (and even now), I always wanted to know, "Will my query work?" "What if I was the agent and I had to request pages?"

So, from there came #BecomeAnAgent. This is a critique session BUT WITH A TWIST. Read on below to find out what the awesome twist is.

I got the idea from the Authoress's Public Slushpile Contest.

This Querypalooza does not involves agents, editors, or publishers.

The Details

Who can submit: All writers of color! Writers of color with #OwnVoices novels are especially encouraged.

Why: Movimiento Cosecha's 9th principle is "Everything we need is already in our community." Let's put that into practice and feel the beauty of our colors.

When: Submission deadline is January 10th, 2017, 5 pm EST. (Please, if you can, submit earlier so we have more time to set everything up.) The Querypalooza will start on January 13th, 2017 at 8 am EST and run until January 20th, noon (12 pm EST) - when we will officially launch "Some of Our Voices" and open our mailing list to everybody - writers of color and white writers, for coalition building.

How to submit: Through a Google form that will be sent out through our mailing list. Unless hundreds of people submit, everyone that submits will be able to participate!

What:

• On January 10th, all of the entries will be published on this blog with a post number.
• The basis is this: Each entrant is required to vote YES or NO (as to, "If you were an agent, would you request pages?") on the seven queries above their post number, and give an explanation as to why (can be as short or long, as generic or specific, as you want). So if you are #8, you'll critique Numbers 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. But, say, if you are number 3, you will critique numbers 2, 1, (then start from the end, let's assume we get 20 entries) 20, 19, 18, 17, and 16. All the posts will be numbered.
• BUT...... THERE IS:

~THE TWIST~

• Out of the seven queries you vote on, you can only vote YES on TWO!

Yes! We are going to make this as agent-like as possible.

You have to pick the best two queries out of the seven you are assigned. If you are extra-awesome and want to critique more than seven, then you get one more "Yes" for every four you critique. If, for some reason, you only critique one more, that one CAN be a "Yes." But if you critique more after that, you must give out 3 "No's" before you can give out a "Yes." Ask questions in the comments below for the nitpicks: it does get confusing. You MUST critique the seven posts above yours before going on to more.

You do NOT need a finished manuscript to enter.

I hope that this will be tons of fun, but even more so, I hope this will be helpful. Even without an agent, you will see whether your query and 250 are working or not and why. We can become agents for a little while :D (Wow, imagine a publishing industry with so many incredible agents of color!) And, hopefully, this will help to everyone in query frustration land.

I'm counting on you guys not to tell people which is your entry :) Doing so will only harm you, and I have faith in all of you that you want this to be constructive. But feel free to spread the word about #BecomeAnAgent!

Some brief clearer-upper points of conduct:

1. HAVE FUN! PLEASE PLEASE HAVE FUN! Oh. And hope this helps you, too :D

One more thing:

You must must MUST read this post before entering. 

This Querypalooza is brutal. You will get No's. You might not think so right now but it is BRUTAL. You'll absolutely hate what some people have to say, you'll want to trash their critiques. Don't shrug it off. I'm telling you it will happen. We always have writers that are almost in tears because of this Querypalooza.

And also: it's really a helpful, good event. In fact, for many writers, it was one of the most constructive and helpful things to happen to their books. (If you participated in it before, please share your experiences over Twitter (#BecomeAnAgent) and in the comments below.) SO many writers have told me how helpful #BecomeAnAgent was. It is hard. But honestly, would you rather have this or rejections from agents?

AND PLEASE, tell us if we're missing anything. Ask questions below.

We'll be Tweeting under the Twitter hashtag #BecomeAnAgent! Twitter really is amazing for authors to connect and celebrate together :D It'll be fun.

We'll post more guidelines about ethically voting and voting fairly when all the posts go up :) The critiques and the explanations for the votes are really the biggest part of #BecomeAnAgent.

Does anything need clarification? We truly hope you guys enjoy this! Are you excited?