On March 9th, we will be hosting another round of our Red Light/Green Light contest here at AYAP. Our judging agent is Alyssa Jennette of Stonesong Literary Agency. Last week, we
chatted with Alyssa about her path to agenting and what she looks for in the opening pages of a submission.
Alyssa has generously offered a full request as the prize for our Red Light/Green Light first place winner, so if you’d like a chance to win an agent’s insight on your entire manuscript, start prepping those submissions!
The Red Light/Green Light spring schedule will be as follows:
March 9th
Entry Day
Get those submissions in by email to ayap(at)gmail(dot)com. Submission formatting details will be posted on Thursday, March 2nd, so keep an eye on this space.
March 16th
Round One: First Lines
The first lines of a maximum of 50 entries will be posted here to wow our readers, and for Alyssa to judge.
March 23rd
Round Two: First Paragraphs
Our judge’s top 25 entries move on to round two, and are expanded to first paragraphs.
March 30th
Round Three: Pitches
The top 10 entries move on, this time showcasing 3 paragraph pitches, as would be sent out to agents in a query letter.
April 6th
Round Four: First Pages
The top 5 entries are expanded to full first pages, giving you 250 words with which to grab our judge’s attention!
April 13th
Round Five: Prize Winner Announced
Finally, we announce our winner, who will receive the prize of a full manuscript request from Alyssa Jennette.
Now you know the details of how Red Light/Green Light unfolds, and have your eye on that excellent prize, here are some resources to help you polish your opening pages.
Using Questions to Engage Your Readers
Three Ways to Hook Your Reader from Page One
Top 10 Writing Pitfalls
Promising Form and Content: The How of Great Openings
Promising Form and Content Part 2
Happy revising, and may the odds be ever in your favor! 😉
