NEWSFLASH: a DearEditor.com “FREE Fiction Edit” Giveaway

Dear Readers…

You’ve been on the Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies journey with me, so you should be a part of its milestone celebrations—and there’s cause to celebrate now. On Monday I received word from my editor that the manuscript is now final and moving on to production: “You’re done!” I celebrated with my family by treating them to a night of grand desserts; I celebrate with you by giving away a free Substantive Edit* of one fiction manuscript. Yes, this one is open to young adult fiction AND fiction for grown-ups. Scroll down using the sidebar on the right for all the rules:

1. Your manuscript must be FICTION FOR ADULTS or YOUNG ADULT OR MIDDLE GRADE FICTION (no picture books), ANY GENRE (general, sci fi, romance, steam punk . . . you get the idea; no non-fiction like how-to’s or memoirs, as fictional as those may seem).

2. Your manuscript must be COMPLETE.

3. Your manuscript SHALL NOT EXCEED 80,000 WORDS.

4. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified.

5. Deadline: MIDNIGHT, APRIL 21, 2011, PST.

6. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on APRIL 22, 2011.

TO ENTER:

One entry –  SEND EMAIL to DearEditor.com using the “Write to The Editor” button at the top of this blog. Type “Dummies Celebration Giveaway” in the subject line. In the body of the email, include TITLE of manuscript, YA or MG or ADULT, WORD COUNT, and YOUR FULL NAME. (If you have any difficulty with the contact button, send an email entry directly to dear-editor@hotmail.com.)

Bonus entry – SUBSCRIBE. DearEditor.com subscribers get a bonus entry by sending a second email with “Subscriber’s Bonus Giveaway Entry” in the subject line and your title, YA or MG or ADULT, word count, and full name in the body. (Note: the Editor will verify!) Not a subscriber yet? Then subscribe now by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of this blog and then email your second entry.

Extra bonus entries – SPREAD THE WORD. Blog, tweet, or otherwise electronically tell others about this giveaway to get additional entries. Send an email to DearEditor.com with “I Spread the Word!” in the subject line, and in the body include a link to your blog post or your Twitter address or your Facebook wall or whatever social media you used to spread the word. Don’t send screen-shots; attachments won’t be accepted. Include your title, YA or MG or ADULT, word count, and full name in the body. Spread the word more than once? Then send an “I Spread the Word!” email for each one!

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules will be disqualified, at the Editor’s discretion. Disclaimer: I do not share or in any other way use your contact information; it’s collected solely for winner contact purposes at the end of the giveaway.

*In a “Substantive Edit,” the author receives general feedback about the manuscript’s overall pacing, organization, narrative voice, plot development/narrative arc, characterization, point of view, setting, delivery of background information, adult sensibility (children’s books only), and the synchronicity of age-appropriate subject matter with target audience, as the Editor determines appropriate and necessary after reviewing the entire manuscript. It is not a word-by-word, line-by-line “Line Edit.”

Okey-dokey, that covers it. After the giveaway I’ll announce the winner and then get back to answering great reader questions, featuring great guest editor posts, and planning a whopping virtual book launch for the Dummies book. Seriously, the launch will be big: multiple days filled with daily giveaways, features, and free downloads. More on that as the July 5, 2011, pub date nears.

Happy writing!

The Editor

 



40 Comments

  1. What a fabulous opportunity! I just wish my ‘finished’ novel was really ready and not kinda, sorta done. 🙂

  2. So exciting for you to be at this point for YA FOR DUMMIES! Big hugeous congrats. And thanks for the opportunity to win an edit, with this contest! I will spread the word.

    • Thanks, Carol. It’s a fast-happening book, but the editors at Wiley were a true joy to work with. They share my particular brand of humor, which is always nice in an editorial relationship. Gotta laugh while you work, right?

    • Thanks, Susan. I’m glad I’m getting the chance to know you. I can’t remember what life was like without technology allowing us to reach across continents as if we were just chatting over the back fence.

  3. My novel’s not at the finished stage… Just wanted to say congrats and that I’m looking forward to picking up the book in July.

  4. I want to enter this really badly because, after firing two agents and not having any luck finding a third that I can handle, I think my novel needs a fresh new edit. However, my novel is longer than 80K words (which is part of the reason I’d like a fresh set of eyes on this puppy) and I haven’t enough time to edit it to make it short enough to enter this by the deadline. Sadness sets in, but such is life. Good luck to all.

  5. Woo Hoo! Congrats on finishing your manuscript. Can’t wait to get a copy of the book itself. When will it be coming out??

    And thanks for the giveaway. What a cool thing to do.

    • Am I terrible, Carmen?: I’ve talked some friends into taking me out to celebrate again this week . . . at the same dessert place. Wicked! But I’m sure fellow dessert-ees like yourself understand. 😉

  6. I’m writing my first YA historical fiction. It’s not ready for an edit yet. boohoo Can I apply for a partial edit? I could use the help. dancekam1(at)yahoo(dot)com.

    • Alas, it’s full mss this time, Kathy. But I’ll almost definitely be giving away partials during the Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies book launch the first week of July.

  7. Wow, had I learned about this blog site sooner, that would have pushed me to finish my adventure romance manuscript faster. This would have been just what I needed. Oh well. I’m in the know, now. Great post!
    @kdelley on twitter.

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