#FicFest is Coming! A New Contest for Finished Manuscripts in all Categories and Genres!

You may have noticed all my tweets and Facebook posts about the contest I'm playing mentor for as a picture book team leader. And maybe you're wondering what the contest is all about. Well, the count down has begun, and I'm happily taking part in the promotional blog tour to get the information out there and tell all my readers, supporters, and writerly friends that if they have a shiny, ready-to-go manuscript by early April, they need to consider this contest!

What is #FicFest?

#FicFest is an online writer’s contest which helps put manuscripts in front of literary agents. This contest, unlike most, is open to manuscripts in ALL genres (including those usually excluded such as Paranormal Romance or Erotica) in the categories of Picture Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult.

#FicFest mentors are structured into fifteen (15) teams. Each category that I listed has three teams. Each team is comprised of a team leader, and two (2) team members. Once the submissions open, each team will choose three (3) finalist manuscripts and one (1) alternate manuscript to advance to the agent round. This means that an equal number of manuscripts for each category will move to the agent round, guaranteeing that one category does NOT overpower another when it comes time for the agents.

Forty-five (45) manuscripts total move to the agent round, with 15 manuscripts being held as alternates in case one of the main finalists drops out of the contest for any reason. This is one of the things we stress in promoting #FicFest because most contests are overrun with Young Adult. In many contests, they may advance 40 manuscripts to the agent round, but the problem lies in the fact that 30 of that 40 are all Young Adult. That won’t happen with #FicFest.

Nine manuscripts from each category will make their appearance in the agent round. No more, no less. NINE each. Let me stress this one more time. In the agent round, you will have 9 Picture Books, 9 Middle Grade, 9 Young Adult, 9 New Adult, and 9 Adult. Everyone gets a fair chance.

We are adding more agents every day and while I can’t give you a solid number, I can tell you that we have close to two dozen confirmed to participate in our agent round and we can’t wait!

For more details, check out the Ficfest admin and creator extraordinaire Tiffany Hoffman's blog  The Writer's Nook. She's witty and real-life all balled up into a firecracker. I love her. You will too.

As mentioned in the schedule below, I'll also have a fun theme reveal and "Meet my team" post in late March, so check that out. Also twitter events as a team leader, and also those awesome teasing tweets as I dive into slush.

But even more importantly, please spread the word about this fantastic contest. Most of the fiction writers of the online writer community will hear about it, but those in often-excluded genres and age categories may not. You can be instrumental in helping someone reach their dreams through this event!

Ficfest 2016 Time Line

March 20, 2016 @ 12:00 PM EST
Guidelines & Theme Reveal
(Host Blog)

March 27, 2016 @ 7:00 PM EST
Meet the Team Leads & Their Members!
(Team Lead Blogs & Host Blog)

April 3, 2016 @ 6:00 PM EST
Agent List Announced
(Host Blog)

April 17, 2016 @ 7:00 PM EST - 10:00 PM EST
Q & A with Team Leads & Host
(Twitter - Using #FicFest)

April 24, 2016 @ 12:00 AM EST - April 25, 2016 @ 11:59 PM EST
SUBMISSION

April 26, 2016 - May 3, 2016
Teams will chose their finalists/alternate

May 4, 2016 @ 10:00 AM EST
Finalists/Alternate Reveal
(Team Leads Blogs)

May 5, 2016 - June 30, 2016
Revisions

July 8, 2016 @ 12:00 AM EST - July 14, 2014 @ 11:59 PM EST
Agent Round