Alright- the entries are in and the judges are hard at work determining the Top Ten finalists. These ten manuscripts will not only be judged by literary agent Danielle Chiotti but also submitted to Flatmancrooked for publishing consideration!

Final winners will be announced by March 15th but we want to say a huge THANK YOU to the thousands of writers who have submitted their fantastic manuscripts. You’ve really made this competition special and we can’t wait to see which novels rise to the top. Everyone who has submitted is already a winner in our book.

We’ll keep you updated!

Ladies and gentlemen of the court, all rise for the noble and knowledgeable Danielle Chiotti, literary agent at Upstart Crow Literary and esteemed judge of WordHustler’s Literary Storm Novel Contest (NEWSFLASH: due to popular demand, we’ve extended the deadline to February 26, 2010! You’ve still got time to submit!). Danielle is passionate about great writing, finding amazing new clients, and helping writers succeed in the publishing industry.

Luckily for us, Danielle made time in her busy schedule to sit down and discuss what draws her to different books, how important the query letter really is, and how she plucks talented writers out of the slush pile. Will you be the next gifted scribe to catch her eye?

Read the interview to find out, then polish those manuscripts and send them out!

WordHustler: How did you get your start in the publishing industry?

Danielle Chiotti: Completely by accident, actually. I graduated with a degree in Creative Writing, and spent a year waitressing before I basically stumbled into a job doing reader’s reports for a small literary agency. A few months later, they asked me if I wanted to come in and learn about being an agent. I had no idea what that meant, but I thought, “Oh, why not?” I’ve been working in publishing ever since.

WH: You’ve worked all over the publishing industry, at places like Kensington Publishing and Adams Media. What is the main difference between editing and agenting, and why did you decide to make the switch?

DC: Literary agents have a lot more autonomy than editors do; we’re not beholden to a certain set of parameters for publishing a book. I loved my work as an editor, but there were always so many rules about what I could and could not acquire, depending on the needs of the publisher. As an agent, I can truly sign the projects I love–in any area I choose.

WH: What draws you to a fiction book? Non-fiction?

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WordHustler’s Literary Storm Novel Contest- FINAL DEADLINE EXTENDED!

WordHustler is taking our writing contests to a whole new level with the debut of our Literary Storm Novel Contest (ENTER HERE). Submit the first 50 pages of your novel and you could win BIG! The details:

Official Judge: Literary Agent Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary

Grand Prize: A Complete Manuscript Critique by Joyce Sweeney, who has helped 27 people get published! (Psst: this prize is worth over $500!) as well as publication consideration from brilliant indie press Flatmancrooked!

Second and Third Prizes: Barnes and Noble Gift Certificates

NEW BONUS PRIZE:  The Top Ten Entries will ALL be considered for publishing by Flatmancrooked!

FINAL Deadline: February 26th, 2010

Entry Fee: $15 ($10 if submitted BEFORE January 27th, 2010)

What to Submit: The first 50 pages of your finished novel, along with a cover letter. Manuscript critiques are also available for an additional fee of $25 ($20 if submitted BEFORE Jan. 27th, 2010). All genres of novels are accepted, including Middle Grade and Young Adult.

Go to the WordHustler Literary Storm Contest listing RIGHT HERE to enter or hit the button below to sign in (or sign up) and enter!

[Read more →]

WordHustler’s Literary Storm Novel Contest- CONTEST DEADLINE EXTENDED!

WordHustler is taking our writing contests to a whole new level with the debut of our Literary Storm Novel Contest (ENTER HERE). Submit the first 50 pages of your novel and you could win BIG! The details:

Official Judge: Literary Agent Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary

Grand Prize: A Complete Manuscript Critique by Joyce Sweeney, who has helped 27 people get published! (Psst: this prize is worth over $500!) as well as publication consideration from brilliant indie press Flatmancrooked!

Second and Third Prizes: Barnes and Noble Gift Certificates

NEW BONUS PRIZE:  The Top Ten Entries will ALL be considered for publishing by Flatmancrooked!

NEW Deadline: January 25th, 2010

Entry Fee: $10

What to Submit: The first 50 pages of your finished novel, along with a cover letter. Manuscript critiques are also available for an additional fee of $20. All genres of novels are accepted, including Middle Grade and Young Adult.

Go to the WordHustler Literary Storm Contest listing RIGHT HERE to enter or hit the button below to sign in (or sign up) and enter!

[Read more →]

WordHustler is taking our writing contests to a whole new level with the debut of our Literary Storm Novel Contest (ENTER HERE). Submit the first 50 pages of your novel and you could win BIG! The details:

Official Judge: Literary Agent Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary

Grand Prize: A Complete Manuscript Critique by Joyce Sweeney, who has helped 27 people get published! (Psst: this prize is worth over $500!) as well as publication consideration from brilliant indie press Flatmancrooked!

Second and Third Prizes: Barnes and Noble Gift Certificates

NEW BONUS PRIZE:  The Top Ten Entries will ALL be considered for publishing by Flatmancrooked!

Deadline: January 25th, 2010

Entry Fee: $10

What to Submit: The first 50 pages of your finished novel, along with a cover letter. Manuscript critiques are also available for an additional fee of $20. All genres of novels are accepted, including Middle Grade and Young Adult.

Go to the WordHustler Literary Storm Contest listing RIGHT HERE to enter or hit the button below to sign in (or sign up) and enter!

About Our Prizes: 

From the Upstart Crow Literary website: We believe good books matter far too much to be taken lightly, and that the careers of those books’ creators are a very serious business. That quality of long-term nurturing and author advocacy is something all of us here aim for: We work with our clients to polish their manuscripts, hone their voices, and find the best match of editor and publishing house. And then we look to what comes after that first or third or sixth book: Our authors are our partners, talents we intend to work with over long, illustrious careers.

From the Flatmancrooked site: Flatmancrooked is a semi-traditional small press that prides itself on producing beautiful books and reimagining the way those books are marketed. We tout books as art objects, and feel that first runs should be precious, limited editions. Selling massive numbers of copies of a soft-cover isn’t the future of 21st Century publishing. But printing a few hundred, gorgeous, collectible copies, and giving away a digital version free, is.

From Joyce Sweeney’s site: Fifteen years ago I started teaching writing classes and found my true calling. Even more than writing itself, I love helping and mentoring writers. I moved from five week classes to an ongoing workshop in Fort Lauderdale, where I could work with writers for as long as it took - sometimes years - to get that first book into print.

My one workshop expanded to two, and I started working with manuscripts from writers all over the country, critiquing, advising, sometimes just pulling out the old pep talk. I’m now so proud to say that 27 of the people I’ve worked with have become published authors.

Finalists and Winners will be announced by February 15th, 2010 and their names posted on WordHustlerInk. See below for Official Rules and Regulations. Good Luck, Hustlers!

*Please Note: The Top Ten finalists will be determined by the WH team and then judged by Danielle Chiotti. We are looking for compelling writing that is original, daring, and worthy of being published. The WH team consists of 10 writers with a combined experience of over 80 years in the industry.

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