Two exciting 12 x 12 in 2012 announcements!
Announcement #1
Beginning February 7th, a pre-published participant of the 12 x 12 challenge will guest post on the blog for the new Tuesday 12 x 12 series. Each participating author and/or illustrator will write a post on a topic of their choice related to the challenge – why they joined, what they’ve learned, connections they’ve made, books they’ve written, etc.
I am so excited about this series because it will give you a chance to get to know some of the talented and courageous writers who have taken the plunge with me into this challenge. Many of these writers, you will discover, have fabulous blogs of their own where they generously share their knowledge, successes, and bumps along the road.
You may be wondering why this series is focused on pre-published authors specifically. For one thing, I guess I have a soft spot for pre-pubbies (my newly minted term), since I am one myself. Second, I already have plans to feature many published authors and illustrators throughout the challenge, so I wanted to shine the light on the great folks putting in the hours and the hard work it takes to get published today. Finally, I have learned so much from reading their blogs already, and I know you will too. After all, you don’t have to be traditionally published in order to have knowledge and experience worth sharing. If so, my own blog would be out of business! 🙂 So I hope you’ll come by on Tuesdays and give these brave souls the support and encouragement they deserve.
Announcement #2
I was thrilled to welcome freelance editor Tamson Weston into the 12 x 12 challenge as a participant. Tamson has very generously offered to give participants a FANTASTIC opportunity to practice writing pitches for the chance to win a manuscript critique from her. More details will be provided on February 16th when the contest goes live, but because you will only have FOUR DAYS to submit your pitches, I wanted to give you some advance warning so you can start working on them in your “spare” time.
You may choose ONE of your WIPs and submit a pitch that is no more than 140 characters (same as a maximum Twitter message), along with THE FIRST line of your book. The only exception is if your book is in verse, in which case you can submit the first four lines. So get ready, because this is a HUGE opportunity. The grand prize winner will receive a manuscript critique from Tamson. Again, more information on how to submit, how the entries will be judged, etc. will be posted on February 16th.
Tamson is published children’s book author and editor with over 15 years experience at several prestigious publishing houses including HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Disney Hyperion. Adam Rex, Mac Barnett, Robert Weinstock, Adam Gopnik, Jane Leslie Conly, Anne Rockwell, Deborah Hopkinson, Jen Violi, Alexander Stadler, and Dan Santat are just a few of the authors/illustrators she’s worked with.
Are you excited yet??
Now, I suggest you go follow Tamson everywhere she lives!
Julie Hedlund - Write Up My Life 