Agent Friday: Authoress

Last Friday, I highlighted the amazingly sarcastic agent, Miss Snark. And while the person I focus on today is not an agent, she is the first person Miss Snark ripped to pieces. This first victim decided to begin an anonymous blog of her own, entitled Miss Snark's First Victim.

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I introduce to you--Authoress.

In case you're curious about the whole story of her shredding, Authoress tells all in The History, including a link to Miss Snark's actual comments.

Secret Agent Contest

Authoress has built her blog with an interesting twist. She has wonderful, humorous posts on the craft of writing and the business of publishing. However, there's more. Though she is not an agent, she connects writers to agents, through her monthly Secret Agent Contests.

It works like this: at the monthly call for submissions, writers with a completed manuscript submit the first 250 words of their manuscript (each contest is limited to the first 75 entries). All entries are posted on the blog for the blog readers to post feedback on the entries. Authoress has already lined up an unnamed agent to also give feedback on each submission, and at the end of the contest, the agent chooses a winner (or winners), and the agent reveals him or herself. The agent often considers several entries for representation.

If you look at the left-hand side of the blog, you'll see the Secret Agent Hall of Fame, which boasts big-name agents like Nathan Bransford, Rachelle Gardner, and Kristin Nelson. So, although you won't know who you're going to be critiqued by, it will be someone good.

Check out the rules if you'd like to enter the Secret Agent Contest.

And here's a link to the many success stories from the Secret Agent Contest.

Other Contests

In case you are despairing of ever finishing your manuscript and being able to enter, Authoress has some other opportunities for you. 

There's the Are You Hooked? contest, where you submit your first 250 words, and blog readers comment on whether they were hooked (or not), and why.

Then there's Drop the Needle, where you submit a 400 word snippet of an emotion-filled scene, and readers try to identify the emotion you were trying to evoke.

There are other random contests, like First Sentences, First Kiss, etc. Put the blog in your blog reader, so you won't miss any call for entries.

Don't Miss These Posts

For the Newbie: How to Be a Writer

How to sift through all the writing advice you receive.

On writing every day: is a tiny bit enough?

And finally, an interview with Authoress, herself.