Pitch:
BLADE RUNNER X MOULIN ROUGE, 1930’s Shanghai.
Twenty-year-old showgirl Jingwen spends her nights under velvet walls and neon stage lights, dancing with charming strangers—a life she embraced to escape a dark family secret. But when a mysterious attacker begins to steal cabaret dancers’ faces around the city, Shanghai’s glittering mirage begins to crack. To solve the mystery, Jingwen must delve into the world of her estranged grandmother, an outcast surgeon who makes cybernetic limbs for the city’s most powerful gang—who will tell any lie to regain Jingwen’s trust.
Excerpt:
Every Friday, I deliver the bones the way my grandmother taught me, with my shoulders down and my chin held high.
“Be proud of my art,” she said, so I strut down the alleys of the Old Chinese City with her package wrapped in brown paper, wearing my pride like an ostrich feather fan behind my head.
The way night unfolds in Shanghai, like a sigh against a mirror, makes the city harder and harder to read as the hours crawl by—the bluish gas lamps above the fortune tellers’ stalls, the hooves of a slaughtered cow swinging gently over the pebbled sidewalk, the large wooden mallet falling with quiet thuds onto a sheet of peanut brittle. Everything is muted, like the beginning of a dream. As I catch the bloodshot eyes of the pork butcher eating noodles behind his stall, I begin to think the streets are inhabited not by warm bodies, but by ghosts.
Past the blinking neon sign for a Turkish bath, the man I’m looking for is sitting on a crate beside a fruit stand in the crumbling wall, smoking a cigarette. As he draws his hand away from his mouth, his fingers glint silver in the washed-out moonlight.
I’m not sure he isn’t a ghost.
I would love to take a look at this! Please feel free to send me this query and the first 50 pages as a Word attachment to larissa@jillgrinbergliterary.com, with your name, title, genre, and “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. (Also, if you have requests from two or more of us at JGLM, please do pick and send to only one of us.)
Hi Rosalie, I found your pitch interesting and I’d like to read more. Please send your query, synopsis, and the first 100 pages (Attention Gina Damasco) through our portal: https://www.serendipitylit.com/component/rsform/form/11-submission-fiction. Thanks!
Hello Rosalie,
I am so taken with this sample, and the setting is just divine! I’d love it if you sent me the full manuscript at QueryManager.com/evascalzo/PitchWars2020.
Cheers,
Eva
Speilburg Literary
Hi Rosalie,
Wow, this sounds AMAZING; I’d love to read more!
Please send the query and full ms to amanda@transatlanticagency.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. You can read more about me and Transatlantic Agency at: https://www.transatlanticagency.com/about-us/agents/amanda-orozco/. (Please only submit to one agent at Transatlantic at a time.)
Feel free to reach out with any questions. Many thanks!
Warmly,
Amanda Orozco
Would love to read more! Please use this link to send: QueryManager.com/Mary_C_Moore_KCA/PitchWars
Lovely and evocative writing. I’d like to see the full, query and synopsis at tara@onetrackliterary.com if you’d like to send it. Thanks!
I’ve been wanting to read this since Fiyahcon! I’d love to take a look at the full if you’d like to send it my way. I’m at jmccarthy at Dystel dot com. A Word attachment is most preferable if possible. If any other agent at DGB request, please feel free to send to the agent of your choice and just mention who else asked. Thanks much, and happy PitchWars!
Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars! This sounds great, and I’d love to read more. If you think we’d be a good fit, please send your query + full manuscript to Lauren@triadaus.com, and put “PW Request” in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you! ~Lauren
This sounds intriguing! Could you send me your official query in the body of the email, “Pitch Wars” in the subject line, attach the first 50 pages (Word doc preferred) to laura(at)triadaus(dot)com, please? I look forward to reading more.
–Laura Crockett, TriadaUS Literary Agency
Hi Rosalie. I love this pitch! I’d love to take a look at your full manuscript, and your query letter and synopsis if you have them. Please send them over to me at jfsubmissions@jenniferlyonsliteraryagency.com. The query and synopsis can either be attached or in the body of the email, but please send the manuscript as a Word Doc attachment. Looking forward to reading! -Jessica
Hi Rosalie! What a fantastic concept — this sounds awesome! I’d love to consider. Please send the full manuscript to claire@inkwellmanagement.com. Can’t wait to read!
Sounds fantastically atmospheric–I’d love to read! You can send the query and full manuscript to querydevon@transatlanticagency.com with PitchWars in the subject line. If you get multiple requests from Transatlantic agents, please submit to us one at a time.
Hi Rosalie! I love the style of your opening page. I’d like to read more! If you’re interested, can you please send your first 50 pages to samantha@thompsonliterary.com? Thank you!
Hi Rosalie,
I would love to see more of this! Could you please send your query and the full manuscript as a Word Document or PDF to maggie.queries@irenegoodman.com ? If another agent at Irene Goodman requests your manuscript, please submit to just one agent at a time. If they pass, you are welcome to resubmit to another! Thanks so much!
Best,
Maggie
This sounds amazing! Please send me your query and full manuscript in an attached word doc using this link: https://querymanager.com/query/Mbarnard/PitchWars. Can’t wait to read!
Hi Rosalie,
This sounds SO GOOD, and I would love to take a look! If you could please email your query letter and the full manuscript to ebauman@aevitascreative.com (and put Pitch Wars somewhere in the subject line). Looking forward to reading!
All best,
Erica
I love the sound of this, and your sample is wonderful! If you want to send me your query, a full synopsis if you have it, and your full manuscript, I would be delighted to review it. https://www.stimolaliterarystudio.com/Submissions – put PITCH WARS submission in caps at the top of your query. Thanks! -Allison
Dear Rosalie,
I’d love to read more of this! Please send the full manuscript as a Word doc. attachment to amelia@triadaus.com, and please include your pitch, full synopsis, and author bio, pasted into the body of the email, with “PITCH WARS REQUEST – THE WING TAKER” in the subject line.
Thank you so much and I look forward to reading!
All best,
Amelia Appel
Please send first 50 pages – intriguing!
Kimberley
ETA: email Kimberley@kimberleycameron.com with “Pitch Wars” in subject
I’d love to read this one! Could you send the full ms to slandis@sll.com? Looking forward to reading more! Thanks!
———————
Sarah Landis
Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.
http://www.sll.com
@sterlinglordlit
Hi Rosalie,
Congratulations on successfully completing PitchWars!
The way you’ve set the scene here is stunning. I’m dying to continue reading! If you’d like to share it, please send the query in the body of an email, with the full manuscript and synopsis attached as a Word doc. The subject of the email should be “Pitch Wars Request: YOUR TITLE for Root Literary” sent to submissions@rootliterary.com.
Although not all of Root Literary is participating in Pitch Wars, please feel free to query whoever feels like the best fit! We’re happy to coordinate internally.
All the best,
Kurestin
Loved this excerpt. Please send an email to me with “Pitch Wars” in the subject, query in the body of the email and full attached as a word doc.
Looking forward to reading more.
Thanks!
Paul
PLucas@janklow.com
Rosalie, I wish this excerpt were longer as I was sucked *right* in. Would love to read your full ms, and a synopsis if you have, so please send them to jerrera(at)janerotrosen(dot)com at your convenience. And do metion PitchWars in your subject if you don’t mind. Thanks and be well!
Hi Rosalie,
I’m so excited to read this! I love the voice here and the set-up in super intriguing. Please follow this link to upload your full manuscript:QueryManager.com/1353/PW2021
Thanks,
Joanna
Hi Rosalie,
I would love to read your manuscript! Please send the whole thing to querytamar@contextlit.com, making sure to write “Pitch Wars Request” in the subject line.
Looking forward,
Tamar
Hi, Rosalie! The blend of history and imagination here is so fascinating, and I love the atmosphere you call up in just this short excerpt. I would be so happy to see your query and a full manuscript—you can send me an email at mcooper@aevitascreative.com and mention Pitch Wars in the subject line.
Very best,
Maggie
(P.S. I believe another Aevitas colleague is also planning to reach out to you—you’re very welcome to send to us both, if you’d like.)
This sounds amazing. I would love to see query and first 3 chapters to julie.gwinn@yahoo.com. I’m VP and agent with The Seymour Agency.
Hi Rosalie!
This sounds AMAZING and I love your first page!!! Can you send me your query, synopsis, and full manuscript to http://querymanager.com/kellypeterson/pitchwars? I’m so excited to read it!!!!
– Kelly
I’m loving the mashup of these comps! I am thrilled to request the first 50 pages for further consideration. 🙂 You can send the query and sample pages through my online submission form: QueryManager.com/dorianmaffei/Request
Quick note that if you have received requests from multiple agents at Kimberley Cameron & Associates to please only choose one agent to submit to at a time. If it’s not a good fit for one agent, we would most certainly pass it on to our colleagues!
Hi Rosalie, I would love to see more material about this project! If you would like to submit to me, please use the following link to send me your query letter, synopsis, and first 3 chapters/50 pages (whatever is longer): QueryManager.com/emlysaght/Pitchwars2020
Dear Rosalie,
THE WING TAKER sounds incredible and I’d love to read! If you’re interested in sending, could you please email the full manuscript to tamara.kawar@icmpartners.com and make sure to include “PW2020” in your subject line?
Thank you!
Best,
Tamara
Hi Rosalie! This sounds fantastic! I’d love to read more. If you’re interested, you can send the full manuscript and a complete synopsis to chelseaquery@ktliterary.com. Please put Pitch Wars in the subject line.
Hi there! I’d love to read this one. Could you send the full manuscript in Word format to aimee@browerliterary.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject heading? Thank you!
Note: if you notice that another agent from my agency (Brower Literary & Management) has also requested your manuscript, could you please let us know so we’re on the same page?
Hi Rosalie,
I would love to see this! If you’re interested, can you send your query and the full to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com, with PitchWars in the subject line? Thank you!
All best,
Penelope
Ooooh, I LOVE how atmospheric this is! I’d love to read more! Please email me the full manuscript + synopsis at laura@bradfordlit.com. Please put Pitch Wars in the subject line and paste the pitch into your email. Thank you!
Laura Bradford
*If more than one agent from the Bradford Literary Agency has requested this, go ahead and send it to those agents and just let us know
Dear Rosalie,
This description of your work immediately had me hooked. I would love to read more!
Would you please send your full manuscript, a synopsis of the project, and a short bio about what you do and any of your previous publications to Haley@CMALit.com? Each should be a separate attachment in Microsoft Word or PDF format. To ensure your email doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, please include “Pitch Wars” in your subject line.
The two other agents at Creative Media Agency, Paige Wheeler and Shannon Snow, are participating in Pitch Wars with me. Should one of them also request your manuscript, we would appreciate it if you would choose the agent you’d most prefer to work with and only send them the requested materials. Should they pass on the project for any reason, and you find yourself still seeking an agent, then you are of course free to resubmit to another member of CMA.
Thank you for taking the time to send me more of what you’ve written!
Sincerely,
Haley Casey
Hi, Rosalie. This manuscript sounds incredible. The way my heart sped up just reading the comps of the pitch! And then the pitch itself. And then the excerpt. Your language is beautiful, and I’d love to read more. If you’re interested in submitting, please visit my QueryManager page at QueryManager.com/SavannahBrooks and be sure to put that this was a Pitch Wars request somewhere in the query. Thanks!
Hi Rosalie,
I’d love to take a look at the full. If you’d like to query, please send your query letter, 1-2 page synopsis, and attached full manuscript here: QueryManager.com/AzantianLiterary/PW. If more than one ALA agent requests your work, please choose one of us to share with at a time.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to reading!
Warmest,
Jennifer Azantian
Dear Rosalie,
Congrats on making it through the editing rounds with your mentor! I’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to check out everyone’s showcase samples. I love this premise and your voice and of course I’d love to see more. Please query me at this link (QueryManager.com/QueryQuressa/PW2021) and follow the directions. If more than one NLA agent requests work from you it is okay to query more than one of us, just give us a heads-up. Good luck!
Quressa
Hi Rosalie,
This looks really intriguing! I’d love to take a closer look! If I seem like a good fit for your body of work, please send your query letter and the first 75 pages of your manuscript (attached as a word document) to me at alevick(@)writershouse(.)com. I would appreciate it if you could note in the subject line that your message is a Pitch Wars request.
More information about me is available here: https://www.alexandralevick.com/
More information about Writers House is available here: http://www.writershouse.com/home
Additionally, if more than one agent from Writers House requests your work, please note you may only submit to one of us at any given time.
Thanks very much!
Alexandra
| Alexandra Levick | She/Her | Writers House
Rosalie, would love to see more! Please send me your query and first 50 pages to alex.rice@caa.com. Please let me know if you are sending to more than one agent at CAA. All my best, Alex
I’d love to see a query, synopsis, bio, and full manuscript. Please send as Word documents to EWRquery@mcintoshandotis.com. Looking forward to reading more!
Rosalie – Just a note to say that Joanna on my team has requested but we both plan to read when the manuscript is ready. : ) You have a passionate champion in Maria. She has sang your praises for weeks now. Kristin
This looks atmospheric and incredible! And I love your comps. Please send the first 50 pages in Word to jill@dijkstraagency.com, along with your query letter. It helps if you include “Pitch Wars” in the subject line.
I look forward to reading more!
Jill
I enjoyed these opening pages and would love to take a look at the full manuscript! Please feel free to send it along as a word document to andrea@harveyklinger.com. Include the query letter in the email, and put “Pitch Wars Requested Manuscript” within the subject line. And if multiple agents at Harvey Klinger have requested, please feel free to send along to all of us but just let us know who else is considering. Thanks! – Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger Inc.
Hi Rosalie,
This sounds great! Please send the full manuscript, preceded by your bio and complete synopsis (all in one Word document) to submissions@bookwyrmlit.com. I look forward to reading more!
Best,
Sandy Lu
Book Wyrm Literary Agency
I really enjoyed your pitch and extract. Can you send the full through to Amanda Rutter from Azantian Literary Agency? Please also include the query, but no synopsis. The email should have Pitch Wars and the novel title in the subject line. The email address to use is amanda@azantianlitagency.com. If two agents from Azantian have requested, then please pick your preferred – we will share amongst ourselves if we think another agent would be a better fit. Thank you, and I look forward to reading!
The voice and atmosphere in this sample absolutely blew me away–I’d love to see more!!
Please could you send the query and first fifty pages to me, as an attachment, at zrellor.books@gmail.com? Please paste your query on the first page of your attached sample pages, and also in the body of the email, and include PITCH WARS in the subject line. If more than one JDLA agent requests, feel free to first submit to the one you think is the best fit.
Rosalie,
You had me at the setting of this story in 1930s Shanghai. Please send the first 100 pages as an attachment to cindy.uh@caa.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. If you are submitting to more than one agent at CAA, if you could just make note of it, that would be great.
Looking forward to reading!
Warmly,
Cindy Uh
Hi Rosalie, I’d love to read more. If you think I might be a good fit to represent you, can you please send the full manuscript to mdquery@skagency.com? Thank you!
Hi Rosalie! This sounds absolutely delicious and I love this excerpt. I’d really love to read more! If you’d like to query me, please include your query letter and upload your full manuscript to the link below. If you decide to query more than one agent at Rees, that’s totally fine, just let us know you did so in the query. Thanks and congrats on Pitch Wars and all your hard work! QueryManager.com/AshleyBlake/PitchWars
This looks awesome and I would love to see the rest!
To query me, you can send the query and full MS to lee.queries@irenegoodman.com with the words “Pitch Wars” in the subject line! If another agent at Irene Goodman requests your manuscript, please submit to just one agent at a time. If they pass, you are welcome to resubmit to another.
Hi Rosalie! You’re welcome to send your full manuscript and author bio to christine@leshneagency.com. Please include “Pitch Wars” and your book title in the subject line. Thanks, Christine