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Pitch Wars Showcase

Please note: These are the entries for the Pitch Wars season beginning in 2021 and continuing through 2022. Please note that our Agent Showcase ends at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday, February 14, 2022. Agents will not be able to leave comments requesting material after that time.
PW2019 Adult #18: THE SLEEPLESS (Speculative Sci-Fi Mystery – Queer Filipino #OwnVoices)
Mentee:
Victor Manibo
Mentored by:
Rob Hart
Book Title:
THE SLEEPLESS
Category:
2019 Adult Entries
Genre:
Speculative sci-fi mystery (Queer Filipino #ownvoices)
Word Count:
83,000

Pitch:

A mysterious outbreak robs certain people of their ability to sleep, creating a new class that is feared and ostracized—but also able to capitalize on the extra hours to earn more money. Jamie Vega, a reporter by day and hobby collector by night, discovers a new obsession when his boss commits suicide. He wants to know why. And in the process he uncovers a startling truth about what it means to be Sleepless.

 

Excerpt:

In the last dream I ever had, I was eating a big, bloody hunk of steak. The details are a bit hazy now: crisp white linens and a side of roasted potatoes, wood paneling, the other faceless people at my table, but not much else. The cut of meat was definitely not a filet mignon, more like a porterhouse. The slab occupied the entire plate and threatened to spill over its border.

I cut through it with a serrated knife, and, though I’ve had amazing steaks before, I have never felt anything as visceral as the frustration I felt when, before I could finish my plate, I woke up.

Dreams. It’s been so blissful since I stopped having them, but against my nature, they’ve been surfacing in my mind lately.

That last one in particular keeps coming back. To banish these thoughts, I’ve decided the best way was to act it out in real life. I’ve added cooking to my mile-long list of hobbies. I think I’ve finally mastered the perfect porterhouse. Or, I should say, porterhouse cooked just the way I like it.

Medium-rare, with the right amount of sear. It took eight tries, meticulous timing and calibrated heat on both sides, not to mention hours of instruction videos and tons of new kitchen supplies that I didn’t already own.

26 responses to “PW2019 Adult #18: THE SLEEPLESS (Speculative Sci-Fi Mystery – Queer Filipino #OwnVoices)”

  1. Alec Shane says:

    Would like to read the full. Please send as Word doc to ashane@writershouse.com with the subject heading “PitchWars Mentee: THE SLEEPLESS”

  2. Lori Galvin says:

    Hi, Victor I would love to see the full ms and query letter, please. lgalvin@aevitascreative.com Pitch Wars in the subject line. Thank you so much.

  3. Michelle Richter says:

    Hi Victor, I’d love to see your query, synopsis, and full manuscript. Please submit to me at QueryMe.online/MichelleRichter/PitchWars

  4. I’d love to see more. Please email the full manuscript with the query letter, proposal/synopsis, and an author bio to EWRquery@mcintoshandotis.com. Please attach all materials as Word documents, and include in your subject line: “PITCH WARS REQUEST – (Title of Project)”.

  5. Jon Cobb says:

    Hi Victor! I’m an agent working with Rob Hart’s literary agency, and Rob gave me an enthusiastic head’s-up about THE SLEEPLESS. It sounds like exactly the kind of spec sci-fi I’m interested in. (And as a part-Filipino agent, I’m also dying for more representation in the speculative space!) When you’re ready to send, I hope you’ll consider sending me the full manuscript. Looking forward to reading!

    All best,
    Jon Cobb
    jon@hgliterary.com

  6. Carrie Pestritto says:

    This is such an unusual premise—I chuckled at the bit about the Sleepless being able to take advantage of their condition by working extra hours—and I like what I’ve seen of your writing so far. I’m definitely interested in reading more!

    Would you please send me your query in the body of an email, with the first 100 pages attached as a Word doc? The subject of the email should be “PITCH WARS REQUEST: THE SLEEPLESS” and you can reach me at cpestritto(at)ldlainc(dot)com.

    Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you!

  7. Mollie Glick says:

    Hi Victor,

    This seems right up my alley! Could you send the full manuscript to mollie.glickasst@caa.com?

    Best,
    Mollie Glick

  8. John Cusick says:

    Hi Victor, this sounds spectacular. I’d love to see the full manuscript, please. You can reach me at john [@] foliolit.com. Looking forward to connecting!

  9. Adriann Ranta Zurhellen says:

    Hi Victor,

    Am loving what I’ve read so far! Please submit the full manuscript to arsubmissions@foundrymedia.com, cc’ing in flmasst@foundrymedia.com, with the subject line “Pitch Wars: THE SLEEPLESS.” Thanks so much, and looking forward to diving in more!

    Adriann

  10. Sami Isman says:

    I’d love to read further! Please send your pitch letter, a short bio, and the first 50 pages of the book in the body of the email to sisman@sjga.com with the subject line “#PitchWars Submission – THE SLEEPLESS – Victor Manibo”.

  11. Hillary Jacobson says:

    Hi Victor,

    I would love to read more! Please send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com

    Thank you!

    My best,
    Hillary

  12. Ginger Clark says:

    I would love to take a look at this. Can you email me the first fifty pages as either a PDF or DOCX or RTF? Put the words “Pitchwars 2020 request” in your subject line. Thank you so much!

  13. Erica Bauman says:

    Hi Victor,

    This sounds great, and I’d love to read more! Could you please send a query and the first 100pgs to ebauman@aevitascreative.com, with “PitchWars” in the subject line?

    Looking forward to seeing more!

    All best,
    Erica

  14. Jennifer Unter says:

    Intriguing idea & opening – would love to read more! Please forward the first 50 pages as a Word attachment to jen.nadol (at) theunteragency (dot) com with PW Request in the subject line. Thanks!

  15. Jessica Errera says:

    Hello Victor–I love this sample and your story has a great hook. I would like to read the full manuscript (attached as a Word doc would be great) if you’d email it to me at jerrera@janerotrosen.com, and please feel free to include a synopsis/query letter if you have. Thanks!

  16. Lauren Spieller says:

    Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars! I’d love to keep reading. May I please see the full manuscript + synopsis? It would also be great if you could include ‘Pitch Wars Request’ in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you! 

    Lauren Spieller, TriadaUS Literary Agency
    lauren@triadaus.com

  17. Dorian Maffei says:

    I’m completely hooked! I would be thrilled to read the full manuscript. 🙂 You can submit via my online submission form:

    http://QueryMe.Online/dorianmaffei

  18. Penelope Burns says:

    Hi Victor,

    I would love to see this! Can you send your query and full manuscript to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com with #PitchWars in the subject line? Thanks so much!

    All best,
    Penelope

  19. Shannon Hassan says:

    Hi Victor, this sounds like a fresh premise, and I’d love to read more! Please send a query + 50 pages to shannon@marsallyonliteraryagency.com (with PitchWars in the subject line). Thanks, Shannon

  20. Emmy Nordstrom Higdon says:

    Hello! My name is Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon, and I am an agent in training with The Rights Factory! I just started building my list, and I’m so lucky to have Sam Hiyate as my mentor. If we end up working together, you’ll get the best of both worlds – the wisdom of an agent with 16 years in the biz, and my enthusiasm and attention as a new agent with just a handful of select clients so far. Part of why your manuscript caught my eye is because I am queer, and I love a suspenseful story. I also suffer from insomnia, so I am intrigued by your concept. I am thrilled to request a partial of your first three chapters from you, which you can send to assistant@therightsfactory.com. Please include a query letter and write PITCH WARS in the subject line. In the meantime, you can check out my bio and what I’m most interested in at https://www.therightsfactory.com/about-us, and my blog at http://www.booksbeyondbinaries.blog, if you want to know a little more about me. Really hoping to hear from you soon, and congratulations on participating in Pitch Wars!!

  21. Sabrina Taitz says:

    Fantastic title and eerie opening. Would love to see more. Please send the query + full manuscript to staitz@wmeagency.com – thank you! Sabrina Taitz @ WME

  22. Jessica Faust says:

    This sounds terrific. I would love to consider the full manuscript. You can send it through my Query Manager link: QueryMe.online/Jessica_Faust/PitchWars I look forward to reading it. Thanks again, Jessica Faust, BookEnds

  23. Sharon Pelletier says:

    Hi Victor, I’m hooked – I’d like to read more! Would you please send your query (body of the email) and the full MS (as a Word doc)? spelletier@dystel.com

    Thanks,
    Sharon Pelletier
    Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

  24. Cortney Radocaj says:

    Hi Victor,

    I adore your premise and your first pages and would love to see more!!

    Please submit the first 50 pages of THE SLEEPLESS, along with your query and synopsis, here:

    QueryMe.Online/CortneyRadocaj/Requested

    Please also make sure to put “Pitch Wars” in the referral line or mention that I requested here in your query.

    I look forward to reading! 😊

    Warm Regards,

    Cortney Radocaj
    Associate Agent
    Belcastro Agency
    http://www.belcastroagency.com

  25. Stefanie Lieberman says:

    I’d love to read more! Please send the pitch and the manuscript to submissions@janklow.com with the following subject line: for Stefanie Lieberman – Pitch Wars 19. Thank you!

  26. Zabé Ellor says:

    I love this idea, and the voice and energy you bring to the concept. Can’t wait to see more!

    Please send the query and synopsis (in the body of an email), and full manuscript (as an attachment) to zrellor . books @ gmail . com. I’m looking forward to diving in