Pitch:
Marnie Barnes’ senior year plans are simple: Win the prestigious Hunt Prize, outshine her perfect older sister, and secure the love of the guy who saved her life. But none of it’s possible if Marnie doesn’t face the awful truth: She’s not Lizzy, she’s Mary, the unloved middle sister from Pride & Prejudice. This calls for an Anti-Mary Contract—stop lecturing, start living, don’t die alone with fifteen cats. Marnie vows to become the protagonist in her own story, even if it takes realigning those Capital P Plans.
Excerpt:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one should spend her eighteenth birthday at the library.
That’s according to Adhira Fitz, accidental roommate and apparent birthday expert. According to me, libraries make for fabulous birthdays. I would say something about being surrounded by your bosom friends, but even I realize that makes me sound like your Great Aunt Maude, the one with opinions on brocade and three too many cats.
The Pacific Crest Academy library is cocooned in the hush of hundreds of books and a librarian who only wears soft-soled shoes. Deep within the stacks, I’ve commandeered my favorite table and spread my textbooks and notes with precision—books to the right stacked by size, highlighters to my left. Everything in its right place. Me in my right place, surrounded by my book BFFs without a soul bothering me.
Bzzz.
Make that, one soul bothering. I snatch up my phone and balk at Adhira’s name. We don’t chat. We happen to share living quarters until the PCA Housing Board comprehends their mistake and puts me in the single room I’ve repeatedly requested.
“Yes?” I hiss, tight-lipped.
“You’re not hiding alone in a library on your birthday, Marnie. I won’t allow it.”
Well, that’s preposterous. I’m not alone. (See: aforementioned book BFFs.)
You had me giggling right away. I love this idea. Please use the link below to submit the full along with a synopsis and query letter.
Thank you for considering me! If more than one Corvisiero agent shows interest, please choose one of us submit to and let them know who else liked the pitch, so that we can share it with each other.
QueryMe.online/TaraGilbert/Requested
Hi Jenny,
I’m intrigued. I’d love to take a look! Please send the ms as a doc to medwards at stonesong dot com. Thanks!!
All best,
Melissa
What a fun opening! I’d love to read more about Marnie. Please put ‘Pitch Wars Requested’ in your subject line and send the full manuscript and query letter to me at rebecca@defliterary.com. Ms can be an attachment. Thanks so much!
I love this idea, Jenny! And I would love to see the manuscript. Please feel free to send it over to QueryMe.online/natascha/PitchWars. Can’t wait to start reading.
Best,
Natascha Morris
BookEnds Literary
Dear Jenny,
This sounds POSITIVELY delightful! I’d love to read more. Could you send along your query and first 100 pages as a Microsoft Word attachment, with #PitchWars in the subject line, to abishop (at) dystel (dot) com?
I look forward to reading!
All best,
Amy
Enjoying the voice! I’d love to read more! Please send the full with Pitchwars YA in the subject line to marlo.jdlit@gmail.com. Looking forward to reading!
Hi Jenny, I’d love to take a look at this! If you’d like, send the full manuscript to ashley@reesagency.com and put QUERY PITCH WARS in the subject line. Hope to hear from you soon!
Hi Jenny,
This fresh take with Jane Austen sounds so good! I’d love to read more. Please follow the directions on my query form and submit your MS here: QueryMe.online/LiteraryPenny/PitchWars2020. Thanks!
All the Best,
Penny Moore
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!
I’d love to take a look! Please send the query (in the body) and the full manuscript (as an attachment) to querybridget@awfulagent.com, with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. Can’t wait to read!
I’d love to see more of this! Please send a full ms and synopsis to crubinobradway AT lkgagency DOT com.
Hi! I’d love to see this. Please send a query and 25 pages to symondsqueries@thebentagency.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. I’m looking forward to reading more!
Hi – as a big Jane Austen fan I would love to see more of this! Please send the first three chapters and synopsis to childrens@madeleinemilburn.com.
All my best,
Chloe
Hi Jenny,
I’d be excited to read your full manuscript. Can you please email it to me at ebewley@sll.com?
Thanks!
Elizabeth Bewley
Sterling Lord Lit
Hi Jenny, I am excited about this premise, and would love to read more! Please send a query + 50 pages to shannon@marsallyonliteraryagency.com (with PitchWars in the subject line). Thanks, Shannon
Hi, Jenny. I love this! If you think we’d be a good fit, please query me at http://QueryMe.Online/HeatherCashman with Pitch Wars in the referral line, and I’ll respond soon with a full request so you can upload the file. Thanks!
I love the humor in the excerpt and the high-concept pitch. I’d love to read the full manuscript if you could send it to me with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line to: submissions (at) greenhouseliterary (dot) com. Thank you!