Pitch Wars 2020 Wishlist

September 2, 2020

Hello, Pitch Wars Hopefuls!

I’m thrilled to be a mentor this year. Finally, I get the chance to pay it forward after participating in the program as a mentee in 2017. For those of you interested in submitting to me, I encourage you to carefully read through this Wishlist. Keep in mind I’m mentoring contemporary Young Adult fiction. I will accept contemporary New Adult submissions, but only under the condition that the mentee is willing to lower the age category to Young Adult during revisions.

What is Pitch Wars?

A mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and request to read more. If you are not agented, have a completed manuscript, and may be interested in participating, check out pitchwars.org for more information.

My Pitch Wars experience

I was a Pitch Wars mentee in 2017. My awesome mentor Lizzy Dent (The Summer Job, 2021) worked with me to improve my manuscript and prepare for the Agent Showcase. Through the experience, I learned how to extensively revise a novel in a short period of time and it led to me signing with a literary agent a few months later. My debut Where the Rhythm Takes You, a young adult contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion will be published by Blazer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins in May 2021.

What will the mentorship / revision process be like?

When it comes to my own revisions, I’m not afraid to dig in. I hope to find a mentee that is just as open to revising. If you seek a heavy-handed approach, I’m not the mentor for you. Compliment sandwiches are my method of choice for feedback.

After I read my chosen mentee’s manuscript, I will send them an edit letter with details about what I liked about the story and the elements that I believe can be improved. Once they’ve had a chance to process the feedback, we will have a discussion (through email, skype, etc.) where we figure out a plan for revision. After they complete the new draft, I will have another read of the manuscript, adding tracked comments to highlight any areas I think need another round of quick edits before the Agent Showcase.

Throughout the process, I would encourage my mentee to feel free to contact me with questions and concerns. I hope to be as available as possible within the limits of my own writing deadlines. Email, Twitter DMs, and Skype are my primary form of communication.

At the end of the day, it is my mentee’s manuscript and I will defer to their vision for the book. However, I do hope for a mentee with an open mind, who understands feedback is not personal. Someone who is willing to get down to work.

Now on to the Wishlist!

What I’m looking for…

Contemporary young adult fiction. Basically, that’s it! To give you a better idea of my tastes though, I’m including a few of my favorite sub-genres, tropes, and books. If your manuscript falls into any of the categories in this section, or if it’s similar to any of the titles listed, send them to me!

1: Romantic Comedies

Funny, sweet love stories. Clever banter is appreciated. Happy endings are a must.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

2: Contemporary Romance

I’m alright with a slow burn. Bring on the angst. Make me swoon. I also love it when there’s a feeling of fate/inevitability/something larger than the characters at work.

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

3: Contemporary with speculative elements

Stories with a dash of science fiction, fantasy, or horror.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

4: Contemporary with mystery elements

Mysteries where there is more focus on the characters than the plot. They can have a speculative twist.

Trouble Is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

5: Contemporary Retellings

Classics, myths, folklore, and fairy tales retold in a modern-day setting.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Geekerella by Ashley Poston

6: Extra elements I appreciate

Diversity
Own voices
Caribbean voices!
Marginalized experiences
Humor
Stories about artists or people who are really passionate about their work/hobby
Found families
Tight friend groups
Female friendships

What I’m NOT looking for…

I enjoy reading some of the genres mentioned below, but I do not think I would be the right mentor for them. (CW WARNING: This may contain triggering themes)

Anything not YA (With the exception of New Adult where the mentee is willing to lower the age category to YA in revisions)
High fantasy
Hard Science Fiction / Space Opera / Dystopian / Post-apocalyptic
Horror
Historical fiction
Westerns
Action/Adventure
Thrillers/Suspense
Supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc.)
Plots centered around sports
Novels-in-verse
On-page sexual or physical abuse
On-page sexual assault
On-page self-harm
Suicide
Animal abuse
Gore/Body horror
Manuscripts longer than 100k words

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Wishlist. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message on twitter (@sarahdassauthor).

Pitch Wars 2020 Young Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

Click here to view all Pitch Wars 2020 Mentors’ Wish Lists