ROCK THE DROP 2012

It's that time of year again for Rock the Drop. In a nutshell, it's where a bunch of crazy people get together and give away books for FREE! No strings attached. Except, well, you have to be on the look out for these books. They could be anywhere. On the subway, on a park bench, on the sidewalk. ANYWHERE.

It's in suppport of Teen Lit Day, and you can read more about Readergirlz, who started this whole mess, here.

Anyhow, here are my Rock the Drop offerings:

I'll be posting pics on Twitter today when I place them.

Happy Rock the Drop! :)

INTERNATIONAL Goodreads Giveaway

Just thought you should know that I'm giving away a signed ARC of OF POSEIDON on Goodreads, and it's open to international entries. If your country is not on the list, please let me know and I will add it. The giveaway ends April 15th, so run along and tell all your friends, family, neighbors, and frenemies.

May the odds be ever your favor, and stuff. :)

So...I'm Going on Tour!

Oh hecktotheyes! I'm going on book tour this summer with three fellow Macmillan (and undeniably awesome) YA authors: Jennifer Bosworth (STRUCK), Emmy Laybourne (MONUMENT 14), and Leah Bardugo (SHADOW & BONE). We shall be called FIERCE READS. Check out our Facebook page here, and be sure to like us, at least a little. :)

For a complete schedule of tour stops, check out the "Appearances" tab at the top of my blog.

Also, if you can make one of the stops, be sure to ask me "Boxers or briefs?" because I'm DYING to say, "Saran Wrap!" =D

Swag Winners-Writer Appreciation Giveaway!

Guys. GUYS. We have two winners for the season of swag Writer Appreciation giveaway:

Cherie aka @writercheri on Twitter

aaaaaaaaand

C D Meetens


Congratulations! May your day be filled with confetti, cupcakes, and chicken wings (see how easy it is to include the magic rule of three in writing?). Winners, please email your mailing address to byannabanks (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll get your gift certificates to you. Thanks all for participating, and stayed tuned for more giveaways. Plus, you don't want to miss all my rants and peeks into the publishing world from the eyes of a debut author. :)

Season of Swag-Writer Appreciation

I'm baaaack! After a two month hiatus, I'm ready to throw around some more swag, and the theme this month is WRITER APPRECIATION!

We all know that the writing community is one of the most supportive, encouraging communities out there. And we all know why: Breaking into the publishing industry is freaking hard! Writing queries is suckish! Rejection hurts like a beeeoch!

So, in partnership with The Editorial Department, I'm giving away not one, but TWO (because I was gone for two months) gift certificates for the following:

"Redeemable for a critique and editorial analysis of a one-page query letter and sample material for agent or publisher submission of up to 2,500 words. Book length adult and young adult fiction and nonfiction only please."

So that's a professional critique of a query letter and roughly your first ten pages! And I have to tell you, I'm excited to be giving this away. I wish I'd known about these folks when I was being pitched about in the query hurricane. The co-owner, Renni Browne, is also the co-author of SELF EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS, a book I highly recommended to writers, even before I stumbled across the website for The Editorial Department.

So, if you'd like to enter to win, here are the rules:

1.) You must be un-agented.
2.) You must follow my blog.
3.) You must follow me on Twitter, and tweet about this contest at least once. (please include a link to this post, and my handle @byannabanks in your tweet. If you do not, I may miss your tweet!)
4.) The contest will end Saturday, December 17th at midnight. The winners will be chosen using Random.org, and will be posted on my blog on Monday, December 19th.
5.) There will be two winners, one for each gift certificate.


And that's it! Okay....GO!

Hiatus

I am going to make this brief. My mom unexpectedly passed away on October 27th. One week she was diagnosed with cancer, the next week we were told she had 7-10 days left. She passed away within 36 hours after that. While I don't wish to give details, I will say that naturally, I didn't feel like doing much blogging, writing, or anything in general during these past two months, hence my absence.

Thanks for everyone's well wishes, thoughts, and prayers.

Anna

Conference Prep

Are you preparing for an upcoming conference? 'Cause I am. I'll be crashing the Southern Breeze SCBWI 20th Annual Writing & Illustrating for Kids conference in October (and I'd loooove to see you there!). This'll be my first conference EVER, so I'm a bit nervous, and because of said anxiety, I've been lurking on the Internet and collecting conference tips. Here are some that I've wrangled for your prepping pleasure:

1.) Dress Appropriately. This might sound like a DUH moment, but if this item is almost always number one on all the conference prep lists I've read, so someone, somewhere, is not getting the memo. A conference isn't prom. A conference isn't the gym. Business casual. To me, business casual screams slacks, a shirt you'll probably have to iron (boo!), and you'll probably have to wear makeup and comb your hair and stuff.

2.) Dress Comfortably. I know, I know. Which is it, right? How about we keep the slacks and the makeup, but we add layers to our outfit, in case it gets too hot/cold. Also, the conference is not the time for breaking in new shoes or wearing stilettos, unless you're particularly good at wearing stilettos (if so, email me and give me a few tips). You'll be walking to workshops and hopefully mingling, so comfy shoes will be a necessity. Also, leave the perfume/cologne at home. People are allergic. And there's this one kind of perfume that makes me vomit instantaneously, and no one wants to see/smell that.

3.) Bring Stuff. Stuff like a notebook with pockets so you can take materials home and take notes during the workshop. Bring a pen, people. Don't be that person. The conference will probably supply some of these things, but bring them just in case. Also, it wouldn't hurt to bring some business cards, even if you're not yet pubbed. It should include your name, your mug shot, and your contact info. You never know who you'll meet. You just never know. :)

4.) Be courteous. To the volunteers. To other attendees. To the hotel staff. To everyone. Why should I tell you this? Because it's listed on other people's conference lists, so again, someone is still violating this basic rule.

5.) Agents/Editors. Don't pitch to them in the bathroom. They attend conferences to mingle and find new talent, yes. But pitching to them mid-stream is bad. Very bad. If you've scheduled a pitch appointment, then prepare for it. Practice your presentation until it sounds natural. Have material ready in case the agent/editor asks for it on the spot. (Not the whole MS. Just the first few chapters). This is also where a business card comes in handy. It will help them remember you when you send them your material.

These are but a few of the tips I've found. Do you have anything to add? :)