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Members and Submissions
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This July we welcomed 27 new or renewing premium members to the site.
The Submissions Mailbox received 1 new submission and sent out 0 requests.
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Blog of the Month
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This month we're spotlighting Read After Your Bedtime Book Reviews, run by recent high school graduate Katie.
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Member Book Spotlight
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This month we're spotlighting ALEX VAN HELSING: THE TRIUMPH OF DEATH by Jason Henderson, published by Harper Teen.
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Welcome to the August 2012 YALITCHAT.ORG newsletter. I can't believe summer is almost over, and in just a few weeks, our kids will return to school! As the publishing business slows down for August, please take a moment to read about some of the amazing accomplishments of our members, learning and networking opportunities, and much more! We hope you are inspired. Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Founder, YALITCHAT.ORG, #YALITCHAT
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YALITCHAT.ORG NEWS
| Changes to Tier 2 Membership
Dear Members,
Our new membership year began in July, and with it came a revamping of our tiered membership system. Tier II is now classified as a Premium Membership and Tier III is now called Premium Pro. We are no longer using the separate Tier II forum because it caused more confusion for our members than we initially intended. We've also added in special badges to your profile avatar that display a member's status within the organization. A silver star indicates that the member has subscribed at the Premium level. A gold star indicates the member is Premium Pro, a professional in the industry or is an established and successful author who act as mentors within our community.
We hope you continue to enjoy your Premium membership in YALITCHAT.ORG. Please continue to take advantage of the community by chatting, participating in the forum, attending events like Pitch Slam, and Acquisitions Alley and Coffee and Critique -- all of which will move to YALITCHAT.ORG, and be easily accessible to all Premium members! Of course, Premium membership (formerly Tiers 2 and 3) may also take advantage of certain closed groups like Query Kick Around, Submissions Mailbox, and On Submission, to name a few. If you have any questions about your membership status, or would like to make a suggestion, please send a note to membership@yalitchat.org.
Best,
Nicole Olea
Membership Ambassador & #YALITCHAT Schedule Mananger
Grant and Membership Benefits
YALITCHAT isn't just another "pretty site." When you become a member you're entitled to all kinds of benefits which includes financial help.
Each year from July to July, YALITCHAT supports authors with funds to help them pay for membership, marketing, learning and conference attendance. In this last fiscal year, over $1,500 went to members to help them realize their publishing goals.
And note that if you've qualified for a grant in another fiscal year and followed through with the requirements, you're eligible to apply again.
So members, be sure to check out the Grants page if you need financial support. Site News You might have noticed a change on YALITCHAT.ORG - all members of staff of YALITCHAT now have "Staff" on their avatars. All premium members also now receive a silver star on their avatars to show their premium status. |
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MEMBER NEWS
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Darby Karchut's GIDEON'S SPEAR, the sequel to FINN FINNEGAN continues the story of a modern teenage boy apprenticed to a legendary Celtic warrior, to Vikki Ciaffone and Trisha Wooldridge at Spencer Hill Press, for publication in February 2014 (World).
Elle Darling's ESCAPE TO GRETNA GREEN, first of three fairytale-inspired Regency romances, in which a spirited bookstore owner delights in helping star-crossed couples reach happily ever after, but must compromise her principles when the a beastly Marquis demands she produce a replacement for the fiance she helped escape, TRAPPED IN LONDON, and RETURN TO FLEETWOOD, to Lauren Plude at Grand Central Forever, for publication in Spring 2014, by Rachael Dugas at Talcott Notch Literary Services.
Six-time Golden Heart Finalist author Shelley Coriell's THE BROKEN, featuring The Apostles, an elite team of FBI agents and their hunt for a serial killer, to Lauren Plude at Grand Central Forever, by Jessica Faust at BookEnds.
Varian Johnson's JACKSON GREENE STEALS THE ELECTION, pitched as an Ocean's Eleven for middle-schoolers, in which an eighth-grade reformed con artist has to get his old crew back together to stop the school bully from winning the all-powerful SGA Presidential election, all while trying to win back his ex-best friend and first crush, to Cheryl Klein at Arthur A. Levine Books, in a pre-empt, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).
VCFA grad Amy Rose Capetta's debut ENTANGLED, pitched as Firefly as a YA novel, in which a girl who thought she was alone in the universe with just her guitar, finds out that she is one of two humans to be experimentally connected on the particle level, and has to launch herself across space to save the boy she is quantum entangled with, with the help of a smuggler and her rag tag crew aboard a living spaceship, to Kate O'Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's, at auction, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world English).
Crissa Jean Chappell's FLIP THE SWITCH, about a teen boy whose dad is Miccosukee and whose mom is English -- making him "one hundred percent nothing" -- who is determined to figure out where he belongs and who he belongs with, to Brian Farrey-Latz at Flux, by Tina Wexler at ICM (World English).
Harriet Goodwin's sequel to THE HEX FACTOR, the story of a girl who - hexed by the letter X - must embrace her witch heritage if she is to come into her powers, enabling her to reverse hexes and turn bad into good, to Jane Harris at Stripes, for publication in Fall 2013, by Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency (World English).
Michelle Hodkin's THE RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER, the twist-filled conclusion to the Mara Dyer trilogy, to Alexandra Cooper at Simon & Schuster Children's, in a good deal, for publication in Fall 2013, by Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary (World).
Sarah Fine's FACTORY GHOST, about a 17-year-old girl who moves in with her father, the resident doctor for the town's slaughterhouse, and discovers the myth of the factory ghost may not be a myth at all, to Ruta Rimas at Margaret K. McElderry Books, in a very nice deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in Winter 2014, by Kathleen Ortiz of New Leaf Literary & Media (NA).
Congratulations to Aja Hannah who signed a contract with Curiosity Quills for her debut novel, ZARCONIAN ISLAND, after going through the Submission Mailbox, and YALITCHAT.ORG groups First Five, and Query.
Lithuanian rights to Jill Hathaway's SLIDE, to Alma Littera, by Alexandra Devlin at Rights People on behalf of Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary Agency.
New Releases
 AURACLE
by Gina Rosati
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan
16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.
When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.
 THAT ONE NIGHTby Sarah BillingtonPublication Date: July 18, 2012Publisher: Billington Media
"Take me with you," he said. "Please?"
Can a friendship that lasts just an hour be completely perfect? A year ago, Annie and Bree were best friends, then they graduated high school and it turns out a year is a long time. When Annie shows up at her best friend's birthday hoping to slip back into the friendship that was, she discovers she's no longer a part of Bree's world and decides to slip out quietly without making a scene.
But a chance encounter on the way out means that sometimes you can find friendship when you least expect it.
 WICKED PARADISE
by Erin Richards
Publication date: August 13, 2012.
Publisher: Crimson Romance
A sorceress from Medieval Avalon and a demon assassin from post-apocalyptic 21st century Los Angeles travel through space & time to a mystical island to kill an ancient demon before it escapes its prison paradise to destroy mankind.
 | | "Blood Crave" Book Trailer |
Jennifer Knight's BLOOD CRAVE releases on August 14.
Headstrong heroine Faith Reynolds returns in this thrilling sequel to the paranormal romance Blood on the Moon.
Lose yourself once more in the deliciously suspenseful world of werewolves versus vampires, otherworldly boys with deadly charm, and addictive, spine-tingling action and romance. Check the trailer out now!
 DAEMONS IN THE MIST
by Alicia Kat Dillman
Finally getting the girl of your dreams; what could possibly go wrong?
Seventeen year old Patrick Connolly has been hopelessly infatuated with Nualla for years but he is all but invisible to her. Until, that is, he rescues her from a confrontation with her ex. Little does Patrick know he's just set off a dangerous chain reaction that will thrust him into a world of life altering secrets and things that shouldn't exist, because the fog and mist of San Francisco is concealing more than just buildings.
A deliriously captivating and exhilarating romantic roller coaster full of unexpected twists and an ending you won't see coming.
August Releases
8/07--AURACLE by Gina Rosati
8/08--INNOCENT DARKNESS (AETHER CHRONICLES) by Suzanne Lazear
8/08--NARC by Crissa-Jean Chappell
8/13--WICKED PARADISE by Erin Richards
8/14--BLOOD CRAVE by Jennifer Knight
8/14--TOUCHED by Cyn Balog
8/16--THE TREACHERY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Ruth Long
8/28--VANQUISHED (CRUSADE) by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
8/28--IF I LIE by Corinne Jackson
Have a release coming out in September? Please let us know so we can include it in our newsletter. Contact membership@yalitchat.org with further details.
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FROM THE SUBMISSIONS MAILBOX
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Each month we spotlight one submission to the Submissions Mailbox. This August enjoy the first 500 words of Robyn Lucas's successful submission!
About Robyn: In addition to being a middle grade book reviewer for Bookalicious.org, Robyn has invented several products and even licensed one to a multi-million dollar company. She is well-known in the Mom-inventor's circle, and has been featured on CNBC's The Big Idea six times, numerous magazine articles, and her product has appeared on The Today Show.
Title: KIDZ INC
Genre: Middle Grade
First 500 words: Anna Fraser tapped her foot against the metal leg of her desk to the song in her head:
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Four more classes, then I'm jolly
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Christmas break is almost here
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
No more homework for the rest of the year
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
She drummed her pencil on the thick social studies book that sat open to page 241: Economics.
Twenty more minutes.
She glanced up at her social studies teacher, Mr. Bower, aka. Mr. Shower, and beat a little louder on the book to the rhythm of his lecture.
"Economics," he was saying, or rather spraying.
Tap tap-tap tap
"Is the study of buying and selling goods and services."
Tap tap tap-tap tap tap-tap tap tap-tap tap-tap-tap
Anna couldn't believe he was actually trying to make them learn on the last day of school before Christmas break. Her other teachers let them watch movies, read books, and even have a holiday party. She'd scored four candy canes already. And there, Mr. Shower stood at the front of the class reading from his notes, his beady eyes not lifting from the yellow memo pad clenched between his chunky fingers. He continued earnestly, wiping the corner of his mouth every now and then.
The classroom was your typical rectangle-shaped classroom with the teacher's desk area opposite the door in the front of the room. Except one thing was different in Mr. Bower's class-it was divided according to the level of moisture. The quarter closest to his desk-the Red Zone, was the smelliest, wettest area. The chance of getting sprayed was 110%. The next quadrant in the front was the Yellow Zone, where moisture dropped forty percent. Behind the Red Zone was the Orange. Although dampness was dramatically lower, there was still a chance of a gentle spray. Anna's desk was in the back corner of the class-the Green Zone. She was comfortably wedged between the wall and the smartest kid in sixth grade: Chris Fraser, who happened to also be her younger brother. Her parents suggested he take all of her classes because he's an "Advanced Learner" and skipped fifth grade completely. Anna was annoyed at first, but quickly discovered that sitting beside a certified brainiac who didn't cover his tests wasn't all bad.
She looked over at Chris. His dark curly hair was messy and it looked liked he'd slept in his clothes. He must've been up all night gaming. She rolled her eyes. She'd never leave her bedroom like that, let alone her house.
"Entrepreneurship-starting and running your own business, is what makes this country great," Mr. Shower continued. "Henry Ford, Sam Walton, and Walt Disney are great examples of such entrepreneurship."
Chris sat up straighter and held his head higher when Mr. Shower mentioned Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
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YA BOOK EVENTS
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In addition to our fabulous YALITCHAT events, August is full of awesome conferences and events in the writing world! A few highlights are listed below. For more details on these events and many others, please check out the Events Tab on YALITCHAT.ORG
Williamette Writers Conference
YA Fest
PAYA
Cape Cod Writers Conference
Mississippi Writers Guild Conference
Maryland Writers Conference
Also make sure and check out WriteOnCon which will be held entirely online!
We're scouring the Internet to find events that our members might be interested in, but the Internet's a big place! If you know of a conference, festival, or other literary event that is of interest to YA writers and isn't on our calendar, please email membership@yalitchat.org attention Jessica Capelle. Check the Events Tab often to see if a great event is headed your way!
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GROUP SPOTLIGHT: PROMOTION JUNCTION
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Have you explored every inch of YALITCHAT.ORG? There might be a group that you've missed. This month we want to spotlight Promotion Junction, the group for premium members to share and exchange book marketing strategies.
Promotion Junction is available to premium members of YALITCHAT.ORG. The group includes "been there, done that" information that can give you tips for getting your work out there or plan a marketing push. Promotion Junction also offers networking opportunities with opportunities such as calls for guest blog posts or giveaways.
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TEEN VOICES WRITING CONTEST SPONSORED BY YALITCHAT.ORG
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"Who me? President?"Yes, girl, you! The world could use a leader like you. Not only are you smart and dedicated, you are passionate about tackling the important issues. That's why we want to know: If you were president, what changes would you make and why? Tell us why these policies and issues are important to you, your family, your community, and the future of our country. WHO: Teen Voices Writing Contest sponsored by YALITCHAT.ORG WHAT: Submit a 500-1,000 essay addressing what you would do if you were elected President this year. WHEN: Enter from August 1- 31, 2012. Judging takes place in September. Winner announced on October 15, 2012 on teenvoices.com. HOW TO ENTER: Complete an entry form online, and attach your submission as a Microsoft Word document. CLICK HERE to enter. Be sure to review our submission policy before submitting. Remember, if you are under age 18, you'll need parental permission before submitting your entry. WHY: A chance to win one of five awesome prizes! Grand Prize-Kindle Fire and print publication of your essay in Teen Voices magazine. Second Prize-Staples $100 gift card and online publication of your essay. Third Prize-$50 in school supplies and online publication of your essay. Top three winners all receive a one-year subscription to Teen Voices and will be featured on YALITCHAT.ORG. Fourth and Fifth place entrants will receive books and bookmarks from YALITCHAT.ORG. All prizes are generously donated by YALITCHAT.ORG. RULES: Only one entry per person. Must be no less than 500 words and no more than 1,000 words. Must use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Must enter by August 31, 2012. All entries must be original work. If you try to submit duplicate entries, Teen Voices will only accept your first submission. Entries accepted from teen girls ages 13 to 19 only. JUDGING: Teen Voices' editorial department will read and rate entries in round 1, narrowing entries to 20 semi-finalists. The 20 semi-finalists will be sent to judges who include YA authors, Kekla Magoon, L.M. Preston, and Justina Ireland, as well as Georgia McBride, the founder and director of YALITCHAT.ORG, and a YA novelist herself! They will select the top five winners.
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Upcoming #YALITCHAT Twitter Wednesdays @ 9PM ET
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 August 1 - Join us to discuss representing Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual characters in YA
August 8 - Steampunk re-boot. Join us as we celebrate the release of author @suzannelazear's Innocent Darkness, The Aether Chronicles, Book 1.
August 15 - INTERNATIONAL CHAT. Join us for an international chat at a special time, 3 pm - 4 pm EST.
August 22 - Main characters. Join us to discuss the ingredients that make up a strong MC.
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KATGIRL STUDIO - DISCOUNT FOR YALITCHAT.ORG MEMBERS
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 Indie author & illustrator Alicia Kat Dillman is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. Kat illustrates and designs book covers & computer game art by day and writes teen fiction by night. The owner of two very crazy studio cats and nine overfull bookcases, Kat can usually be found performing, watching anime or hanging out in Twitter chats when not playing in the imaginary worlds within her head.
Website: http://www.katgirlstudio.com/
Twitter: KatGirl_Studio
KatGirl Studio
As a special offer to YALitChat members during the month of August, KatGirl Studio will be offering a 15% discount on all services. Just use the discount code YALITCHAT when you email Kat.
Hire Kat
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Member Grants
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EDUCATION GRANT
Available for Teachers and Librarians who are members of YALITCHAT.ORG. Educators join YALITCHAT.ORG's Premium membership for $25/annually though it is NOT necessary to do so in order to qualify for the EDUCATION GRANT.
Apply for a grant for use on classroom supplies, technology purchase, author visit, etc. Grants available in amounts of $50.00 per member. Five available per membership year. NB: Educators (regardless of membership level) qualify for FREE classroom supplies at beginning of each semester. Join our EDUCATORS group for more info.
HARDSHIP GRANT*
Want to expand your horizons and connect with others in the industry but just don't have the funds? YALITCHAT offers TWO types of Hardship Grants and is available to individuals who desire to join YALITCHAT, SCBWI, RWA, RWAYA and other related organizations but need help doing so.
YALITCHAT Membership Grant
Covers the cost of a full year's premium membership in YALITCHAT.ORG or $30.00 per grantee.
There are 5 grants available for the 2012-2013 Membership year (July-July).
BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2011-2012 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $150 (5 GRANTS).
YALITCHAT OTO Hardship Grant*
Covers the cost to JOIN any Other Trade Organization in disbursements of $25 per grantee.
There are 4 available for the 2011-2012 membership year (July-July). You MUST be a premium member of YALITCHAT.ORG in order to qualify for this grant.
BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2012-2013 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $100 (4 GRANTS).
MARKETING SUPPORT GRANT*
Are you a newly published author in need of marketing support materials for a new release? How about an author about to head on tour in need of giveaways and promo items? Do you need to purchase more ARCs from your publisher to get exposure for your book? Need money to get that new website off the ground? We can help.
Last year we gave away $600 in grants towards supporting published members in promoting their books! There are be five grants available or $100 per person/grantee. Grants are available to premium members only.
BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2012-2013 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $500 (5 GRANTS)
QUICK LEARNING GRANT*
Up to $50 toward any learning initiative such as a webinar, online course, conference, etc. You must be already registered for said initiative and have already paid in full. Must be writing or publishing industry related.
$250.00 USD year available total and $50 per grantee.
BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2012-2013 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $250 (5 GRANTS).
Want to learn more about grants or need an application? Please send an email to grants at yalitchat (dot) org.
*Available to Premium Members ONLY!
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ABOUT YALITCHAT.ORG
YALITCHAT.ORG is an all-volunteer organization run by sixteen writers who love what we do! In our spare time, away from family, day jobs and writing time--we work tirelessly to keep the community up and running twenty four hours a day, seven days each week.
The membership dues that come in to the organization are invested directly back into the organization and spent on office supplies, member grants, donations, student memberships (student membership is FREE through high school), member development and general maintenance or what we like to call "rent and utilities." If you share a passion for supporting fellow writers and others in children's literature, please consider volunteering.
Please subscribe to YALITCHAT.ORG for only $30.00. More on membership options can be found by visiting http://www.yalitchat.com.
CONTACT US
Questions, comments or corrections may be directed to: inquiries (at) yalitchat.org. Send news to: membership (at) yalitchat.org.
Contact Membership Ambassador, Nicole Olea with any issues relating to membership, site usage, community, forum, etc.
Published authors may contact Elle Stone, Published Member Ambassador for promotional opportunities, marketing grants, etc. at our membership email address.
Publishers and authors may mail books to the below address. If you need a street address, please send a note to our inquiries email address.
YALITCHAT.ORG
PO Box 1892
Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
VISIT US ON THE WEB
http://yalitchat.org
http://yalitchat.com (public site for chat schedule, transcripts, etc)
NEWSLETTER STAFF AND CREDITS
Adrienne Gelbart, Member Development Coordinator
Aja Hannah, Copy Editor
Tara Sundaram, Newsletter Producer
Nicole Olea, Membership Ambassador
C. Lee McKenzie, Grants Program Administrator
Georgia McBride, President, Executive Editor
Jennifer Million, Senior Newsletter Producer, Associate Editor
Books and ARCs donated by: Disney*Hyperion, HarperTeen, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, Balzar and Bray, Greenwillow, HarperCollins, Penguin, RandomHouse Kids and Little Brown Books for Young Readers.
YALITCHAT Inc. 2010 -2011, all rights reserved.
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