In more than 250 characters...

[Scott]

The Purpose of This Topic

In the OnlineBookClub.org Publishing Contest, entrants have to explain in only 250 characters or less why they should get a book deal. This makes browsing the entries easier for voters. However, it leaves a lot left unsaid.

In this topic, entrants can reply with a description of (1) what their book would be about (don't give too much away though!) and (2) why people would want to vote for you (e.g. credentials, etc.).

Entrants can also come back and provide news about their careers, writings, projects, and lives that would be of interest to voters.

Voters can also ask followup questions or comment on proposals.


Important Notes for Entrants about Self-Promotion

Please note, throughout the forum we have Strict Anti-Spam Rules. If you haven't read those rules, read them now. In part, the rules prohibit plugging one's work by mentioning it. However, in this topic we will obviously be a little lax about merely mentioning and describing your works and products, considering we are literally asking you to tell us about your achievements. Still, please stick to explaining why people would vote for you. This isn't a self-promotion free-for-all; it's for promoting your entry in a helpful way. If your intent seems to just promote something else or yourself in general (e.g. "go buy my other book", "please like me on facebook" etc.) it will be deleted.

Please don't include external links in your post in this topic, except you can include links to products on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Smashwords, or include YouTube videos, in all four cases by using the appropriate BBCode (Amazon BBCode Guide). Internal site links are allowed in this topic, such as those to a review of a book or to your entry page on the contest.


Helpful Links for Voters

Official Publishing Contest Leaderboard - There must be a reason why so many people are supporting these writer. Check it out.

Leaderboard by Post Count - The winner is selected by votes not post count. Nonetheless, this list is a great way to see the entries by the people you already know best from the community.

[NativeTexan]

Hello! I am one of the entrants in the publishing contest, and I just wanted to tell you a little bit more about my proposed fiction book, a legal thriller. Sitting in a nice hotel room on the road in 2004, I first outlined this novel as a young and slightly frustrated attorney. I was working at a large law firm in a big city, and the transition from long-time student to "legal professional" was a challenging one for me.

I began to imagine an alternate reality where, what if, the young attorney decided to break free of the "golden handcuffs" of her prestigious job and leave on her own terms. Like many recent law graduates, the main protagonist is saddled in student loans and needs her job more than it needs her. Therefore she takes drastic measures to escape this life of perceived indentured servitude. The main character crosses lines that most wouldn't but many probably fantasize about crossing.

I draw from my experiences of working opposite larger than life plaintiffs' attorneys, medical expert witnesses, big whig partners and colleagues, each with their own peccadillos, to create the setting, characters and story for this novel.

On the professional front, I am currently a freelance writer mostly penning pieces about the humorous aspects of modern parenting. I have waited for the right time to write The Opt-Out, and I am finally in the right place in my life to complete it. I expect it to be suspenseful but also include some subtle irreverent humor and irony thrown in along with themes of fallible human nature to which we can all likely relate. Thanks for taking the time to read about my book!

If you are interested in voting for The Opt-Out, my entry is located on this website in this location:
/shelves/pub-contest.php?u=86478

[Lincoln]

Hi everyone!

I posted a novel I'm working on called Raven's Peak in the contest. It's sort of like the Dresden Files, but stars two characters named Abigail and Haatim. Abigail is a demon hunter who recently went through a traumatic experience, and Haatim is a hapless bystander who is in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets sucked into her world. I've got about 35,000 words written in the novel and I'm a little over halfway to completing it, and it is packed with tons of action and a lot of humor.

It's totally different than anything I've written before. I have four novels on Amazon, a thriller, two literary fiction novels, and a science fiction novel. Both of my literary fiction novels have been reviewed on OnlineBookClub and one of them won the Literary Classics Award for Inspirational/Visionary works in October of 2015.

Anyway, my entry is here:

/shelves/pub-contest.php?u=84065

Thanks everyone very much for your support!

[Scott]

Thanks @NativeTexan and @Lincoln for your quick replies!

[Mikaela Ellwood]

Hi all,
I'm Mikaela from New Zealand and I have always wanted to be a writer. At 19 years old, I am determined that this is the year to achieve my dream! This competition is a great opportunity, so I am taking the proverbial bull by the horns and getting myself and my story out there into the wide world. Previously, I have written two plays, one of which we put on at my church, and the other shorter one I helped direct for a girl's club. I also entered the Holding Fire competition with a short story called Song of the Wolf that was a featured runner up.

I am now looking to improve my writing by challenging myself to take the next step and actually complete a novel which is good enough to publish.

My novel is called Nowhere (at the moment) and is about an alien invasion from cyberspace. Our invention of a language called NICE has resulted in a link between Nowhere (cyberspace) and our world. It is up to a family, nicknamed the "Mad Martins" by society for giving up electronic devices, to save the day. Professor H.P. Mooney-Law (the inventor of NICE) and his associates, who have been told by the world leaders to sort out the situation, meet for discussions in the Martins' book-filled house which cannot be pinpointed by the aliens. However, Mr Martin disappears through a portal to Nowhere, and his eldest children, twins Theresa and Matthieu, decide to follow him. Can the twins save their father and the planet in time?

Here's the page: /shelves/pub-contest.php?u=65855

I appreciate your support!

[TrishaAnn92]

Howdy everyone!

I entered into the contest with a book I started writing during NanoWriMo.
When Darkness Falls, a paranormal romance, is about a mute twenty-three year old named Jasmine who finds herself in a world that she didn't know existed. As the most powerful elemental Jasmine ends up caught in the middle of a fight for good and evil, with evil having the upper hand. Gabriel, who would be fiance kidnaps her and takes her on a wild ride as she is forced to make him see that he isn't his father or face her own death and the destruction of everything and everyone around her. Through destructive fights and moments of peace, both are left wondering where they are headed and what will happen.

This is the first book I have actively worked towards publishing (and the only one I have come remotely close to finishing if I might add). I have been writing and rewriting this book for the last several months and have decided to print out all of the pages I have written and edit them by hand before typing them up.
I am beyond excited about this book not only because it is my first, but also because I am determined to see it go somewhere.

Thank you everybody for your support!

[Veeee]

Hi Everyone!

I have entered the contest with a story called Lights, which I have spent the last two years writing!, and rewriting! It first came as an idea for a comic book, but I felt there was too much to say, and I really wanted to capture the feelings and landscapes in writing rather than in pictures, if that makes sense...This is a Young Adult story, set in a Fantasy world. But ultimately, it is about that crushing sense of loneliness and uniqueness you feel as a teenager, and how to become stronger than you ever imagined you would be... My main character is called Meira (means Light in Hebrew), I really enjoy writing her and I hope people will enjoy reading her journey too!

It is my first time writing a full-length, after penning a lot of short stories, some of them I have self-published, and it's an exciting and terrifying experience!

I have read some of your pitches and there is an awesome community of creators here!

Thank you for your support!

[verbala9744]

Please visit the latest contest link here on Online Book Club to see if you are interested in
voting for me. (I am not allowed to post a link to the published contest, although
you can search for a link or clickable icon on the Online Book Club site and look for my user name: Verbala9744.

Please pass the word on to your friends and see if they are interested in voting for my
book.

I am a new member with the user name: Verbala9744. I have just entered the latest Online Book Club contest for a
possible book contract with Online Book Club. You can view the title of my manuscript and the 250 word description of why you should vote for it by finding the latest mention of a publish contract contest here on Online Book Club and voting from there. Your votes could make me a winner if you think my "pitch" sounds appealing and should be published.

My book is written about the loss of my dog and the celebration of her
life. It's about who she was and how she "worked" with other puppies. (I was just the human puppy). She changed my life forever; I think others need to know just how. If you know of someone who has lost a pet
and says they will never own another one; it hurts too bad. They need to read this book. If you know of someone
who is grieving over the loss of their furbaby and you don't know what to say, this book is for you too. If you just
love animals and are interested in facts mixed with heart and instinct and the bonds between animals and people,
my book is a must-have!

Thank you for reading this.

Verbale9744

[HalcyonFlower]

Hello all,

The book I've chosen to enter explores the world in which the government is the only group that living decently among zombies, dubbed sloths. They outnumber normal people significantly. My novel will be focused solely on the government and its employees since my curiosity lies with how Canada would recover with a crisis of this magnitude since the generations to come will be depending on immigration to fulfill labour positions.

Zaira is one of the few women alive that has managed to work her way up to the position of Assistant Deputy Minister. One morning, she and her albino colleague of Ugandan descent are attacked by a group sloth that somehow got into the secure grounds. A month after intensive therapy sessions, Zaira returns to work only to realize she's been ignorant of many secret on-goings some of the Ministries are taking part in. The chief has been forcing a replacement but why the sudden disdain? Unfortunately, the sloth attack seems to be attempted homicide. As she struggles with reintegrating into the workplace, she considers taking part of the Reproduction program and questions if she should choose a partner of her free will or have one assigned. She wants a legacy and feels a child might be the answer.

Hopefully that clarifies my blurb in the contest All the best to everyone!

[bookowlie]

@Scott Great topic! One question - would more members would see it if it were placed in Writing Discussion or General Reading Discussion?

[Scott]

@Scott Great topic! One question - would more members would see it if it were placed in Writing Discussion or General Reading Discussion?

@bookowlie Well, the entrants should all know about it and see it because I emailed all of them about it.

[bookowlie]

Sounds good. Also, a lot of members hang out in this subforum so it will be an attention getter here!

[Joyreader]

Hello! I started writing this book ten years ago,but never dared to have it published .So when I saw this contest I thought I'll give it a try and take that first step.
My book is mostly intended for young adults but anyone can read it.
And if you could vote for me by using my user name Joyreader ,that'll be really awesome.

[Almille]

Hello all,
I entered Heaven's Playground into OBC's publishing contest because I wanted others to see that it's OK to write about child loss and that it shouldn't be a topic one is uncomfortable talking about. This book's intention is to lighten the mood during an extremely emotional situation. I wanted children to have a bedtime story to read to their cherub sibling when they are missing them. I want parents to have a story that reminds them of their child.With that said Heaven's Playground is a story told by 6 cherubs that lost their battle on earth and are trying to figure out life on the playground as well as trying to keep their families spirits up. Plus who doesn't love Cherubs???
Here is the link if you are interested in voting for Heaven's Playground
/shelves/pub-contest.php?u=63719

[rachel_bruhn]

If you asked me in high school what I was going to be when I grew up, I would have told you I was going to be a lawyer. I was accepted to one of the top psychology schools in the country to complete my Bachelor's degree. I continued on my journey when I was accepted to law school. At the end of my first semester, I found out I was pregnant. Determined that an unplanned pregnancy wasn't going to ruin my dreams, I started making plans for how to finish law school while raising a child with his father. By the end of my first year I realized that I couldn't be the mother I wanted to be and devote hours of my life to becoming a lawyer. I did not return to law school in the fall and instead worked on my master's degree while being a stay-at-home mom. I returned to the workforce in the behavioral health field. After two years of direct service with high risk kids, I realized that this was not the job for me. I am currently a legal assistant, but I am working my way out of the corporate world as I endeavor to be a work-from-home mom. In the last 4 years, I have learned how important it is to me to be there for my son. I have also realized that I can't work the job I do if I ever want to grow my family. I am marrying my son's father and the other man in my life in March. I would like to start growing our family soon. This publishing deal would really help me on my journey toward financial independence. It would help me set the foundation for a job that lets me work around my life, instead of having a life around work. My family is the most important priority to me. Having a published book is one step down the new path my life is taking.