Hi everyone YA almost-authors,

Here is your chance to be published! The Book Wish Foundation is hosting a contest, of which 6 almost-authors will win a critique by an author or a literary agent (one of these is Meg Cabot‘s agent! I’ve never read Meg Cabot, but she is pretty darn famous.) From what I hear of it, here’s what you have to do (I am also posting the original contest below) :

1) Read The Book Wish Foundation‘s newest anthologie, What You Wish For.

2) Write and submit a 500-word essay about one of the stories in the anthology before February 1st. You may write more than one essay on more than one story, and you are able to win more than one critique.

3) Be one of the 6 winners (Who will be announced March 1st).

4) Submit the first 50 pages of your YA (or middle school) manuscript for review within 6 months of March 1st.

Here is the actual contest:

Win a literary agent or acclaimed author’s feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers. This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book wish foundation. See this site for full details. You could win a manuscript critique from:

-Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot

-Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau

-Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse’s Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust

-Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe

-Fransisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

-Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey’s Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue

All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation’s new anthology, What You Wish For. Essays are due February 1st, 2012, and winners will be announced March 1st, 2012. If you win, you will have six months to submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript for critique (which means you can enter the contest even if you haven’t finished, or started, your manuscript). You can even enter multiple times, with essays about more than one of the contest stories, for a chance to win up to six critiques.

If you dream of being a published author, this is an opportunity you should not miss. To enter, follow the instructions at http://bookwish.org/contest.

Good luck and best wishes,

Logan Kleinwaks
President, Book Wish Foundation

What You Wish For (ISBN 9780399254543, Putnam Juvenile, Sep. 15, 2011) is a collection of short stories and poems about wishes from 18 all-star writers: Meg Cabot, Jeanne DuPrau, Cornelia Funke, Nikki Giovanni, John Green, Karen Hesse, Ann M. Martin, Alexander McCall Smith, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joyce Carol Oates, Nate Powell, Sofia Quintero, Gary Soto, R.L. Stine, Francisco X. Stork, Cynthia Voigt, Jane Yolen. With a Foreword by Mia Farrow. Book Wish Foundation is donating 100% of its proceeds from the book to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, to fund the development of libraries in Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad.

Good luck to all you aspiring YA authors!

I’ll keep you posted,