By Susan Wroble
February 28, 2022. Denver, Colorado.
During our Story Spinners Critique Group, member Beth Duncan asked if anyone was submitting to PBParty. “What’s PBParty?” I asked.
For those of you as in the dark as I was, PBParty is an annual contest for unagented picture book writers and illustrators, hosted by author Mindy Alyce Weiss. Submissions (just the first 70 or so words of manuscripts) are judged, finalists are selected, and agents and editors are invited to look over the entries.
The submissions window, it turned out, was that night. In fact, with the time zone changes, it was just after our meeting ended. I had a very polished manuscript with an accompanying query letter in my files. Why not? I filled out the submission form, pressed send, and promptly forgot about it. Those weeks were a little busy…
March 17, 2022. Cerritos, Mexico.
On a beach on west coast of the Baja peninsula, surfers rode into shore, a pelican floated in the pool, and my husband and I were engulfed in hugs as friends began to arrive for our daughter’s wedding that weekend. That’s when, unexpectedly, my phone rang. “Susan!” Beth said. “You’re a PBParty finalist!”
March 25, 2022. Denver, Colorado
With rather spotty wifi at our hotel (and a few other things going on right then!) it took another week and the return home for me to begin to understand PBParty.
The 2022 team of PBParty judges (Mindy Alyss Weiss, Matt Tesoriero, Gabriele Davis, Lori Degman, Jenna Waldman, Aixa Perez-Prado, and Sylvia Chen) sifted through nearly a thousand submissions to select the finalists: fifty manuscripts and twenty in the illustration showcase. Those were posted on a site for agents and editors to review. If the editors and agents were interested, they would request the full manuscript or portfolios. Over on the PBParty Facebook site, it was hard to keep up as Mindy posted requests. By the end of the week, more than FIVE HUNDRED had come in!
Not everyone got a request, some got many. And this is where Mindy’s magic really shines. From those who never heard anything, to those who signed with agents and editors, to those (like me) still on the journey waiting to hear back to find out if their work will be picked up—every one of us felt like a winner. The Facebook community of past and present finalists was always there to answer questions, support, commiserate, and celebrate. To call PBParty a contest is not doing it justice. Mindy has achieved something far more difficult. She creates community. And that is truly something to celebrate!