Sheila M Averbuch
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sheilamaverbuch.bsky.social
Sheila M Averbuch
@sheilamaverbuch.bsky.social
Children's #author of middlegrade thriller FRIEND ME (Scholastic Press). Studied history & literature at Harvard. From US & Ireland. Living in Scotland. NEW BOOK: PITCH YOUR BOOK - write the letter that hooks an agent on your novel bit.ly/SMApitchorder
@emilytomshep.bsky.social Thank you so much for sharing that Emily
November 22, 2025 at 12:49 PM
@roygill.bsky.social Roy, thank you so much for sharing that. Btw I mention you you in my recent book because of the masterful way you described The Daemon Parallel to me so long ago.
November 22, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Will you vote for my garden? BBC Gardeners' World Magazine has shortlisted it for Garden of the Year 2025!The garden is listed as Sheila Averbuch, Edinburgh:

>> Please share - voting closes 18 Dec!

www.gardenersworld.com/news/gardens...

#edinburgh #eastlothian #gardenersworld #gardening #scotland
Gardens of the Year Competition 2025 – People’s Choice Vote
Vote now for your favourite garden in the Gardens of the Year 2025 People's Choice award. Voting closes at midday on 18 December
www.gardenersworld.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM
The new children's prize from @thebookerprizes.com is the best news in years for those who love reading or writing #middlegrade. Thanks to @irishexaminer.bsky.social and journalist Deirdre McArdle for this feature: www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ar... #booksky
The Children’s Booker Prize will be a boon to young readers everywhere
The announcement has sparked great excitement in the realm of children’s literature, with the prize sure to shine a light on some of the best stories available for young and eager readers, writes Deir...
www.irishexaminer.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Sheila M Averbuch
Reposted by Sheila M Averbuch
#Writers, the Hilary Mantel Prize offers an exceptional new opportunity. The late author, who twice won the #WalterScottPrize, was committed to championing emerging talent, and the winner receives a cash award plus mentoring. Submissions are open through 31 December. See https://loom.ly/NFsTZjE
September 22, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Thanks @authorsguild.org for this vital update on the #Anthropic settlement. As Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger says, these are billion-dollar companies stealing from people with a median income of barely $20,000 a year. Learn more authorsguild.org/news/what-au....
What Authors Need to Know About the $1.5 Billion Anthropic Settlement  - The Authors Guild
Today, Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle claims that it downloaded pirated books to train its AI systems—the largest U.S. copyright settlement in history. The parties in Bartz v Anthropic...
authorsguild.org
September 6, 2025 at 7:32 AM
A glorious day with friends helping me welcome PITCH YOUR BOOK into the world! We had gorgeous weather here in Pencaitland and took shelter in the on-brand orange umbrella. Thanks to Louise Kelly especially for the phenomenal chocolate orange cake!

#PitchYourBook #amwriting
June 29, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Rosa James Galway with an unnamed delphinium, possibly the Pacific Giant series. This rose doesn't have much fragrance, but each mesmerising head has over a hundred petals.

#floweraday
June 20, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Luscious Oriental poppy I've waited years to see flower: tissue paper petals and gloriously fuzzy wuzzy buds.

#floweraday
June 19, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Writers looking for a literary agent, if you'd like to be hand-held through the process of writing a query letter, you can now take an on-demand masterclass with me -- including a review of your query. www.sheilamaverbuch.com/downloads/pi...

#GetAnAgent #GetPublished #queryletter #amwriting
June 18, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Joanne does SO MUCH to support books and authors-- thank you for this feature about PITCH YOUR BOOK!
June 14, 2025 at 5:39 PM
A crowd of 150 people and great ideas and camaraderie today at #NoTyrants protest at #Edinburgh US Consulate: including calling out racism, voting with your purchases, writing to reps, using Resist Bot and Five Calls, & above all remembering that PROTESTS WORK.

#notyrants #nokings #Scotland #resist
June 14, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Rose de Rescht having its moment of flawlessness, with linaria pupurea Canon de Went, which isn't purple but rather pink.

#floweraday
June 9, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reader reviews of PITCH YOUR BOOK are starting to come in. Thomas, a querying author, says this on Goodreads. Read the full review: www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...

#PitchYourBook #amwriting #amquerying
June 9, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Double white peony, here with geranium Patricia planted for my mum, and wild Maine lupins.

#floweraday
June 6, 2025 at 10:12 PM
It's the red cabbage that I find most bewitching right now, even though the rest of the garden is taking off.

#growyourown
June 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Sheila M Averbuch
I'm going to be closing to queries for the summer starting this Friday, so if you want to query me, now's the time! #amquerying @andreabrownlit.bsky.social
June 2, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Sheila M Averbuch
Please share your case studies of impact, including about how libraries of all types sustain economic growth #LibrariesChangeLives dcmslibraries.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/04/j...
Join the celebrations for Libraries Week
Libraries Week: Libraries Change Lives 2025, running this week until Sunday 8 June, celebrating the vital role libraries play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. This year's theme,…
dcmslibraries.blog.gov.uk
June 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM
This!
Here's a thought: let's move on from ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and THE SECRET GARDEN. They were published in 1908 and 1911. They're dated. Let's support authors writing NEW stories. (Keep in mind that in middle school, ANNE was my whole life. Fifty years ago.)
June 4, 2025 at 2:36 PM
It's #PITCHYOURBOOK publication day! I owe so much to the literary agents who gave me their time and expertise during our interviews, as well as everyone else who supported me and this project. Learn more: bit.ly/SMApitchorder
June 3, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Rosa damascena, the Damask rose, glorious this morning. I've been travelling off and on for over six months, all the time working on PITCH YOUR BOOK, which launches this very day. I missed most of May in the garden, but I'm home again.

#floweraday #pitchyourbook
June 3, 2025 at 10:22 AM
#PitchYourBook has hit the top 100, coming at 58 of the best-selling books about Books and Publishing. Thanks to you who've pre-ordered! The fact that it's coming in ahead of a writer's craft book I love, Writing The Breakout Novel by #DonaldMaass, is incredible. Learn more:

bit.ly/SMApitchorder
May 30, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Calling unpublished children's writers in UK & Europe -- do you know about the #UndiscoveredVoices opportunity? Learn more here, including the #UV26 masterclasses; sign up for this year's classes and you could win THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL by the fab Sara Grant, or PITCH YOUR BOOK >>
Have you signed up for the #UV26 masterclasses yet?

Sign up by 31 May for chance to win The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Novel by @authorsaragrant.bsky.social or Pitch Your Book by @sheilamaverbuch.bsky.social

Find out more and book your spot: tinyurl.com/4tjm6m9r

@scbwi-bi.bsky.social #UV26
May 29, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Writing a query letter is so difficult, so why not practise on books you didn't write? In PITCH YOUR BOOK, out 3 June, I take you through the process of writing a #queryletter by using brilliant novels like Gail Honeyman's ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE as examples. bit.ly/SMApitchorder
May 28, 2025 at 2:53 PM