Hey Writers! Join the Quarterly Pitch Party to Find an Agent.

Hey writers! Are you in search of agent representation for your novel? Do you belong to Twitter?

WAIT! Don’t go!

Don’t run away when I mention Twitter. There’s some really good stuff on there, I promise.

One of the coolest things is that four times every year, agents log on and scour the writing community for pitches.

They’ll often request your manuscript and it’s seriously, no joke.

To get the attention of an agent can be a challenge to say the least. Querying can seems like such an endless task but when given the opportunity to toss your hat in the ring for a bunch of agents to look at, that’s frikken exciting.

Are you convinced? I hope so.
It really is a serious and legit process. There’s prep involved so it’s best to get started sooner rather than later.

Okay, so there’s a few things to do.

First you have to join Twitter.

There is a learning curve but come follow me and don’t hesitate to ask me questions. I’ll help you out, or steer you to those who really know what they’re talking about.

The pitch wars are free and if an agent tags you and requests a full manuscript but your research shows that you don’t want to send it to them, you’re under no obligation.

It’s an opportunity to practice your pitch (like a short elevator pitch) in an attempt to pique interest in your work.

Second, polish your manuscript.

You must be at the query stage and prepared to send a full manuscript if requested. If you’re only half way through, or haven’t done your final edits done, wait until the next date.

Ensure it’s in tip top shape and ready to send to an agent for review. Has it been edited properly? Are your filler words extracted? Are you showing not telling? Is it well presented?

Third, what genre is you book?

Is it Contemporary YA or is SciFi, or perhaps SpecFic (specualtive fiction)? It’s important to pin-point where the manuscript belongs because agents will look for those tags. So go forth and do your homework. Learn the different genres and where you fit in.

Fourth, know your dates and mark your calendar.

Here’s the 2021 Twitter Pitch Wars dates;

Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/categories are welcomed.

#PitMad occurs quarterly. Upcoming dates are:

• March 4, 2021 (8AM – 8PM EST)
• June 3, 2021 (8AM – 8PM EST)
• September 2, 2021 (8AM – 8PM EST)
• December 2, 2021 (8AM – 8PM EST)

Fifth, you’ll have 280 character spaces in which to pitch.

Work on this. You’ll have to include a couple of hashtags (#) like #PitMad –by putting that the agents, who’ll be using filters, will be able to pull out all the pitches and like the ones that they want to see. You may also want to add your genre and age category. So, if I were to pitch my book, at the end of the tweet I’d put #Ya #Con #PitMad (con means contemporary)

So, if I’ve counted correctly I’ve used up 16 character spaces so now have 264. You want to write it and rewrite it again and again until it has impact, intrigue, and a professional look.

Concentrate on the central theme of your book. Don’t worry about names. What is the main conflict in the book? What does the main character want? Focus on that main character. Don’t use a bunch of extraneous words.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

Perhaps a good idea would be to join Twitter and observe the first available Pitch Wars (aka: PitMad). It’s fascinating to see all the pitches and how they’re written. You can learn a lot that way.

Check out the PitMad website for frequently asked questions or a list of all the hashtags.

Gaining representation through an agent could be a game changer. Twitter is another tool in your writer tool box that you’ll want to use.

Remember to come follow me on Twitter.

Good luck. You got this!!

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