Twitter and Pitch Parties… PitMad, PitchMAS, SFFPit, Pit2Pub, SonofaPitch and DVpit
Today, one year ago exactly, I was scrambling to finish editing my short story, Jade’s Awakening. I finally finished on January 1, 2015 at about 10 p.m. I took a deep breath turned to my husband and said,”I’m doing it.” I hit send and my email flew to its new home, the inbox of Gilded Dragonfly Books. I went through all of the emotions: excitement, dread, doubt, then a calmness set over me. Several months later, I received a call that my submission was accepted! My short story is now published in Legends of the Dragon.
My short story, Jade’s Awakening, is published in Legends of the Dragon.
My attendance at Dragon Con’s various writers’ panels had given me some information, but now I was delving into beginning a novel and I needed more guidance.
In June, I set up my writer’s account on Twitter. I used Twitter’s search function to find literary agents, writers’ resource websites, and fellow writers in various stages of their careers. The variety was a perfect blend. I received frequent inspirational tweets from one account I followed and then tweets about plot development several hours later from another twitter account. It was a perfect combination of motivation and knowledge.
While browsing through Twitter I found someone’s tweet about Scrivener. I bought it then wondered if my money was wasted…it was not. Scrivener is one of the most helpful things I’ve ever bought in my life. I am not exaggerating. It helps organize and plan your manuscript.
I began my novel using Twitter as a resource and mined the blog archives of award wining blogs targeting writers.
Mark your calendars and be ready to pitch, pitch, pitch!
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Manuscript finished, now what?
It’s edited and polished…don’t let it gather dust.
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Before you jump in, be sure to edit and polish your manuscript!
I then found some tweets about bizarre hashtags like #PitMad, #PitchMAS and #SFFpit. I ignored these words at first not knowing what they were and thinking they must be targeting experienced writers or some sect of elite writers that I was obviously not a part of yet.
One day, I went down the rabbit hole of #PitMad and came up with a huge carrot! This is a modern, free and relevant event that is extremely helpful to writers who are looking for agent representation or looking to be published directly via a publisher.
Create a pitch that covers main character, conflict and stakes, what the main character will lose if goal is not met.
Include #PitMad or whatever hashtag needed for your contest.
Include a category. I use #YA for Young Adult. Include a genre. I add #UF for Urban Fiction. Click here for more info on categories and genres. Brenda Drake, the creator of PitMad has useful resources and information on her website.
Keep everything at or under 140 characters, as this is the limit for Twitter. If you will be at work or unable to tweet the day of the event, use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck and schedule your tweets. Check each site to learn their rules.
When you receive a like from an agent or publisher, click on their Twitter account. Scroll through until you see their tweet which says something like the image below.
If you want to potentially work with this agent or publisher, send the requested submission to them.
Be sure to visit their websites for submission info if they do not include a tweet like the one above.
That’s it! Check to see if you get more than one like on Twitter. Hopefully, you have several and are able to increase your odds of success!
#PitMad
2016 #PitMad events are spread out throughout the year. You can only tweet 3 times total per manuscript. Rules are important and keep agents from getting overwhelmed.
( spring) March 17th
(summer ) June 9th
(fall) September 8th
(winter) December 1st
For more information and rules, click here.
Read about success stories from PitMad here.
#SFFpit
Then I found out about #SFFpit. This Twitter Pitch Party focuses on writers with unpublished, edited and polished manuscripts which are either Science Fiction or Fantasy for any age group. The 2016 dates have not been posted yet, so be sure to keep checking for the next event. Click here to find out the specifics of this Twitter Pitch Party.
#PitchMAS
I was motivated, having sent out several queries from the previous two Pitch Parties. I then participated in PitchMAS. This was also very productive and led to several requests from agents or publishers who liked my pitches.
#PitMatch
This is new and the first event will happen on February 11th. It’s a collaboration between #MSWL and #PitMad. Writers, editors and agents team up to make the best matches. February 11, 1-4 EST. This is organized by Brenda Drake and Jessica Sinsheimer. For more info, click here.
#Pit2Pub and #SonofAPitch
Two more upcoming Twitter Pitch Parties I have yet to participate in are Pit2Pub and SonofAPitch. Both seem to aim at helping writers find publishers for their manuscripts. I don’t know if agents will be lurking, you never know.
SonofaPitch happens in four stages. The last day is the open Twitter Pitch Party.
Week 1 starts Feb 15, 2016
Week 2 starts Feb 22, 2016
Week 3 starts Feb 29, 2016
Twitter Pitch: Mar 7, 2016
This is for all genres of YA, NA, and Adult.
#DVpit
April 19, 2016 is the debut for #DVpit aimed at helping marginalized voices be heard. For more information visit http://www.bethphelan.com/dvpit
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Interested in finding out about even more Twitter Pitch Parties?
Literary Agent Carly Watters shares important information about Twitter Pitch Parties and how to write a pitch. Click here
Want more information? Click Sub It Club here.
Some people may prefer bypassing Twitter Pitch Parties, but for me, it’s been a great way to jump in and see what agents and publishers are looking for. If it’s not your thing then you may prefer querying directly to agents or publishers.
I am so glad people like Brenda Drake, Dan Koboldt, Jessa Russo, Tamara Mataya, Kristin D.VanRisseghem, Beth Phelan and Katie Teller have organized these amazing Twitter Pitch Parties. Thank you!
Isabelle Hardesty
5 Reasons for the Rise of the Telenovela in 2016 https://t.co/CFk4kur9cA #fiction #romance #writing #amwriting pic.twitter.com/QV071fZuWM
Isabelle Hardesty was born and raised in Miami on a street that had coconut trees and the scent of a nearby Cuban bakery’s latest creations wafting in the warm air.
Currently, Isabelle lives in Atlanta with her husband. She loves being with her family and eating chocolate.
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