It’s a real thing – just ask the picture.
Yesterday, I decided to enter #PitMad. Huge thanks to Brenda Drake and all who helped put this together. I’ve heard about it for years, but in all honesty I’ve always avoided twitter like the plague. However, this contest is a blast. If you’re a writer that has a book ready to pitch, do it. Here’s why:
- Instead of pitching to one agent at a time, you get to throw your pitch into the pool and dozens of agents, editors and other writers all see it at once.
- Read the other pitches. It’s amazing to see how many fantastic writers are out there, and it helps you stack up your idea against others. I’d worked hard on three, but after the first hour of reading others, I knew one of mine was just terrible. I tossed it, wrote another, and got a like off the new one. So glad I read along as it was happening.
- Agents, editors and publishers are all right there – and they’re encouraging everyone to hang tight, keep moving forward, and at one point I even saw an agent call out a writer and appraise her pitches so much that she literally said “send me anything you have”. Two days made right there.
And this is not the only one. There are tons of twitter pitch contests, some even tailored specifically to genres. What surprised me the most is that agents were constantly reaching out to writers with encouragement, wish lists, or even just to state they couldn’t get to all the pitches but were happy to accept submissions from anyone who thought they might be a good match. How lucky can a writer get to be right in the action?
What happened next surprised me even more – I got 4 likes. After every article I’ve read about #likes vs #pitches, how many queries sent vs. how many garner interest, I was happy to get a single like about anything and hold onto it like a woobie. And yes, it’s a blue blankie. Anyways, to those of you who actually liked my pitch, a ginormous THANK YOU for making my day. I’m now doing my research with all of you to see if we’d be a good match, so you may be hearing from me soon.
During #PitMad, I happened to stumble upon a post by author Michele Marshall offering a query critique to anyone who liked her post and followed her account. So I threw my name in the hat, and won! Sent her my query, and within 24 hours she’d emailed me back with some beautiful comments about what worked and what didn’t. It was amazing to have a fresh, critical eye out there from someone who hasn’t seen the story. I can never thank her enough, which I will do profusely via email as soon as this post is up.
Then, to round out the awesomeness of my day, I stumbled across a chat going on with Agent Kelly Peterson of Corvisiero Literary Agency which was put together by Laura E. Weymouth. The discussion was fantastic, and offered writers a quick chance to connect with an agent and have their questions answered by a professional who knows the business. I also got a chance to speak with both ladies afterward, and they’re both simply fantastic. If I wrote the type of book Kelly had on her wishlist, I’d query her in a heartbeat. Pretty sure I’m right in the gray area. ^^
Overall, the experience is not one I’ll readily forget. It was fun, insightful, and a great way to connect with others. I look forward to future contests. I know I’ll be stalking the Red Light / Green Light contest, and very much getting ready for #SFFPit with Dan Koboldt.
Cheers to all! 🙂
