WARNING! This PitchFest works in a different way than previous PitchFests, so pay attention. No dozing off here, okay?
Oh, it's a PitchFest!
Pitch University is partnering withRomance University (so awesome!) to bring our YA (any sub-genre) and Romance writers a PitchFest, in time to practice for RWA’s National Conference.
(And if you’re not able to attend Nationals, this is your chance to get Agent attention.)
- 100% Free
- Romance University writers will have priority for submissions! This is your chance to check them out, see what they have to offer. :), but you do not have to be a RU writer to submit.
- We’re accepting only 10 Pitch Videos (maximum 2 minutes). If you submit a video, you’ll receive feedback from every, single agent (unless agent notes a limit). This is a HUGE benefit!
- Or, you may submit a query letter addressed to one agent only. Each agent will specify the number of queries (a query cap) and her personal focus.
- Submissions accepted between June 12th – June 18th, 2011 midnight CST.
On this page, you'll find...
- Meet the Literary Agents
- How Do I Participate?
- How Does the PitchFest Unfold?
- First Timers
- What Can You Submit?
- Video Specifics
- How Do I Make a Video?
- Query Letter Specifics
- When Can You Submit?
- Final Step
Meet the Literary Agents!
Jessica Alvarez with BookEnds
FMI: Quick Brown Fox Interview, Writer's Digest Interview, JacketFlap Interview
- Video cap: 10 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 10.
- Focus: Adult romance and women’s fiction.
- Feedback to be given: The morning of June 23 (Thursday), 2011.
- Feedback location: In my post that morning.
- Answering questions? Sorry, my schedule is really tight right now, so I can't stay and play.
Lucy Carson with The Friedrich Agency
- Video cap: 10 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 20.
- Focus: YA, Historical, Paranormal, Women’s Fiction, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller.
- Feedback to be given: The morning of June 24 (Friday), 2011.
- Feedback location: In my post that morning.
- Answering questions? Friday, 10:00 a.m. and NOON EDT (UPDATE!)
Saritza Hernandez with L.Perkins Agency
- Video cap: 10 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 10.
- Focus: Erotic Romance with strong BDSM elements, and/or following sub-genres: Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical set in Ancient Egypt, Caribbean or MesoAmerica. Also interested in GLBT Erotic Romance in all sub-genres.
- Feedback to be given: Evening, June 25 (Saturday), 2011.
- Feedback location: In my post that evening.
- Answering questions? Sorry, my schedule is really tight right now, so I can't stay and play.
Vickie Motter with Andrea Hurst & Associates
- Video cap: 10 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 10.
- Focus: any genre of YA (no MG or younger), Adult Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, or post-apocalyptic.
- Feedback to be given: All day, June 21 (Tuesday) & 23 (Thursday), 2011.
- Feedback location: Look in the comments of my interview post.
- Answering questions? Yes! Same days.
Brianne Mulligan with Movable Type Literary Group
- Video cap: 10 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 10.
- Focus: YA & MG only.
- Feedback to be given: Morning, June 24 (Friday), 2011.
- Feedback location: In my post that morning.
- Answering questions? Yes! Between 11:00 a.m. - Noon.
Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency
FMI: Novelist’s Ink Interview, WOW – Women on Writing Interview, Much Cheaper Than Therapy Interview, her blog “Bent on Books”
- Video cap: 5 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 5.
- Focus: any romance, any YA.
- Feedback to be given: Evening, June 232 (Thursday), 2011.
- Feedback location: In my post that evening.
- Answering questions? Yes! Same day, between 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., EDT.
Kate Schafer Testerman of KT literary.
FMI: Writer’s Digest Interview, WD Successful Queries, Literary Rambles Interview, Literary Life Interview, her blog “Daphne!”
- Video cap: 10 (viewed across agents)
- Query cap: 15.
- Focus: all kinds of YA.
- Feedback to be given: Morning, June 22 (Wednesday), 2011.
- Feedback location: Look in the comments of my interview post.
- Answering questions? Yes! Same day, between 10:00 a.m. - Noon, Mountain Time.
Okay, but how do I participate?
Check out Romance University (and find out how to be given Priority Treatment).
Read some of our fabulous posts here at Pitch University, review previous PitchFests to see videos and read feedback. We have awsome resources here. (See the LEARN tab in the top navigation bar.)
Create a Pitch Video or Write a Query Letter. (If you really want to get ready for RWA National's Agent and Editor appointments... your best choice is a Pitch Video.
Submit your entry following the rules below. Submission opens 12:01 a.m. Sunday June 12th and closes midnight June 18, 2011 CST.
How does the PitchFest Week Unfold?
Each agent will schedule a specific time with us to be featured. We'll post that scheudle as soon as we have it. When it's their slot, we'll post a wonderful interview with them.
Some agents will have time to read your comments, others won't. Again, we'll let you know. We're wedging this PitchFest in between BEA and Nationals, so they're super busy. But they're making as much time as possible for us.
Rules
First Timers?
- Read our Newbie Guide: I'm Here, Now What? (Inside Pitch U). (This post was written for our previous PitchFests, and has some awesome resources. But use the RULES here, because this is our first multi-agent PitchFest.)
- Calm your Nerves with our Nervous? guide.
- Read about our Philosophy: Learn. Practice. Sell.
- Get your Confidence on with our Manifesto.
- Questions?
What Can You Submit?
- A 2-minute-or-less video pitch, uploaded to YouTube.
- 250-word-or-less query letter, included in submission email.
- Pitches must be for book-length fiction projects.
Video Specifics
Every pitch MUST start with the following information…
- Your name/pen name/alias. *
“Hi, I’m…”
* We want your real name in email correspondence with us, but we understand that some of you (for example those working in the legal system or doing social work) may need to create your video under your pen name or an alias. That’s fine as long as you correspond with us using your REAL name.
- Genre/type, word count rounded to nearest 1,000 words, status of project, title.
- “Complete” Status #1 - My novel or book is complete (which means ready to send to you tomorrow if requested).
- “Complete” Status #2 - My book proposal is complete (which means my non-fiction proposal package including sample chapters is complete). This is used only for those PitchFests that accept non-fiction submissions.
- “Practice Pitch” Status - My project is not complete yet. (This includes I'm nowhere near done, I’m done but still need to polish, –AND- This book is already published, but I’m participating in order to learn).
Ex: “The Case of the Cat Robbery is a 80,000 word Mystery and is complete.”
Ex: “This is a practice pitch for The Horse Thief’s Wife, a 75,000 word Western.”
Ex: “Mark My Words is a business leadership book estimated to run 60,000 words. The proposal is ready for review.”
How do I make a video?
Most of you have never created a video. Me, either, until I founded Pitch University. But here’s my motto: “A million fools do this on YouTube every day. I can, too.”
(As it turns out, I was right.)
Just remember:
- You can do as many video takes as you need to, in the comfort of your living room. And you can make notes and tape them to your computer screen. (We’ll never know. Just our little secret.)
- My video was far from perfect. We’re not aiming for perfect. We’re aiming for effective.
- We're here to encourage and help you learn. We have strict Comment guidelines about professionalism and feedback. This is an educational institution, and we’re all here to learn. (It's just us students, practicing our pitches.)
If You Don't Have A Camera, Videocam, Or Phone That Creates A Video, Then Easiest Way To Make Videos… From Inside Youtube With Your Built-In Webcam.
#1 READ: Basic YouTube Article: Using Your Built In WebCam to Record Video
#2 WATCH: How to Record a Video Using a Webcam and YouTube
This video is 1 minute and 14 seconds. It’s really that easy.
Here’s the link for recording inside YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/my_webcam
#3 WATCH: YouTube Video for Dummies
A few basic things to think about like lighting (from two young guys who embrace their inner fool).
Go try it out! If you don't like it, do it over. Just remember... you want to sell your book.
Query Letter Specifics
Every query letter must include genre/type, word count rounded to nearest 1,000 words, status of project, title (as above in Video Specifics).
Yes, You May...
- Yes, you may submit WIP (works in progress) pitches.
- Yes, you may submit more than one pitch/query. Each submission must be separate. (Yes, you may submit multiple projects, but NO, you may not submit the same project to multiple agents.)
- Yes, some agents set a cap on the number accepted and/or limit submissions to what they represent.
- Yes, preference is given to what the agent or editor represents, regardless of time/date stamp.
- Yes, if we reach our cap, we'll bump multiple submissions in order to allow more people to benefit. This means we'll take your first submission, then the first submission of other writers (up to the cap).
- Yes, completed projects are given priority over WIPs, if we reach our cap.
- Yes, preference is given to those who have not benefited from prior Pitch U PitchFests.
- What does this mean?
You have a BETTER chance to reach agents and editors who are most appropriate for your project, especially if your project is complete.
And you have a BETTER chance to learn and get feedback, even if you have an unfinished project, without competing against automated, timed-delivery emails set for 12:01 Sunday morning.
When Can You Submit? (Our Schedule)
- Only during the window of submission.
CDT = Central Daylight Time in the US. You do not have to be in the US to submit your pitch or query letter.
FINAL STEP - TIME TO SUBMIT YOUR PITCH OR QUERY
Email the following "letter" to PitchUSubmission@gmail.com with the subject line of "Agent/Editor Name - Your Name - Video/Audio/Query. (Your Name in the title is the name you want used on our website.)
To have your submission considered, you must include the entire text of this letter with YOUR information filled in the appropriate spots. (Yes, even for query letters!).
---BEGIN LETTER---
I'm here to pitch and learn!
#1 My real name is <fill in name>, my pen name is <fill in pen name -or- ailas -or- none>, my email address is <fill in email addy>, and my phone number is <fill in phone number to be used if reply email bounces>.
#2 <Yes/No>; I will be using a alias in the video: pen name or alias (due to work, family, or other considerations).
#3 <Yes/No>; I understand my information is used only for Pitchfest Week and will not be sold or used for any other purpose, nor will it be kept for future Pitchfest Weeks.
#4 <Yes/No>; By sending my submission email to Pitch University, I agree to hold Pitch University and Diane Holmes harmless. That means (a) I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn and have access to agents and editors, (b) Diane and Pitch U have not promised me anything (especially that an agent or editor will request materials), and (c)I know there’s no way they can control the “unwashed masses” that make up The Internet Experience. I may not like the advice or comments I receive. In the end, the choice is mine whether to accept or reject comments.
#5 <Optional: My Romance U password is.....>
#6 <Yes/No>; The book/novel I’m pitching as mine is truly my property. I wrote it, I have all rights, and am the original creator of 100% of the content.
#7 My book/novel, <fill out title>, is a <fill out type/genre>, and if there is a limit, my book is something that<insert agent/editor name> is currently willing to evaluate, according to the Schedule page at Pitch University.
#8 I've read the rules on the Rules page and comply in all aspects. My book/novel is <ready to submit –or- not ready/already published and I’m just practicing> at this time.
#9.a. My video pitch is located here <insert address in YouTube or other audio site>. My video pitch is two minutes or less. -OR-
#9.b. I’m submitting a query letter no more than 250 words long.
<Insert Your FULL Query Letter Here, not just the story paragraphs. OMIT your personal contact information other than name (real or pen).>
#10 <Doesn't apply to June PitchFest.>
#11 Here is all my information formatted for the Pitch U website.
<NAME - the one you want on the website>, author of TITLE, a <WORD COUNT rounded> <GENRE/TYPE>.
Thank you.
<YES/NO> Accept my digital signature as my written word.
<YOUR REAL NAME HERE>
---END LETTER---
We'll update this page as we learn more and as you ask questions. And... Good luck!