If you’re a writer on Twitter, every now and then your feed is going to blow up with book blurbs for a day. If you’re wondering what the heck is going on, the answer is…a pitch party. This is an event where writers share a one-tweet length description of a completed book, in hopes of attracting an agent or publisher.
I’m not pitching..what do I do!?
It may sound counter-intuitive, but DO NOT LIKE PITCH PARTY POSTS. Agents and industry professionals use the like button to indicate interest in a pitch. YOU, as a friend, should show your support with comments and retweets ONLY. Re-tweeting raises the post’s visibility, and it becomes more likely to catch an agent’s eye. It’s also a great way to make new friends and build your following.
I want to pitch! What do I need to get ready?
Remember, a pitch party is a way to catch an agent’s attention, but it isn’t the ONLY way. So don’t rush your novel to catch a pitch party if another round of edits will make it better. Only completely polished, finished manuscripts should be pitched. Generally, only unpublished books should be pitched. Follow industry guidelines to format your manuscript and have it ready to send.
Now, if you do get a like from an industry professional, it isn’t an offer of representation; it is an invitation to query. So you should also have a polished query letter, synopsis (1 page version and 2 page version), short author bio, two comparison books similar to your own…essentially everything you would need for querying, all formatted and ready to go. Pitch parties are a jump-start, but not a shortcut!
Most pitch parties will allow multiple postings (e.g. the last #SFFPit allowed one per hour per book, up to 10 total). Prepare these in advance. Polish them. Post them without the hashtag and ask for feedback from your followers. Make sure each one is a little different, to avoid being caught in Twitter’s spam filters. Have them ready to copy and paste on the day of, or schedule them using social media software.
Google the pitch party hashtag to get the rules for participation. There will be a website that lays out when the pitch party is open, what works are accepted (e.g. SFFPit is just for science fiction/fantasy) and what hashtags you should use to indicate genre and audience, or special features (e.g. #ownvoices or #lgbt).
What should be in the pitch?
A pitch is a very short query. You should focus on showing your premise, your MC, the stakes the characters face, and your narrative voice. It’s something that takes practice! Use your followers to get feedback, or reach out to one of the writing communities for help. Or, watch a pitch party play out and see what other people do. You don’t have to include comparables, although many do.
Your pitch’s only REAL job is to make an agent want to read your book.
Use the hashtags specified by the pitch party, even though they take up valuable tweet space. Agents are using them to narrow their search, and won’t find your book without them.
Do NOT include images unless the party specifically allows them (most agents filter them out to avoid spam). Do not thread tweets. It all has to go into a single tweet of text.
Remember to pin your pitches as you tweet them! It makes it easy for followers to find and re-tweet. You can always put your regular pinned tweet back up afterwards.
I GOT A LIKE!
You got a like…or multiple likes…and from actual agents instead of well-meaning friends who don’t know how to act during a pitch party! Now what?
IMMEDIATELY research the agent to see if they’re someone you want to work with. Google them; don’t rely solely on their website. Find out who they represent and where they’ve placed books recently. Check Writer Beware for scams. Search for them online and on Twitter to look for complaints or endorsements.
If you think the agent is someone you want to work with, go to the agent’s feed and look for instructions on how to submit. Some will direct you to their website or standard submission form. Some will offer their email. Follow the instructions in the tweet, regardless of any instructions on their website. If their tweet for the pitch party says to send an attachment, do it. The exception is if you get responses from multiple agents at the same agency; check their website to see whether you should choose one to query at first.
The usual rules and wait times for queries apply. Don’t wait for responses before you begin the next book!
I didn’t get a like 🙁
Again, pitch parties are a way to get an agent, but not the only way. It shouldn’t discourage you from sending out those queries! Be sure to read the Query Shark archives to make sure your query is as enticing as possible. In the meantime, keep polishing those pitches, because there’s another party just around the corner!
When’s the next party?
#PitMad is a general pitch party, held four times a year.
#DVPit is for marginalized authors and illustrators (October and/or April)
#PitDark is for horror and mystery manuscripts, and held twice a year (October/May)
#PBPitch is for picture books, and held in February
#SFFPit is for science fiction/fantasy and takes place twice a year (variable)
#KissPitch is for romance writers, and takes place in February
Communities on Twitter are much looser than the more formal Facebook groups. To be part of the community, simply search for the hashtag. Then engage in conversations with those posts, and use the hashtag on your own posts.
There’s an unspoken (and often spoken) expectation that, unless you’re Stephen King famous, you’ll follow people back who follow you. That’s how everyone builds their numbers together and supports each other in the writer community. The problem is that once you have thousands of followers, it becomes really difficult to prioritize engagement.
Hashtag games are a great way to engage, and in some cases help you grow your following. For instance, on Fridays, the writing communities light up with #FollowFriday posts. These posts list accounts that other writers might be interested in following. Sometimes these are recent followers of theirs in need of a boost, or people who have recently engaged with their posts. Give them a follow, and see who follows you back!