Homage to Pitch Contests

Homage to Pitch Contests

You’ve done it! You’ve created a MG or YA manuscript full of characters and experiences and conversations that would otherwise never have existed. You’ve drafted and revised and critiqued and polished. You love it, and you’re proud. Sharing it with the world is what you know the story deserves, but will the world value it or tell you to please put that hot mess back in a drawer? It’s time to find out. Be bold! Be brave! Be in a pitch contest!

The Twitterverse is full of contests and contest announcements to connect MG and YA writers with agents. Twitter is like a Fast Pass to agent visibility.  I’ve participated in three pitch contests (so far) this year, and here is why I love them.

1) Wait, what’s my book about again? Writers strive to create rich, multi-dimensional stories that appeal to readers on several levels. However, every story, at its core, is about one thing. You MUST be able to articulate that one thing. Creating a pitch is a perfect way to peel away the layers and complexities and bring your story down to its core. A pitch is typically 35 words. The maximum length of a Tweet is 140-characters. Writing with clarity and brevity will help in all areas of marketing your manuscript, and you can fine-tune that skill in these contests.

2) It's perfect! Everyone says so. Your friends, your family, even your counted-on-to-be-objective critique partners root for your success, but are often more comfortable providing positive emotional support than the blunt, objective feedback your manuscripts may require. (Not yours specifically, of course. Yours is perfect.) If you’re lucky enough to engage a contest volunteer or agent for personal feedback, the brevity of a tweet will not allow for particularly delicate phrasing, which is exactly why your pitch and/or manuscript will benefit tremendously.

3) #KidLitWritersUnite! The camaraderie displayed by the participants and hosts of pitch contests is extremely motivating for those of us who spend a tremendous amount of time alone, taunted by a blank screen or an empty page, and feeling completely certain that everyone else is getting published.

4) Win-win…win. Pitch contests are about opportunity. Often sponsored by published authors who use industry connections to get participants’ work in front of agents, these contests also increase traffic on the hosts’ blogs, websites, and Twitter streams.  It’s the definition of a win-win. Wait, it’s a win-win-win! Agents let writers they respect take a turn in the slush for a change, and then pop in after the literary cream has risen.   

Assuming I’ve convinced you to give this a shot, here are a few contest suggestions:

Pitch Madness -  http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-madness/

#NestPitch - http://nestpitch.wordpress.com/

#PitMad - http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/

Pitch Slam - http://tangynt.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/pitch-slam-battle-of-the-bands/

And finally, I promise you haven’t the slightest idea how much work goes into these contests until you’ve actively participated in one. And even that’s only skimming the surface of what’s required of hosts and slush volunteers. Remember to be generous with the thank-yous, and perhaps purchase the host’s book or ask your local library to do so!  And when you are a ridiculously famous author in your own right, just remember to pay it forward. #KharmaBaby