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#AdPit a Twitter Pitch Event
#AdPit a Twitter Pitch Event
Heidi Norrod is hosting another fabulous twitter pitch event for writers called AdPit. (Yes, she’s hosting two pitch events today!) In order to participate, authors need to have a finished manuscript and tweet their 140 character pitch using the hashtag #AdPit on April 5, 2017. The contest will be between 9am-3pm CST(Chicago time). You will allowed to pitch six times over the course of the…
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Twitter Pitch Party #AdPit
Twitter Pitch Party #AdPit
Heidi Norrod is hosting another fabulous twitter pitch event for writers called AdPit. In order to participate, authors need to have a finished manuscript and tweet their 140 character pitch using the hashtag #AdPit on November 16. 2016. The contest will be between 9am-3pm CST(Chicago time). You will allowed to pitch six times over the course of the event. I’d suggest once every hour, as the…
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And the WINNERS ARE>>>
Drum roll please!
TOP TEN + 2
GRANDMA HAS MURDER ON HER MIND
By: Alexis Larkin
(Cozy Mystery)
THE KILLING MOON
By: Elinor Sattler
(Urban Fantasy)
THE RAVEN
By: Jericho McKraven
(Fantasy)
BELOW THE BRIGHT
By: Alana Saltz
(Memoir)
THE WILDFLOWER SEASON
By: Haley C. Harrigan
(Women’s Fiction)
FIVE TO THE PULSE
By: Jennifer Preston Tomanova
(Adult Literary/Magic Realism)
THE BRESLAU LEGACY
By: Justin Leahey
(Thriller)
THE EXORCIST’S ASSISTANT
By: S. L. Saboviec
(Paranormal Thriller)
THE FOREVER MAN: THE BELFAST MISSION
By: Stuart Rose
(Science Fiction)
ABROAD
By: Alexis Wolff
(Memoir)
BONUS TWO!
BLACKHANDS
By: Jerry Quinn
(Historical Fantasy)
PRESCRIPTED
By: Emi Ponce de Souza
(Speculative Fiction)
SLUSHIE’S PICKS
Sidney Blake
LOVE ATOP THE COSTA CONCORDIA; By: Katherine Pisana
THE UNVEILING OF ABBY TUCKER; By: John Williamson
I TOLD YOU, ELI OXLEY; By: Chase Manning
SOULBOUND; By: Bethany Adams
Margaret Telsch-Williams
SOUL MATTERS; By: Michelle Beahm
TOUCH; By: Isbella Redwood
BECOMING DYLAN; By: Jessica J.
BOY; By: James Stryker
Natalie Fowler
THE BIG F; By: Maggie Martin
GRAVITY LESSENS; By: Eric Rasmussen
THE HISTORY OF WHITE RATS; By: Adam Bertocci
Heidi Norrod
THE FERGUS SHE; By: Cheryl Cowtan
GHOSTLY SMELL AROUND; By: Sarah Zama
JACKED; By: Heather DiAngelis
MEET THE SECOND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL
ASSISTANT EDITOR, CORI VIDAE OF RED MOON ROMANCE
@CoriVidae - twitter
Cori Vidae, Assistant Editor at Red Moon Romance
From cover model to author, Cori has performed many roles in the creation of romantic and erotic titles but this is her first time wearing an editor hat for this genre. Be gentle with her. Or don’t. That can be fun too. corividae.com
What I’m Looking For: When I interviewed for this position Eileen said, “If that’s where you want to build your editorial nest…” and that image hasn’t left my brain ever since. My editorial nest is tucked into the shadows and it isn’t smooth-edged, downy or comfortable. It’s complex, thorny and challenging. If your story is too, I’d love to see it.
A little too metaphorical?
I like my romance dark and twisted. That could very well mean kinky, but it doesn’t have to.
Kink is awesome (so long as it’s RACK) and doesn’t absolutely need to equate to BDSM. I’m open to any heat level and it takes an awful lot to make me blush, so if you can pull it off without also squicking me out, you will definitely have my attention.
My wishlist for my first year with Red Moon Romance includes an erotic second world fantasy, an intelligent kinky romance which does not include a billionaire wanna-be Dom and a sexy steampunk story. So dude, if you’ve got a kinky steampunk story we should definitely talk.
~*~*~*~Assistant Editor, Red Moon Romance RedMoonRomance.com CoriVidae.com
Meet the SLUSHIES for #AdPit
Slushie Sidney!
@sidneytblake (Twitter)
Sidney's story:
Born and raised on the outskirts of the Okefenokee Swamp, (bonus geography points if you know where that is.) Sidney writes southern suspense. She reads a vast range of genres from sci-fi to epic fantasy to soft and hard-boiled detective to political thrillers to the occasional auto-biography. Women's fiction and even romance find their way into her hands. But crime, criminals, and justice intrigue her most, so as a result she pursued two degrees in Criminal Justice and one in Forensic Science (long before TV glamourized the field). Wordy critiques are her signature.
Slushie Margaret!
@mtelschwilliams (Twitter)
Margaret's story:
Margaret is a fantasy and science fiction writer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She reads widely from literary fiction to sci-fi/fantasy, but tends to shy away from romance and mystery, or anything where the word "cozy" could apply. Good characters and voice are more important than a great plot, but an amazing plot never hurts. Margaret has an undergrad degree in taking the comma out and a graduate degree in putting the comma back in.
Slushie Natalie!
@NCTFowler (Twitter)
Natalie's story:
Once a lawyer, Natalie Fowler eventually found her way into legal publishing where she worked in the editorial department to publish the annotated laws of the State of Colorado. While that work was riveting (at least to her) she also took creative writing classes and started her first novel, joining her first critique group in 2003. Natalie's critiques specialize in character and plot consistencies and overall flow.
She is a huge fan of Heidi Norrod's #AdPit because it was during #AdPit in October 2013 when her pitch was favorited by the fabulous Terrie Wolf (@AKA_Terrie) of AKA Literary LLC (@AKA_Lit). Terrie represents Natalie's NA paranormal cozy mystery series, set in St. Paul Minnesota. Find out more about her at her website.
Slushie Heidi!
Yep! That's me. ;-)
@hrnorrod (Twitter)
Heidi's Story:
Books! Books are Heidi's life. She lives them, breathes them, absorbs them.
It took her awhile to realize that books were her life. She went to university and doubled majored in History and International Relations, and then minored in Foreign Language and World Cultures. But, she wasn't happy, so she left university before graduating. Instead she took a job working as a promotions assistant for a small publisher to compensate for her obsession with telling stories. Thus, she figured out her life.
Today, Heidi writes Romance, all kinds except for the blushy kind, but she favors Romantic Suspense and Small Town Romance. She is known for using her love for world cultures and languages to write contemporary romance with settings scattered to the four corners of the globe. (Guess that world cultures and languages minor came in handy after all.) She also works as a freelance book manager (i.e. a book publicist). This job allows her to help authors sell their books, which is the main idea behind writing anyway. She's also lucky enough to get to be a book reviewer for HarperCollins, varying imprints under the HarperCollins umbrella. As a result, she reads like A LOT. You won't find her without a book close at hand, and it doesn't even matter the genre. She has been known to be a freelance content editor, and sometimes she still is. She's a member of the International Screenwriter's Association, and a pending member of the Romance Writers of America.
In a nutshell, she knows how to sell your book and she'll help you sell it (Yes, that means you're going to have to *sell* it to agents to ever find representation, and she wants to help you do that.).
#ADPIT Submission Information
Ready for the first Adult Pitch (#AdPit) of 2015? Sure you are if your completed and polished manuscript meets these rules –
AdPit is only open to Adult and New Adult manuscripts. (Don’t worry; there are tons of other twitter contests for writers of other age groups.)
Any genre is welcome.
The manuscript must be complete. Such as if your dream agent said to you today send me the full thing, and you’re ready to drop it onto their desk right that second.
All entries MUST follow the submission form below, or they will be disqualified. There are no do-overs. If it doesn’t follow the proper form, then it’s booted out and we will take another in its place.
The submission window opens at MIDNIGHT (New York time) on February 8th, 2015. It will stay open until NOON February 8th, 2015, or until 200 entries are received. That means writers will be staying up late on Saturday to get their emails off on time. Do NOT send early. Early submissions will be DISQUALIFIED. You are responsible for figuring out the right time in YOUR time zone.
Only submissions sent to [email protected] will be read. So, do NOT send it somewhere else. We won’t get it.
That’s it! Only six (6) rules. That’s not bad – but please, please follow them. We don’t want to disqualify your entry for some silly reason. If you have questions, hit me up on twitter at @HRNorrod, or any of my three co-conspirators, @sidneytblake, @mtelschwilliams or @NCTFowler.
So, here you go —-
SUBMISSION FORM
NAME: (Author’s complete name)
EMAIL ADDRESS: (email address where we can email your critique should you be one of the winners)
GENRE: (Genre of the manuscript)
WORD COUNT: (Word count of the manuscript)
35-WORD PITCH: (Pitch of the manuscript)
QUERY LETTER: (Full query letter, so we can pick our winners & send out for critiques for the winners.)
Sample from my current manuscript –
NAME: Heidi Norrod
EMAIL: [email protected]
GENRE: Suspense Romance
WORD COUNT: 60k
PITCH: Deanna didn’t kill Kristy. The Sheriff is determined to prove that she threw the body over the bridge. Brandon, her ex-husband, is equally determined to prove Dee’s innocence. Neither expected to fall back in love.
QUERY LETTER: Here I’d post the whole thing, but as this is still a work-in-progress, I don’t have a query written yet. ;-) But you need the hook, the body of the query, and the bio.
Again, if you have any questions hit one of us up on Twitter.
There will be a series of posts this week concerning #AdPit next week, so please stay tuned to the blog and keep an eye on the #AdPit and #AdPitCrit, as we chat there fairly frequently about all things concerning Adult Pitch.
It's HERE! Almost. The new all grown-up Adult Pitch or #AdPit
Welcome to the New All grown-up version of Adult Pitch
Or, #AdPit as it’s known on Twitter.
I’m shaking it up this round, and I have two friends helping me to make this the best #AdPit yet. So, if you aren’t – go follow @MTelschWilliams and @SidneyTBlake on twitter. They are my co-conspirators and they’ll be answering questions and chatting about #AdPit on twitter with me. Don’t follow me? I can be found here: @HRNorrod and the contest has its own shiny twitter handle at @AdultPitch.
This is just an introduction post. Such as it is, this is the first post in a series of posts relating to #AdPit. So, let’s just jump right into it…
What is different this round…
This round of #AdPit is going to be a week-long event. Instead of the old, just one-day twitter pitch fest, with this one there are other things you can ‘win’ also.
We will be opening a submission window on February 8, 2015 for you to submit your submission package to (I’ll have another post explaining what this is in a couple of days). The window will stay open until 150 submissions are received (I’ll tell you where to send them in another post also, be patient. Easy me to say, I know. ;-) ).
After we receive the 150 submissions, the slushies will go through them and select a top 11. Yep, we’ll be chatting about them over twitter while we decide, so you’ll want to keep a weathered eye on the #AdPit.
From the top 11, we will pick FIVE (5) first placers and they will receive a full critique from the super secret ninja agent or editor that I’m not telling you who it is yet. ;-) The top 11 will be posted by title and author on the blog. The top 5 will also be posted on the blog once they’re picked. The other SIX (6) in the top 11, will be critiqued by the slushies. I’ll have another post on what these critiques will entail and such in a following post.
Who are the slushies? I’ll introduce them in a coming post.
Sounds great! You say, but I’m not done yet. The slushies and myself will be taking twitter pitches here on the tumblr’s ‘ASK ME’ and at the #AdPitCrit on twitter throughout the entirety of the contest and critiquing them for you, so that you’ll have the best pitch possible by the final day of the contest which is…
Friday 13, 2015. This day will be the twitter pitch fest that you’ve all come to love (at least I hope you love it.) Everyone with a complete and polished Adult and New Adult manuscript is welcome to join in for the Friday pitch fest, whether you play through the week, or just want to pitch on that day.
So, think about playing along with us. Everyone has to have a pitch and a query. So, why not play along to let us help you get the best one possible?
An Literary Agent's Process and Advice for Twitter Pitches
Guys! I had the amazing opportunity to 'sit' down with Literary Agent TERRIE WOLF of AKA Literary Management. We discussed Twitter pitches and she gave me some wonderful gems of advice and information. I want to share that information with you today, as #AdPit is up and going tomorrow. I'll post it below, and Terrie, you are awesome! Thanks so much for all your help and advice.
HOW-TO TWITTER PITCH
Words from a Literary Agent Extraordinaire.
1.) There are so many pitches rolling down the timeline, Mrs. Terrie, so -- What makes you click that favorite star? What is the best way to catch your eye and attention?
Twitter pitch opportunities are the best! I, for one, could spend the entire day of the event reading the pitches as they hit the timeline. However, I’ll tell you a secret that might not be so secret. This is October and agents are smack dab in the middle of one of the busiest submissions months of the year. It’s an exciting time because many editors are still energized and refreshed from summer conferences and holidays, the newest releases are out, and those editors have an idea of what they’re hoping to find for the future.
Whether it’s via planes, trains, or automobiles, agents and editors all enjoy the scenery and the drive, but we also tend to end up with a bit too much extra baggage in the form of slush pile material. It’s really easy to become terribly hopeful when you’re introduced to one pitch after another. Here’s what I do and it may not be at all similar to the way other editors and agents manage the slush, pitch event acquisitions, and life in general. I’m ever aware of that pile. It sits on my mental shelf along with notes from the conversations I’ve had with editors and publishers who have shared thoughts about hopeful and potential acquisitions.
As a pitch contest rolls draws near, I have all of these things on the shelves of my mind – or listed, per se – in a rather systematic fashion. I have lists that include:
What do I really need to find?
What do I really hope to find?
What do I wish I could find?
Who’s work am I hearing about over and over again?
Who writes like so-and-so but not quite?
What’s happening in 2018?
What happened in 1918? That was the year my grandfather was born…who was his favorite author?
What if I found the next F. Scott Fitzgerald?
Wait, that was my uncle’s favorite author, Grandpa liked Chaim Potok, James Michener, Isabella Bird – so who are the trailblazers right now?
I tend to categorize the entries, then do a quick mental match up, then use a point system. Catchphrases that stick in my mind, smashing imagery, or anything that leave me wanting more all get extra points. I also like to see necessary info tied in like a correct posting for genre (HF for Historical Fiction). It all sounds really complicated, but it’s not. For example, here’s a pitch I really liked:
NA R Com What’s a guy to do? Lost bro’s arm to demon pig who lives down the lane, in steps bacon slayer with mad chef skills. #Pitch…
I was in search of a fun, flirty love story. I knew I wanted non-traditional and I was thinking paranormal might be okay. The pitch not only satisfied my “I like it, I love it, I want some more of it” reflex, but it kept me entertained. I wondered how the main characters might fight the “demon pig” and if that was a reference to something paranormal or if it described a nasty neighbor with a penchant for human flesh. Wait, maybe they weren’t human, after all. An hour before the end of the pitch contest I checked in only to realize nobody had taken the bait but there were six “retweets” - hmm. So, I decided to give it a go. The work is currently under revision and I’m pleased to tell you this girl has first dibs.
2.) Likewise, What makes you skip over a pitch?
Once that pitch buzzer sounds and those pitches start rolling in, I’m on ‘em! Well, unless I’m on the phone, in a meeting, sending a proposal or submission, on the phone again, checking a statistic, in another meeting, reading, editing, looking at … okay, what was the question? In truth, I tend to check in about once an hour, if I have the time and I usually spend at least a good hour lurking. Plus, I may be chatting with other editors and agents taking part in the fun. Do they already have a place for this one or that one? Do they really love it? Believe it or not, we get along quite well and pitches are as nail-biting and nerve wracking for us as they are for you! There’s the chatter about the entries that catch us by surprise, the authors who thrill us with consummate professionalism and always a discussion about the latest industry news. So, as I’m thumbing through with other agents or by myself, I tend to skip over convoluted pitches, those that don’t follow contest rules (in this case: adult and new adult only, fiction and nonfiction), and those that may appear to be blatantly attempting to push everyone else out of the way.
Whoa, What does that mean? No joke, a year or so ago one pitch hit the decks every ten minutes. Not only did it make for confusion, it made for irritation! Some participants complained that the feed wasn’t running correctly while other potential participants threw in the proverbial towel because they thought the feed was jammed. Please, be fair and give everyone a chance to shine.
Finally, I do not wish to know about every work an author has available, for now. I recommend you submit your single, very best work. Agents and editors will ask what else you have available at a later time. If I see ten pitches by the same author, I may be curious but I’m probably going to be less likely to bite, especially if they’re all historical fiction romance.
3.) And finally, Any tips or advice for this edition's pitchers?
You’re asking a mother if she has any advice? Of course I have advice! Before posting your pitch do these things:
Read your pitch out loud, to the dog, the cat, anyone who doesn’t know about your work. Does it make sense? Really?
Refrain from using redundancies like “novel” when you’ve already noted the work to be “F” for fiction or “action”’ when you’ve already mentioned “UF” since most Urban Fantasy has its share of eventfulness.
Do not become frustrated. As with other writing, I would suggest you read, read and read other entries. You’re potentially allowed to resubmit your entry twelve times between the hours of 7:00 a.m. EST and 7:00 p.m. EST, you can do it!
If you’ve elected to do a video pitch make sure it’s just under thirty seconds in length. If it runs over, chances are, naughty agents like me might chop off the most important, best climactic sentence ever spoken! We don’t what that to happen!
Remember, the few characters you’ve been given to use have launched amazing author–agent partnerships and wonderful publishing opportunities so do your best. We’re all pulling for you!
During the pitch:
A pitch reworked shows such such a likable quality in an author, especially if that pitch has yet to receive the coveted favorite star.
It’s really nice when authors offer positive feedback to one another. All it takes is a simple “great pitch” or “good job” or a nod that tells someone their work caught your eye. Face it, everyone is a bit nervous and everyone needs a little bit – no, a lot – of encouragement.
On the flip side, if someone needs help, a gentle reminder (or DM) goes a long way. It takes three seconds to remind someone that the correct abbreviation for Historical Fiction is HF rather than “His Fic” yet it could be the difference between a work being noticed or neglected, especially if an agent searches specifically for that genre.
After the pitch:
Give yourself a pat on the back.
Thank Heidi Norrod with genuine exuberance. She’s worked her tail off on your behalf. It would be awfully be nice if you’d bequeath upon her all the virtual rich, gooey, delicious chocolate and cookies you can muster. She deserves it!
Congratulate others who’ve taken part. Share in their joy too.
If your work has received the favorite star, it’s your job to stay in contact with agents and editors. It’s not presumptuous to follow them on Twitter. Develop that relationship if you’re given the opportunity.
A few days after the pitch:
Look over the feed again.
Give yourself another pat on the back. Well done!
This is no mean feat. You’ve become a part of history and you never know how your actions may affect the future.
Did you enjoy #AdPit? Take the time to get in touch with Heidi and offer your help. It takes countless hours to put an event such as this together.
Best wishes as you go, good luck and tell ‘em all hello!
