#twitterpitch

[ladyofmind]

I waited to post this until the day was already over. This is the #firststeps in my future #publishing #dreams. Over on #Twitter, it was adult #dvpit day, and this was my #twitterpitch. I didn't expect anything from it, so I wasn't disappointed. But It is a #milestone. This is the day I stopped being just a #writer. This is the day I become a #querying #author. Baby steps are just as important as those giant leaps of faith.

[worstofchefkoch]

Es ist der knallharte, unbedingte Wille zur Innovation, der den Menschen von anderen Tieren abgrenzt. Zwei Zwiebeln zu sehen und nicht nur zwei gestauchte Sprossachsen mit verdickten, oft fleischigen Niederblättern zu erkennen. Sondern denken zu können, vor dem inneren Auge präsent zu haben, dass diese Zwiebeln auch aufgeschnitten auf einem Spieß existieren könnten. Sehen, was noch nicht ist, aber sein könnte. Das Undenkbare denken. Es ist dieser Funke, der überspringt, inspiriert, zu immer größeren Gedanken peitscht. Wenn Zwiebeln aufgespießt werden können, warum nicht auch andere Sachen? Kaum auszudenken, was die Zukunft in der Hinsicht noch bereit hält. Wir haben einige Vorreiter des sogenannten Spießertums aufgesucht, die Avantgarde des Spießes, wenn man so will, und nachgefragt. Es offenbarte sich eine gewaltige Fülle an Ideen. Noch Konzepte, doch bald schon, bald, vielleicht weitergedachte Knospen und schließlich galaktische Blumen des menschlichen Geistes. Spieße für alles. Alles auf Spießen. Alles aufspießen. Mir ist, als solle auch ich zum Spieße greifen, und ihn mit aller Kraft und einem genüsslichen Seufzer durch die Nase in die präfrontale Grauzone wuchten, auf das Ruhe sei, und Frieden. Guten Hunger (Ninchenspieße für den Grill)!

[sagejwinter-blog]

All About Twitter Pitches

Query Mastery had a Bonus Session last night with Sharon Grace Pelletier  @sharongracepjs, literary agent at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

I’ve participated in Pitmad a month or so ago and out of my three pitches, received one like from a small publishing firm. I’m still waiting to hear back from them though I’m not confident about getting a manuscript request. This is not me displaying false humility. After sending out the 10 pages of manuscript required, I joined a contest to get feedback on the first 2 chapters. Had the manuscripts been printed out and returned to me, I would have seen a sea of red. On the flip side, the feedback were constructive and helped me revamp major areas of my novel and why I went in search of another editor. Good ones and affordable editors are so hard to find.

Now, on to last night. Four things stood out to me from Sharon’s critique of the sample twitter pitches she did for the Query Mastery members.

Paraphrasing her words, and adding my own explanations for myself, effective twitter pitches:

1. must convey a clear picture of the characters in the story. Who are they? What do they look like or what are their defining qualities? From what I gathered, names of the character unless they’re well-known gods and goddesses for fantasy novels, are irrelevant. Instead, character descriptions like, “A 13-year-old deaf girl finds herself an orphan and the head of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate targeted by competitors, gov’t regulators, and militant activists” or something. I just made that up but that could be a good plot.

2. must include the setting if it’s essential to the story. If the story is set in a Roman arena, mention it. Likewise, if the setting is a random suburb, don’t include. In the Fantasy genre, this would have to be done creatively, I think since the setting could be in an unknown realm.

3. must evoke a sense of stakes. As in, what would be the consequence of certain actions? What is the conflict? What are the obstacles? This would be the turning point of the story. The tweet is not a synopsis. 

4. must use powerful descriptors that match the tone of the story. You only have 140 characters to convince an agent that your manuscript is worth checking out. As such, you need to select verbs that convey what kind of novel you’re selling. For example, Sharon used the following word to compare and contrast: Yanked - has more energy, conveys conflict and tension VS Drawn - is more evocative, thoughtful and lyrical VS Lured - which has a sinister undertone. 

I have a love-hate relationship with twitter because it’s hard to condense my thoughts in 140 characters; on the other hand, it forces me to distill my thoughts into 140 characters. It’s similar to elevator pitches, if I think about it.

[batloudlyfamouscollectionstuff]

Twitter Pitch Parties

For those who are wondering what on earth to do with Twitter, here’s a novel approach: pitch your book!

Pitch parties like #PitMad and #PitchMAS make use of Twitter’s hashtags to call attention to your 140-character hook and alert editors and agents to your manuscript’s availability. Those who are interested in what you have to say will favorite your tweet to indicate that you should contact them…

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[alyssajflowers]

#Pitmad March 2016

#Pitmad Results from a #bookblogger : Study Tweets and Get your Fav next time! #writingtips

Welcome back to the analysis of winning tweets! #Pitmad is always a plethora of pitches, agents, and editors. And as such, the best opportunity to see a live picture of what agents and editors are looking for NOW! For an overview of #Pitmad, please visit the host blog: http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/ Run Down: Basic rules are (3) pitches allowed per project and the contest runs for 12 hours…

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[alyssajflowers]

#PitMatch Winning Tweets - Feb 11

#PitMatch Winning Tweets - Unofficial List and MSWL Comparison via @AJFlowers86 #Blogger

Source: Brenda-Drake This was certainly a new and fun Twitter Pitch Contest hosted by Brenda Drake, otherwise known for the popular Twitter Pitch Contest, #PitMad. (Click here to read the host’s page.) Their Twitter handle lists this contest as: A collaboration between #MSWL and #PitMad. Three teams of cupids (writers, agents, editors) compete to make the most literary matches. February 11, 1-4…

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[alyssajflowers]

#PitchMAS 2015 Results!

#PitchMAS 2015 Results! A compiled list of winning tweets with #author commentary #writingtips

I’m happy to provide you this tidy list of winning tweets for #PitchMAS! If you’re not sure what #PitchMAS is, I’ll explain. There are a few Twitter Pitch contests each year, with #PitMad and #SFFPit being among the largest. Authors will write a short pitch of their novel, small enough to squeeze into a tiny tweet with hashtags, and hope for the best. If a publisher or agent favorites the tweet,…

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[neuroticscribbler-blog]

Success DOES happen - Guest Post by Natalie Fowler

Before I tell my story, Heidi needs a huge kiss on the cheek and a giant chocolate cookie for hosting #adpit. Because of her, I found my agent Terrie Wolf. Thank you, Heidi, for taking the time to organize #adpit, and also for this guest blog spot. 

Last summer, I was working with a great critique group and knew that my manuscripts were more polished than they'd ever been.  I was already preparing for a query extravaganza when I stumbled into WriteOnCon. WriteOnCon, in turn, led me to Twitter. Twitter became my gateway to the publishing world. I learned about new agents, I found fellow writers and I discovered the pitch contests. My first Twitter pitch party left me with an adrenaline rush that I will never forget. I think it might have been #pitmad? Whatever it was, I was in awe. What do you mean I get an open forum to pitch my manuscripts? What do you mean agents will actually see my pitch? It was the joy of WriteOnCon all over again within a 12-hour Twitter-Tweeting frenzy-fest.

It was overwhelming to come up with a pitch within the confines of a Tweet, especially when part of that pitch is taken up by the hashtag, category and genre. But it was a good exercise any querying writer should undertake. There was also a slight learning curve to figure out the rules. I suffered mild heart palpitations when I got my first "favorite" - but it turned out to be a new follower and fellow participant that didn't know the protocol was to retweet. At the end of the day, I didn't have any agent or editor favorites, but I did have several new Tweeps and a whole new appreciation for Twitter.

Last October, #adpit came along and I was ready. My critique group provided invaluable feedback on my Twitter pitches. I had several new ones to choose from, and one in particular that everyone really liked. I was living in Belgium, and for once, the time difference actually worked in my favor. I spent an entire afternoon (morning for the U.S.) refreshing the adpit hashtag, typing and re-tweeting as much as possible. At one point I think I even saw smoke coming out of my phone. I had to remind myself to do normal things, like pick my kids up from school and make them dinner. 

But as I stood on a dark and muddy Belgian football (soccer) field in the rain, waiting for my son's practice to finish, it happened. I had finally Tweeted the pitches that brought the favorites. I wanted to tell everyone I saw. Except I didn't know how to explain it all in English, let alone French. How could I admit to anyone in any language that I had been glued to Twitter all day? But even though I had to pry my phone out of my hand and I had a cramp in my scroll finger at the end of that day, it was all worth it. 

One of those pitches caught the eye of Terrie Wolf at AKA Literary and got me out of her slush pile. A request for a full soon followed. Then it was time to sit back and wait. Fortunately, I had an upcoming international move and my family's first holiday season in the U.S. (after six years living abroad) to distract me. My patience paid off and eventually that request for a full turned into an offer for representation. Last May, I signed with AKA Literary, LLC. And even though it has already been a year since #adpit, I still get a smile on my face when I get to say the words "my agent".

You can find me on Twitter at @NCTFowler, Facebook at www.facebook.com/NCTFowler, or at www.NatalieFowler.com.

You can find Terrie Wolf on Twitter at @AKA_Terrie, Facebook at www.facebook.com/AKAManagement or at www.akaliteraryllc.com