Do you have a finished novel manuscript? In between sending out queries (and biting your nails), consider entering a pitch contest. Agents and editors frequently find new talent through these contests and they are a good way for new writers to get their pitches to the so-called top of the pile.
Here are few pitch contests to keep an eye on for the remainder of 2015:
August 17: Pitch Wars (Submissions open 24 hours) – hosted by Brenda Drake
August: Pitch + 250 – hosted by Adventures in YA Publishing
Sept 10: #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party – from 8am to 8pm – hosted by Brenda Drake
October: First Lines Contest – hosted by Adventures in YA Publishing
Dec 4: #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party – from 8am to 8pm – hosted by Brenda Drake
Follow the links for each contest before entering and carefully read/follow the rules. When pitching on Twitter, don’t forget to use the proper hashtag for the contest. In addition, it is a good idea to include other hashtags for the writing category and the genre.
Here are some of the accepted hashtags for category and genre:
Categories:
#A = Adult
#CB = Chapter Book
#MG = Middle Grade
#NA = New Adult
#NF = Non Fiction
#PB = Picture Book
#YA = Young Adult
Genres:
#ChickLit
#HF = Historical Fiction
# Horror
#LF = Literary Fiction
#LGBT
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#R = Romance
#RomCom = Romantic Comedy
#SFF = Science Fiction and Fantasy
Good luck! If you have success with these pitch contests, please let me know. I’d love to blog about a successful outcome.
Know of any additional contests? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!
Jennifer Mary G 