In case you aren’t aware, #PitMad is a micro pitch book event on Twitter put on by Pitch Wars each quarter wherein writers are encouraged to send up to 3 tweets per finished, unpublished manuscript in hopes of finding an editor to work with. Editors then can bid on their favorite stories by liking the tweet. Then you can work out the details of next steps via DM.
At the time this is published, the next #PitMad event is tomorrow! Are you ready for it? Good news is it’s something you can take part in during a coffee break or between running errands. No matter how prepared you are at this moment, we’d like to offer you some extra advice to make sure your pitch gets seen:
Make Sure Your Manuscript is Ready to Go
In the case that you do have an editor put in a bid on your pitch, you want to be ready to send off your manuscript quickly. Getting noticed during PitMad is a great way to get your foot in the door, but editors are going to be bidding on many pitches. Waiting too long to get in touch may get you forgotten or at the bottom of their list. So have a clean manuscript ready to send off without any tweaks in a standardized format and font before shooting off your tweets.
Practice Your Tweets in Advance
You’re allowed three, so you would do well to make sure you’re covering all your bases by writing them out early. Take more than one angle, write more than one length, and leave different questions behind to be wondered. Sometimes the tweet that gets the most attention is the one that keeps it short and sweet. Have them ready to copy and paste whenever it seems #PitMad is slowing down a bit.
Tips for the Attention-Grabbing Micro Pitch
Ditch Vague and Cliché – Avoid these kinds of phrases. They’re forgettable, and many writers will be relying upon them. Specificity is exciting and tells editors what makes your book stand out.
“more than she bargained for”
“will never be the same”
“to make matters worse”
“an incredible journey.”
Answer Top-of-Mind Questions – There are a few things that editors want to know about your book right away:
Who is your protagonist?
What stands in their way?
What consequences are they facing?
Consider Your Tweet Timing – The primary reason an editor won’t bid on a book is because they weren’t on when it was posted. You’re allowed three pitches for each book throughout the day, so don’t post all three right in a row! Space them out for different audiences.
Follow the Rules – There aren’t many rules Pitch Wars has put in place for this opportunity. Read them, and follow them. Editors don’t want to work with people who won’t follow the rules. (Looking at you, writers who delete tweets to post new ones.) What makes them likely to believe you’ll follow theirs?
Support Other Authors in your Genre
Another great way to get noticed is by having your pitches retweeted. Get together with your workshop group or any other writerly communities you have and see whose stories you like and can lift up. It’s likely they’ll return the favor in kind. And take a look at other writers in your genre you don’t know on Twitter, too. You can learn a lot about how to write a good pitch from them, and you may even find a new book to read.
Next Steps
Once the hype of #PitMad dies down, take the initiative to reach out to your interested editors first. It’s likely they liked several tweets, and you don’t want yours lost in the shuffle. Take the time to view their profiles, check out their websites, see what else they have worked on, but then take the plunge and reach out! The easiest way is via DM, but good research for their email address or a contact form on their website shows resourcefulness. Just be sure to include your username and mention #PitMad.
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