#Pitmad

krashnburn

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2 questions for the veterans:

1. What if someone you've already queried favorites you? Like, maybe you've been sitting in their inbox for 2 months already. Or maybe their assistant has already dumped you and you don't even know it. Just respond saying thank you for your interest, and FYI I queried you on XXXX?

2. What if someone favorites you from an agency that you already have an outstanding query with another agent there? Respond with, so-and-so currently has my query, but if you'd like to read my query and confer with so-and-so, it is below...?

I'm being optimistic here, but, ya know, just in case.
 

WendyN

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Well, one thing worth mentioning is that you don't have to send your materials to any/all agents/publishers who *favorite* you. Because anyone can participate, it's still up to the writer to make sure whomever they're sending stuff to is legitimate and someone that you'd want to work with.

I'm definitely curious about those questions myself, since I do still have queries/partials/one full out with other agents for a *different* novel. I'm pretty sure I'm read somewhere that authors don't want to consider more than one of your works at a time. Exceptions for #PitMad? I also have heard agents say they don't want to wait months and months to hear back from #PitMad requests, so I wouldn't necessarily want to wait till I hear back about the first MS, either.

We're all probably just over-thinking this ;) Maybe just tweet the agent "Hey, here's the situation; you still want this anyway?"
 

AW Admin

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Guys I'm moving this thread to From Other Forums.

WKlein please reduce the size of that image in the first post to about 400 x 400.

If you need help with that, PM me and I'll take care of it.

Thanks
 

Aggy B.

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2 questions for the veterans:

1. What if someone you've already queried favorites you? Like, maybe you've been sitting in their inbox for 2 months already. Or maybe their assistant has already dumped you and you don't even know it. Just respond saying thank you for your interest, and FYI I queried you on XXXX?

2. What if someone favorites you from an agency that you already have an outstanding query with another agent there? Respond with, so-and-so currently has my query, but if you'd like to read my query and confer with so-and-so, it is below...?

I'm being optimistic here, but, ya know, just in case.

Regarding the first question: I think it's perfectly acceptable to mention that you had queried them through the regular channels when you send in the requested materials. Just don't make a big deal out of not having heard back from them yet. (And I would only do this if it were a fairly recent query - like within the past three months.) I've seen folks get second requests (after being rejected via query letter) from PitMad. Some of those result in another rejection, some result in a request for the full.

Regarding the second: This happened to me during PitchMas. I just told the second agent that so-and-so was already looking at the full MS, here was the query and sample pages and if she was interested then I would be in touch when/if the other agent passed. (Which still hasn't happened yet.) Agent B was very gracious and said that she would keep in touch the Agent A's assistant regarding the MS and if they did pass, she would want to look at it.

In my (relatively short) querying/pitching experience, the key is to be polite and truthful with your correspondence. Most agents are not going to get bent over the news that another agent in their group already has the MS. If they do... you might not want to deal with them anyway. (It's not your fault your book's crazy good. ;))
 

Hathor

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Thanks for the links, WK. This should be fun.

I don't know enough yet to have strategy :Shrug:

I suppose I'll tweet when I'm home and the remodeling crew isn't distracting me (decisions to be made, unannounced conferences, major crashes followed by excited conversations in Spanish, Italian, Russian, or Hebrew) or turning off the electricity.
 

Madeleines

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I hear there is another #Pitmad coming up on Sept. 12, just in case anyone was interested. I've been lurking on twitter all summer (don't have an account yet) and have been trying to figure out Pitmad works. Can anyone just throw in their twitter pitch? Do you have to apply for it or sign up beforehand? (I assume not)
 

EMaree

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I hear there is another #Pitmad coming up on Sept. 12, just in case anyone was interested. I've been lurking on twitter all summer (don't have an account yet) and have been trying to figure out Pitmad works. Can anyone just throw in their twitter pitch? Do you have to apply for it or sign up beforehand? (I assume not)

No sign up needed. You just need to post to the hashtag #PitMad September 12 from 8AM to 8PM EDST. (Info via Brenda Drake's blog.)
 

Tromboli

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Just throw it in. As long as it's ready to be sent to agents/editors you can pitch.

It gets super crowded though. Like it's not hard enough to pitch in 140 characters, you also have to fight to get noticed between the thousands of other writers also pitching. Some of the busiest times, I'd pitch every 20 minutes or so (twitter doesn't let you tweet the same exact thing over and over, so you can use different pitches or just move around the hash tag and genre tags)

I won't be doing the Pitmad this time around. MS1 has a spot on the shelf until I can figure out what it needs. MS2. is in the middle of an R&R (which, BTW, the first contact came from a twitter pitch) and MS3 isn't ready yet.

But I really enjoy doing them. The pitches are hard, but the more you do it the more you get good at them. I seem to do pretty well now. The last 4 twitter pitches I've done I've got 2 requests each time.

And obviously, some novels are easier to write short pitches for than others.

Someone kept track of the requested pitches from the #pitmad in March, if anyone wants to see what works: http://carissa-taylor.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-pitmad-requested-pitches.html
 
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autumnal

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It gets super crowded though. Like it's not hard enough to pitch in 140 characters, you also have to fight to get noticed between the thousands of other writers also pitching.

How this differs from getting one's query outta the slush pile, I don't know ;)
 

Cranky1

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They do ask that you do not tweet more than once an hour or it might be considered spamming
 

Madeleines

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Thanks for all the information! I'm going to throw mine in...worst case, it gets lost in the deluge.

Ha, like autumnal said, it's like the slush pile...only you don't have to prove you can actually *write* :) Which doesn't bode well...
 

Heather Head

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Thanks for posting this! I'm intrigued. Sounds like fun to get that pitch down to 125 or so. When my WIP's ready, I think I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the heads-up!
 

Tromboli

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They do ask that you do not tweet more than once an hour or it might be considered spamming

I've heard this but it's not enforced (unless someone is getting out of hand). In truth, because there are so many people posting, in an hour your pitch is long gone. Honestly 20-50 pitches go up in a 5 minute span when someone is prowling. Agents generally announce when they're looking so you don't have to just keep posting over and over again. Just post when you see an agent looking. But if you don't have time to watch that closely, just post once an hour or so.

I think the biggest difference between this and slush is 1. it's fun. 2. you're not alone. You get to read other peoples pitches and meet new writers. There's support and lots of coolness 3. no bridges are burned. You can learn which pitches work and which ones don't (though that takes time since it's hard to know if you're just getting over looked in the craziness) and even if an agent doesn't request-- you can still query.
 

Ghosts of the Maze

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Or, alternatively, this: "An elf named Lendlelott becomes a wizard at a cost. When he is branded a traitor, he uncovers more secrets than he bargained for. YA #PitMad" (140 )

I'm trying to learn how to condense myself, so I'm legitimately asking, but could you save even more space by omitting "named Lendlelott"? Or do things like lead character names matter to agents? Maybe they do but I have a hard time picturing a guy saying "Great name. I'll bite."
 

Cranky1

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It might not be enforced. But I see it like submission guidelines; I wouldn't want to be labeled as the person blatantly disregarding the guideline.

To each their own.
 

Tromboli

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From Brenda Drakes site:
"For those of you who didn't make the cut into Pitch Madness and those who just want to join us, we're holding an After the Madness Twitter Pitch Party. So get your*140 character*twitter pitch ready. Make sure to include the hashtag*#PitMad*and try to fit the genre (YA, MG, Adult, NA, and so on) in the pitch. We've had some success stories come out of our previous*#PitMads so shine up the pitches!Please keep in mind, we never know what agents or publishers will be on the hashtag. It's an open call. Also, read this*post*about querying agents and submitting to publishers simultaneously (hint: it's a big no, no).

*RULES:*
The rules are simple. All genres/categories are*welcomed.Throughout the day tweet your pitch. Try not to do it too much. When you see an industry professional on the feed, tweet it once. Make sure to include the hashtag and your genre/category (if you can fit it). The agents/publishers will tweet their submission preferences and @ you or favorite your tweets if they want to see more. Don't tweet them directly unless they ask. And finally, be nice and courteous to each other, and especially to the industry professionals."

There is no mention of the hour rule here. I'm sure they've tried out that rule before, I remember a mention of it, but it didn't work (way too many pitches). Where did you see it?
 

Heather Head

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Also, read this*post*about querying agents and submitting to publishers simultaneously (hint: it's a big no, no).

So does #pitmad count as querying agents or publishers? And is it a no-no to do #pitmad if you're also currently querying agents the traditional way?

Thanks for posting this info!
 

krashnburn

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In my (relatively short) querying/pitching experience, the key is to be polite and truthful with your correspondence. Most agents are not going to get bent over the news that another agent in their group already has the MS. If they do... you might not want to deal with them anyway. (It's not your fault your book's crazy good. ;))

You are right. I am overthinking it and the key is to be polite and truthful.
 

EMaree

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So does #pitmad count as querying agents or publishers? And is it a no-no to do #pitmad if you're also currently querying agents the traditional way?

Thanks for posting this info!

No, #pitmad doesn't count as any kind of formal submission.

However, if an agent or pub notices your #pitmad entry and asks for pages, then you treat that as a formal sub.

The blog post just cautions against querying small presses while querying agents, because you're burning out possible publication routes before your agent gets a chance. (It's also just an opinion piece, it's by no means gospel.)
 
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WendyN

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How this differs from getting one's query outta the slush pile, I don't know ;)

It's just a different way to do the same thing, really. Since I haven't started sending out traditional queries yet, I'm viewing it as a quick way to get the concept out there to a bunch of agents all at once, and see if someone's going to jump on the idea right away. With dozens and dozens of agents repping my genre, it's hard to know which one might be over the moon about my particular story. This gives them a chance to call "first dibs." ;) Plus, it allows me to get some feedback (does this concept work, or is it going to be a hard sell) without sending dozens of queries first to figure that out.
 

Madeleines

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*RULES:*
The rules are simple. All genres/categories are*welcomed.Throughout the day tweet your pitch. Try not to do it too much. When you see an industry professional on the feed, tweet it once. Make sure to include the hashtag and your genre/category (if you can fit it). The agents/publishers will tweet their submission preferences and @ you or favorite your tweets if they want to see more. Don't tweet them directly unless they ask. And finally, be nice and courteous to each other, and especially to the industry professionals."

Thanks for clarifying this, too. I spent yesterday evening creating a twitter handle and drafting up a pitch. Then I used http://www.lettercount.com/ to work on getting my pitch down to 140 words. Made about 8 different ones, and the last one might be the keeper. I totally would have missed the "favorites" part if you hadn't mentioned it. Bwahaha, this shall be fun.
 

folkchick

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Pitmad really is a great opportunity. Even if you fail, at least you'll have tried. The funny thing is, I'll be pitching under my pen name and my real name (write under both) and so it'll be a bit like Peter Brady in the episode where he has two dates. Or Robin Williams in the restaurant scene in Mrs. Doubtfire. Wish me luck (I'll be wishing you luck as well!).
 

imjustj

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I have had success in getting requests from #PitMad. The best thing is that those requests led to some really nice and detailed rejections, so now I am working on targeted revisions before resuming with queries.

You will definitely want more than one pitch ready to go. The most obvious reason is that Twitter will not allow you to re-tweet the exact same thing. You can flip your hashtag location (every tweet should have #PitMad and #YourGenre) and the sentence structure, but that still only gives you about 8 tweets.

The less obvious, but just as important, reason is that it is hard to sell your book in 140 characters. What you think is the best angle might not catch the eye of an agent, but a slightly twisted version may. For instance, the tweet that got me my first request dropped the "sad girl" tactic and said, "Prince Charming is a dick."

I have a document with about 20 variations of my #PitMad pitches. I keep a record of what time I tweet them and what, if any, response I receive. I can see what angle is generating the most interest in my manuscript, which helps with more traditional queries. It also means if I get on Twitter and see a pitch session is happening, I can jump right in. (Yes, it has happened and I did get a request from it.)

The first go-through can be a little rough, but it is worth staying the course. There is nothing lost if you don't get a request- you can still query participating agents through traditional methods. If you DO get a request, you have just jumped yourself ahead in the game.

Good Luck!
 

Hathor

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More than one pitch? Irk. Glad I'm hearing about this now. As you can tell, I'm a Twitter novice.

I'll be pitching two different books, one fiction and one non. I assume that's kosher. (No, not in the same tweet ;))