#PitMad and other Twitter query events

I have done #PitMad (the Twitter 140 characters pitch) and my agent actually found me that way. <3

Are you planning to partake it? I usually suggest doing a few pitches (different ones) every few hours. Don't tweet more than once an hour or else the feed can get clogged. Don't favorite anything you like, but retweet it instead. Favoriting it can be confused for an agent or editor liking it. Just a heads up.

Good luck!

I've done Pitmad before. Didn't get much out of it myself, especially since what you 'win' is really just a chance to query the agent (though with the benefit that they have asked you to do so). In that sense, I think it's a fine way to get your idea out there and hope an agent will connect with it, and it doesn't really cost you anything, but in the end I don't think it does much more than querying.

If you do it, Smiley's advice is good. I also recommend trying your tweets out ahead of time - lots of participants and some moderators often help with blog hops and such. It's a tricky thing to write an appealling pitch in about 120 characters, and the bad ones stand out. It's yet another chance to separate the wheat from the chaff.

I love #Pitmad, and all the other pitch contests as well!
I actually keep a Contest Calendar of them all!

And here are Pitches Agents Requested in March 2016 #Pitmad
(459 manuscripts got requests!!)

I found my agent through regular querying, but a lot of people do find them through pitch contests! Also, in my experience pitch contests are a great way to (a) meet other writers, and (b) get your query pushed to the top of the pile. I've always had very swift responses from agents to whom I've sent my #pitmad requested query + pages. They usually ask you to write #pitmad in the subject of the email so they can spot them and get to them first. So that's nice!

I was just browsing thru all the stuff from the SFFPit day from last week. I was only going thru the Adult tag, not YA, but it seemed like there wasn't much there, and the more specific I got with the hashtags, like adding fantasy, epic fantasy, fantasy romance, or dark fantasy, the shorter the pages became.

So then I started looking for just the tweets and pitches that were actually favorited and starred in those categories, and there weren't very many at all. In fact, it seemed like there were a few that were favorited by non-agents, which I thought was against the pitch etiquette.

I was looking to see which agents were interested in the kind of cross genre adult fantasy similar to what I write. However, my deduction seems to be that the agents looking in on SFFpit this day weren't that interested in this kind of material. When I did go back and look at the general fantasy tag without an age add on, it all seemed to be YA and MG tweets that were getting the favorites.

I'm not quite sure what my point is though! The depressing realization that seeing how agents operate on twitter is, well, depressing? That there should be a separate YA pitch time as it seemed to take over the SFF day? That fantasy and YA seem inseparable for some reason these days?

I still need another go around before I feel I am ready to pitch my latest, I was planning on fall conferences and events. However, on perusal of these twitter pitches, I'm not sure what the gain is? It seems more like luck or the right time and place just like any other pitch event. I came to AW too to see what everyone thought of these tweet contests, as on twitter, as everyone seems to make out like it is a huge success and THEE way to find your agent and what fun! On the contrary, I found it to be totally different, and kind of off putting. I'm not surprised it isn't much of a topic here.

Smiley0501 said:

I have done #PitMad (the Twitter 140 characters pitch) and my agent actually found me that way. <3

Are you planning to partake it? I usually suggest doing a few pitches (different ones) every few hours. Don't tweet more than once an hour or else the feed can get clogged. Don't favorite anything you like, but retweet it instead. Favoriting it can be confused for an agent or editor liking it. Just a heads up.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

I'm thinking of participating in the upcoming #DVPit twitter pitch contest and I have this burning question I need answered. They said you can keep pitching your same pitch or a new pitch every hour per manuscript/story.

And apparently when you get a favorite that means the agents/editors are interested in your story but I just want to know if and when you do get a favorite after pitching a few times through the day, do you immediately stop tweeting until they contact you? Or do you keep pitching/tweeting until the day is done and the contest is over. I'm pretty excited for doing this since this would be my first time participating in a Twitter pitch contest, I have my manuscript edited in time for it and have everything all set. I only had that question about all this with these Twitter pitch contests that I needed help with getting answered, thanks.

muddy120 said:

And apparently when you get a favorite that means the agents/editors are interested in your story but I just want to know if and when you do get a favorite after pitching a few times through the day, do you immediately stop tweeting until they contact you? Or do you keep pitching/tweeting until the day is done and the contest is over.

Click to expand...

Pitch all day if you want to. I would. Because getting a like on your tweet doesn't meant you've got a golden ticket.

so let's say I wrote a pitch:

To avoid matchmaking from his family, a wealthy workaholic hires an actor to be his date for three weddings. #Pitmad #A #R #LGBT

and agent Jane Doe gives it a "like."

first thing I do is check her twitter to see if she's made any special requests. I find a tweet that says, "if I <3 your tweet please send your query and 1st 25 pages."

When I check the submission guide on the agency website to get the email address, I not that it asks for 1st 10 pages, so Jane Doe is giving the pitches she likes a little more room to shine. If Jane doe hadn't given special instructions, then i'd just follow the instructions on the agency website.

But don't sit around and wait for people to contact you after that <3. that's all the contact you're going to get. so get the correct email request, use the subject RE: #DVPit Query, TITLE, Age category Genre.

Paste in your Query and paste in the 1st 25 pages of the MS, and go on to your next <3.

if you get requests from agents and editors you have to decide who you're going with. querying agents and editors with the same MS annoys a lot of agents. For that pitch up there I got interest from one agent and six editors, three of which were at the same house. I queried the agent and held the editor interest in my back pocket, because I really do want a literary agent and I don't feel prepared to deal with a publishing contract on my own.

Thanks, CL Polk! Excellent explanation.

CL Polk said:

Pitch all day if you want to. I would. Because getting a like on your tweet doesn't meant you've got a golden ticket.

so let's say I wrote a pitch:

To avoid matchmaking from his family, a wealthy workaholic hires an actor to be his date for three weddings. #Pitmad #A #R #LGBT

and agent Jane Doe gives it a "like."

first thing I do is check her twitter to see if she's made any special requests. I find a tweet that says, "if I <3 your tweet please send your query and 1st 25 pages."

When I check the submission guide on the agency website to get the email address, I not that it asks for 1st 10 pages, so Jane Doe is giving the pitches she likes a little more room to shine. If Jane doe hadn't given special instructions, then i'd just follow the instructions on the agency website.

But don't sit around and wait for people to contact you after that <3. that's all the contact you're going to get. so get the correct email request, use the subject RE: #DVPit Query, TITLE, Age category Genre.

Paste in your Query and paste in the 1st 25 pages of the MS, and go on to your next <3.

if you get requests from agents and editors you have to decide who you're going with. querying agents and editors with the same MS annoys a lot of agents. For that pitch up there I got interest from one agent and six editors, three of which were at the same house. I queried the agent and held the editor interest in my back pocket, because I really do want a literary agent and I don't feel prepared to deal with a publishing contract on my own.

Click to expand...

So we can continue tweeting even after a favorite/favorites and we can contact agents/editors from the same house/agency. Ok cool but what about like when we contact them? Do they mind if I contact them immediately after I get the favorite during the day while the contest is still running, whether it'd be by email or tweet. Or should I wait until the Twitter contests is over to do these things?

CL Polk said:

if you get requests from agents and editors you have to decide who you're going with. querying agents and editors with the same MS annoys a lot of agents.

Click to expand...

What does this mean exactly? Thanks.

okay here's the situation.

like I said before. that pitch got quite a bit of interest. I had an agent and several editors express interest.

Now let's say I responded to all of them. I sent queries to Agent Jane Doe at JD Talent and Literary, and to Mary Smith at St. Nicholas' new electronic line Pixel, and to June Ward at Amber Rose Press, and to John Taylor, also at Amber Rose Press.

All is quiet for a week. Then the agent asks for the full manuscript. The editors already have the full, so they don't have to request anything. then 37 days later, Mary Smith at St. Nicholas and John Taylor at Amber Rose want my book. I look over the terms in basic language, consider the reputation of both presses, and tell John Taylor I want to sign a contract.

The next day, Jane Doe wants to represent me. so I tell the agent, "yes, you're just in time, I just agreed to have it published by Amber Rose press."

Jane Doe, however, has an editor friend at a huge imprint, who is looking for a fake boyfriend story. Is DYING for a fake boyfriend story. That imprint pays a much higher advance and has a PR machine that outstrips both the small presses I submitted to.

so the first thing I did with a new agent is screw up, because I queried to small presses and agents at the same time.

CL Polk said:

okay here's the situation.

like I said before. that pitch got quite a bit of interest. I had an agent and several editors express interest.

Now let's say I responded to all of them. I sent queries to Agent Jane Doe at JD Talent and Literary, and to Mary Smith at St. Nicholas' new electronic line Pixel, and to June Ward at Amber Rose Press, and to John Taylor, also at Amber Rose Press.

All is quiet for a week. Then the agent asks for the full manuscript. The editors already have the full, so they don't have to request anything. then 37 days later, Mary Smith at St. Nicholas and John Taylor at Amber Rose want my book. I look over the terms in basic language, consider the reputation of both presses, and tell John Taylor I want to sign a contract.

The next day, Jane Doe wants to represent me. so I tell the agent, "yes, you're just in time, I just agreed to have it published by Amber Rose press."

Jane Doe, however, has an editor friend at a huge imprint, who is looking for a fake boyfriend story. Is DYING for a fake boyfriend story. That imprint pays a much higher advance and has a PR machine that outstrips both the small presses I submitted to.

so the first thing I did with a new agent is screw up, because I queried to small presses and agents at the same time.

Click to expand...

I see and understand but it sounds like your saying don't do any simultaneous submissions which sounds ludicrous to me to summarize. I can understand not doing too many or too many at a certain time or all at once but "querying agents and editors with the same MS annoys a lot of agents." confuses me the most here.

no, i'm not saying that.

i'm saying, decide what you want. do you want to handle the contracts and all that yourself and you don't want an agent? then don't query agents.

but if you want an agent representing your work, don't query editors.

but once you decide, query as many editors as you want, if you want to work with presses directly, or query as many agents as you want, if you want agent representation. but pick one.

or you know, do whatever you want to do, it's not like I'm gonna throw you in jail.

CL Polk said:

no, i'm not saying that.

i'm saying, decide what you want. do you want to handle the contracts and all that yourself and you don't want an agent? then don't query agents.

but if you want an agent representing your work, don't query editors.

but once you decide, query as many editors as you want, if you want to work with presses directly, or query as many agents as you want, if you want agent representation. but pick one.

or you know, do whatever you want to do, it's not like I'm gonna throw you in jail.

Click to expand...

No I appreciate it, thank you. I was just asking, I appreciate all the helpful advice you've given me. I just wanted to know things in detail, I don't think I'm going to ever contact editors then because I can't handle all that legwork on my own, so going the agent is the way to go. I guess I thought I was reading as "don't query multiple agents" and I was like "Why?" So I think I just misinterpreted, so thanks for clearing all that up for me.

oh no definitely query multiple agents! and if someone asks for your full, keep querying agents! don't stop until you run out of agents to query or someone calls you up and offers representation!

CL Polk said:

no, i'm not saying that.

i'm saying, decide what you want. do you want to handle the contracts and all that yourself and you don't want an agent? then don't query agents.

but if you want an agent representing your work, don't query editors.

but once you decide, query as many editors as you want, if you want to work with presses directly, or query as many agents as you want, if you want agent representation. but pick one.

or you know, do whatever you want to do, it's not like I'm gonna throw you in jail.

Click to expand...

One more thing, for the question of should I contact favorite tweets before or after the contests is done, I wanted to know about too thanks.

I've done these contests and found them very valuable. Made the final stages in one in which I wasn't "the winner", but did make some great contacts including my eventual publisher. I'd say GO FOR IT!

I got interest from three agents the last time I did one of these pitch tests, and one editor. I told the editor I was just interested in finding an agent for now. I sent off the queries as soon as I got them. One interesting factoid: whenever I did a new pitch, about an hour after the last one, I usually got interest from an agent within a few minutes, then nothing for the rest of the hour.

If you want to hone your pitches or get feedback from the community. There's a thread in the QLH forum:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?273160-Twitches-and-Pitches-a-Running-Thread-)

I've done #PitMad a few times. Some have gone better than others, but I did end up finding both my publishers when they requested my manuscript via Twitter pitches. For me, it's a matter of tweaking those little pitches until they grab the right attention.