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January 2020 Prepare Your Pitch Peer-Review Week
Monday, January 20, 2020 to Saturday, January 25, 2020
Category: Workshops/Webinars

Prepare Your Pitch Peer-Review Week

January 20-25, 2020

Register now

Registration will close when all spots are filled or Monday, January 13 (whichever comes later).

 

Description: Is your pitch clear? Is it engaging? Is it likely to make an agent want to request your manuscript for review and possible representation?

Prepare Your Pitch Week

This peer-review event is designed to provide participants with feedback from fellow writers regarding their 50-word pitch. Expect to give and receive lots of feedback during this week.

Format

Participants will be placed into groups by subgenre. You will be expected to provide feedback on the pitches of those in your group. In return, you’ll get feedback on your pitch from others. Comments on any pitch throughout the forum are also encouraged.

Time commitment

This event is free to members. Please note, though, that this event requires a significant time investment. Sign up only if you have ample time to participate, and block out the time on your calendar! Expect to invest a minimum of one hour per day for six days to give and respond to feedback. Almost all participants find that the time investment is worth it.

Please cancel at least five days in advance if you become unable to join. The coordinators of this event are volunteers, and fewer last-minute surprises will help them.

Content of pitch

In keeping with WFWA's mission, your pitch must be for a WOMEN'S FICTION manuscript - that is, it must include your protagonist’s emotional journey. Note: This requirement will prepare you for the February 2020 Agent Pitch Event, in which all pitches must include the protagonist's emotional journey (see below).

Please see examples of pitches that received multiple agent requests in previous WFWA Agent Pitch events.

Protagonists

Protagonists for manuscripts in both the January and February events must be nineteen-years-old or older, as agents generally consider manuscripts with younger protagonists to be Young Adult. If you believe you should be granted an exception to this rule for your eighteen-and-under protagonist, please email [email protected] for instructions on how to apply for an exception.

Resources

Want to plan ahead to get the most out of the event? Get started now with the WFWA Prepare Your Pitch resource list.

Additional information

Prepare Your Pitch Week happens once or twice per calendar year.

You may participate in this and future Prepare Your Pitch weeks even if you are not ready to participate in the Agent Pitch Event.

If you want to participate in the Agent Pitch Event, you are required to participate in a recent Prepare Your Pitch Week first (see below).

Completion of this event does not automatically mean you are registered for the February Agent Pitch Event. You must register for that event separately (see below).

 

Agent Pitch Event

An optional follow-up to this Prepare Your Pitch Week, the February 2020 Agent Pitch Event, is an opportunity to submit your pitch to approximately 20 agents who are seeking women's fiction manuscripts.

What agents are looking for

Agents participating in this event are looking specifically for women's fiction, so all pitches must include the protagonist's emotional journey. To facilitate agents' work, hard-working WFWA volunteers must individually remove posts from other genres. The volunteers are excited to help you, but please be respectful of their time and energy by including your protagonist's emotional journey right from the start during Prepare Your Pitch Week.

If you have participated in previous Agent Pitch Events, do not re-submit the same manuscript.  Agents do not want to see the same pitch. Volunteers will be checking.

Registration

There will be a one-day registration opportunity for this Agent Pitch Event on Monday, January 27, 2020.

The February 2020 Agent Pitch Event will be open only to those who have not participated in a previous Agent Pitch Event (unless they are pitching a new manuscript).

Eligible participants for the February 2020 Agent Pitch Event will be selected from two pools of applicants:

  1. First-priority slots: WFWA members who participate in this January 2020 Prepare Your Pitch Week
  2. Second-priority slots: WFWA members who participated in the July 2019 Prepare Your Pitch Week

Participation in Prepare Your Pitch Week is required. Members who have participated in this event in the past received significantly more agent requests during the corresponding Agent Pitch Event. Stronger individual pitches result in more agent interest for all WFWA members.

Questions?

Email us at [email protected].


Contact: [email protected]