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February 2021 Prepare Your Pitch peer-review workshop
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 to Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Category: Workshops/Webinars

Prepare Your Pitch Peer-Review Week

February 10-February 17, 2021

Registration has reached capacity.

WFWA will hold another pitch event in summer 2021.

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 can serve as a stand-alone workshop: You will probably both strengthen your pitch and also your understanding of your character's emotional arc.

In addition, Prepare Your Pitch can be the first step toward the Agent Pitch Event, described below.

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 time. Participants have a week to post their pitches followed by a comment period running from February 18-25.

Format

Participants will be placed into groups by sub-genre. 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 from February 18-25 to give and respond to feedback. Almost all participants find that the time investment is worth it.

You can register here.

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, your protagonist’s emotional journey must drive the plot. Note: This requirement will prepare you for the March 2021 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 February and March 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 September 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 March 2021 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' perusal of pitches, 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

Registration will open on March 1 for this Agent Pitch Event and close on March 5, 2021.

The March 2021 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).

Priority registration will go to WFWA members who participate in the February 2021 Prepare Your Pitch Event

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]