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October 2021 Prepare Your Pitch
Monday, October 18, 2021 to Sunday, October 24, 2021
Category: Events

Fall 2021 Pitch Events

REMINDER: Registration for the fall pitch events will begin October 11 at noon ET and end October 13 at 11:59 pm ET. When registration opens, you can register here

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 in November, described below. If you plan to do Agent Pitch, you must register for Prepare Your Pitch. In the past, members who did Prepare Your Pitch received significantly more requests from agents and required less help from volunteers to meet formatting and content requirements.

Prepare Your Pitch Week: October 18 - October 24

This peer-review event is designed to provide participants with feedback from fellow writers regarding their 75-word pitch. Expect to give and receive lots of feedback during this time. Participants will post their pitches on October 18, and then will have a week to give and receive feedback. There will also be an opportunity to post your 500-word excerpt for proofreading, as preparation for Agent Pitch.

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 October 18-24 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

Based on agent and participant feedback from past events, we have increased the length of pitches to 75 words, and removed the requirement to state the protagonist's emotional journey directly in the pitch. Agents say they want pitches to convey stakes and plot, so we will help you focus on those elements! Please see examples of pitches that received multiple agent requests in previous WFWA Agent Pitch events.

Protagonists

Protagonists 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, but if you want to do Agent Pitch, you must register for Prepare Your Pitch. Even if you've participated in a previous Prepare Your Pitch, because the length and style of pitches has changed, we recommend participating again. If you'd like to apply for an exception, please email us at [email protected].

Agent Pitch Event: November 8 - November 19

An optional follow-up to this Prepare Your Pitch Week, the November 2021 Agent Pitch Event is an opportunity to submit your 75-word pitch and 500-word excerpt from the beginning of your manuscript to approximately 20 agents who are seeking women's fiction manuscripts.

To participate in the November 2021 Agent Pitch, you must:

  • Have a completed, polished women's fiction manuscript that is ready to send to agents
  • Have never pitched this manuscript in a WFWA Agent Pitch Event before
  • Have completed the October 2021 Prepare Your Pitch Event 

Registration

Registration for both Prepare Your Pitch and Agent Pitch will open at noon EST on October 11 and close at noon EST on October 13. Because Prepare Your Pitch is required for Agent Pitch, there will be a single registration form, but on your form you can indicate if you do not plan to participate in Agent Pitch. Registration for Agent Pitch will be capped at 100 participants, so please register ASAP. When registration opens, you can register here

Questions?

Email us at [email protected].