May 15, 2018
Mentor Application Window Opens
#PitMad is a pitch party on Twitter where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch.
Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/categories are welcomed.
#PitMad occurs quarterly. Upcoming dates are:
Don’t favorite friends’ tweets. The agents will be requesting by favoriting tweets, and more favorites can make it hard for those with requests to see all of their faves/likes. RT or Quote-RT to show your support. Do NOT use the hashtag when quote RTing – Keep the hashtag clean so agents can navigate it easily.
Be respectful and courteous to each other, and especially to the industry professionals. If you do see abuse, please report it to Twitter or notify one of the hosts of the event.
Thank you for your interest, and happy pitching!
Jump to:
Some of the following rules may seem specific, but they’re in place to help our industry professionals navigate the fast-moving feed. Because #PitMad has grown over the years, industry professionals are finding it overwhelming to search the feed and we want to make sure we don’t scare them off.
Rules:
Thank you for taking the time to participate in #PitMad. We greatly appreciate your time.
To participate in #PitMad:
Search Tips:
If you have any questions or concerns throughout the day, @ or DM us @PitchWars.
Please know that writers are permitted to use their own discretion in deciding whether or not to send requested materials to each individual. We believe that requiring participating writers to submit materials to people they don’t wish to work with creates an unfair power imbalance and only wastes time on both sides of the transaction. Thank you for understanding.
Q: Can I tag an agent/editor/publisher in my pitch?
A: No. Don’t tag an agent or editor in a tweet unless they tweet you first.
Q: What if I can’t be on Twitter on that day?
A: We recommend you schedule your tweet using Tweetdeck or another software.
Q: If I want to pitch more than one manuscript, do I have to split my three allotted pitches between all of them?
A: No, you’re allotted three pitches per manuscript.
Q: If I live outside the US, am I allowed to participate?
A: Yes, as long as you’re looking to be published in the American market. Most of the agents and editors are from the US.
Q: Do I have to participate in #pitmad to enter into Pitch Wars? or Do I have to participate in Pitch Wars to participate in #pitmad?
A: No, the events are completely separate except that they were both founded by Brenda and run by us. We do not have a rule against pitching a book in #pitmad that has been submitted to #pitchwars.
Q: Are novellas permitted?
A: Yes
Q: If I have published a book, can I enter another unpublished manuscript into #pitmad?
A: Yes, as long you do not have a literary agent.
Q: If my book was previously published, can I enter it into #pitmad?
A: No.
Q: What if it has been edited or changed?
A: Sorry, still no.
Please direct all questions to @pitchwars if your question is not answered above.
How to Research Literary Agents and Publishers Before Submitting by Sarah Nicolas.
A post from Claribel Ortega about why doing research on requesting agents/publishers is important.
The Ultimate Writers’ Guide to Twitter Pitch Contests by agent Carly Watters
How #PitMad Helped Me Get a Literary Agent (And Tips for The Next One) from #PitMad alum Diana Urban
How to Filter Out Spammers When Following #PitMad Tweets also from #PitMad alum Diana Urban
Article from TheDailyDot
Article from Publishing Trendsetter
You can use the following sub-hashtags to categorize your book, making it easier for agents and editors to find your pitch. We only require the #pitmad hashtag and one age category hashtag. The additional hashtags are suggested as a courtesy and listed here in order to reduce confusion.
#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult
#AC = Action
#AD = Adventure
#BIZ = Bizarro Fiction
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#FTA = Fairy Tale Retelling
#GN = Graphic Novel
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#MA = Mainstream
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#R = Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#SH = Superhero
#S = Suspense
#T = Thriller
#TT = Time Travel
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#VF = Visionary Fiction
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter
Updated June 2018
Mentor Application Window Opens
Mentor Application Window Closes
#PitMad Twitter Pitch Party (8AM – 8PM EDT)
Mentors Announced
Pitch Wars Mentor Wishlists Posted
Mentee Submission Window Opens
Mentee Submission Window Closes
#PitMad Twitter Pitch Party (8AM – 8PM EDT)
Pitch Wars Mentees Announced
Agent Showcase:
Feb 6: Adult entries go live on Pitch Wars site
Feb 7: MG entries go live on Pitch Wars site
Feb 8: YA entries go live on Pitch Wars site
#PitMad Twitter Pitch Party (8AM – 8PM EDT)
Pitch Wars is managed and staffed by volunteers, but we have unavoidable, necessary costs. Your donation keeps the mentoring program free for all writers.