Have questions about submitting to Pitch Wars or just want to know what it is? Start here!

#PitMad

In an effort to amplify Black voices, we’ve added a #BVM (Black Voices Matter) hashtag. If you are a Black author, please feel free to include #BVM in your tweets so agents/editors can use it to search for pitches.

About #PitMad

#PitMad is the original twitter pitch event, where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. No previously published works. Agents and acquiring editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch.

What is considered “previously published?”

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 @pitchwars.

Thank you for your interest, and happy pitching!

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Writers: How to Participate in #PitMad

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. #PitMad is the original and longest-running twitter pitch event and trends worldwide every time.

Rules:

 

Industry Professionals: How to Participate in #PitMad

Thank you for taking the time to participate in #PitMad. We greatly appreciate your time.

To participate in #PitMad:

  1. Tweet your submission guidelines for those writers whose tweets you favorite/like, including where to send, how much to send, and preferred email subject line.
  2. Favorite/like the tweets you’d like to see pages from.

Search Tips:

If you have any questions or concerns throughout the day, @ or DM us @PitchWars.

Participating editors should be acquiring for a traditional publisher that does not charge fees. Small presses are welcome.

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.

 

FAQ and Further Questions

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.

 

Resources & Articles

#PitMad Success Stories

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 examiner.com

Article from TheDailyDot

Article from Publishing Trendsetter

 

Sub-Hashtags

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. You are welcome to use additional hashtags not listed here.

Age Categories (one is required):

#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres (optional):

#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
#LF = Literary Fiction
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#MA = Mainstream
#Mem = Memoir
#NF = Non-fiction
#P = Paranormal
#PM = Poetry Collection
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#R = Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
#SF = SciFi
#SHRT = Short Story Collection
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#SH = Superhero
#S = Suspense
#T = Thriller
#TT = Time Travel
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#VF = Visionary Fiction
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

Additional hashtags (optional):

#BVM = Black Voices Matter (to be used by black creators)
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#FP = Fat Positive
#IMM = Immigrant
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter
#OWN = Own Voices
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#TV = Trans Voices (NEW)

Updated November 2021