Welcome to the 2020 Pitch Wars Advice Blog Hop, Part 1!
Last year, Ernie Chiara came up with the brilliant idea to reach out to mentors, mentees, and non-mentee applicants to hear their perspectives on the Pitch Wars experience.
It was such a cool and fun thing, we decided to continue it this year. We asked folks to share their best tips, pointers, and advice for preparing for Pitch Wars and your journey along this path, wherever it leads.
Everyone’s path is different! Pitch Wars is just one event, and there are countless paths to getting published. A ton of people who weren’t selected for Pitch Wars have gone on to find agents, and many Pitch Wars mentees never find that agent-writer connection. There’s just no way to predict how things will shake out. But, one thing’s for sure: the more you work to improve your writing, the more you put yourself out there and connect with others in the community, and the more knowledge about the publishing industry you try to absorb, the better position you’ll put yourself in to find the path that’s right for you.
Please note: Some blogs post may mention mentees could be kept from entering the agent showcase. Pitch Wars has made some changes this year. It will now be the mentee’s choice if their work is ready and if they want to enter it into the agent showcase and not the mentor’s decision.
A big huge thank you to Ernie for idea and the updated graphic there. Also to the Pitch Wars committee for letting the blog run with this. And the biggest, hugest thank you to all of the folks who shared their advice!
And so… here it is… in no particular order… the 2020 Pitch Wars Advice Blog Hop! (Click here for the 2019 PW Advice Blog Hop!)
Because we had so many replies, we’re doing this post in two parts. Click here for Part 2.
Tanvi Berwah
2016-2018 Applicant, 2019 Mentee, Twitter, Instagram
Tanvi Berwah is an entertainment blogger-turned-writer. Her short story, Escape, is upcoming in FORESHADOW anthology from Algonquin Young Readers. Find her at tanviberwah.com.
Damyanti Biswas
2019 Adult Mentor, 2020 Adult Mentor, Twitter
Damyanti’s short fiction has been published or is forthcoming at Ambit, Puerto del Sol, Litro, Griffith Review, Pembroke magazine, among others. She serves as one of the editors of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her Amazon-bestselling literary crime novel You Beneath Your Skin was published by Simon & Schuster India in autumn 2019, and optioned for TV adaptation by Endemol Shine.
Last Minute Revision Tips for Pitch Wars
Gigi Griffis
2019 Mentee, Twitter, Facebook
Gigi Griffis writes edgy, feminist stories set in the past. She’s passionate about little-known histories, unlikable female characters, and all things Europe. She lives in Europe with her partner and an opinionated Yorkie mix named Luna and spends her free time hiking the Alps, cycling around small villages, and eating as much French food as she can get her hands on.
How to Do Pitch Wars and Protect Your Mental Health
Clay Harmon
2020 Mentor, Twitter
Clay Harmon is a fantasy/speculative writer represented by Joshua Bilmes of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
Critique Partners and Pitch Wars
Paris Wynters
2018-2020 Mentor, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Paris Wynters is a contemporary romance author. She also enjoys immersing herself into the SF and Horror worlds of some of her favorite books.
Writing, Pitch Wars, and Self-Care
Kate Dylan
2019 Mentee, Twitter
Kate writes YA books about mermaids and cyborgs, and she is definitely NOT three raccoons in a trench coat.
Pitch Wars Lesser Asked Questions
Gail D. Villanueva
Pitch Wars Tech Director (2018 to present); MG mentor (2017 & present), Website, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook
Gail D. Villanueva is a Filipino author and web designer born and based in the Philippines. Her debut novel, My Fate According to the Butterfly (Scholastic, July 2019), was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, an Amazon Best Book of the Month Editor’s Pick, and a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People.
Pitch Wars Pep Talk From the Tech Side
Yvette Yun
2019 Mentee, Twitter
Yvette Yun is a college English professor in Hawaii. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, where she wrote her first memoir, and a PhD in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, where she wrote her first novel. She is a 2017 #RevPit runner-up, a 2019 Pitch Wars mentee, and successfully received offers of representation participating in #DVpit in 2017 and 2019.
Elizabeth Chatsworth
2017 Mentee, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, Newsletter, Website
Elizabeth Chatsworth is the British author of THE BRASS QUEEN (January 2021). Please visit www.elizabethchatsworth.com for the latest news on this award-winning fantasy.
The Pitch Wars Agent Showcase and Beyond
Sammi Spizziri
2019 Mentee, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Sammi Spizziri writes YA contemporary from a small town in Illinois. When she’s not lost in writing (or reading) a new book, she’s a stay-at-home mom who may enjoy library story time more than her kids. Love stories, rec league volleyball, and chai lattes are a few of her favorite things. Sammi is repped by Jacqui Lipton.
Brittany Kelley
2019 Applicant, Twitter
Brittany writes adult romantic comedies and is a mentor with Author Mentor Match. She is represented by Jessica Watterson at SDLA.
Thank you to all who participated and shared their Pitch Wars stories and advice!
As with any advice, these are the opinions of the authors. Keep what works for you and tweak it to your own needs. Hold onto the words that give you encouragement or help push you along the way, not just in Pitch Wars, but in your journey as a writer.
