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Pitch Wars 2016 Submission Window … is now closed!

Tuesday, 2 August 2016  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

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Surprise! We’re opening the submission window early! It will remain open until the original closing of August 6 at 10PM EDT (New York time). For your listening pleasure while you’re filling out your forms, Sarah Farnam wrote and performed a song for Pitch Wars. It so amazing, so check it out here:

For those unfamiliar with Pitch Wars, it’s a contest where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine. The mentor also critiques his/her writer’s pitch to get it ready for the agent round. To do this, the mentors read all their applications and choose the writer they want to mentor for a little over two months to get them ready for the agent round. Writers can pick up to four (4) mentors to submit to. Want to have two bonus entries? Go to this page here and find out how you can submit to six (6) mentors instead of four.

Last year we had fifty-five mentees sign with agents and several of those resulted in book deals. That’s not counting all the successes from Pitch Wars 2012, 2013, and 2014. Pitch Wars has reached over 200 successes. It’s our fifth year, and we our excited to see what happens. We hope to have many more successes this year!

For a list of our mentors go here, for submission guidelines go here, and for a list of our agents this year, go here and here.

And make sure to enter the scavenger hunt for a chance to win a mentorship. Only those who enter Pitch Wars can participate in the scavenger hunt. After all the mentors make their mentee picks, we’re holding a drawing and picking three lucky writers to go through the mentoring process. This is a random draw. So anything goes! And anyone can win! That’s one writer each from the middle grade, young adult, and adult/new adult pool of submissions. More information on this post here. You have until we announce the mentors’ picks to solve the puzzle and submit your entry.

If you have any difficulties with this form, or if there’s a technical glitch, or if the site blows up, don’t panic! Just use the form under the Contact Me page/label at the top of the blog and let us know the issue.

About your queries: It should have all parts of the query, as if you were sending to an agent. “Dear Mentor” works for the salutation and make sure to include your bio (if you have one) and category/genre/word count.

About your first chapters: Upload the first chapter of your manuscript no matter how long it is. You can include short prologues (3 pages or less) or send the prologues later if the mentor asks for a full manuscript. If you don’t have chapters in your book or feel your chapters are too short, send the first ten pages of your manuscript.

PLEASE DO NOT ENTER IF YOU AREN’T READY. Once you hit send, there are no take backs or changes. Double check that you have the right mentors for the category (MG, YA, NA, or Adult)  you are submitting. Your entry will be deleted if you send it to a mentor who is not requesting your category.

Make sure to name your document file with your name and title of your manuscript. (Example: Brenda Drake_Library Jumpers.docx)

After you hit send on the form, the page will reload. Scroll down to where the form was and it will tell you if your submission has been accepted. YOU WILL NOT GET AN EMAIL RECEIPT.

Please do NOT re-enter your form. When you hit submit, the page will move to the top, scroll down to where the form was and it will say your entry has been received.

AGAIN, please do not re-enter your entry!

If the forms don’t load for you, try changing internet servers. Enter one form at a time. Make sure to enter one form and submit it before entering the next form.

 

THE SUBMISSION WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED!!!!

 

Here is the form for the four (4) free applications …

 

Here is the form for the two (2) extra applications (for those who donated to PW) …

 

Here is the form for the one (1) free application for those who attended the Pitch Wars Road Show at the RT Booklovers Convention in Las Vegas (you’ll need your convention receipt and name of the mentor you worked with) …

 

THE SUBMISSION WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED!!!!

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196 Comments
  • Erin G says:

    Aaaaahhhh!!! So excited!!!!

    • Jeannie I says:

      Hi Brenda,
      Thank you for all you do for the writing community! You rule!! I saw a receipt for my four free entries but not for my two bonus ones.

      Thanks again!

  • Patrick Thornton says:

    Comment
    I would like to know if my first ten pages uploaded okay and my submission was received. Thank you.

  • lchroman108@gmail.com says:

    Comment Ty for creating this fantastic opportunity. Heres to wishing all of us, the potential mentees good luck. I donated a few weeks ago. Somehow I cannot find how to submit the application to the two extra mentors? Or do we need to wait until tomorrow for that possibility. Thank you again.
    Larry

    • Use the bonus entry form on the same submission post.

      • lchroman@mac.com says:

        Thanks Heather.
        Can you I ask you to check that my six entries went through?
        Thank you for your help.
        Larry

    • The application for the two extra mentors is right under the application for the four free mentors, all in the submission post. Just keep scrolling down.

      • lchroman108@gmail.com says:

        Hi Heather, I sent in two applications, the first and the four mentors, the second had the two mentors for donations.
        Did all six come through? Thanks Larry

  • Rose says:

    Good luck everyone!

  • B says:

    Yaaayyyy so exciting!

    Is the donation receipt supposed to be in PDF form or?

    Thanks!!!

  • Paula Gesmundo says:

    Trying to figure out how to upload PayPal receipt for donation in order to submit to the extra 2 mentors. I copied the emailed receipt into a document and tried to upload that but it didn’t work. I got a message: Please enter a value with a valid extension. I don’t know what that means. Anyone?

    • vikayee says:

      I’m not sure how to fix the problem, but I can tell you that I submitted my receipt as a .docx file and it uploaded easily. You might have to borrow a friend’s computer if you don’t have Microsoft Word. Good luck submitting!

    • Try to upload as a doc file or pdf. If that doesn’t work, let me know via twitter. @HeatherCashman

  • M. Roger Grant says:

    Once the submit button has been clicked, shall we expect an email confirming the entry went through? Happy PitchWar! 🙂

  • I’ve been following, I even donated. But, in the end, decided to to stay Indie with my next book and hold out until next year with a different manuscript.
    I really appreciate all the work you guys, put into this for writers who want their first start with a mainstream publisher. This is such a fantastic project.

  • Sorry to bother you, but I’m having trouble uploading my receipt from Paypal for the two additional submissions. Every file type I try to upload is being rejected with “Please enter a value with a valid extension.” I have saved the email as a .pdf and as a.rtf file. Could you please let me know what format this form requires? Thanks so much!

    • I submitted my first set of entries on Safari with no issues. For some reason I kept getting errors with the extra entries. I had to switch to Firefox for the additional Paypal entries and uploaded the receipt as a .pdf with no issues. Try switching browsers if you are having a similar issue. 🙂

    • It should accept pdf or doc files. If you’re having trouble, try using a chrome browser. We’ve had a lot of trouble with others.

  • Boo says:

    Do you have to input all 6 simultaneously (if you have extras) before pressing send? Or do you submit 4, then 2?

  • Woo-who! I’m so excited! I hope both forms went through since I didn’t see any confirmation at the bottom of the screen. Thanks again!

  • Paula Gesmundo says:

    I converted my pdf to a JPEG. There is a free conversion tool online at pdf2jpeg.com. Then I could upload it.

  • Jonathan Peto says:

    That was amazingly simple. PitchWars is so organised. It is very impressive. Thanks so much for putting this all together!

  • Justin Podur says:

    I think I just submitted… but got no confirmation either. Thanks for the opportunity though, whether it went through or not 🙂

  • Morgan Crane says:

    Sorry to bother you, but when I entered all of my information for my submission last night, it only submitted my initial four mentors and not my bonus. I tried again with the remaining two and just want to make sure my six submissions all went through.

    Thank you so much for putting this together. It’s a fantastic opportunity for all of us.

  • Had problems with our power and internet this morning. Would like to know if my entry has been received.
    Thank you so much.

  • Karyn says:

    Neurotic question: I submitted to the 4 mentors plus the 2 extra (I donated $20). I wasn’t sure which “Submit” button to press, though. There’s one under the area for the original 4 materials, and one under the area for the extra 2. I hit the “submit” button under the extra 2 (because that submit button was below all 6 of my entries). So I’m just wondering: did all 6 get submitted, or just the extra 2? (I’m so sorry for being SO clueless)

    • Brenda Drake says:

      Karyn, if your last name is Riddle, I only got the bonus form, so please resubmit the main form with the four mentors. You do have hit submit after each form.

  • Adaire says:

    Hi, just wanted to check whether my main (four mentors) form, and my bonus (two mentor) form has reached safe.
    Thank you.

  • Tabitha Forney says:

    I have the same question — I did two submissions, one for the original four mentors, then the bonus donation submission for two extra. I originally thought one “submit” button would cover both, but I don’t think it did. So I went back and did the bonus two mentor submission. Can you please confirm (for another neurotic writer) that you got all six of my submissions? Thank you ever so much!

  • Jehoia Cato says:

    HI. I submitted my chapter and donation receipt from my Dropbox on my IPad. Would someone be able to tell me if everything went through okay?

    Thanks

  • I am so relieved I am not the only neurotic writer. I see confirmation of my two donation bonus choices, but I didn’t see the first four confirmation before I moved on to the next two. Can you please confirm for me that both went through?

    And thanks for this! It is making my August super exciting.

  • Keli Vice says:

    Thanks Brenda! Good luck everyone!

  • After I submitted the initial four entries and the two bonus entries, I got no sign that they had been received. Sorry to bother but I just wanted to know if my entries were received!

  • Jan Satterlee says:

    Comment Can you please check to see if my four uploaded? And then if my two bonus ones did. I keep getting an error message that the page cannot be found when I try to upload my bonus ones.
    Thank you!

    • Brenda Drake says:

      Jan, I got your main form with four mentors, but not the bonus one. Try refreshing the screen and then entering the bonus one. Or try switching browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) to see if it works.

  • Betsy Sharp says:

    Hi, Brenda – The window didn’t say anything last night when I submitted my four plus two entries. Can you confirm that they were received? Thank you for everything!!

  • Jaime Hendricks says:

    All the “take your time, don’t rush!” And I completely didn’t check to see if my submission went through. Patience is a virtue I was not born with (I know, wrong industry right?) HA. Did mine come through? Thanks!

  • I am so glad I am not the only submitter freaking out if their sub went or not! My daughter came in and asked me to play with her, and when I came back my computer had turned off and I don’t know if it went! Baaaaaaa!

    *inhales deeply, steels herself for a long afternoon of playing Barbies*

  • Michael Keller says:

    Now that I see several people didn’t get all 6 through, I’m ocd about it too. Could I bother you to check if my query went to 6 different mentors?

    Thanks for creating this awesome opportunity!

    PS – The typo I emailed about earlier is only on the 3rd mentor pull down menu, not the others. It says “Shana Silver/Sara Nicolas (YA)” while all the other pull downs have the correct pairing.

  • Compliments to you Brenda, your helpers, and your webmaster.
    The form is straightforward and it WORKS.
    You are appreciated.

    – P

  • Hi again. I commented earlier but didn’t get a reply. I was just checking that both of my submissions went through since I didn’t see a confirmation at the bottom of the page. Thanks!

  • Andy Crawford says:

    Just submitted (just for the 4 free) — very excited to (hopefully) take part for the first time. Good luck to everyone, and thanks to Brenda for organizing!

  • Trish Wilson says:

    I just submitted but I didn’t see anything on this page after reloading that said it was accepted. Did my submission go through?

  • Emily Chin says:

    Hi Brenda,

    Thank you so much for this contest and all the time you and the mentors commit to it!

    I have a small question about prologue length. My prologue is five pages, and significant to the understanding of the first chapter (which is seven pages). Should I submit the first ten pages of the MS and cut off the end of chapter one, or is a twelve page submission with five in prologue acceptable?

    Thanks!

  • HL Carpenter says:

    Thank you for sponsoring this contest, and for making the rules and the submission so flawless — and for opening the contest a day early! Everything worked so easily.

    Best wishes to all who participate.

  • Stella Nadene says:

    Just checking if both of my submissions came through!

    Thanks so much!

  • Debra Barsotti says:

    Also checking. Six mentors selected. Thanks!

  • Oh no! I just realized I left off the . in my email on the query letter. It should have read carrie.pulkinen, but I wrote carriepulkinen. Is there any way I can fix this? I’m not sure if I did it right on the submission form! (Panicking!)

    • John Salyer says:

      Heather or Brenda: I think it finally worked. Have you received all six of my entries? John S.

  • John Salyer says:

    Comment Heather: I cannot get my submission for the two extra mentors to go thru. Have tried multiple times, using three different files. Have tried for hours. Can u help?

  • Brenda Joyce Leahy says:

    I hate to make extra work for you but I couldn’t see anywhere whether my submission went through. I sent it about 4 p.m. MDT today.

  • Lisa Moore Ramee says:

    Well, it’s done! Reading through the comments I see we are all in the same boat. Wondering if submission went through. I didn’t get an error message so I’m going to just feel positive that all went well!

  • Cez says:

    Hi Brenda, I was wondering, do the mentors read ALL the entries they receive, or do they just read until they find one the like/love/want?

    • Brenda Drake says:

      All the mentors have different ways of handling their submissions, but mostly they read everyone and decide which ones they like/love/want and then request fulls.

  • Victor Bondar says:

    I submitted yesterday, but I didn’t see a message that it was received. Is it in?
    Thanks.

  • Christy Goerzen says:

    I just submitted my two extras, but I didn’t see a place to upload my donation receipt – I have it if you’d like me to email it to you. Thank you for everything!

  • Hezekiah Bennetts says:

    So, paranoid “Did I leave the oven on?” comment, but now I can’t shake the feeling I selected the wrong category. Is it at all possible to check or make corrections?

  • Mario Aliberto III says:

    Sorry for the paranoia, just checking to see if my 1st chapter attached correctly. Last year it did not, so even though I checked it a million times this year, still worried. Thanks for all you do!

  • Dawn Lynn says:

    Comment I know this is a bother, but when I submitted my MS, the site reloaded but I don’t see where it confirms my application was received. Could you tell me if it went through all right?

  • Kim Lyng says:

    Just wanted to make sure my four MG submissions and two bonus applications went through. Thanks you so much for doing this. I really appreciate all the time, support, and encouragement you all give to us aspiring authors!

  • Caron Jantzen says:

    I had some trouble downloading one of the documents and ended up re-submitting it three times, I think. As a result, I wanted to make sure everything went through all right. I had a bonus form for 2 extra, as well as the main form for 4. Sorry to make more work for you after you’ve put in so much effort already.

  • Tina Spear says:

    I just want to confirm my 6 subs as well, the submission confirmation came up once, but not sure after I submitted the bonus ones… the screen looked different?? (submitted last night)
    -Tina Spear

  • Hi, I followed the instructions and looked for the “accepted” message, but it never showed. Did you get my submission? Thanks!

  • Comment
    Very excited as is everyone else. Mentors are excellent!
    However, I’m nervous about not receiving confirmation of my entry. Just sent in 10 pages.

    Thanks,

  • anna koltes says:

    Hi, just confirming my submission went through?
    My web page fritzed out after I submitted :-((

  • Russell says:

    Hi Brenda,

    Apologies in advance for being paranoid. 🙂 I just wanted to double check that my two forms (four free submissions and two bonus selections) have been received.

    Thanks so much for everything!

  • Wendy Heard says:

    Hi, so sorry to bother you but the web page reloaded upon submit without displaying the expected confirmation. Can you confirm? Thank you.

  • I think I might have mis-entered my website info as “giffmacshane”. It should be “giffordmacshane”.

    Is there a way to correct that? Thank you!

  • Jaime Olin says:

    Hi, thanks for all you do! Sorry to bother you with this, but would you mind confirming mine went through? 4 plus the extra 2 for donating. Thanks!!!

  • Mary Rose Kreger says:

    Good morning, I submitted to Pitch Wars very early Thursday morning to four YA mentors. Do you know if my submission went through successfully? Thank you very much for your help and for this amazing writing opportunity! 🙂

  • Thank you once again for this opportunity. As I’ve often said, writing is solitary and PitchWars makes it less so.

    And I received my two green acceptances so no need to check for me.

    Thanks again Brenda.

    Candace

  • Dianne Brubaker says:

    Since I am like a walking computer virus (seriously, sometimes I touch a computer and it’s like I have magnets in my fingers – everything gets zapped!), I was wondering if all my submissions went through successfully. I sent six total – with two being from the donation bonus.

    Sorry for being a nudge.

    Thanks!

  • Beth Duke says:

    I’m sorry, but there is nothing to show you received my submission. Would you please let me know?
    Thank you!

  • Judy says:

    I’ve tried to submit my Pitchwars MS on Chrome and Explorer and keep getting the notice that my entry looks “too much like Spam and could not be submitted at this time.”
    Suggestions?

  • Mikki T says:

    Hi. I submitted 4 and then the 2, but wanted to see if they went through since I had to reload the page. Sorry to bother, and thanks for checking! You guys are awesome.

  • Jake Achey says:

    (Prefaced with a SORRY!)

    Just checking if my submission was received–I know, way too many people have asked already. I got excited and clicked away before I scrolled down . . . Apologies again!

  • Julia Ferreri says:

    I’m going to add my name to the growing list of people asking, but did my six submissions go through? This would have been on Thursday.

  • Ravon Silvius says:

    Also trying to make sure my submissions went through. The entry forms came back after I entered a few days ago–is that normal?

  • Kathy Maggio says:

    I resent my application. Nothing came up at the bottom. Did it go through this time? Sorry to bother you so much. 🙁

  • Katherine Focke Pearson says:

    This is really silly, but last year I accidentally submitted my entry as MG instead of Adult. Because I knew one of the mentors I subbed, it was fine, but could you make sure my age category is YA.

    thanks, kate
    (Katherine Focke Pearson)

  • Cody Connor says:

    Hi, thank you so much for this opportunity! I’ve had a finished manuscript for a while, which I’ve been endlessly touching up without a clear point in mind for when I would search for an agent/publisher. This contest has really helped to light a fire for me!

    I know this has been requested by hundreds of people by now (and I feel rude asking you to take the time to reply to this), but I’m wondering if you might confirm the receipt of my submission to 4 mentors (just submitted). I did see the confirmation message on the page, but I have issues trusting technology, and this is important to me! haha.

    Thank you again!

  • Olga Amigo says:

    Hi, guys,
    I filled both forms for six mentors, but I only clicked the first “submit”. Then the page was gone.
    Did I do this right?
    Thanks for putting this together. You’re amazing,

    Olga Amigo

  • Hey Brenda, Thank you for this contest! I didn’t see the “your form has been received” after I hit “submit”. Do I need to resend it?

  • Sorry to add my voice to the anxious chorus of writers asking for a confirm. Did my submission to four mentors get through OK?
    (I wonder if there’d be a way to auto-generate a robot reply email in future years so we don’t keep bothering you. Apologies again!).

    • Brenda Drake says:

      We aren’t able to generate one. Last time it took several hours for people to get their receipts and it went crazy with everyone checking. This is with our current set-up. Things will be different year with the donations we will be able to get a better site and better programs. With all that said, I received one form from you with four mentors.

  • KJ Milton says:

    Okay, I submitted. I hope it went through. *flailing*

  • Teagan Brody says:

    OMG! I just submitted to all six mentors and THEN realized I had only titled my first chapter with the book title. Does that mean my submission will be deleted?

    • Brenda Drake says:

      Got both, Teagan. Good luck!

      • Teagan Brody says:

        Thanks, Brenda. And thanks for doing all this work for complete strangers (moi)! I know you’re just trying to help others who are going through things you’ve gone through before, but this is a lot of work. Please know it’s really appreciated by all of us.

  • Brynne Hämäläinen says:

    Hi Brenda!

    I hope I didn’t mess up my submission! I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you and all other organizers, as well as anyone else involved! No matter what the outcome, this came at a rough time in my life, and it’s been a huge bright spot and given me something to be excited about! Not to mention, it’s helped me to focus on my writing again and GET THINGS DONE!

    So thank you!! I think it’s pretty freaking amazing that you guys organize this and the mentors volunteer their time just to help out other writers.

    All the love! <3

  • E Jourdan Lewis says:

    Hey Brenda, I submitted last night and saw on twitter some people were worried about not submitting correctly. Did my original 4 and 2 bonus entries go through? Sorry for the paranoia. LOL.
    Thank you for everything you do!

    • Stephen Kittel says:

      Considering some of my friends on Scribophile are making the same comments, I’m suddenly quite paranoid about this, too, since there was no sort of confirmation when I sent. I just assumed that’s how it was, though.

      • Brenda Drake says:

        We have your form, Stephen. The only glitch was with those entering the bonus form. They didn’t hit submit on both forms so the top form didn’t come through. We went through all the bonus forms and contacted those who didn’t have a free entry form sent. If your friends used the bonus form and didn’t get contacted, we got both their entries.

    • Brenda Drake says:

      We have both your entries, Jourdan. Good luck!

  • Thank you Brenda! I saw the message after my four mentor pick but no message after the two extra. Can you confirm they went through or I can resend. Thank you to your peeps for all you guys do!!!

  • I have a similar question to others–did my August 6 submission go through? I have not seen a page or field telling me that it was successfully received. Hope so!

  • Rod Pound says:

    Afraid I sent in the form at 7:01 (PST). Also, had difficulty with sending first chapter – got the query out though. Did I miss it?

    • Brenda Drake says:

      We got yours, Rod.

      • Rod Pound says:

        Thank you very much for your response – now I can sleep. Still concerned about the sample chapter. If it was not received, please provide me with an alternate way to submit it. Or I will simply wait to see if I am selected by a mentor.

        Thanks for the contest.

        • Brenda Drake says:

          Rod, the sample was received, as well.

          • Rod Pound says:

            I know you’ve done this contest before, but you’ve got to be out of your mind to take on something this big. In case you haven’t been reminded lately of your value, I’m thinking you should have your butt bronzed!

  • Heather Rasmussen says:

    I know that it is to late to submit if my submission didn’t go through, but I didn’t get a confirmation that the submission processed on the screen. I didn’t want to be annoying, but now I am worried, and just want to know if I should start polishing my MS or drown my sorrows. Thanks

  • Dorianne Van Dyke says:

    I know it is too late to submit but now I am having a panic attack about whether my submission went through. I know it is likely too much to ask, but would it be possible to inquire? I filled out the four plus the bonus two. Thank you so much for your time!

IMPORTANT!
We're thrilled at the different ways those in our Pitch Wars community are giving back—and we encourage them to do so. However, please keep in mind that Pitch Wars is not affiliated with any of these various contests, promotions, etc., including those of our mentors and mentees. Promoting any such opportunities via our social media channels doesn't imply endorsement or affiliation. We encourage you to do your research before participating.

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