Should You Go to A Pitch Conference?

There are many varieties of writing conferences, ranging from writing retreats, workshops where you write and get critiques, and master classes in which you meet with a single author to large annual meetings for writers' organizations, and practical conferences where you present your project to editors and agents. These are known as pitch conferences.

If you have a completed manuscript, a pitch conference will suit your needs perfectly. These conferences not only offer you a chance to pitch your work to an agent or editor, they include workshops that teach you how to pitch. There is no better way to meet an agent, so if you can go to one of these conferences, I highly recommend it.

You can find a comprehensive list of writing conferences HERE as well as links to help you find conferences in your area.

Helpful articles:

The Literary Agent Pitch: Dream Or Nightmare?

This is a wonderful article about how to approach a pitch session with an agent.

Rant: Pitch sessions are the spawn of Satan

Literary agent, Janet Reid, reminds us that literary agents are human.

4 Questions Agents Ask Writers at Pitch Sessions

Be prepared! Agents ask questions!

What's Your Book About? How to Make a Pitch

Step-by-step instructions for how to make a pitch.

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Upcoming pitch conference

(Even if you don't plan on going, read the website. It will give you a good idea of what a pitch conference is like.)

New York Pitch Conference

When: Dec 8 - 11, 2016

Where: New York City 

The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals. 

See a full list of faculty members with bios HERE.

Fees: The registration fee until December 5 is $795.00, and $895.00 after that date. This fee covers all conference pitch sessions and workshops. Registration form is HERE.