Third Annual NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza!
You wrote your 50,000 words (or got pretty close!). You’re a winner. You felt the high. Now what are you going to do with your precious manuscript? That’s where we, The Book Doctors, come in.
For those of you not familiar with Pitchapalooza, here’s the skinny: You get 250 words to pitch your book. Twenty-five pitches will be randomly selected from all submissions. We will then critique the pitches online so you get to see what makes a great pitch. We will then choose one winner from the group. The winner will receive an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his/her manuscript. We will also crown a fan favorite who will receive a free one-hour consult with us (worth $250).
Beginning February 1, 2013, you can email your pitch to nanowrimo@thebookdoctors.com. All pitches must be received by 11:59 PST on February 28, 2013. The 25 random pitches will be posted on March 5, 2013. Winners will be announced on March 15, 2013. Anyone can vote for fan favorite, so get your social media engine running as soon as the pitches go up!
Like last year, we’re offering free 20-minute consultations (worth $100) to anyone who buys a copy of The Essential Guide To Getting Your Book Published. Just attach a copy of your sales receipt to your email and we’ll set up your consultation.
Our first Pitchapalooza winners, Nura Maznavi and Ayesha Mattu, published a book, Love InshAllah, that is now in its fifth printing. Then there’s Pitchapalooza winner and NaNoWriMo veteran, Gennifer Albin. After she won Pitchapalooza, one of New York’s top agents sold her dystopian novel in a three-book, six-figure deal. Her book, Crewel, just came out this past fall and has been lauded in the New York Times. Cathy Camper and Raul Gonzalez are our latest winners with great news: they’ve landed a two-book deal for their middle-grade, graphic novel, Low Riders in Outer Space.
Are you feeling a little unsure about exactly how to craft your pitch? We’ve got 10 Tips for Pitching:
1. A great pitch is like a poem. Every word counts.
2. Make us fall in love with your hero. Whether you’re writing a novel or memoir, you have to make us root for your flawed but lovable hero.
3. Make us hate your villain. Show us someone unique and dastardly whom we can’t wait to hiss at.
4. Just because your kids love to hear your story at bedtime doesn’t mean you’re automatically qualified to get a publishing deal. So make sure not to include this information in your pitch.
5. If you have any particular expertise that relates to your novel, tell us. Establishing your credentials will help us trust you.
6. Your pitch is your audition to show us what a brilliant writer you are, it has to be the very best of your writing.
7.Don’t make your pitch a book report. Make it sing and soar and amaze.
8. A pitch is like a movie trailer. You start with an incredibly exciting/funny/sexy/romantic/etc. close-up with intense specificity, then you pull back to show the big picture and tell us the themes and broad strokes that build to a climax.
9. Leave us with a cliffhanger. The ideal reaction to a pitch is, “Oh my God, what happens next?”
10. Show us what’s unique, exciting, valuable, awesome, unexpected, about your project, and why it’s comfortable, familiar and proven.
Paige Taylor
March 4, 2013 @ 4:53 pm
I never got a confirmation email for my pitch, I just wanted to make sure you received it. Thanks!
admin
March 4, 2013 @ 4:54 pm
Got it, Paige!
Samantha Pulla
March 4, 2013 @ 8:53 pm
I didn’t get a confirmation letter for my pitch either and was wondering you got it. Mine is called The Search
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 7:58 am
Got it, Samantha!
Erin McPherson
March 4, 2013 @ 10:02 pm
I sent in my novel pitch on Feb. 18 and I was wondering if you received it. The book is called “The Ninan” and the e-mail subject was “Novel Pitch”. Please let me know. PS when are the 25 pitches being posted?
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 7:58 am
Got it, Erin!
Erin McPherson
March 5, 2013 @ 10:15 am
Thank you so much!! I was really looking forward to this contest. I had fun writing my Pitch and am pleased with the outcome. Now, I have to contain my excitement till this evening! 🙂
Allison
March 5, 2013 @ 5:08 am
Hi! What time will the 25 random finalists be announced?
Thanks!
Allison
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 7:57 am
Hi Allison, They will be up by the end of the day. There were SO MANY pitches this year that it’s taken us much longer to get everything up and running. Thx for your patience!
Wanda Ambroziak
March 5, 2013 @ 7:50 am
I never got a confirmation on my pitch or even a reply to any messages I left. I know my chances of being selected are slim but it would be nice to know that you got it.
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 7:56 am
Hi Wanda, we did receive. This is the first message I’ve received from you. Can you tell me where you sent the others? Thx, arielle
Wanda Ambroziak
March 5, 2013 @ 8:30 am
Thank you for letting me know. I sent it on the comments section where I saw others had the same request and received replies. I just saw the list of choices and of course am disappointed that I didn’t get picked. I lost my job in a factory a while back and went back to school, got a degree now but jobs are very scant in this area and I can’t move because my husband’s job is here. I decided to try my first love, writing, but as you know that is a difficult field to break into as many publishers don’t want to give a new author a break or even a read. I would love to get a session with you but am not sure that my budget (extremely tight) will stretch to cover your book. Thank you again.
Wanda
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 8:34 am
The pitches for 2013 are not up yet, Wanda! We will get them up by the end of the day. I’m so sorry to hear about your job. But I’m glad you’re following your passion. Our book is $10 on Amazon. And if you can’t buy it by the 15th, just send me an email at arielle@thebookdoctors.com and we’ll extend the date for you.
Jennie
March 5, 2013 @ 8:04 am
I submitted mine too- Don’t Leave Me Behind Pitch subject line – I wasn’t sure if we were suppose to get any confirmation e-mail, but now seeing the other comments above I’m wondering.
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 8:06 am
Yup, got this one, too, Jennie!
Kate Brodaski
March 5, 2013 @ 8:30 am
Hi Arielle –
Like everyone else, just curious to know if my pitch got through. I wish you luck with all the work you’re doing!
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 8:35 am
Got it, Kate!
Tanya Ruiter
March 5, 2013 @ 8:41 am
Hi ! Sorry to be a pest but I just wanted to make sure mine got through as well. This contest was a great experience, I had never attempted to write a pitch before! the subject was “Unwell by Tanya Ruiter”
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 8:43 am
It’s in!
Tanya
March 5, 2013 @ 10:39 am
Thank you!
Tom Clark
March 5, 2013 @ 9:26 am
Just checking on my pitch too – my book is called “The Gate of Isador.” Did you receive it?
Thanks for this opportunity! It has been great…Tom.
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 9:33 am
Yes we did!
Page Pennington
March 5, 2013 @ 10:23 am
Sent mine on the 28th. Just making sure it got there.
Thanks,
Page
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 11:28 am
Yes indeed!
Caity
March 5, 2013 @ 10:31 am
Like many I never received an email ad also have no fingernails left thanks to nervously chewing them off while waiting!
Thanks
Caity
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 11:28 am
Got it!
Allison
March 5, 2013 @ 10:38 am
Ditto – was a book pitch called LOVE ANYWAY recvd? Thanks!
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 11:27 am
Yes!
kayce hughlett
March 5, 2013 @ 10:45 am
i posted this comment at the link sent from nanowrimo and never received a response… just checking to make sure it made it in… “woohoo! i’ve sent in my pitch and like many others didn’t receive a confirmation. i’d be so sad if it ended up in spam and missed the opportunity to be selected!! kayce [at] kaycehughlett [dot] com
thanks!”
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 11:27 am
Got it!
Morgan
March 5, 2013 @ 10:47 am
I’m sure you’ve gotten a million of such requests … just confirming my pitch made it in. “Gifted and Talented” in the subject header. Thanks – what a great challenge this was!
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 11:26 am
Yes!
Maya
March 5, 2013 @ 11:38 am
All this comments got me worried a bit… Hope to make it through (staying positive here) but if I don’t it would mean a lot to know that it wasn’t because my pitch wasn’t received.
Title: Dragon’s Treasure
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 11:41 am
Rec’d, Maya!
Maya
March 5, 2013 @ 11:44 am
Thank you!
You’re awesome! 🙂 Good luck with everything!
Laura Petracek
March 5, 2013 @ 11:49 am
I know you’re swamped with requests … just confirming my pitch made it in…“Undoing the Laces,” in the subject header. Thank you!
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 12:32 pm
Got it!
Megan Leahy
March 5, 2013 @ 11:57 am
Hi, I never got a confirmation email, would you mind checking to see if you got mine?
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 12:32 pm
Got it!
Cat Lumb
March 5, 2013 @ 12:04 pm
Have checked the website a million times already to see if the pitches went up – am dying to read the pool of talent for all those future novels out there.
I also submitted a pitch for a novel – That which is left, is lost – but got no confirmation that it arrived safely. Hopefully it didn’t end up in your spam box.
Good luck everyone: like many I found writing the pitch a very useful exercise, so even if mine isn’t randomly selected it wasn’t a wasted effort!
Cat
admin
March 5, 2013 @ 12:32 pm
Hi Cat, Got your pitch. And apologies on the pitches not being up yet. We got SO MANY submissions that it has taken us virtually every moment of the last four days to read through everything. And now they are with our webmaster who is working as fast as she can to get them up. We will announce on Facebook (The Book Doctors) as soon as they’re live. Thx for your patience!