By Alex Cavanaugh and C. Lee McKenzie.
Why Did The Insecure Writers’ Support Group Start Doing Pitch Parties?
Twitter pitch parties are a fast, efficient way to connect writers with publishers and agents, and they’re gaining in popularity with both groups each year. Starting our own seemed like the next logical step. First, we’d grown to the point we could host a successful pitch party. Plus we wanted to offer our members and other writers another opportunity for finding an agent or publisher. Thus #IWSGPit was born.
What Happened During The Party?
Our latest #IWSGPit had about 5100 Tweets and became a trending topic on Twitter! Publishers and agents were happy to participate, as many were already watching the feeds of other pitch parties. Many reported finding good pitches and requested numerous queries and submissions from the list. (Dancing Lemur Press signed an author from last year’s pitch and another publisher found a couple of new authors.) Writers also reported many interested publishers and agents. Overall, it gave everyone a great way to connect and boosted the confidence of a lot of writers.
How Did We Put It Together?
After making the decision to host a pitch party, we checked with other organizations and people who run pitches, like Dan Koboldt who runs #SFFpit. Several of our admins were also quite familiar with the ins and outs of twitter pitches and helped plan the event.
We selected a date and posted guidelines and a badge on the IWSG site. After that, we started promoting – in our newsletter, on the site, on Twitter and Facebook, and on our individual sites. We researched and sent invites to publishers and agents, especially those who’d participated in other pitch parties. We asked to be listed on sites that posted Twitter pitches for the year. When it drew closer to the date, we set a schedule for the admins to monitor the feed to be sure everyone was pitching according to the guidelines. It was a lot of work but completely worth it.
What Are IWSG’s Future Plans?
When we started, we hoped to do a Twitter Pitch Party twice a year, and now that we have two successful pitch parties under our belt, it will indeed be a twice yearly event.
If you haven’t found us yet, we’re the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and a Writer’s Digest 2017 Best Site for Writers and The Write Life’s Best Site for Writers 2017/2018.
Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter and #IWSGPit, and a monthly newsletter.
If you’d like more about Twitter Pitch Parties, read this great article by L. Diane Wolfe on Reedsy.
If you’re a writer (published, unpublished, traditional, indie, hybrid, fiction, non-fiction) you’re the person we want in our group. Join us today.
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Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter (where she talks more about choosing and the advantages of winning contests and how to use those honors) and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )
Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter (where she talks more about choosing and the advantages of winning contests and how to use those honors) and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )