5 Helpful Reminders for #Pit2Pub!

Excitement among participating writers and publishers has reached a fever pitch (pun intended) with #Pit2Pub only a few days away. Have you begun to write your pitches yet? As a participating writer, you’ll want to have your pitches ready to go, along with your finished and polished manuscript.

If you’ve written your pitches but aren’t confident that they are the best, or if you’re completely stumped on how to pitch your manuscript, our book marketing experts have the following reminders and tips to help you craft the best pitches possible. Good luck with your Twitter party pitch!

1)    Do Your Research

Before writing your pitches, research the publishers that publish within your manuscript’s genre and age bracket. Not only will this familiarize you with their company, you’ll also get a sense of their title list, which can help you target your pitch. Our blog series “Getting to Know Your #Pit2Pub Publishers” is a great place to start your research. Not only will you find a brief description of each participating publisher, we have also included links to their website, social media channels, and their Publisher Spotlight. (Hint: For an even more in-depth look at what each publisher is looking for, make sure you read the Publisher Spotlights!)

2)    Familiarize Yourself with Twitter

With #Pit2Pub occurring in cyberspace via Twitter, it’s a good idea to ensure that you are familiar with Twitter and its unique nuances. For example, do you know how to do keyword research to determine the most popular phrases within your manuscript’s genre? Do you know the types of tweets that get the most attention? Do you know how to create a professional Twitter/online presence? If you need assistance with Twitter, check out our blog 5 Tips to Write Compelling Tweets.

3)    Craft “Tell Me More!” Pitches 

If your pitches are not engaging or unique, they will not catch the attention of publishers. After you have done your research and familiarized yourself with Twitter, it’s time to write your pitches–don’t worry about editing them just yet. Write as many pitches as you can–just let it all out! Once you’re happy with your collection of pitches, refine and edit them down to your favourite 5-10. Finally, to decide on your top 2-4 pitches, put yourself in a publisher’s shoes. Which ones will a publisher say “Tell Me More!” to? If a publisher wants to know more, it’s very likely they will LIKE/FAVOURITE (heart on Twitter) your pitch during #Pit2Pub!

4)     Include the Correct Genre and Age Hashtags

When you decide on your final “Tell Me More” pitches, you’ll need to ensure that you’ve left enough room for the appropriate genre and age hashtags. Failing to include these and the #Pit2Pub hashtag will mean that all of your hard work up to this point will be for nothing, as publishers track specific hashtags throughout the day. If you need a refresher, here is a list of the #Pit2Pub genre and age hashtags:

5)    Follow the 1-2-3 Rule!

This year, #Pit2Pub has implemented a very important rule called the 1-2-3 rule. To help publishers sort through the HUNDREDS of tweets during the event, #Pit2Pub is asking that participating writers only tweet 1 pitch per manuscript every 2 hours during the duration of the #Pit2Pub party on February 3^rd between 9 AM EST and 9 PM EST. Those who do not follow the rules will receive a DM from a #Pit2Pub organizer asking that they follow the 1-2-3 rule. Offending writers will also have their profile shared with participating publishers, and it will be at each publisher’s discretion to like an offender’s pitches.

Share With Us

While we’re not a publisher, we’d love to hear your BEST pitch. Tweet it to @DigiWriting for some feedback!