Twitter Pitch Events: My view and an announcement

OK, so I keep forgetting to post this … if you are in the business of writing stories with a view to publishing them, you may wish to consider taking part in a Twitter Pitch event. The general idea is that you tweet a pitch for your book, adding in a set hashtag or two, and any participating agent or publisher that likes what they read will favourite the tweet. If you get a favourite, then you’re free to approach that person for potential representation. Now, like anything, it’s worth doing your research. Not everyone who takes part is legit as the people running them cannot stop people from favouriting tweets, but the vast majority that participate are perfectly legitimate and simply using modern tech as a means to find potential new clients. There are even a few different types of event about, each with their own rules or criteria. For my part, I’ve tried #PitMad (a general pitch contest), #PitDark (a focus on dark writing and themes), and #DVPit (aimed at diverse stories and voices).

So, why this sudden note about the benefits of Twitter Pitch Events? Well, just to show that it works, I have an announcement to make. During the last #PitMad, I was pitching a book tentatively titled ‘Addict’. The book is essentially a noir detective story with a near future sci-fi setting, and follows a Chinese-Canadian PI named Cassie Tam through her latest case in a fictional tech-focussed city built I Utah’s Great Salt Lake Desert. The story touches on a number of things, but runs at a relatively quick pace, with the focus switching back and forth between the actual mystery and Cassie’s attraction to her client, Lori Redwood.

If you hadn’t guessed, the book got some attention during the event, and the upshot is that I’ve signed a contract for publication. The publisher that I’m working with is NineStar Press, a New Mexico based house that publishes stories with a focus on LGBTQA characters. They work in a variety of genres, and there are some really cool concepts on display in their current roster of books. I am immensely proud to have landed this deal, and am really looking forward to seeing how things go moving forward.

So, there you have it. If you write and you don’t already try Twitter Pitch Events, give it a crack! You never know who may be watching.

Thanks for reading.