Twitter Pitch Parties

by Bokerah Brumley

As an author, I’ve seen many videos, listened to many podcasts, attended a conference, successfully pitched face-to-face, and spent hours studying that ambiguous little thing called platform. Since I have completed the self-pub portion of my hybrid author dream, I’m interested in anything that gets my work in front of agents and the writing community at large.

At the 2015 DFW Writers Conference, I met an author that competed in a previous Twitter pitch party and earned a two book deal from the process. (Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor)

My interest was piqued. Enter: #PitchWars

The guidelines were easy to follow, the community turned out, and the wait was filled with hours of what-ifs. It was nerve-wracking. 1,500 writers were hanging out at the water cooler in the #PitchWars break room. The energy was incredible.

Yet, I wasn’t selected as a mentee.

I did win a brand new community, three critique partners, and some awesome feedback from two of the #PitchWars mentors. And I polished that novel more in the two weeks leading up to #PitchWars than I had been able to eke out on my own.

That loss was my friend.

It ignited my drive so much that I decided to enter the next Twitter Pitch Party that I could find.

Enter #PitMad.

Alas, I did not earn a favorite from any publishers or agents.

But, since then, I’ve found a new beginning for my novel, added several pivotal scenes, and learned a lot about writing hooks. I now have one in my query, one in the first 250 words of my manuscript, and one at the end of each chapter.

I’m looking forward to the next loss with a twisted sense of glee. It’s one step closer to my dream.

“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm... in the real world all rests on perseverance.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Brenda Drake manages #PitchWars and a variety of other Twitter Pitch Parties. L.L. McKinney manages #PitchSlam. And Michelle Hauck co-manages #NoQS. Spend some time at their blogs or follow them on Twitter. Other pitch and query contests abound (like #Pitch2Pub).

Author Bio:

Bokerah Brumley is an award-winning freelance writer. In her spare time, Bokerah enjoys climbing trees, photographing peacocks, and writing flash fiction. She lives with her husband, five kids, and three dogs in West Texas where she serves as the blue-haired publicity officer for the Cisco Writers Club. Find her on Twitter and Facebook. Her debut novella, Cold Water Bridegroom, now available on Amazon.