So, #PitMad is coming around again this week—Thursday December 2nd to be exact. This day-long, quarterly event on Twitter may already be on your radar, but if it’s not, or you’ve known about it but never participated, this article is for you! I did some research(because I wasn’t totally sure either) and put together the most important parts for newbies to know. Are you ready?
So, What is #PitMad Exactly?
To make a long story short, #PitMad sprung from Pitch Wars, which was founded in 2012 to team up writers with mentors who teach the uninitiated how to pitch their book more effectively. The hashtag itself is a clever shortening of Pitch Madness.
Basically it’s a day-long event where you can pitch your completed and polished manuscripts of any genre to participating agents and editors via a tweet. Of course, you use the hashtag, #PitMad. You also have to include your age category hashtag. If an agent or editor likes or favorites your tweet, that means they’re interested in what you’ve got going on!
It’s pretty huge and it’s worldwide, though you need to be shopping a US based agent to participate. It’s kinda exciting and it may even be hectic, so you’ll need to know a few things to make the most of it.
#PitMad Basics
There are quite a few rules involved and potential mistakes you could make, which would leave your pitch completely unnoticed. But the process is actually simple, despite all this. That’s why I’ve compiled the most important parts for you to know in one easy to follow post though!
The most important things to remember:
- The work must be complete, polished and unpublished
- Your pitch must fit the 280 Twitter character limit
- You need to include the #PitMad hashtag plus your age category hashtag (more on that below)
When is it?
#PitMad happens 4 times a year on the first Thursday of the respective month and lasts from 8AM-8PM, EST each day. This year’s dates are
- March 4, 2021
- June 3, 2021
- September 2, 2021
- December 2, 2021
What to Do
Be prepared. Draft your pitch in advance in whatever word program you use. You don’t want to do this on the fly. You’re allowed to post up to 3 times for each work. They can be the same pitch, or you can change it up. This means, if you happen to be pitching multiple manuscripts you get three tweets for each one. You’ll also want to space them out throughout the day—don’t send out a tweet blast all at once. Remember to include your age category hashtag! It’s required. Also, keep in mind when you’re drafting your pitch beforehand that your character limit includes hashtags. So, use them wisely and specifically!
The age category hashtags are as follows:
- #PB = Picture Book
- #C = Children’s
- #CB = Chapter Book
- #MG = Middle Grade
- #YA = Young Adult
- #NA = New Adult
- #A = Adult
Including your genre hashtag is optional, but I think it’s probably a wise idea! Here are some of the most common:
- #AC = Action
- #AD = Adventure
- #E = Erotica
- #F = Fantasy
- #HA = Humor
- #HF = Historical Fiction
- #INSP = Inspirational
- #MR = Magical Realism
- #M = Mystery
- #Mem = Memoir
- #MA = Mainstream
- #LF = Literary Fiction
- #NF = Non-fiction
- #PM = Poetry Collection
- #R = Romance
- #SF = SciFi
- #SHRT = Short Story Collection
- #S = Suspense
- #T = Thriller
- #W = Westerns
There are sub-genre hashtags and specialty, focused hashtags, such as #BVM (Black Voices Matter) and #POC or #LGBT to signify the author is a person of color, or the work is LGBTQIA+ subject matter, etc. You can find a full list of every hashtag HERE.
What Not to Do
Of course, with every contest there are rules of what NOT to do as well. Some of the big ones include:
- Don’t tag anyone—meaning specific agents
- No links are allowed
- Also, don’t include photos(unless it’s a graphic novel, for example)
- You don’t need to include your title(remember character count is limited, anyway)
- Don’t turn it into a thread(everything must fit in one tweet)
- Don’t have your friends retweet, tag anyone, or include any hashtags in their quote tweet
Some Tips From the Experts
- If you’re going to participate, you should expect to be checking in most of the day on Twitter. Because if an agent likes your tweet, you’ll want to know right away and respond accordingly.
- Be prepared. Because a ‘like’ means that you are invited to submit via their guidelines. Sometimes, they’ll tweet at you with links on submission guidelines. Either way, you’ll want to respond in a timely manner. So, plan for this like it will happen. Because it might!
- But! You can schedule your tweets to make it easier and to know when to check in periodically. Remember, space them out throughout the day.
- Research the prospective agent or editor. You’ll want to know they’re what you’re looking for and a good fit. Also, you’re under no obligation to submit your manuscript to anyone that you don’t think will work for you.
Why is #PitMad Worth it?
I think one of the hardest things most new writers face outside of actually completing their manuscripts is pitching them to an agent or publisher. It can be daunting and there are so many rules, and so many standards, it can be hard to catch that lucky break. But that’s why projects like #PitMad and PitchWars exist! It’s also one of the reasons I co-founded the San Diego Writers Festival. Because we all need a little help and there’s not always quite enough available, it seems. Plus, like SDWF, #PitMad is free!
If anything, it will help you get used to pitching your manuscript. In other words, it’s great practice. Participating in this fun event will also be an exercise in putting yourself out there— yes, you’re going to have to get used to doing that. You’ll also expose yourself to the industry, maybe find some good connections, and find out what works and what doesn’t.
Plus, this comes around 4 times a year! So, if you aren’t prepared this time, you can just lurk by following or searching the hashtag, #PitMad, and make some notes on what’s happening and who’s getting noticed! And if you don’t end up landing an agent or an offer to submit your manuscript, you can try again in a few months. So, why the heck not, I say!
I’d love to know your thoughts on this. You can find full details(and oh, boy, are there a lot of them) on the Pitch Wars website. I would also love to hear from any one you who’ve participated in #PitMad and what your experience was like!
So leave a comment on the original post and maybe I’ll add a new section in my updates the next time #PitMad rolls around!
