#Pitmad

HLWampler

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Brenda Drake puts #pitmad together. She usually posts about workshops, critiques, and when it is/who will be the major agents and editors participating in pitchwars (which happens before #pitmad).

http://www.brenda-drake.com/
 

Rena316

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Anyone doing #pitmad next week, March 25th? I'm planning to participate for the first time.
 
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Wilde_at_heart

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I forgot until late this afternoon but did try to re-tweet a few that I saw on QLH as well as getting out my own.
 

Whimsigirl

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I realize this is an old thread, but if we received requests from agents and editors, should we only pick one to whom to sub?

Am a little confused :)

Thanks for your help!
 

romancewriter

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You can chose who to sub to. All of them, some of them, none of them. Whatever you think is the best fit for your work and your goals.
 

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#PitMad requests are almost always a request to query. Somewhere in their feed, the agent or editor should say what they expect you to send (if not, tweet them and ask). You should do research on each agent/editor who requested and see whether you would want them as an agent/editor. This research will tell you whether they expect an exclusive (which I don't expect them to in this kind of a contest, and wouldn't recommend). Send what's requested with a note about #pitmad to any agent or editor who favorited yours and who you would want to represent you or publish the book. Don't send to any you don't like the looks of after your research.
 

Whimsigirl

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Ah okay, thanks! Just asking because I know sometimes agents are a bit ambivalent if you've started sending to editors already. Cheers!
 

Gringa

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Question: how many legit agents really use this venue? Top drawer agents? A lot? very few?

Any opinions as to the "quality" of agents would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 

Sage

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There's a good mix of agents who do it. I think there are fewer of the ones I would recommend these days, as compared to the first ones, because there have been so many #pitmads, but in the last one I did, I got favorites from an agent and 2 editors that I felt comfortable submitting to. I don't follow who's requesting from other authors.
 

gingerwoman

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Question: how many legit agents really use this venue? Top drawer agents? A lot? very few?

Any opinions as to the "quality" of agents would be appreciated.

Thanks.
I've noticed that there are lots of good agents and publishers that do the twitter # things as well as some that probably aren't worth submitting to. Be sure to check up on them before submitting.
 
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Jeneral

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Definitely research before you send. One guy was trolling #pitmad and just favoriting people's pitches and pretending to be someone, and then used the pitches in a "found fiction" piece, or somesuch.
 

didi768

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March '14 Pitmad coming up on Twitter

I just posted this somewhere else, didn't see this section oops. Another one coming up in March on Twitter.
 

TeamWingless

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When is this coming up this year? I read somewhere Feb 20?
 

Smiley0501

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Hope you guys are partaking. March 2014 #pitmad was how I found my agent :D Good luck!!
 

Jassack

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Yes, participate! The Sept '14 #pitmad was how I signed with my new publisher. And I was favorited by an agent from Writer's House! He declined my query, but in a nice way. It was a great experience and good practice for pitching your novel in very short sentence.
 

stephsco

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I just stumbled on this. Besides the #PitMad event on twitter, the Pitch Madness blog contest opens to entries Feb 20. This is if you want to submit for consideration to be posted on Brenda's blog for the list of chosen agents. You can just query these agents at any time, but for many of us (me included) contests gave me exposure and gained me agent requests. Here's the link:

http://www.brenda-drake.com/2015/02/pitch-madness-introducing-agents/
 

Channy

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So, did anybody give it a go? How did it turn out for you?

I had four favourites, three from editors at smaller/indie/boutique publishers (one from Entangled Publishing, one from a "faith based" digital publisher and another an imprint of Zharmae, a boutique SFF publisher) and one, from an agency with little web-presence and/or reputation. Seeing Entangled, which has a fairly good reputation got me excited, but then the more I looked at their website and the YA side, they are heavily romance based and my novel has just.. a touch, if any, romance between characters. So it seemed like it wouldn't be a good fit.

What about you?
 
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Roxxsmom

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I tossed a couple out there. Got some retweets but no nibbles from agents. I don't know if it's because my pitch sucks, or because my pitch is SFF (and there aren't many agents who handle that shopping there), or because I'm on west coast time and wasn't able to get to my keyboard until later in the afternoon their time.
 

Laurasaurus

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I got seven favourites (I was pitching two books). Most of them came fairly early on in the day, so timing might well make a difference.

I've just sent to one agent so far, who seems pretty cool from what I've read - I wasn't aware of him before, but then I know almost zero about US agents.

I wonder what the acceptable window is for sending requested queries. I'm currently only looking for agents for one book I pitched, but a publisher favourited it and I might send to her if my agent search proves unsuccessful. Surely it would be a bit weird sending it and mentioning Pitmad months after it happened?
 
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Chumplet

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I got a favourite for my YA from a Canadian agency that has some well-known clients. I'm hesitating because my adult mystery is being considered by two other agents. Would I be stepping on toes by querying the new agent, when one of the agents on my hook actually read the YA and might rep it if she accepts my adult mystery?

I'm probably overthinking this and should just send the YA query to the Pitmad agent.
 

Sage

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It's a second agent in the same agency? I would tweet the #pitmad agent and explain that the first is looking at another book of yours. She may say send it anyway (it's their agency, so if they're cool with that, you don't have to worry), she may poke the first and either look at the mystery or encourage the first to hurry up, or she may say to wait until the first answers. I've had this situation while chatting with an agent who thought my novels sounded interesting, but a fellow agent at her agency had my novel already.
 

imjustj

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One of my "dream list" agents favorited my NA book. :) My LitFic garnered 2 boutique publishers and one run-away-as-fast-as-possible agent. I am definitely subbing to the first, but passing on the other three.

This is the first time I used HootSuite to schedule and send my tweets. Not being glued to Twitter for 12 hours was nice. FWIW - my request rate is about the same for both methods.