The Ten Commandments of Twitter Pitch Contests

A Twitter pitch contest is a great opportunity to start a "relationship" with an agent so you don't have to send your query in cold. Participating in the contests can be confusing, so I wanted to share my 10 Commandments of Twitter Pitch Contests. The advice here varies from Twitching manners to the construction of the pitch itself. I hope it is helpful!

1. Keep your pitch to one tweet. Don't split it between two. Don't link to the "rest" of it. 140 characters is all you've got for your pitch and any necessary hashtags. Use it wisely.

2. Don't flood the feed. Most contests will dictate how many times throughout the day you are allowed to post your pitch (generally, it is once or twice per hour) but read the contest rules. If you post more often in hopes that more eyes will see your pitch, you'll get your wish, but the feeling towards you won't be a positive one--from agents or from the writing community in general.

3. Stick to one (MAYBE two) named characters. There simply isn't space to name more than that.

4. Avoid asking questions, rhetorical or otherwise. Of course, there are always exceptions, but this seems to be the general consensus among agents.

5. Favorites are for agents. Don't favorite a fellow writer's tweet in hopes of encouraging them. You'll only give them the false joy that an agent wants to see more of their work, and they'll be sad when it's just little ol' you. If you want to show support for your fellow writings, retweet their pitch instead.

6. State the stakes. It's tough with such limited space, but do include the stakes in your pitch. What will happen if your MC doesn't succeed? Be as specific as possible.

7. Vary your pitches. Say that you can post twice an hour and the contest runs for eight hours. That's sixteen chances to get your pitch out there. Rather than posting the same thing sixteen times, vary your pitches. Come up with several strong pitches and rotate through them. When you do repeat a pitch, be sure to switch up the wording or order of words, otherwise Twitter may flag the repeated tweet as spam and you'll miss valuable pitch opportunities.

8. Respect the time limits. If the contest runs from 8AM - 8PM PST, tweet only within those hours. Be sure to adjust accordingly if that is outside your time zone and don't be that person who is posting hours early or hours late. It's bad juju.

9. Be prepared. Schedule your tweets in advance using sites like TweetDeck or HootSuite, then you don't have to worry about missing a tweet day-of.

10. Seek feedback. There are plenty of people who offer to critique Twitter pitches free of charge, so take advantage of these opportunities ahead of time (follow blogs, twitter feeds, etc. of other writers as they will often notify people in advance of these opportunities). You could always try offering a "give to get" as well! Swap pitches, offer feedback, and even if you don't hit gold (stars, that is) with an agent, you might just make a new best friend.

Best of luck to you in all your Twitching endeavors!

How Literary Agents Are Like Realtors

Recently, I've had a lot of people asking me questions like, "So how many publishers have you submitted to?" which makes me think it may be beneficial to explain in a little more detail exactly what's going on with this whole process... (Hint: The answer to that question is "none.")

Right now I am sending out query letters to literary agents. This means I email the agent a brief letter telling them about my novel. (No, I do not send them my novel outright.) Then I cross my fingers (and toes) and pray that they will respond asking to see either a portion of the manuscript or (even better) the full thing. More often than not, I can expect a form rejection politely declining. This past week has been especially full of rejections (by which I mean I've gotten three, which isn't so bad really). Nonetheless, to keep my spirits high, I have turned it into a cheer. Both my mom and mother-in-law used to be cheerleaders...how could I not? Re-Rejection! Re-Re-Rejection!

The good news is I still have two fulls out to agents, so there's hope!

Think of literary agents like Realtors and the book like a home you want to sell. The agents are there to help "stage" your book and make sure that it is as presentable as possible. They are there to help determine where your book fits into the current market and then will present it to potential editors and publishers. After that, they are there to negotiate your contract and ensure you get the best price possible for your book and that your best interests are respected in the contract.

Just because you get an agent does not necessarily mean that your book is immediately published (in the same way that getting a Realtor doesn't mean that your home is immediately sold). But it DOES mean you've got the right person on your team to get it there!

So, no, my book is not getting published (yet! Though that is the end goal!)
But yes, I appreciate you asking about the process, even if the you ask the "wrong" question! In a journey wrought with re-rejection, it's nice to have a few rah-rah-rahs from the sidelines.

The Good, the Bad, and the Wheaties Box

The good news: I got a positive response from two of the agents I queried! One is looking at a partial manuscript and one is looking at the full as we speak!

The badgood news: I got a rejection letter from an agent saying my book wasn't right for her.

Why both good? Because love requires judgment. Name one movie/book/food that people LOVE that other people don't HATE. It is good for people to have opinions, and it's all a part of the process.

I am reminded of the line from the movie The Incredibles - "When everyone's super, no one will be." A line I use to this day, except in wildly different circumstances. In college, it was usually, "If everyone has bird flu, then no one does" or "If everyone has homework, then no one does."

So what's NOT good? No response. I hate that. Even though some agents clearly state that they won't respond unless they want to see more, I'm still hoping to get an answer back. (Side note: the agent who responded saying no had also said not to expect a response unless it was a yes, so there is hope for this.)

For now, I am riding the wave of sheer joy that comes with a request for the full manuscript. I scared my cat (and probably my neighbors) when I read the email and started shouting. Allow me to parse this out for those who may not know...

Literary agents can get HUNDREDS of queries every week. (That said, I'm sure this number varies significantly depending on the agent. The "big names" get more than the boutique agencies, I'm sure.) Still, getting a request for a full manuscript is something akin to being invited to try out for the Olympic team. You've got your shot at the big leagues and if you can make it through qualifying, you'll be plastered on the front of Wheaties boxes in no time.

That said, the odds are not in my favor (in trying to get a novel published, it seems they never are), and I am not so naive to think that my work is done. The road to being published is a marathon, not a sprint, but it sure feels good to be taking those first steps!

Currently Reading: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Currently Listening to: Helena by Nickel Creek