New York Pitch Conference

Introduction to a Famous Event

Begun in 2005 in partnership with the New York Writers Workshop, the New York Pitch Conference (aka NYC Pitch and Shop Conference) has successfully held upwards of four conference events per year. The NYC is the higher end event, usually for writers with commercially viable projects who are further ahead in the game. It coaches and promotes aspiring authors writing in the genres of commercial and literary fiction, serious and light women's fiction, historical fiction, mystery/thriller and detective, high-concept young adult, as well as memoir and narrative nonfiction. The event lasts four days and allows up to 60 attendees divided into four workshop groups.

Focus is on devising a pitch model for the novel, and using it not only to attract editors in the publishing business, but as a diagnostic tool to determine the plot and premise needs of the novel itself. Advantages include interaction with top professionals in the business, days of hard-hitting analysis and in-depth discussion of each writers project and how it relates to the market, as well as a greater opportunity to become published.

Features

The New York Pitch Conference provides writers with the skills and knowledge necessary to stand a realistic chance of success in today's tough novel market. It enables them to obtain the following:
• An opportunity to have their novel manuscript selected and read by acquisition editors from major publishing houses. The odds are currently running 1/3 for selection based on the quality of pitches and writers in attendance (due to workshop efforts to create great pitches and manuscripts, vigorous screening of potential attendees, and the conference itself which attracts top talent). Please understand, however, that selection does not assure publication. The current fiction market is very picky and extremely competitive. We do our best to make that clear in a myriad of ways.
• Novel deconstruction and analysis from the best industry professionals (for those writers who need it) that addresses the major fictional elements of plot, character, complication, and resolution, among others--the purpose being to not only assist writers with creating competitive projects, but prepare them pre-pitch to receive maximum productive reaction from the acquisition editors.
• Knowledge of the latest bewares, trends, and needs of the book market at the source: the New York publishing world.
• Ability to directly apply the above knowledge to the matter of the pitch itself, i.e., written and oral emphasis on logs/keynotes, premise/high concept, comparables, credentials, genre, and the composition of the project synopsis.
• Networking opportunities with industry professionals and other writers in an artistic and relaxed setting. The conference screening process assures writers chosen for the New York Pitch Conference are a few notches above. In other words, writers will not be closed in a room with people who don't know a plot point from a character arc.
• Opportunities, depending on writer and project, to interact with faculty following the conference for purposes of obtaining agency representation, or editorial assistance, as needed.
• Project validation or plan for validation. The conference method enables writers to obtain either validation of their novel project (understanding the novel premise/plot is commercially viable), or knowledge of what they must do to create a competitive novel project in the context of today's market.

New York Pitch Writers Talk To The Camera



Links to The Event



Event Home Pitch Conference News How It Works Writer Commentary Event Faculty Event Registration

---