NYC Pitch and SHOP

[Dan Smith]

Hi all

Was wondering if anyone has any experience with this conference?

[Guest]

Hi innocent writer: Do not attend the NYC Pitch, unless you have $500 extra to throw to the winds. This is three days when you essentially sharpen a "pitch", and meet three editors. Face time with editors - about a minute each. The editors may not be people in your genre. They may not be interested in your manuscript. There is no guarantee that you will be given a "contract", which the misleading advertising in the NYC Pitch claims.

Instead, save your money, break it into $75 chunks, and attend six other well reputed conferences where you can get the same face time from different editors and agents. You can also invest your cash more wisely by hiring an editor and copy-editor to comb through your manuscript.

Again, don't waste your cash.

[Katie Jamison]

Thanks for sharing your opinion, however we've been contacted by the organizers of NYC Pitch and Shop. They were concerned that the above post was misleading and have written a clarification which I would encourage anyone to look over before coming to any decisions about this event:

http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=188848#188848

Katie

[William Holland]

I attended the latest pitch and shop and found it to be tremendously helpful. If you have honed your craft and witten a saleable product you should have no problem attracting an editor's attention. You learn how to pitch in one minute. I didn't understand how that was done. I do now, and I do it very well. I recommend it highly. It was the the best writing conference I've experiencet.

[anathebard]

Greetings!

Are there any events in the foreseeable future here in Indiana?

ruth

[Katie Jamison]

What type of genre are you interested in? Funny becaus someone else just asked about events in Indiana the other day in my blog comments. I'll keep an eye out, just let me know what genre you're interested in!

Thanks,
Katie

[anathebard]

Good question. I've done a children's book and have plans for more, but mostly I'm interested in paranormal/romance or espionage fiction. But if it's close, I'd go just to get some experience and hopefully some pointers.

ruth

[Julie Field]

I just heard about the posts here regarding the NYC Pitch and Shop and thought I'd stop by to say a few things. First of all, the conference was a tough one. I received more honest and hard-hitting reaction than anywhere else and my novel is the better for it. I'm rewriting now and plan to attend a second NYC pitch conference by 2007. The editors were encouraging and professional, but not soft, and the workshop editors were fantastic. The whole group bonded and we're still sharing mails and work.

I got just what I wanted and I've never had quite the same experience at another conference. I've been to far more expensive conferences and they sucked, e.g., Maui.

Whoever posted the "misleading" thing on this thread is off the wall.

[Guy Forcucci]

I attended the most recent NYC Pitch Conference and as a currently unpublished author found it to be well worth the time and expense. I travelled from North Carolina, paid for a NY hotel (at a reduced rate thanks to the conference sponsor) plus airfare. Not only was I able to refine my pitch and present it to interested publishers, but participants were able to sit in on early pitch sessions and benefit from the professional critique of other pitches.

Oh, and by the way, an executive editor who has worked with the likes of Tom Clancy is currently considering my mystery-thriller manuscript for publication. How much is that worth????

[Alice B]

Before attending the conference, one ought to do one's research. From what I was led to understand, there were no guarantees. It was not advertised to be anything more than a conference for pitching to editors - face to face. I did not expect editorial help, except as related to the pitch, and I was given more than I expected. I was also given a peep-hole into the current state of affairs in fiction, and I saw what kind of a crapshoot it is - not just for writers but for editors, as well. I saw that editors who were known for taking a certain kind of fiction could be on the lookout for other kinds, so long as it met this nebulous criteria of seeming marketability. When I parted with my $500, I knew from outset that there was a chance that none of the editors might want to see my work, and even if they all wished to see it, that there was no guarantee any of them would take it. It was difficult, but it was an experience I'm grateful for. It was informative, as well as being a reality check, it was helpful in providing editorial contacts, and it was an opportunity for bonding with other writers. The people in my group and our facilitator were first rate human beings.