Pitch It! Workshop

Just Write For Kids Australia are thrilled to offer Australian writers of children’s and young adult books the opportunity to present their ‘knock-out’ pitches to publishers through the annual Pitch It! Competition!* This year will be the fifth year we have organised this popular competition, and for the first time we are also allowing participants the chance to learn more about the craft of writing a stellar, attention-grabbing pitch through an online, exclusive and interactive workshop!

*Pitch It! Competition 2022 guidelines coming soon.

Are you ready to pitch it?

Don’t underestimate the pitch! It’s often your first contact with the publisher of your dreams! Your pitch should be snappy, energetic, engaging and make them want more! We’ll show you how to get a hook into your pitch and be pitch ready!

Join Larrikin House Publisher, James Layton, with thirty years of bookselling experience and a publisher of children’s books for four years. Together with author, publicist, slush pile reader, and podcaster extraordinaire,
Dani Vee, this is a one-time, exclusive and interactive workshop to learn how to write a killer pitch that will instantly grab a publisher’s attention!

What will you learn?

• The crucial ingredients to instantly identify the crux of your manuscript
• How to incorporate a stellar ‘hook’ – what is a hook? How is it different to a blurb?
• How to write a hook that piques the reader’s interest
• How to identify the main themes of your story, and what value they offer
• How to reflect the voice and emotion of your manuscript through your pitch
• What NOT to write in your pitch!
• What gives your pitch a WOW factor
• What you should always do before submitting
• and more!

What else do you need to know?

You will need to bring a 100 – 150 word pitch (not necessarily your competition entry pitch) for an opportunity to share and workshop your work.

You will have an opportunity to receive feedback on your pitch, and ask questions to the publishers in the Q&A part of the session.

It is NOT compulsory to enter the Just Write For Kids Australia Pitch It! Competition following the workshop.**

Information provided by James Layton and Dani Vee is broad and consistent across all publishing industry standards (but please keep in mind that we are Larrikin House!).

Here are the finer details…

Date: Wed 17th August 2022 7pm AEST

Duration: 60 – 90 mins / Zoom
Cost: $40 payable via TryBooking (click date August 17, then Book Now)

You will receive a Zoom link at least 2 days before the workshop, and again on the day.
Please direct any questions about this workshop to jwfkcompetition@gmail.com.

**This optional workshop is on offer for anyone interested in learning about writing a pitch to a publisher. NOT exclusive to Just Write For Kids members. Competition entry fee is an additional cost of $8.95 per entry. More details coming soon.