Platform, platform, platform. Every writing resource hammers away at that word—you need platform to get an agent, to get published, to promote.
But, sometimes, the publishing process can begin with just the smallest sliver of platform: A writer using Twitter.
Recently on WritersDigest.com, literary agent Kaitlyn Johnson detailed the benefits of participating in Twitter contests. And in the May/June 2017 issue of Writer’s Digest, we featured hashtags that can enhance your writing life—everything from #MSWL, #PitchWars, and #PitMad, to the more community-based hashtags like #amwriting, #fridayreads, and #litchat.
Today we’re featuring the relatively new hashtag #DVpit, started and moderated by Beth Phelan, a literary agent at the Bent Agency. This is a Twitter event created to showcase pitches from marginalized voices. This includes (but is not limited to): Native peoples and people of color; people living and/or born/raised in underrated cultures and countries; disabled persons; people living with illness; people on marginalized ends of the socioeconomic, cultural, and/or religious spectrum; people identifying within LGBTQIA+; and more. Any decisions regarding elibility are yours to make. Authors are not obligated to disclose anything they do not feel comfortable with, and are not required to pitch only #ownvoices work, though that is certainly welcome.
The first #DVpit occurred in April 2016. Since that time, there have been 25 authors signed by agents and five book deals (so far!) contracted as a result of the event. You can find more success stories on the #Dvpit website. Editors from small to mid-size to Big Five publishers have requested to receive the manuscripts at the submission stage.
In April 2017, #DVpit will occur over the course of two days—so be sure to pitch your work on the appropriate day!
- April 25: Children’s & Teen Fiction/Nonfiction (picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, middle grade, young adult)
- April 26: Adult Fiction/Nonfiction (all genres, commercial and literary)
The event runs both days from 8 am ET until 8 pm ET.
To participate, you’ll want to make sure your pitch fits the 140-character maximum, includes the hashtag #DVpit, and includes at least category or genre hashtag. Agents and editors will favorite your Tweet if they want to see more material from you. For more rules and guidelines, check out #DVpit’s official website.
Interested in seeing the agents and editors who will be participating in the event? Click here for a list over 50 literary agents, and here for a list of participating editors interested in non-agented material.
Tonight, be sure to search the #askDVpit hashtag on Twitter for an open Q&A. If you’re hoping to participate in the event, you can tweet questions using the hashtag #askDVpit and one of the publishing professionals will answer. The participating professionals are: Kate Brauning (Entangled editor and author), S.A. Chakraborty (#DVpit alum and soon-to-be-published author), Jalissa Corrie (marketing & publicity assistant at Lee & Low), Caitie Flum (Liza Dawson Associates literary agent), Quressa Robinson (D4EO associate literary agent), and Jennifer Ung (Simon & Schuster editor).
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If you’re an agent looking to update your information or an author interested in contributing to the GLA blog or the next edition of the book, contact Writer’s Digest Books Managing Editor Cris Freese at cris.freese@fwmedia.com.
The post #DVpit Twitter Contest for Marginalized Voices appeared first on WritersDigest.com.
from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/dvpit-twitter-contest-marginalized-voices
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