PITCHWARS: LESSER ASKED QUESTIONS
Hi, (potential) PitchWarriors!
If you’re here, you’re probably thinking of entering PitchWars, and if you’re anything like me, you’re doing your due-diligence, and trying to figure out if this program is right for you. Luckily, there’s a ton of information out there! But something I found when I was trying to decide whether to enter or not, was that most of the information is either:
— Overwhelmingly positive: PitchWars was super hard work but totally worth it!
— Overwhelmingly terrifying: I re-wrote my entire manuscript in 3 months! Twice!
— Mechanical: Schedules, entry mechanics etc.
And while this information was plenty helpful, for a slow writer like me — and a pessimist — it simply wasn’t enough.
I had a lot of very specific fears and misgivings that weren’t easily answered by the blogs and FAQs*, so much so, that I almost didn’t enter.
Which is why I’ve put together my own** list of answers, in the hopes that they might help others decide whether PitchWars is the right fit for them.
*Most of these questions ended up being answered by the PitchWars team in a document we received after getting in, and I’m sure the answers to all these questions are out there somewhere, but I couldn’t find them at the time.
**Thank you to the other mentees in my class for helping me add to this list.
What if I don’t get along with my mentor?
What if I don’t like my mentor’s feedback?
What if I don’t want to make a change?
Will they really make me re-write the whole manuscript?
What if more than one mentor wants me?
What if I can’t get my manuscript ready in time for the showcase?
If I get no requests during the showcase, have I burned all those agents?
Can I query agents not in the showcase?
An agent I don’t want to work with requested me in the showcase. What do I do?
What if I’ve already got partials/fulls out with agents?
How all-consuming is PitchWars?
Are there any hidden costs to entering PitchWars?
How does the showcase actually work?
WHAT IF I DON’T GET ALONG WITH MY MENTOR?
Yes, we pick mentors based on their credentials, and their books (when they’re already available), and the vibe of their PitchWars blog — maybe even the sample critiques they do during the research window.
But let’s be honest, wish lists are probably the biggest factor in deciding who to submit to, and by and large, PitchWars is quite one sided until decisions are made, with mentors not really interacting with potential mentees until after the announcement.
So yeah — it’s possible for mismatches to only make themselves known during the revision window.
The good news is: PitchWars is a very well organised operation behind the scenes, and mentees have a liaison they can talk to in case problems do arise (we also have a Facebook group where we can chat through issues with each other).
WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE MY MENTOR’S FEEDBACK?
YMMV with this one, but as a general rule, it seems mentors are encouraged to reach out to potential mentees if the changes they envision are drastic.
This usually comes in the form of a list of questions when they request your full manuscript, or in some cases, follow-up questions during the reading window.
I got two requests during the reading window, and both of those potential mentors sent me questions about how I felt about specific parts of the manuscript.
Though please don’t take a lack of contact — or a lack of repeat contact — to be an indicator of your chances as every mentor works differently. When I originally shared this blog with the group, plenty of mentees came forward to say they had little or no contact during the reading window. Which leads us nicely to…
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE?
PitchWars edits are just like any other type of edits: they’re a conversation. You do not have to action everything your mentor suggests, or fix it in exactly the way they suggest.
But you will need to talk to your mentor and come up with a course of action both sides are happy with. Just as you will one day need to do with agents/editors. So consider it good practice.
Best advice: if you do get follow up questions during the reading window: be honest.
Your instinct may be to say yes to everything in order to increase your chances of getting picked, but there’s no point saying you’re happy to change X if you’re not.
There’s no point saying you’re willing to re-write the whole manuscript if you can’t physically manage it in time.
At the end of the day, your mentor can decide not to put your work up if they feel the manuscript isn’t ready, so saying you’ll change everything and then changing nothing is not really an option.
WILL THEY REALLY MAKE ME RE-WRITE THE WHOLE MANUSCRIPT?
Maybe. But probably not. And almost certainly not without discussion.
In a poll taken by our class (2019) right after we’d all gotten our edit letters:
- 9 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing less than 25%
- 20 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing between 25-50%
- 17 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing between 50-75%
- 8 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing between 75-90%
By the end of December, the numbers looked like this:
- 5 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing less than 25%
- 22 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing between 25-50%
- 8 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing between 50-75%
- 12 mentees estimated they’d be re-writing between 75-90%
Obviously, only about half the class responded to the polls, but this should give you an idea of the spread.
In a separate discussion, a lot of those facing major re-writes confirmed that their mentor had been in contact during the reading window to ask whether they’d be comfortable taking on this level of work in the timeframe (or if they’d potentially be willing to miss the showcase).
It’s also worth noting that sometimes, the decision to re-write from scratch is something that comes about organically as changes are discussed rather than being something your mentor asks for right off the bat.
WHAT IF MORE THAN ONE MENTOR WANTS ME?
I mean… that’s the dream, right? And it’s what the ‘war’ part in PitchWars refers to. Wars used to be more common back when the program was smaller and mentors had less submissions to choose from, but they do still happen.
In most cases, mentors resolve this among themselves and the mentee is none the wiser (other than sitting on multiple requests — go you!) But if multiple mentors want to work on a certain manuscript and are willing to fight for it, then that writer will receive an email from all the interested parties and get to choose who they’d prefer to work with.
WHAT IF I CAN’T GET MY MANUSCRIPT READY IN TIME FOR THE SHOWCASE?
Then rest assured; you do NOT have to showcase it. No one will force you to put up work you’re unhappy with.
In fact, something that’s not often talked about is that most years, there are at least a couple of manuscripts that don’t end up in the showcase because they’re not ready.
These aren’t considered a failure, by the way. As much as a lot of us are focused on the showcase as the ‘prize’ of PitchWars, the mentorship part is just as important. If you leave PitchWars with a stronger manuscript, or a plan for getting it there, then you’ve won and no one will consider your participation a waste.
IF I GET NO REQUESTS DURING THE SHOWCASE, HAVE I BURNED ALL THOSE AGENTS?
No.
This was a huge fear for me since 300 words is all you get during the showcase for both pitch, and excerpt — which is way less than your standard submission package.
But the PitchWars team are the first to admit that not every book pitches well in that format, and that during the frenzy of the showcase, things get missed.
So rest assured, if you didn’t get a request for materials during the showcase from agent X, you can still query them the normal way without it being considered a repeat query.
Anecdotally, I signed with an agent who participated, but didn’t request me in the showcase, so you can consider me exhibit A.
CAN I QUERY AGENTS NOT IN THE SHOWCASE?
Yes. The showcase is a prize, not a punishment. If one of your dream agents didn’t register, then you’re free to query them at the same time. PitchWars only ask that you wait for the revision window to be over before sending out new queries.
If you’re doing PitchWars right, your manuscript will likely be in pieces until then anyway.
AN AGENT I DON’T WANT TO WORK WITH REQUESTED ME IN THE SHOWCASE. WHAT DO I DO?
This happens. Don’t worry about it. You are under no obligation to send materials to anyone. A showcase request is just that — a request. Once the showcase closes, you get to choose who to respond to and no explanation is required.
WHAT IF I’VE ALREADY GOT FULLS/PARTIALS OUT WITH AGENTS?
The PitchWars team is pretty clear about this one: if you get into PitchWars, you should let those agents know (not when you apply, but when you get in).
This is something that worries a lot of writers as they don’t want to annoy agents or burn a potential bridge.
But going by the experience of the class, it seems agents don’t mind putting a manuscript on the back burner at all; they want to see your best work, so most are happy to wait.
HOW ALL CONSUMING IS PITCHWARS?
I mean… how long is a piece of string?
Seriously though, PitchWars is whatever you make it. We had mentees revising around full time jobs, multiple jobs, degrees, scholarships, pregnancies, kids, family commitments, holidays, illness, cross-state moves…
In this respect, it’s very much like getting a book deal and suddenly having to work under deadline. The only real difference is, book deadlines can be flexible while the showcase deadline is not.
This is why it’s really important to be honest with yourself — and your mentor — about what you can realistically achieve, and get agent ready in the time you have.
But just for the record, this is different for every writer. I rewrote 35% (ish) of my manuscript and took two months off work to do it (and I have zero adult responsibilities). Others rewrote their entire book while working full time with kids and/or studying.
No one will be keeping track of how many hours you’re putting in or when you’re logging them. You’ll work up a plan with your mentor that’s realistic for YOU. Your deadlines, and the number of revision rounds you’ll do don’t need to match what another mentee is doing. Every pairing is different.
ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN COSTS TO ENTERING PITCHWARS?
Officially, no. The program is free.
But some mentees in our class did find themselves paying out of pocket for certain things like craft books, potential comp titles, sensitivity reads etc. — usually at the behest of their mentor.
Whether or not you are able and willing to do this is up to you. It is not a pre-requisite or condition of entry. If your mentor sets you a book as homework that you can’t afford — or plain don’t want to buy — just say so. There are plenty of craft resources available for free, so there will almost certainly be another way to get the information.
Likewise, sensitivity reads are not a requirement, though depending on your content, they may be a good idea.
HOW DOES THE SHOWCASE ACTUALLY WORK?
Funnily enough, a ton of us wondered this in the 2019 class, because we knew we wouldn’t be allowed to send our showcase requests until the showcase closed, but we also knew we’d be notified about who requested during the showcase… so what would stop us sending early? (We were an eager bunch, okay?)
So here’s how it worked (at least for our class — rules do change from year to year):
Agents can make requests at any time during the showcase, but those requests remain hidden until the showcase closes — so mentors/mentees/the world can’t see them.
When an agent makes a request, it’s logged by a member of the PitchWars team (behind the scenes).
That team member then notifies that mentee’s mentor — i.e “hey Kat, just letting you know that Kate got a request from Agent Awesome.”
But that’s all the info you get. So you have to wait until the requests go public at the end of the showcase in order to see what materials Agent Awesome asked for, and where to send them (that’s how they stop us being tricksy, because they know we are tricksy).
*
Have a question I missed? Ping or DM me on twitter (@TheKateDylan) and we’ll see about getting you an answer!
Or if you want to read the long and detailed account of my PitchWars journey, click here.