A New Twitter Pitch Event . . . #DVpit by Agent Beth Phelan of The Bent Agency

We are excited to have a guest post today by Beth Phelan of The Bent Agency. She is an amazing agent trying to make a difference!

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I am really honored to write this post on Brenda’s blog today. Her contests have brought huge success to many authors and agents, especially Pitch Wars, and she tirelessly strives to bring these matches together again and again. Considering all this, I’m enormously grateful for the chance to tell you all about a new Twitter pitching event that I am hosting on April 19.

Last month, I held a query contest for diverse books (called “DIVERSE VOICES”), and the response was amazing. I even signed a new author through this contest! And I’ve continued to think of ways to push further, and take some kind of real action that was within my power as a literary agent. But I certainly can’t make impact on my own.

So I decided to create a Twitter pitching event specifically for marginalized voices.

The #DVpit event will take place on April 19, from 8AM EST to 8PM EST. The rules will be similar to other Twitter pitching parties, like Brenda’s own incredible #PITMAD. Agents (and a few editors) will be looking for ALL types of fiction (including adult, teen, and children’s) plus narrative nonfiction. However, this event is expressly meant to focus on work about—and especially by­—people of marginalized backgrounds. I am talking about people of color; people living and/or born/raised in underrepresented cultures and countries; disabled persons; people with illness (including mental illness); people on marginalized ends of the socioeconomic, cultural and/or religious spectrum; people identifying as LGBTQIA+; and more.

These stories are out there. They are brilliant. And they are very, very important. I have a growing list of passionate agents and editors eager to follow the hashtag and give them our full attention. We’re so excited to see what April 19 will bring.

Long before I was an agent, I was a reader. Books were my safe place. And even still today, stories have always felt like magic to me. So I hope you’ll share them with us.

For more information about #DVpit and its rules, and for a list of just some of the participating agents and editors already committed to this event, please visit http://www.bethphelan.com/dvpit. You can follow @beth_phelan for some exciting updates.

Thanks, again, to Brenda for allowing me to use this space!