The Pitch Madness 2017 submission window is now open!
To submit your manuscript pitch into the contest, enter your information in the form below.
What is Pitch Madness?
It’s a contest to win a request from one or more of the participating agents. (See who they are here.)
The submission window is open from NOW and until 11:59PM EST on February 24th. You should have plenty of time to get your submissions in. Make sure to perfect your entry. If you make an error, you may not resend. What do you need to enter? A 35-word (max) pitch and the first 250 words of your finished manuscript. If the 250th word falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of the sentence. If you’ve entered this manuscript into contests before, you CAN still enter Pitch Madness.
There will be 60 finalists moving onto the agent round. Pitch Madness will accept Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult (never before published) fiction only, novel length (no novellas) completed and polished manuscripts only. All genres (i.e. fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi, and so on) are welcome to enter. Only one entry per writer.
Each blog host will have a co-host helping them choose their top 10 entries. We have a team of first readers who will check for formatting, grammar, and content and put their top picks through to the hosts and cohosts.
This year’s first round readers and teams can be found here.
The agent round will be on March 16 and 17. To see our amazing line up agents go to this post here.
All the twitter fun will happen on the hashtag #PitchMadness! Hope you’ll enter and good luck!
Entry Form … The submission window is now closed!
74 Comments
A. Lee Ripley · February 24, 2017 at 12:07 am
Best of luck to everyone!!
authorethanadams · February 24, 2017 at 5:33 pm
Best of Luck to you as well, but just maybe there are 60 or less submissions?? No luck required! ha! Wouldn’t that be nice 🙂
sroffey · February 24, 2017 at 12:45 am
Whew. Done! Best of luck fellow contestants!
Debbie Yasaki · February 24, 2017 at 2:43 am
Yay! My first time entering this contest. Wishing everyone lots of luck!
Amber · February 24, 2017 at 3:10 am
Done! Phew!! Good luck everyone!!!
TC Correy · February 24, 2017 at 6:25 am
Good luck to everyone.
lisboeta1 · February 24, 2017 at 6:35 am
Good luck guys!
Janelle Fila · February 24, 2017 at 6:53 pm
Love your picture. Does it relate to your pitch at all?
M.B. Earnheardt · February 24, 2017 at 6:39 am
Pretty sure I spent as much time fine-tuning my 35-word pitch as I did writing a query letter. 😉 Good luck all!
Janelle Fila · February 24, 2017 at 6:54 pm
Earnheardt, yes, crunching done a 70,000 word novel into 35 words was hard work. Good luck!
Pamela Smith · February 24, 2017 at 6:55 am
Entering Pitch Madness is a rush! Hope those who enter feel the same way. And good luck to all.
Social Experiment Participant · February 24, 2017 at 8:03 am
Well, here goes! Good luck to everyone!
Raima · February 24, 2017 at 8:28 am
Thank you for hosting!
Danielle Maurer · February 24, 2017 at 8:35 am
So excited! Good luck to all!
cmiller61408 · February 24, 2017 at 8:48 am
Yay! Submitted! Good luck everyone!
Neil Rogerson · February 24, 2017 at 8:54 am
Done! Feel surprisingly nervous. Fingers crossed.
Emily Hornburg · February 24, 2017 at 8:56 am
Ah! I did it! This is my first time and I’m so excited and nervous!
Lyn Goodpaster · February 24, 2017 at 9:35 am
Whew! First time too. Thanks to hosts for your efforts!
Jason · February 24, 2017 at 9:39 am
Thanks to everyone who makes these contests possible! Good luck to my fellow contestants!
Anne Sweazy-Kulju · February 24, 2017 at 10:00 am
My first Pitch Madness; not easy-peasy, but what fun! Thanks for doing this, hosts. Good luck all!
Charlie Gill · February 24, 2017 at 10:32 am
Thanks for this contest, hosts, and good luck to everyone!
Fran Rodgers · February 24, 2017 at 11:00 am
My first time as well. Congrats to everyone for trying and good luck
Wendy Loup · February 24, 2017 at 11:05 am
Good luck everyone! Yay for all of us for trying!
Larry Brill · February 24, 2017 at 11:14 am
Thanks Brenda. This should be fun. You rock in ways I can’t describe. (And I’m a guy who makes his living with words).
Terri Lewis · February 24, 2017 at 11:19 am
Brenda, your mad mad mad pitch contests have gotten me out in the world. Thank you so much!
Sharon Wishnow · February 24, 2017 at 11:26 am
Thanks for the fun contest. Trying out a new pitch. Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed!
shimiracole · February 24, 2017 at 11:37 am
Hi Brenda, were we supposed to receive a confirmation email? I never got one.
Amanda · February 24, 2017 at 11:40 am
No picture books this year?
John Pansini · February 24, 2017 at 11:48 am
Thanks so much, Brenda, for doing this.
Brenda Drake · February 24, 2017 at 11:53 am
Good luck everyone!! So thrilled you put yourself out there!!!
Donea Lee Weaver · February 24, 2017 at 3:57 pm
Thanks, so much, Brenda! These contests are such a wonderful opportunity for writers ~ 🙂 Quick question, though – and this is SOOO embarrassing… *le sigh* I’ve been working on my pitch all week and somehow JUST noticed, a few hours after I sent my entry in, that I used the MC’s name from my current wip in my pitch and not my actual MC’s name for that story… *face palm* I’m so embarrassed and so sorry. I swear I know my MC well. I’ve just been working on another project, lately. Clearly my new MC is consuming my thoughts. Anyhow! I’m hoping this doesn’t discount me from the contest? Can I resend my entry? Or, if I’m lucky enough to get picked, just change it during the polishing/mentor phase?
Brenda Drake · February 24, 2017 at 10:37 pm
I checked it and your MC’s name isn’t mentioned in the opening. So you can just change it with your team if you’re picked. Good luck!
Donea Lee · February 25, 2017 at 12:49 am
Yes, thankfully her name isn’t mentioned until a little after the first 250 words. Thank you!! 🙂
Christine Grabowski · February 24, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Thanks for hosting these amazing contests!
George · February 24, 2017 at 12:22 pm
What a great contest. Thanks for making it happen, Brenda. Isn’t it wonderful to dream what might become of a novel?
Sheralyn Luplow · February 24, 2017 at 1:17 pm
Entering this contest has been both hair-raising and fun! It’s a first for me. Thanks so much!
markkennedysem · February 24, 2017 at 1:30 pm
You guys have the best contests! Thank you and good luck to all.
Rebecca Harris · February 24, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Best of luck, everyone!!
Susan Thumm Paxton · February 24, 2017 at 2:12 pm
Great contest! Best of luck to all entries and thanks to all the readers and Brenda most of all!
April · February 24, 2017 at 2:31 pm
First ever pitch war! Good luck to all!
Wendy Blankenship · February 24, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Good Luck Everyone!
Sarah May · February 24, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Good luck to y’all!
Lucky Williams · February 24, 2017 at 3:22 pm
Thanks for this chance! I so want my character’s story shared. Good luck, everyone! –Deborah Holt Williams (Lucky on facebook)
Trish Macro · February 24, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Thanks for organizing, Brenda. Good luck, everyone.
cesarmontufar3 · February 24, 2017 at 4:27 pm
Thanks for putting this together! Best of luck to everyone!
Karen McCoy · February 24, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Good luck, everyone! This isn’t my first Pitch Wars, but I’m still so nervous! Gah!
EJK poet · February 24, 2017 at 4:46 pm
Never surrender! Good luck everyone
Cassandra · February 24, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Thank you for this opportunity! Good luck everyone!
Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni · February 24, 2017 at 4:58 pm
Ooo–got a little tingly thrill just clicking the submit button! Good luck, all.
authorethanadams · February 24, 2017 at 5:32 pm
That feeling like there is a typo on the first word of your submission but you don’t see it as you hover your mouse over the submit button? Yeah. That.
Rebecca Harris · February 25, 2017 at 12:20 am
It’s right up there with wondering if you *ACTUALLY* saw the screen change that meant it worked. Ah, fun times.
authorethanadams · February 24, 2017 at 5:35 pm
Thank you Brenda for this opportunity. Do you have any predisposition to sweet talk, bribery or free days at the spa in return for favorable results in contests you host. Name your price! I swear!
🙂 YES I’M KIDDING, except for the thank you part. Your efforts are an example to us all.
Awetumn · February 24, 2017 at 5:39 pm
Glad I stumbled upon this today. Perhaps it was meant to be?
Micki Berthelot Morency · February 24, 2017 at 7:54 pm
Thank you to the organizers,judges for this great opportunity to put our work out there for a chance to be noticed. Everyone deserves a chance. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Good luck to all the entrants.
Melissa Charles · February 24, 2017 at 9:22 pm
Best of luck to everyone! This is my first year. I swear I’ve given *birth* with less anxiety, LOL!
Falthor · February 24, 2017 at 9:28 pm
totally forgot about the contest, hope my pitch is still good enough. Good luck to everyone.
Jo Salemink · February 24, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Submit and gone. Yikes! Good luck to all and thanks for the opportunity!
Lennon Faris · February 24, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Thank you for hosting this. Never done it before but this is awesome. Best of luck, folks!
jennc310 · February 24, 2017 at 10:01 pm
I saw someone on twitter received a reply confirmation… I didn’t… others? Do I need to resubmit… help, and thank you, best of luck…
Sara · February 24, 2017 at 10:10 pm
I wrote two pitches and had a hard time deciding which one to send. I hope I made the right choice!
On another note, should I have received an email confirmation? Or was the confirmation that appeared in the screen it?
Brenda Drake · February 24, 2017 at 10:39 pm
Yes the confirmation on the screen was it. No email confirmation.
Brenda Drake · February 24, 2017 at 10:38 pm
No one has received an email confirmation. There is a message that says it was sent after you enter – it replaces the form.
Joseph Randazzo · February 24, 2017 at 10:57 pm
Good luck everyone. Let’s race our new fancy cars down highways when the public buys all the books we wrote.
Jennifer M Eaton · February 24, 2017 at 11:03 pm
Yay! I’m so excited that I had something to submit this year. Good luck everyone!
Susan Silberman · February 24, 2017 at 11:20 pm
Thanks Brenda and helpers!!! Good luck fellow writers. 🙂
maryj59 · February 24, 2017 at 11:48 pm
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!
Kevin Weinert · February 25, 2017 at 1:43 am
So, now we just wait, right? Good luck to all!
Rebecca Harris · February 25, 2017 at 1:16 pm
Do selectees receive an email if/when picked? Or is it up to all of us to watch all the team blogs and hope for the best? 🙂 New to this, and excited to see how things go! May the best manuscripts win! <3
Heather Cashman · February 27, 2017 at 9:33 am
Each team will announce them on the blogs, and then Team Leaders will contact you to begin revisions. Good Luck, Rebecca!
Rebecca Harris · February 27, 2017 at 9:40 am
That makes perfect sense. Thanks for clarifying!!
laknight89 · March 1, 2017 at 9:08 pm
The hardest part of Pitch Madness isn’t submitting, it’s the waiting. 5 more days, eep!
George · March 6, 2017 at 11:54 am
Hi Brenda. Where are the results posted?
Brenda Drake · March 6, 2017 at 3:12 pm
You can find the results on this post: http://www.brenda-drake.com/2017/03/29334/ and on this post: http://www.brenda-drake.com/2017/03/pitch-madness-round-two-draft-bonus-team/
Not enough hours in a days sometimes… | T. L. Sherwood · March 3, 2017 at 2:39 pm
[…] the plan. I’ve also been spending too much time obsessing over the Pitch Madness Teasers for the Candyland Edition. I must stop going on Twitter, really. And today I’m looking forward to another bit of unexpected […]
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