A <Novel> (yes it’s a play on words) new Pitch

#NestPitch

There’s a special Easter tradition throughout central and northern Croatia

– making Easter Nests.

On the afternoon or eve of Easter Saturday children go out into the garden and collect leaves, grass, twigs, flowers and then make a “nest” for the Easter Bunny – that’s where he places his Easter-Egg-Presents.

The children go to bed that eve wondering if the Easter Bunny will like or love their nest, because the best nest gets the best and biggest eggs!

So the Nests are your pitches, the Bloggers are where you’ll make your Nest & the Easter Bunnies are the Agents – get it?

How does it work?

This #pitch is open to picture-book (PB), MG, YA, NA & Adult.

When the time comes, the submission (international) window will be open for 24-hours. During that time, every author will have the opportunity to submit up to two separate manuscripts and any genre and any of the above age-groups. Although there are more specific rules (in the next post update), the #pitch will consist of a 35-word pitch + the first 300*-words of your manuscript. *In the case of PB, it will be the first 100-words.

From there, the Slush Readers, called Slush Bilbies, will read through all submissions and select the top 100+. To ensure no submissions are missed, as your host (I’m Nikola Vukoja), I who will also act as #pitch administrator, and the Mentors (called Nest Bloggers) will read through all the submissions also.

I’ll also be posting blog updates on my personal blog: http://nikvukoja.wordpress.com/ so be sure to follow both blogs. I will also be posting (in the next few days) a list of upcoming #pitch comps for the Jan-April 2014 period.

You can also follow via Twitter: @Nestpich & @Nik_Vukoja

Once the top 100 are selected, the Nest Bloggers, together with me and with the help of the Bilbies, will each select their individual top eight, with a total of 72 submissions selected.

It’s too soon to list the Nest Bloggers & Slush Bilbies but let me tell you, we have an AMAZING TEAM – you’ll squeak with glee I promise!

Submissions 73, 74 & 75 will also receive personal and individual feedback as recognition of just missing out and to help them in future submissions.

Once each host has selected their TEAM of Nester’s and posted on their blogs, the agents, called Secret Bunny Agents (because they will be wearing a bunny mask so no one, not even other agents, know who has bid on what), will fill those nests that they like with a chocolate ‘treat’ – in other words, the better your nest the more chocolates the Easter Bunny will bring you.

Who are the Secret Bunny Agents I hear you ask. Naturally, our Secret Bunny Agents will be in disguise until after Easter Sunday, everyone knows Easter Bunnies are seriously secretive. However, we will give you some hints – just for the fun of it.

But the Agents already *signed up* are super amazingly awesome & there’s more to come.

Don’t worry, the agents names, a brief bio & contacts will be listed, but when they fill your *Nest, they’ll be wearing a Bunny Mask — so you’ll have to guess who luvs ‘ya baby!

Secret Bunny Agents will place their eggs in the #NestPitch(s) they like the most. Remember, the best nest gets the biggest and best eggs! So make your #NestPitch as perfect as possible. Here is a breakdown of the Easter Treats:

Choc. egg basket w/ ribbon Full

Choc. egg basket Query + 150 pages + 1 page Synopsis

3 Boxes Caramel eggs Query + 100 pages

2 Boxes Caramel eggs Query + 75 pages + 1 page Synopsis

1 Box Caramel eggs Query + 50 pages

1 doz. nougat fill Choc. eggs Query + 25 pages + 1 page Synopsis

½ doz. nougat fill Choc. eggs Query + 20 pages

1x nougat fill Choc. egg Query + 15 pages + 1 page Synopsis

1 doz. hollow Choc eggs Query + 10 pages

½ doz. hollow Choc eggs Query + 5 pages + 1 page Synopsis

1x hollow Choc egg Query + 5 pages

A few things to remember.

The rules and conditions will be posted closer to the date and must be adhered to. Just as there are guidelines for submitting to an agent or publisher, this is as much a submission as it is an opportunity to have your work put before a willing and invested group of agents.

This is an Easter #Pitch so there is plenty of time to spruce up your manuscript and pitch, however, if your manuscript is still a WIP and in first or second draft stage, it is unlikely it will be polished enough to be ready for April submission. That also means your pitch will likely need polishing too. Although it’s very difficult not to ‘test the waters’ its not a great idea because you may well burn your best and brightest agents by not offering the best and brightest of your work.

All requested submissions must be emailed to the agent(s) in question within 48 hours. This will be better explained in the conditions, but for now, know that time is a factor and while I don’t want to go into detail as to why, know there is a good reason, which will become clear closer to the date.

Rudeness, of any kind, will not be tolerated. Not to those wonderful people who have given freely of their time to be Slush Bilbies or Nest Bloggers or to the very busy but amiable agents who have agreed to play along. If someone is rude toward anyone within the #Nestpitch Teams, or the agents involved, or indeed, toward anyone in the Writers/Authors family, their submission will be automatically deleted. No one deserves to be abused, no one. Never.

This Blog and my personal Blog will reveal/add some info about Updates, introducing the Bilbies and Nest Bloggers and revealing the conditions, the rules and the dates.

Come March we will reveal the truly awesome list of amazing agents; as well as a few secret surprises – it’ll be worth the wait. (OK couldn’t help myself, there will also be Bunyips lurking in the woods, hanging out at a Billabong near you)

In the meantime, there are several other #Pitch comps coming up and this site as well as my personal blog, will be promoting them also. Every single one of them gives so much opportunity to learn and discover and make connections and perhaps even be selected.

How do I know? Because I was selected by the amazing Sharon Johnston via the truly inspiring Brenda Drake and her #Pitchmadness comp in August/September 2013.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to getting to know you better, Nik Vukoja

P.S. If you’re an agent and have not heard of #nestpitch please feel free to contact me via Twitter @nestpitch or @nik_vukoja