New York Writers Workshop: Pitch Conferences & Workshops
New York Writers Workshop Fall 2009 Pitch Conferences
Non-Fiction—October 9-11 • Fiction—November 13-15 New York, NY
New York Writers Workshop hosts three-day Pitch Conferences for writers of fiction and non-fiction. At these unique conferences, participants meet with and pitch their manuscripts to three different editors from major New York publishing houses (including Viking, Penguin, Random House, Scribners, Simon and Schuster, and others).
Before the conference begins, participants boil the essence of their manuscript down to a synopsis of flap copy length (roughly three minutes). The copy should include the book's premise and hook.
Day One Pitch participants workshop their flap copy with a workshop leader from New York Writers Workshop. Each participant reads his/her synopsis. The NYWW instructor provides guidance in revision for clarity, concision, and impact. The instructor also discusses, as appropriate, the realities of the publishing market. The rest of the group participates, as appropriate, and learns from each example.
Day Two Participants make two 5-minute pitches to editors. The first pitch is public, in the presence of their group, and is followed by a short Q&A with the editor. The second pitch is private, one-on-one with an editor, with an NYWW instructor present.
Day Three Each participant makes one private pitch to an editor, again with an NYWW instructor present. The day wraps with a group conference with an NYWW instructor.
February & October Non-Fiction Pitch Conferences, May & November Pitch Perfect Fiction Conferences. Writers pitch proposals to editors from major publishers, including Viking & Random House. 10-week workshops are offered year-round.
Number of Programs/Year
4 conferences
Program Length
3 days
Group Size or S:T Ratio
15:1
Program Focus
Fiction, Non-fiction
Faculty
2009: Includes Marci Alboher, Jennifer Belle, Maureen Brady, Alison Estes, Doug Garr, Richard Goodman, Bronwen Hruska, Jee Leong Koh, Sally Koslow, Hermine Meinhard, Charles Salzberg, Charlie Schulman, Rachel Sherman, Alix Strauss, Tim Tomlinson.
