Virtual Pitching & Self Pubbing

As a group, writers fall on the shy side of the extrovert/introvert scale. The idea of a face to face pitch can almost result in a laundry emergency. But fear not! Harlequin Historical is making it possible for writers to do a virtual pitch.

Check out the rules here: Harlequin Historical

Assistant Editor, Sally Williamson will be sorting through the online pitches and choosing the finalists. If you do it, be sure to follow the rules precisely. Some of the more interesting constraints are that you must be available to chat at a specific time in their online chatroom if you are one of the finalists AND your manuscript must not have been published prior to this.

Not even self published.

Coming from Harlequin, I found that last one a tad surprising. I thought they were going to monitor their self-pubbed arm for positive sales for possible publication on their conventional publishing side. Hmmmm. If you have been contemplating self-publication, consider this a wake-up call.

Obviously, self-pubbing is not the stepping stone to publication it has been touted to be. When Harlequin first started its self-pubbed enterprise (which it has subsequently distanced itself from) I sounded a warning. Aside from separating an author from her money, self-publication stalls an author's writing growth. Sad as it is to receive a rejection, if we take them as a challenge to grow, they strengthen us as writers.

However much I decry the self-pub route, I think the virtual pitch is a good idea. It will give writers a chance to have a virtual "face-to-face" with an editor and a chance to express herself in the medium with which she's most comfortable--the written word.

Please let me know if you decide to go for a virtual pitch. What do you think? Are you planning to attend RT next week? If so, do you have a pitch appointment?