Last year this event kicked off the Word Fest, this year it is taking place one week early, just missing our annual event. Pitchapalooza is a great concept and opportunity for authors to pitch their book idea. At the end of the day the winner will get introduced to an agent or publisher.
Here is more information from Saint Rose:
It’s called Pitchapalooza. It’s billed as “American Idol” for authors. And The College of Saint Rose is bringing it back to the Capital Region.
Local authors will have a chance to land a book deal when Pitchapalooza returns Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. in the Saint Rose Events and Athletics Center (Standish Conference Rooms, second floor), 420 Western Ave., Albany.
At Pitchapalooza, 20 writers will be selected at random to pitch their book ideas. Each writer will have one minute to make the best pitch possible to Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors and Pitchapalooza creators. At the end, the two judges will pick a winner, who will receive an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his or her book.
Eckstut and Sterry will help aspiring authors improve their pitch, not tell them how bad it is. The judges will critique everything from idea to style to potential in the marketplace. Aspiring authors will receive concrete advice as well as a greater understanding of the ins and outs of the publishing industry.
Previous Pitchapalooza winners around the country have included Gennifer Albin (www.genniferalbin.com) of Kansas, who signed a six-figure deal for her young adult dystopian trilogy, and Cathy Camper of Portland, Ore., and Raul Gonzalez of Boston, who have a two-book deal for a graphic novel for middle schoolers.
Eckstut and Sterry are co-founders of The Book Doctors, a company that helps authors get their books published, and co-authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It and Market It…Successfully (Workman, 2010). Eckstut has been a literary agent for 19 years at The Levine Greenberg Literary Agency and is the author of seven books. Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books on a wide variety of subjects including memoir, sports, young adult fiction and reference. The couple have taught their workshop on how to get published nationwide and have been covered by The New York Times, NPR’s “Morning Edition” and USA Today.
To sign up for a chance to pitch, authors must purchase a copy of Eckstut and Sterry’s book, available at The Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza, online at www.thebookdoctors.com or at the Pitchapalooza door. For those just wanting to watch, the event is free. Purchasing also includes a 20-minute consultation with Eckstut and Sterry.
Pitchapalooza is a presentation of the Frequency North reading series at Saint Rose. For more information, visit www.FrequencyNorth.com or contact Daniel Nester, associate professor of English, at daniel.nester@strose.edu.
