Another successful VLSD on the books in July

16.08.22

Thank you to all our members who joined us for our Virtual Literary Speed Dating opportunity at the end of July. Over two days the ASA hosted sessions with 13 publishers and 3 agents, facilitating 263 pitches from members across Australia.

We are thrilled to share that of these pitches, 40% received an expression of interest from a publisher or agent!

We’ve also been delighted to see the success stories following on from our Literary Speed Dating events. These include our July Member Spotlight, author Alex Sarkis, whose book Something Blue was published in July following a successful pitch to Ultimo Press, Ryan Butta, whose book The Ballad of Abdul Wade was published in July after a successful pitch to Affirm Press, Gabriella Margo, whose book All’s Fair in Love and Tequila will be published this December following a successful pitch to HQ Books, and Sarah Sasson whose book Some Things Beautiful will be published by Affirm Press in 2023.

Congratulations - we wish you all the very best! 

Should you need any assistance or support on the next steps of your publishing journey, the ASA is here to help:

• Read our comprehensive information about the publishing industry, including how the publishing process works, and the inside scoop from industry experts about what they want from authors
• Have your publishing or literary agent contract reviewed by our legal advice service, Authors Legal
• Check out our standard contract templates
• Have all of your industry questions answered via our free members-only Advice service

This is not the end! 

While disappointing, if you did not make a match at this round of Literary Speed Dating that does not mean that there won’t be interest in your work in the future. If you want to try again, do not worry: we'll be hosting one more Virtual Literary Speed Dating event this year, in October.

To improve your chances of making a match next time we can recommend:

• Research the right home for your work: to find a comprehensive list of Australian publishers and agents and their submission guidelines, you might like to browse the ASA’s Guide to the Australian Book Industry, which you receive for free as a member of the ASA
• Hone your pitch: if you’d like to learn the art of a great pitch, join us for Pitch Perfect, our masterclass series that will teach you everything you need to know to prepare for - and nail - your pitch. Importantly, members who have attended Pitch Perfect sessions will be given early access to bookings for future Literary Speed Dating events
• Practice your delivery: delivering a pitch of your work in three minutes can be extremely challenging, particularly when it is online and over Zoom. Learn your pitch by heart, time yourself and practice as many times as you can to ease your nerves on the day
• Undertake a mentorship: if you think you might need professional support to strengthen your manuscript and bring it to a publishable standard, you can undertake a mentorship with one of our author/illustrator mentors.

Of course, if you have any questions you are welcome to use our free members-only Advice service. We are here to help and are only ever a phone call or email away.