Matches made at May Literary Speed Dating event

25.05.22

Thank you to all our members who joined us for May’s Virtual Literary Speed Dating opportunity. Over two days the ASA hosted our largest event yet, with 16 publishers and 7 agents, facilitating 443 pitches from members across Australia.

We are delighted to share that of these pitches, 40.41% received an expression of interest from a publisher or agent!

We’ve also been thrilled to see previous attendees go on to have their books published following successful pitches at Literary Speed Dating. These include Shelley Burr, whose debut novel WAKE was published at the end of April, Matt Davies, whose book, Things We Bury, will be published at the end of June this year, and Alex Sarkis, whose book Something Blue, will be published in July of this year. Stay tuned to our News from the ASA newsletter to read our special July Member Spotlight interview with Alex Sarkis!

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

If you did not make a match at this round of Literary Speed Dating, do not worry: we'll be hosting two more Virtual Literary Speed Dating events this year, in July and 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 when you renew or join the ASA before 30 June 2022
• 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.