Our October Literary Speed Dating wrap up

23.11.22

Thank you to the members who joined us for another outstanding Virtual Literary Speed Dating event at the end of October. Over two days the ASA hosted sessions with 15 publishers and 4 agents, facilitating 337 pitches from members across Australia.

As always, the standard of pitching was high, and we’re pleased to share that of these pitches, almost 40% received an expression of interest from a publisher or agent!

The success stories following on from our Literary Speed Dating events continue to flow in:

• Gabriella Margo’s book All’s Fair in Love and Tequila will be published next month following a successful pitch to HQ Books, a division of HarperCollins
• Jo Dixon’s The House of Now and Then will be published in January 2023 following a successful pitch to HQ Books
• Mali Waugh’s Judgement Day will be published in February 2023 by Pan Macmillan following a successful pitch to her agent, Martin Shaw
• The first in Shelley Knoll-Miller’s Parcel for series, Parcel for Penguin, will be published in February 2023 following a successful pitch to Penguin Books Australia
• Peter Scott’s Running Deep will be published in early 2023 following a successful pitch to Fremantle Press
• Sarah Sasson book Some Things Beautiful will be published in 2023 following a successful pitch to Affirm Press

If you have a completed manuscript you’d like to pitch directly to Australian publishers and agents, join us for our next Virtual Literary Speed Dating opportunity in 2023. Plus, if you’d like to learn the art of pitching you can join us for our Pitch Perfect course in early 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:

• Have your publishing or literary agent contract reviewed by our legal advice service, Authors Legal
• 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
• 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.