ASA Events

Members who have attended one of our Pitch Perfect courses within the previous three years will be given priority access to Virtual Literary Speed Dating bookings. We know it can take time to apply the learnings from Pitch Perfect to your manuscript and submission materials; this extended timeframe means that you can wait until you’re ready to make the most of the opportunity these events offer and don’t need to rush the process.

Priority booking access provides the opportunity to book into Virtual Literary Speed Dating 24 hours earlier than general ASA members.

Members who are on the Pitch Perfect priority contact list will be emailed three times ahead of priority bookings open: a notice will be issued with the schedule of attending publishers and agents is announced, a detailed information email will be sent one week before priority bookings open, and a unique access code will be emailed at 10:00 am Sydney time (AEST/AEDT) on the date Priority Access bookings open. Please check your junk/spam folder if you do not receive these emails and notify us ASAP by emailing [email protected] if there seems to be an issue.

Please note, if you’ve unsubscribed from ASA emails, you will not receive your priority registration email.If you’re unsure of your booking access status, email us at [email protected] to check.

Participants can book a maximum of two (2) pitch appointments per Virtual Literary Speed Dating event. Each event is typically held across two days, but this does not mean you can book four pitch appointments over two days. Rather, you can book two pitch appointments across both days.

Participants can pitch a manuscript a maximum of four (4) times at Virtual Literary Speed Dating events. Once you have pitched the same manuscript four times, you are ineligible to pitch that manuscript at future events.

The only exception to this rule is if you have, over time, extensively revised the manuscript so that it reads like a new manuscript. Examples include rewriting the manuscript from a different POV and overhauling the structure of the manuscript.

If you’re uncertain of the number of times you have pitched a particular manuscript, or would like help clarifying whether the work you have done is significant enough to pitch again at these events, email us at [email protected] for advice.

As far as we know, only three picture book creators have been published through Virtual Literary Speed Dating over the course of five years. With a dedicated event, we have been able to compile a schedule of attending publishers and agents who are prepared and eager to focus solely on picture book pitches. We have also been able to ask these publishers and agents what they are actively seeking from picture book creators for their lists. This is incredibly valuable information.

In changing the event format and introducing a booking application and assessment process, we are ensuring that picture book creators are paired with a publisher or agent who is actively seeking the kind of work they have created. This is the ‘matchmaking’ part of the process.

To figure out who you want to pitch your manuscript to at Virtual Literary Speed Dating, we recommend you:

• Check which publishers/agents are accepting your genre/category at this event.

Publishers and agents will only be accepting certain genres/categories at each Virtual Literary Speed Dating event. Do not book into a pitching slot if the representative is not accepting the genre/material you intend to pitch at this event. 

For example, do not pitch a romance novel to a publisher accepting non-fiction only, or a picture book to an agent accepting junior fiction. 

If you book in with a publisher or agent who is not accepting your genre/category, your booking will be cancelled. Virtual Literary Speed Dating booking cancellations are not entitled to any refund or credit, as per our refund policy.

• Research the attending publishers/agents who are accepting your genre/category carefully.

Study what information, if any, they have supplied in the ‘Actively seeking’ column in the schedule and consider how you fit with this description. Visit the website of the publishing house or agency, check what kind of books have been recently published, and think about whether your work could comfortably sit alongside these other books. 

It’s important you feel confident pitching your work to your chosen representative.

• Make a list of your preferred publishers/agents, including their name and time slot.

You can then refer to this list when making your booking. This will help ensure you do not inadvertently book in with the wrong representative during the booking process.

There are also a few things we recommend authors do NOT do when booking into Virtual Literary Speed Dating.

• Don’t make a booking with a publisher/agent you have already submitted the manuscript you intend to pitch to. This will not fast-track the submission process.

• Don’t book with two representatives from the same publishing house or agency, even if they are both accepting your genre/category at an event. Instead, choose the one who seems like the best fit for you and your work.

For more tips on finding the right publisher or agent, please see our FAQs on Getting Published. You can also attend our Pitch Perfect course for a comprehensive overview of the publishing landscape and where you may fit in it.

For the best chance of success, we encourage you to attend our Pitch Perfect course prior to pitching. You’ll receive an up-to-date overview of the Australian publishing landscape and learn:

• how to identify the right home for your work;
• how to succinctly describe your manuscript;
• how to structure your three-minute pitch; and 
• what you need to have prepared before you pitch. 

Those who attend Pitch Perfect are also granted priority booking access to Virtual Literary Speed Dating for three years after completing the course.

For a concise summary or reminder of how to best prepare your pitch for the Virtual Literary Speed Dating format, you can refer to the ASA’s helpful video, ‘Structuring your 3-minute pitch’.

Our Virtual Literary Speed Dating events are hosted online using Zoom, so it is essential that you familiarise yourself with Zoom and its functionality before your pitch. We provide advice on getting acquainted with the required technology in our article, ‘Literary Speed Dating pain points and what you can do to avoid them’.

Co-authors are welcome to pitch their joint manuscript or book proposal at Virtual Literary Speed Dating, so long as:

• both authors have a current, financial membership with the ASA; 
• they make their status as co-authors known to ASA staff after placing a pitch booking; and;
• they can pitch together from the same device on the event date.

A co-author who does not have a current, financial ASA membership is ineligible to pitch at Virtual Literary Speed Dating. 

Please also note that, due to the scope of the Virtual Literary Speed Dating events, co-authors cannot join a pitch appointment from separate locations or devices. You must both be available to pitch from the same, shared device.

You can find the booking cancellation cut-off date listed in the key dates of each Virtual Literary Speed Dating event. If you let us know that you are cancelling your appointment before the cut-off date, your details will be removed from the pitch schedule for that publisher/agent, your place will be offered to someone on the wait list, and the cancelled booking will not count towards your maximum of four pitches for that manuscript.

If you cancel your booking after the cut-off date, your details will be listed on the pitch schedule provided to the attending publisher/agent and your booking will count towards your maximum number of four pitches. If you let us know your reason for cancelling, however, the ASA team member hosting the pitch session can inform the publisher/agent of your absence — this is helpful in that your reputation with that representative won’t be damaged by not attending your pitch.

As per our refund policy, Virtual Literary Speed Dating events are not entitled to any refund or credit, regardless of timeframe of notice. 

In the event of a cancellation made by the ASA, participants will be entitled to a full refund.