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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
You must read this information about Virtual Literary Speed Dating prior to booking to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements and understand the booking and preparation process.
All attendees of Virtual Literary Speed Dating events need to read the information below carefully, even if you have pitched at an event in the past, as this information is subject to change.
Both Full and Associate ASA members are eligible to attend Virtual Literary Speed Dating if you have:
Fiction and children’s authors: Your pitch must be for a completed manuscript that has not been pitched more than four times at our Virtual Literary Speed Dating events previously. If you are successful in your pitch, the publisher/agent may request your completed manuscript and/or supplementary materials. If your manuscript is not complete or you are not comfortable in providing it at present, please continue working on your project and consider attending a Virtual Literary Speed Dating event at a later date once your manuscript is completed.
Non-fiction authors: If your manuscript is general, illustrated, or lifestyle non-fiction, you do not need to pitch a completed manuscript – a chapter outline and sample will suffice. Writers of all other non-fiction genres, including memoir and biography, must pitch a completed manuscript. Please note that you can only pitch a manuscript up to four times at our Virtual Literary Speed Dating events.
You are not eligible to attend if:
To understand more about why traditional publishers do not wish to republish self-published books, see our FAQs on Getting Published.
If you are uncertain about whether you are eligible or if it is appropriate to pitch, please contact us at [email protected] or 02 9211 1004 before booking.
Members who have attended one of our Pitch Perfect courses within the previous three years will be given priority access to book Virtual Literary Speed Dating. They will be emailed a link to access registrations early from the email address [email protected]. This email will be sent at 10:00 am Sydney time (AEST/AEDT) on the date Priority Access bookings open, so please check your junk/spam folder if you do not receive it.
Please note, if you’ve unsubscribed from ASA emails you will not receive your priority registration email.
For tips on finding the right publisher or agent, please see our information hub FAQs.
Publishers and agents will only seek certain material at each Virtual Literary Speed Dating event. Do not book into a pitching slot if the representative is not seeking the kind of material you intend to pitch, e.g. do not pitch a picture book to an agent seeking non-fiction. Research the attending publishers and agents carefully to ensure you understand what kind of manuscripts the attending representatives are seeking and to ensure you are comfortable pitching your work to them.
You will have a maximum of three minutes face-to-face time with the publisher or agent. Be as succinct and to the point as possible, and be flexible as the publishers and agents may have questions for you during the three minutes.
For the best chance of success, we encourage you to attend one of our Pitch Perfect or Pitch Perfect Picture Books courses prior to pitching. You’ll receive an up-to-date snapshot of the publishing landscape in Australia 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 or Pitch Perfect Picture Books are also granted priority access to Virtual Literary Speed Dating bookings for three years after completing the course.
For more information see the ASA’s video, ‘Structuring your 3-Minute Pitch’.
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 by this 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 this booking will not count towards your maximum of four pitches.
If you cancel your booking after this 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 that pitch session can inform the publisher/agent — 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. Any attendance cancellations received for a Virtual Literary Speed Dating registration will not be refunded.
In the event of a cancellation made by the ASA, you will be entitled to a full refund.
