We can help with:
Accelerate your career
Join us today
Book an event
A unique 3-minute opportunity to pitch to publishers & agents
Do you want to know how to nail your pitch to publishers?
We advocate for members
Stay in the know
Stay in the know with industry news and ASA views.
Search our resources
Find ASA members
FAQs on publishing and more.
Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
MIN READ
The ASA’s Virtual Literary Speed Dating events offer a rare opportunity to pitch your manuscript directly to a publisher or agent, so you’ll want to make sure you’re ready for anything ahead of your big pitch. We’ve prepared some advice based on the frequently asked questions we receive around each event, covering the pain points authors experience in the lead up to — and during! — the event. Read this advice to ensure you go into your pitch with confidence.
Authors who come prepared for their pitch are always well received by the publisher/agent — know how many drafts you’ve done, know your word count, know your genre and audience, know your comparison titles, and plan what you want to say so you don’t miss any key points.
If you’re in doubt about what to include in your pitch, watch our video, ‘Structuring your 3-Minute Pitch’.
Whether it’s in front of the mirror, to your computer camera, or to your family and friends, practice your pitch ahead of time. The more familiar you are with your pitch, the more confident you will feel presenting it on the day.
But remember to be flexible. The publisher/agent may have questions for you during your three minutes, so be prepared to answer these without becoming too disoriented. Some publishers and agents want to be kept in the dark about your manuscript’s resolution while others will demand spoilers — be prepared to cater to them either way!
a. Learn how to rename yourself on Zoom so the ASA team can identify you in your pitch session’s Zoom waiting room. If we don’t know who you are, we won’t know when to bring you in to your pitch appointment! Follow Zoom’s instructions and test the functionality ahead of time. You won’t be able to change your name in the waiting room, so the best way to guarantee which name appears is to create a free Zoom account and login prior to your pitch.
b. Learn how to change the view display in Zoom so you can see everyone in the room at once (gallery view) or only the person speaking (speaker view). Don’t let yourself be thrown off at the start of your pitch session by what you can and can’t see! If you want to be able to see the publisher/agent, the ASA host and yourself at once, make sure your display is set to gallery view.
This is not something the ASA team member can assist you with in the Zoom room, as it’s entirely dependent on your settings, so it’s worthwhile taking care of this before your pitch.
c. Test Zoom on the device you are intending to use to attend your pitch session. Whether it’s your computer, laptop, tablet or phone, make sure you test Zoom’s functionality on the specific device you’ll be using on the day to make sure you’re familiar with how it works.
d. Test the internet connection is strong in the location you plan to pitch from. If it isn’t strong enough to support clear video and audio, find an alternate location with a stronger internet connection. Don’t wait until you’re about to start your pitch to learn your internet connection is unstable.
Learn how to switch your video camera off if, despite your best efforts, your internet connection isn’t strong enough on the day to support both video and audio. Helpfully, your audio connection can be improved by switching your video camera off — so long as the publisher or agent can hear your pitch, you’ll be able to carry on with your pitch as planned.
e. Make sure your Zoom application is up to date. You don’t want to be caught waiting for an update to download the minute before your pitch is scheduled to begin! Open your Zoom application earlier that day to ensure there are no new updates that need to be installed.
f. Attend the ASA’s Tech Check if you have any technical issues you may need help with.
We offer a complimentary Tech Check session to everyone booked in to pitch at Virtual Literary Speed Dating. This is an opportunity to practice using Zoom with an ASA team member and to gain confidence with the technology ahead of your pitch appointment.
Please note, this session is not an opportunity to practice your pitch or request feedback on your pitch or manuscript — it is strictly for practicing with Zoom’s technology.
a. Make note of the exact time of your pitch in your timezone. The ASA offices are based in Sydney and we send out all your pitch details with the Sydney time. If you are in a different timezone and you haven’t noted the time difference, you will miss your pitch. We see this occur at every event — don’t let it happen to you!
b. Plan to be in a calm, quiet location for your pitch, if possible. Don’t let yourself, or the publisher/agent, become distracted by your environment! You only have three minutes and you don’t want any distractions eating into that precious time.
c. Be ready in the Zoom waiting room ahead of schedule. The ASA host will endeavour to post updates to the waiting room about whether the session is running ahead of or behind schedule. When there are last-minute cancellations and no-shows, authors may be invited into the Zoom room ahead of schedule to pitch, so it pays to be ready to be called in before your allotted time.
We will be hosting at least two rounds of Virtual Literary Speed Dating in 2025, with dates to be announced early in the new year. Make sure you’re subscribed to our monthly events email newsletter for updates.
