From Pitch to Publication
3 book deals follow Adsett pitch class
In January 2020 ACT Writers delivered a rich program of masterclasses and workshops, one of which was Pitching, Agents & The Business of Publishing with agent Alex Adsett of Alex Adsett Literary. The workshop was originally scheduled as a six-hour in-person session to be held in June, but as COVID-19 pushed events online, Alex’s course came to take the form of one-hour digital sessions held every Saturday for six weeks. This adaptation meant that writers in other states, who could not have attended in person, could also experience the workshop.
To date, at least three of the cohort who took part in these impactful sessions have signed with an agent and sold their books, due for publication in early 2022. Here, Michael Trant (WA), Dinuka McKenzie (NSW) and Shelley Burr (ACT) share insights from their pitch-to-publication journey.
Michael Trant, Wild Dogs, publishing 1 February 2022, Penguin Books Australia
My debut, Ridgeview Station, was pitched without an agent. I made all the mistakes, but was eventually picked up. However when my publisher resigned, I decided the second time around I wanted someone in my corner before playing that game again.
I first met Alex Adsett in early 2019 at Hayley Nash’s writers retreat, and mentioned some Australian fantasy I was working on, which she loved the sound of. I sent the finished manuscript to another author for feedback, planning to sub the revised version to Alex. When I saw Alex had an online pitching course I jumped at it. Halfway through, the author contacted me saying she’d finally finished and was forwarding it to her own agent. Yikes. So I took a chance and also subbed to Alex there and then, using all the techniques I’d just learned, describing it as an Australian version of The Witcher series. During the following session Alex warned about comparing your work to big name titles, with a huge grin on her face. I sunk a little lower in the chair.
Alex passed, but wanted to know what else I had. I dusted off another manuscript, tidied it up and sent it off, this time exactly as per her course – no big name comparisons. Fast forward to today and we’ve signed a two-book deal with Penguin. To summarise the emails flying back and forth between us last month, holy crap!
Alex’s course itself is brilliant, and I recommend anyone planning to pitch anything to give it a go. Had it not been for everything going online I’d never have attended. There’s been a lot in the past year I would have passed on if life were normal. Living in WA, being able to attend courses and events from home has been brilliant, and allowed me to meet other writers and stay in touch. It’s a very small silver lining in what has otherwise been a bloody big cloud, and I hope online access to such events will continue once the world opens back up again.
Dinuka McKenzie, The Torrent, publishing 2 February 2022, HarperCollins Publishers Australia
In 2020 I was on the query trail for my debut crime fiction manuscript with agents and – failing that – with a publisher.
Finding an agent in Australia is hard. They are few and far between and many already have established lists and are not seeking new writers. I had only heard great things about Alex Adsett, and as a writer of commercial genre fiction I was very keen to submit to her. But I was also well aware that her agency does not accept unsolicited submissions. To have any chance of being invited to submit, I would at least have to meet Alex first. The fact that we lived in two different states was an issue, but then again, Alex undertook events all across the country.
Enter the one-day course: Pitching, Agents & The Business of Publishing with Alex Adsett, run by ACT Writers. It would mean a trip to down to Canberra from Sydney but, I figured, worth it to learn exactly what agents (and publishers) want to see in a pitch, how the industry works, and what writers need to look out for in contracts if you are lucky enough to land a publishing deal. Best of all, as part of the course, you would get to run a practice pitch past Alex – one of the most experienced agents in the business and get feedback. I was in!
As it happened, with the country in covid lockdown, the course moved online, which in many ways proved to be a bonus. It opened up the course to a much wider group of interstate authors. The weekly, one-hour zoom sessions created a relaxed learning atmosphere allowing us to bond over six weeks. And best of all, Alex ended the course with an open invitation to us all to submit to her agency. An opportunity, which some months later resulted in me signing up with Alex Adsett Literary.
I encourage all writers – especially if you have a completed manuscript, which you are getting ready to send out into the world – to undertake this course. Alex is a brilliant and enthusiastic tutor with tonnes of industry knowledge. All the information needed to navigate the transition between finishing a manuscript and getting it published was there – from pitching, what an agent can do for you, to contracts and the publishing process. It’s also a great way to expand your professional network. Many of us who met on Alex’s course have gone on to build friendships and writing connections, supporting and cheering each other’s successes. This very piece, penned with my fellow course attendees, Michael and Shelley is a case in point.
I am so grateful to ACT Writers for running this offering, and in particular for taking it online and affording writers everywhere the opportunity to learn from Alex. If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to join your local Writers Centre. It’s a great way of learning and connecting with other writers, and keeping in touch with bookish news and events happening in your state or territory.
Shelley Burr, Wake, publishing 31 May 2022, Hachette Australia
My first pitching experience was a hilarious disaster. I signed up for a pitching slot at Canberra’s speculative fiction convention Conflux, believing it was a panel on how to pitch. A friend and I found ourselves in front of two expectant publishers, despite not having prepared a pitch or written a book to pitch to them.
They were very nice about it.
My (hopefully) last pitching experience was a dream. I gave a three-minute pitch to Sarah McKenzie, now my agent, at an Australian Society of Authors Literary Speed Dating event. Yes, it helped that I had actually written a book that time. But I credit how smoothly it went to those Saturdays spent learning the dos and don’t and absolutely-please-don’t-evers with Alex Adsett. Learning how to structure a pitch, what to include and what to leave out. Hearing other pitches, and their feedback.
I’m a Canberra resident, and a long-time member of ACTW, so I would have attended the workshop in its original in-person format. But by moving online, I think the course gained more than it lost. I liked being able to connect with other writers every week amid lockdowns and restrictions. I’m grateful to have met people that I might not have otherwise.
Find out more about ACT Writers programs.
ACT Writers is situated on Ngunnawal Country. We pay tribute to the unique role that First Nation communities have played – and continue to play – in the life of what is also known as the Australian Capital Territory. We acknowledge all elders, past, present and emerging, and honour those who continue to share their wisdom and learning.
