Following are some links to information about *free* opportunities to get your work out there. Please note: I am not affiliated with any of these opportunities. If you have a question, please click the links and ask the people in charge.
PITCHING OPPORTUNITIES
(If you need a tool to hone your pitch, click here.)
Sun vs. Snow
January
This is an opportunity to submit your query for critique and an agent round.
#IWSGPit
January, July
This is an opportunity to twitter pitch your manuscript to agents and editors. All ages and genres are welcome.
#AdPit
February
This is an opportunity to submit your query for a chance to win prizes, like full manuscript critiques from an editor or agent. There’s also a pitch party. It’s limited to adult novels (No PB, MG, YA).
Sweetheart Pitchfest
February
This is an opportunity to pitch your finished manuscript to agents and editors.
Son of a Pitch
February
This is an opportunity to pitch agents and editors with a query and the first 250 words. You can also get feedback on your pitch and prose from fellow writers and published authors.
#PBPitch
February
This is an opportunity to pitch your picture books to agents and editors on twitter.
#10Queries
February
This is an opportunity to have your query and first five pages reviewed by an editor. It’s a prep event for #RevPit.
#Kisspit
February
This is a twitter pitch party for romance writers.
#FaithPitch
February, June, November
This is a twitter pitch party for faith-based fiction and nonfiction manuscripts.
Author Mentor Match
March
This is an opportunity to be paired with an author mentor who will help you with your manuscript and guide you through the publishing process.
Pitch Madness
March
This is an opportunity to pitch your work and have your manuscript reviewed by requesting agents.
#PBParty
March
This is an opportunity to submit your pitch for a picture book or chapter book and receive a critique and entry to an agent round.
#PitMad
March, June, September, December
This is a twitter pitch party for stories of all ages and genres.
PitchSlam
March, October
This is an opportunity to submit for your pitch and first few words of your manuscript for polishing and entry in an agents round.
#NestPitch
April
This is an opportunity to submit what’s basically a query package (pitch, first pages, questionnaire) with the possibility of being chosen for a mentorship.
#kidpit
April, November
This is an opportunity to pitch children’s books: board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult.
#RevPit
April
This is an opportunity to submit a query and the first five pages to editors in order to receive professional editing on a completed manuscript.
Query Kombat
May
This is a contest in which 64 query/first pages compete against each other until there’s a final winner. Agents can ask for material from any of those 64, and you find out if you have requests only after you’re knocked out.
#PitDark
May and October
This is a twitter pitch party for stories with “darker” themes. All ages welcome.
Pitch to Publication
June
This is an opportunity to submit your pitch and first five pages for the chance to work with an editor for a month, followed by an agent round and a publishing house round.
#SFFPit
June, December
This is a twitter pitch party specifically for science fiction and fantasy stories.
#70pit
July
This is an opportunity to submit the 70th page in your manuscript for an agent round.
#Pit2Pub
July
This is an opportunity to twitter pitch directly to publishers. All ages and genres are welcome.
Pitch Wars
July through November
This is an opportunity to work your pitch and your whole manuscript with a mentor, who’s an agent, editor or published author, and then present your work to over 100 agents in an agent round.
Pitch America
August
This is an opportunity to submit a 35-word pitch and the first 500 words of a manuscript for review by agents. It’s intended exclusively for Latinx.
#DVPit
October
This is an opportunity to pitch your books to agents via twitter. It’s intended for marginalized voices and those underrepresented in publishing. Kids books are one day; adult books are another.
Nightmare on Query Street
October
This is an opportunity to be paired with a mentor to review your query and first 250 words before then submitting to an agent round.
#PitchMAS
December and sometimes July
This is an opportunity to have your pitch posted on the #PitchMas website for the perusal of agents and editors. If you don’t make the top 50 pitches, you can still pitch at the twitter pitch party.
WRITING CONTESTS
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest
Quarterly
This is an opportunity to enter your short story or short-story-like novel excerpt and receive validation and cash awards. Contest is limited to science fiction and fantasy stories, loosely defined.
Also check out this calendar of free online events.
If you know of other opportunities for writers that should be included here, please let me know!
Writes With Tools 