FAQ

#PitBLK is a Twitter Pitch Party event that invites unagented Black authors of picture books, middle grade, YA, adult fiction and non-fiction as well as graphic novels to “pitch” their completed work to agents and editors on Twitter using our event hashtag: #PitBLK and subtags (See FAQ page for subtags). 

We’ve chosen to refer to our event as a “party” rather than a “contest”. Yes, attracting agent/publisher interest in your work is ultimately the goal. But, we want participants to feel and foster a celebratory vibe rather than to stress over who gets the most “likes”. Picture #PitBLK as a Twitter “cookout” with the fam… but instead of sides, you’re bringing your talent to the table!  

#PitBLK is distinct in that it is the first and, as far as we know, the only, Twitter pitch event that is open exclusively to Black authors. 

We know we are following in the footsteps of some amazing author pitch events, many of which are still actively hosting events. We encourage you to check out our friends at #DVPit #APIpit #SWANAPit #LGBTNPit #SmoothPit #MoodPitch, and we can’t forget to shout out the decade of success and positive impact of #PitMad for leading the way. 

#PitBLK will occur once per year over the course of two days which are designated by the audience age for your work. 

• Day 1: September 21st, 2022 from 8am - 8pm EST for Picture Books, Chapter books, MG and YA - all genres
• Day 2: September 22nd, 2022 from 8am - 8pm EST for Adult Fiction, NA, Nonfiction and Graphic Novels and Art - all genres

All authors of African descent are welcome to participate in #PitBLK and agents and editors of all backgrounds are invited to peruse and like pitches! #PitBLK considers “of African descent” to include Black people, both indigenous to Africa and of the global diaspora. The US Census Bureau further defines this as “People having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.” 

#PitBLK organizers ask all participants to be authentic in their self-determination of whether or not they meet this eligibility. We will not police anyone’s identity due to culture, biracial status, or complexion. However, if observed, we will call out egregious perpetrators of racism, colorism and hoaxism (this may not be a word but you know what we mean; don’t be fake!). 

• The official Pitch Party hashtag is #PitBLK - please include this tag in EVERY pitch you Tweet as this is how agents/editors will find you on the day of our event. 
• Your manuscript should be “query ready”. This means it should be A. complete B. not your first draft C. edited for grammatical and formatting errors. If possible, it’s best for you to get second and third eyes on your manuscript. This can be fellow authors (critique partners), family and friends who are avid readers (beta readers), and/or a professional (freelance editor). Ultimately, you will determine when your manuscript is “query ready” and then agent/editor feedback will confirm if you were right. See our Resources page for mentor programs/workshops for unagented authors that can help you perfect your manuscript!  
• If pitching non-fiction you must have a “query ready” book proposal. 
• Authors are limited to 3 Pitch Tweets per manuscript (3 manuscripts maximum) within the 12-hour window of our event (8am EST - 8pm EST). We ask that you allow at least 1 hour between each pitch. 
• Each tweet must be distinct. As in, do not pitch the same tweet verbatim three times during this event. Change it up! 
• Visuals: For authors (not author/illustrators) moodboards, aesthetics and/or visual images may be included in ONLY ONE of your three pitches. 
• We want to see those beautiful and varied shades of melanin reflected all over our  timelines! 
• For optimum accessibility and inclusion, all images must be accompanied by “alt text” descriptions. Instructions on writing descriptions HERE.
• IMPORTANT: Likes are for agents ONLY, RTs are for editors ONLY and comments/QRTs are for fellow authors boosting for support. 
• We encourage agents to ALSO comment on the Pitch Tweets they’ve liked as Twitter sometimes obscures “likes” once they’ve passed a certain number per Tweet.
• We’re asking participants to refrain from exchanging bulk QRTs for the purpose of indiscriminate boosting. We encourage authentic, not strategic boosting. Also note, supporters of all backgrounds are welcome to boost!
• ILLUSTRATORS/ARTISTS: Please include work samples from your portfolio and your genres of interest. If you are pitching your portfolio rather than an original work, make sure to use the tag #ART in combination with the main event tag #PitBLK. 
• AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATORS: If you’re pitching a completed manuscript that contains illustration (e.g. graphic novels and picture books) please include your original visuals/illustrations with all three of your pitch tweets.
• Please, refrain from tagging agents or editors in your pitches. 
• Please only pitch from a single Twitter account. No gaming the system!

Every pitch tweet should include #PitBLK + hashtags for AGE CATEGORY, GENRE and (optional) IDENTITY. See below for the relevant hashtags to include.  

Age Category (one is required):

• #PB=Picture Book
• #CB=Chapter Book
• #GN=Graphic Novel
• #MG=Middle Grade
• #YA=Young Adult
• #NA=New Adult
• #A=Adult
• #ART=Illustrators/Artists

Genre

• #AD=ADVENTURE
• #CON=CONTEMPORARY
• #CR=CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
• #CF=CONTEMPORARY FANTASY
• #E=EROTICA
• #F=FANTASY
• #H=HORROR
• #HF=HISTORICAL FICTION
• #HR=HISTORICAL ROMANCE
• #LF=LITERARY FICTION
• #MR=MAGICAL REALISM
• #MEM=MEMOIR
• #M=MYSTERY
• #NF=NON FICTION
• #P=PARANORMAL
• #PR=PARANORMAL ROMANCE
• #R=ROMANCE
• #RC=ROMANTIC COMEDY
• #SF=SCIENCE FICTION
• #SPF=SPECULATIVE FICTION
• #STEM=SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS
• #S=SUPSENSE
• #T=THRILLER
• #UF=URBAN FANTASY
• #WF=WOMEN’S FICTION

Identity Information (optional)

• #ESL (Author is International/Writing English as a second language)
• #TNB (Trans and Nonbinary Voices)
• #OWN (Own Voices)
• #IMM (Immigrant)
• #LGBT (LGBTQIA+ Subject Matter)
• #IRMC (Interracial/Multicultural)
• #MH (Mental Health Subject Matter)
• #DIS (Disability Subject Matter)
• #ND (Neurodiverse Subject Matter)
• #FP (Fat Positive)
• #WFH (Work for Hire)

• Need to warm up before PitBLK? Come practice your pitching at #Prepitblk! #Prepitblk is a Twitter event where writers can practice their Twitter pitches. Volunteers will provide constructive feedback to authors during this time. We also encourage participants to provide feedback to other pitches. This is a great opportunity to practice before the big day, connect with others, and get valuable feedback!
• #Prepitblk runs on Friday, September 9th from 4pm-8pm EST. You are welcome to schedule tweets if you can’t participate live.
• To participate,  tweet your pitch with the #Prepitblk hashtag during the timeframe. You may make revisions on your pitch and post the revised pitch up to three times for up to three projects. Please only use the #Prepitblk hashtag in your pitch and not when providing feedback and/or encouragement to others so we don’t clog the feed.
• Your manuscript doesn’t need to be complete to get feedback during #prepitblk. However, you must have a completed manuscript during #PitBLK. If your manuscript own’t be ready in time for #PitBLK, you can still participate in #prepitblk.

**We ask authors and volunteers to create a civil, constructive environment. Please give honest feedback, but avoid being overly harsh.

Racist, ableist, anti-LGBTQ+, sexist, body shaming, and other hateful rhetoric is unwelcome and has no place in this event. Identifying problematic content is not unkind (in other words, when we ask you to be kind in your responses, we are not suggesting that you should not tell an author if they are working with a problematic premise or using problematic language).**