Hello, Pitch Warriors! A few of you may be thinking this post looks a little bit familiar…because it is! When I posted it last year, my first year as a mentor, I had so many mentee hopefuls let me know how helpful it was that I wanted to share it again this year…but of course with updated 2017 dates & info!
Without further ado…
It’s almost here! The day you’ve been waiting for…finally! You’ve nipped and tucked and tweaked your query. You’ve polished your opening chapter ’til it shines. You have your revised and polished full manuscript and a synopsis lying in wait, just in case. The sub window is opening in a matter of hours…now what!?
First, don’t panic!
No, Ron, we cannot! Or rather, there’s no need to, so let’s all take a deep breath and not let panic take over, shall we?
The submission window is set to open August 2nd at 12:01 AM EDT. In past years, Brenda has sometimes cooked up a surprise, and the sub window has opened a little early. That may or may not happen this year. Brenda’s little elves aren’t telling. But whether it happens as the clock hits midnight or even earlier, there is no advantage to being the first to click send.
Let me repeat that: there is NO ADVANTAGE to being the first to click send.
So, take your time. The 2017 Pitch Wars submission window will remain open until August 6th at 10:00 PM EDT. That’s oodles of time to enter. Mentors will read every single submission: last, first and in between. Some mentors will make requests right away. (And then they will request more–the excitement a mentor feels about an August 2nd submission has no bearing on the excitement they’ll feel about an August 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th submission. Promise.) Others will wait until after the window has closed. Still others will do a mix of both. Some requests won’t go out until right before picks are announced (really).
So how does this affect you? It doesn’t. Because you’re going keep your eyes on your own paper and take your time. ?
When the window opens, you’ll see a blitz on the hashtag of excited mentee hopefuls rushing to enter. That’s totally fine. If you’re calm and ready at the start of the window, go for it…Or, do what I’d do. Get a good night’s sleep. Get your morning cup of coffee. Enter when you’re fresh.
Everything’s clearer after that first cup, am I right?
Fun fact: I entered Pitch Wars as a mentee hopeful two years ago, in 2015. For those of you who are new to Pitch Wars, let me tell you a little story about what happened when Brenda opened the submission window early that year. Here’s the short version:
First, there was a mad rush to enter.
Then, there were regrets and tears.
Yes, there was also much celebrating on the hashtag, but in the general excitement to click submit, some hopefuls selected the wrong mentors from the drop-down list. Some had copied the wrong text into the query field. One memorable regretful hopeful had misspelled his own name.
Friends, do not let this be you.
When you do open up the submission form — ANY TIME during the August 2nd – August 6th, 10PM EDT submission window — Take. Your. Time. There’s no prize for rushing. There’s only the cone of shame. And no one wants to wear that! Instead, do like your third grade teacher told you, and check your work.
Here’s a little checklist I’ve put together for all of you Pitch Warriors. When you open up the submission form, keep this post handy. Here we go:
That’s it, Pitch Warriors. Your five-step plan to a sweat-free submission experience.
Congrats, you kept your cool. You entered Pitch Wars. You did it!
Still have questions? Look first at the official entry guidelines on the Pitch Wars website: http://pitchwars.org/pitch-wars-2017-details/ You may be surprised to find your question answered right there! Still have questions? Just #askmentor on the hashtag. Someone will respond, or we’ll get answers behind the scenes if we don’t know off-hand. We’re here for you.
Now, breathe. Celebrate! You wrote, revised, and entered your book into Pitch Wars. You rule!