If you have to choose just one conference this coming year, choose the NYC Pitch and Shop. Simply put, our goal is to set you on a realistic path to publication by not only teaching you how to pitch and position your novel for the market, but by providing guidance on actually writing it, and from the best industry professionals in New York. Stop by our NYC Pitch and Shop NEWS page for the latest updates on project requests and contracts signed.

OPEN APPLICATION PERIOD FOR NYC MAR. 18-21, '10.

All of the publishing editors on our faculty work with fiction and nonfiction. Our New York pitch conference promotes aspiring authors writing memoir and narrative nonfiction, and in the fiction genres, serious and humorous women's fiction, paranormal and historical romance, general fiction, literary fiction, urban fantasy, historical fiction, mystery/thriller and detective, and high-concept young adult fantasy.

Four times a year in New York City (March, June, Sept., Dec.) the conference comes together to provide a unique opportunity for writers with completed manuscripts or works-in-progress to not only workshop their novel with professional fiction editors, but meet and pitch top acquisition editors from major publishing houses such as Berkley, Doubleday, Penguin, Random House, Viking, and more. Following the conference, on an average, one out of three projects are requested for a close read by publishers.

As needed, we will produce agent and further publishing contacts for writers who have very competitive manuscripts. If our writers succeed, we succeed. See our commentary by former attendees for a realistic assessment.

Was it right for those who met with success as a result of the conference? See commentary by former attendees, and our news page, both noted above. Also, please review our criteria for who should participate in this conference and who should not. If this pitch conference is not right for you and you require craft instruction from professionals, we recommend the intensive craft-and-pitch workshops run by Algonkian Writer Conferences.

The acquisition Editors attending the "NYC Pitch and Shop" writers conference represent a variety of genres. All of them have worked with top authors and most work with more than one genre. Their bios, as well as more information on the sponsors and the bios of the workshop leaders can be found here.

What Makes This Conference Different?

Algonkian Writer Conferences, together with our affiliate authors and editors in New York, have melded faculty, connections, and expertise to produce the first writer pitch conference in New York (and the U.S.) that not only provides writers with sufficient time to properly pitch top editors from major publishers, but also three intensive "pitch workshops" designed to teach the art of the pitch and at the same time, work with writers to improve their novels.

Book Publicity Pros at The New York Pitch Conference

Melissa Broder

Melissa Broder is a Senior Publicist at Penguin Group (USA) in the Berkley/ NAL/ Riverhead/ Perigee division. Most recently, she has worked with such bestselling authors as: Harumi Kurihara (HARUMI'S JAPANESE COOKING), Kate Jacobs (THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB) and Sloane Crosley (I WAS TOLD THERE'D BE CAKE). Melissa began her journey in literary publicity at Tor/Forge, an imprint of what was then Holtzbrinck publishers (now Macmillan). Melissa holds a BA in English from Tufts University and is currently getting her MFA in Poetry at The City College of New York, where she is the recipient of The 2008 Stark Poetry Prize in Honor of Raymond Patterson and The 2008 Jerome Lowell Dejur Award in Creative Writing.

Susan Schwartzman

Susan Schwartzman has been in the publishing field for more than 20 years. She began her career in book publicity in 1992 as a freelance in-house book publicist, working for major publishers, including Workman Publishing, William Morrow, Penguin-Putnam, Harcourt Brace, Villard, Wiley, Avon Books, Simon & Schuster, Warner Books, Red Dress Ink, New American Library, and Downtown Press. As an independent book publicist, Susan has promoted a wide variety of literary and commercial fiction and nonfiction titles. Her business, Susan Schwartzman Public Relations, has provided major media placements for her clients in major media throughout the country.

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