To me Pitchfest embodies what ITW and Thrillerfest really are, at their hearts: a place where authors help fellow authors. I joined ITW in late 2011 and attended my first Thrillerfest in the summer of 2012. I had a debut novel from 2011 and a new novel just out and was thrilled to be a part of everything. I made some great friends, many of whom were authors I had read…
To me Pitchfest embodies what ITW and Thrillerfest really are, at their hearts: a place where authors help fellow authors.
I joined ITW in late 2011 and attended my first Thrillerfest in the summer of 2012. I had a debut novel from 2011 and a new novel just out and was thrilled to be a part of everything. I made some great friends, many of whom were authors I had read for years, and had a great time. Two years later, after my third novel with a small, genre press was out, these new friends encouraged me to participate in Pitchfest so I could get my work to a larger house and reach more readers. I took their advice, and it was the best thing I ever did for my career.
I pitched a new book to about twelve agents that I had researched in advance. Ten of them asked for the manuscript but my phone call with Gina Panettieri from Talcott Notch led to an instant connection and I knew she was the agent for me and my work. We signed a few months later.
As a result of that connection, I have two thriller series which I write with Brian Andrews—the NICK FOLEY series with Crooked Lane Books and the TIER ONE series with Thomas and Mercer, both multi-book deals. I am also waiting to hear on two other stand-alone novels that Gina has in submission.
Maybe my career would have launched without the friends I made at ITW and without Pitchfest, but I doubt it. ITW is more than an organization and Thrillerfest is more than an event—together they are a community of writers supporting each other, raising one another up, and helping one another succeed.