Pitching Program

The GenreCon Pitching Program is your chance to sit down with an editor or agent to talk about your completed manuscript. We’ve got editors and agents representing a diverse range of genres accepting pitches across Saturday and Sunday of the conference, and we’re opening up applications for pitching until October 24th if you’d like to secure your spot.

If you’re application is successful  you’ll be scheduled for a 5 minute verbal pitch with one of your selected editors/agents.

EARLY PITCHING REGISTRATION HAS NOW CLOSED
- if you’re still interested in pitching at GenreCon, check in at the registration desk for available pitching spots -

 

Download Editor/Agent Timetable & Preferences

 

Important Information When Applying for a Pitching Slot

The Pitching Program is open to attendees with completed manuscripts only, and you must be a registered member of GenreCon at the time of application. Preference will be given to the applications of Early Bird registrants, in order of registration, followed by weekend-pass holders and student registrations.

Some important things to know before making a pitching registration:

  • Pitching sessions will take place at the same time as other GenreCon programming. You will be required to indicate when you are available over the course of the weekend when making your application.
  • Editors/Agents will be taking submissions at very specific times. A breakdown of editors/agents, their pitching times, and their preferences can be found here.
  • You will be asked to nominate up to three editor/agent preferences for your pitching sessions. Due to the limited space in the pitching program, GenreCon cannot guarantee that you will get your first preference.
  • If all three of your preferences are unavailable, you will have the option of being put on a wait list. Please provide your mobile phone number if you’d like to take up this option.
  • This is a verbal pitch only – the editor/agent will not read your manuscript, although they have the opportunity to request submission of your work if they want to learn more about your project.

Editors and Agents Participating in Pitching

The following editors and agents will be taking pitches over the course of the weekend. You can download a PDF detailing the genre preferences and pitching times of all participating editors and agents.

ALEX ADSETT – Agent, Alex Adsett Publishing Services

Alex Adsett is a consultant and literary agent with more than fifteen years in the publishing industry. As a consultant, she offers commercial contract advice to authors or publishers, with expertise including ebook, translation, book-to-film and self-publishing contracts. As an agent, she represents genre fiction (speculative fiction, crime and paranormal romance) for adults and YA. She can often be found on twitter @alexadsett or via her website www.alexadsett.com.au.

NARELLE BAILEY – Editor, Etopia Press

Narelle is a content editor with Etopia Press and a regular editorial volunteer with Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine and Midnight Echo Magazine. She grew up reading speculative fiction on a dairy farm in Victoria, Australia. She attended James Cook University and now splits her time between playing computer games, reading all the spec-fic romance she can get her hands on, and taking care of her fiancé and cat.

CRAIG BEZANT – Editor, Dark Prints Press

Craig Bezant was a reviewer for HorrorScope and Black Magazine, and the creator/editor of the award-nominated Eclecticism E-zine. He capitalised on his experience to co-found the independent dark fiction publisher, Dark Prints Press. His first novel for younger readers, The Flats, has just been released.

LINDY CAMERON – Editor, Clan Destine Press

Lindy Cameron is an independent publisher and crime writer. Lindy is author of the Kit O’Malley PI trilogy, the mystery Golden Relic, and the action thriller, Redback. She is co-author of the true crime Killer in the Family and Women Who Kill. Lindy is a founding member and National Co-Convenor of Sisters in Crime Australia, and publisher of Clan Destine Press (www.clandestinepress.com.au)

GINGER CLARK – Agent, Curtis Brown

Ginger Clark has been a literary agent with Curtis Brown LTD (New York) since 2005.  She represents science fiction, fantasy, horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction.  In addition to representing her own clients, she also represents British Commonwealth rights for the agency’s children’s list.  She attends the Bologna and Frankfurt Book Fairs every year.  She sits on the Rights Committee of the Book Industry Study Group, and is a member of the Contracts Committee of the AAR.  She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and lives in Brooklyn with her husband.

KATE CUTHBERT –  Editor, Harlequin Escape

Kate Cuthbert is a reader, writer, reviewer, twitter-er, blogger, and starter of readers’ groups, all devoted (mainly) to romance novels. She’s written and reviewed for the Brisbane Courier-Mail, All About Romance, Booktopia, Bookseller & Publisher Magazine, and the New York Journal of Books. She now heads up Harlequin Australia’s digital first imprint, Harlequin Escape.

SARAH FAIRHALL – Editor, Destiny Romance/Penguin

Sarah is a long-time romance reader who began working at Penguin in 2007. Following roles in business development and contracts, Sarah undertook the Penguin Development Program, working across all aspects of publishing. Now Sarah gets to live out her own fairy tale, spending her time reading – and acquiring – romances.

BERNADETTE FOLEY – Hachette Australia

Bernadette Foley is a publisher of adult fiction and non-fiction at Hachette Australia. She has worked as an editor and publisher for over twenty years, and is always excited to meet writers who have an original style and a strong story to tell.

SOPHIE HAMLEY – Agent, The Cameron Creswell Agency

Sophie Hamley has been the literary agent at The Cameron Creswell Agency since 2006; in that time many of her fiction, non-fiction, and children’s authors have been published by Australian and international publishers. Sophie has worked in the print and online publishing industries for many years, as a bookseller at Shearer’s, senior editor at HarperCollins, and writer and content producer at the Seven Network, Massive Interactive, and CCH.

HAYLEY KERANS – Editor, Harlequin Australia

Haylee Kerans has long enjoyed reading romance and put her research to good use in her thesis, Constant Craving: A Polemics of Reading and Desire in Mills & Boon. Now, after 15 years of reading and raving about romance, Haylee is Publishing Manager at Harlequin Enterprises Australia. Haylee is responsible for the Mills & Boon, Mira, and Harlequin Teen imprints in the Australian market, and is always on the look out to acquire fresh and exciting new voices in fiction and nonfiction for adults and children – so don’t be scared to come up to her and pitch your story!
JOEL NAOUM – Editor, Momentum Books

Joel Naoum is a Sydney-based book publisher, editor, blogger, and writer. He is running Pan Macmillan Australia’s new digital-only imprint Momentum and recently completed a three-month stint in London for the Unwin Fellowship researching digital publishing experimentation. He is passionate about the possibilities that social media and digital publishing opens up for authors, publishers, booksellers and the whole book industry and is especially excited to work with genre fiction authors in this new role.