Pitchapalooza!

          So this past Saturday I went to a Pitchapalooza!!! What on Earth is a Pitchapalooza, you ask? Well, it was (as I found out when I got there) a chance for local aspiring authors to pitch their story ideas to a panel of judges, all of whom have experience in the publishing world. It was described on the website as 'American Idol for writers'. If your name was drawn from the hat, you had one minute to complete your pitch, at which point the judges would give you feedback. The winner got to be introduced to an agent in their genre. Awesome, right? It was!
          Funny thing was that I never intended to enter. I just came to watch, listen and learn. Mostly because I don't like the pitching your idea method (I prefer the query synopsis type exposure). But when I got to the door, the lady asked for my name, so I had no choice.
          So there I sat with about fifty other authors, enjoying the experience. Ten pitches in, I got the feeling that maybe, just maybe I should have something ready, just in case I got picked. So I scratched together a little pitch based on the rough draft of my query letter. And wouldn't you know it, a few minutes later, they called my name!
          Long story short, I did my pitch, they loved it, I got valuable insider advice. I didn't win the Pitchapalooza, but I did get some networking in. All in all, wonderful experience. Check out the link for more details about the Indie Author Publishing Conference!