Pitch Sessions

In 2026, our much coveted 5-minute pitch sessions are back, giving WA writers the opportunity to pitch their manuscript to some of Australia’s leading publishers and literary agents. 

Pitch tickets will be on sale via Humanitix on Saturday 15 August at 8am AWST.

This year when purchasing, you will be able to choose your own time slot on a first come, first served basis. Please make sure you do not book with the same publisher/agent twice, and ensure you allow at least 5 minutes between each pitch. 

Please read all the information below carefully to ensure you are eligible. 

Pitch tickets are: 

• Separate to Day Pass tickets. You do not need to purchase a Day Pass to pitch. 

• Only available to writers with a completed manuscript. 

• $60 for each 5-minute pitch, with a maximum of 5 pitches per person. 

• Taking place at Edith Cowan House at ECU Joondalup on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November, between 1 PM and 5 PM. Please check the pitching schedule below to see which day your preferred publisher/agent is available. 

What pitching involves

Your pitch is your chance to explain your story to a publishing industry professional so they can decide whether it’s something they might publish. It’s also an opportunity to see if you click with the publisher or agent. Scroll down to learn about the professionals taking pitches and read the FAQs.

Here’s what you need to know: 

• Please arrive at Edith Cowan House 15 minutes before your time slot to be signed in (see campus map at bottom of this page). 

• ⁠When it’s your turn, you will be escorted to your agent/publisher. A volunteer will time your pitch, letting you know when to start and finish. 

• ⁠We recommend starting with a concise “elevator pitch” for your manuscript, taking around 1 minute. Give them the crux of it! 

• ⁠From there, the publisher/literary agent will lead questions for the remaining time. 

• ⁠We do not allow props and you are not able to leave things with our publishers/agents. They will request your manuscript by email if they wish to see it.

• ⁠Timing will be extremely strict to ensure a fair go for all – no one will be allowed to exceed their 5 minutes.

Before you purchase a pitch ticket

Familiarise yourself with our stellar group of publishers and literary agents so you know exactly who you want to pitch to when tickets go on sale – and which day they are available.  

Read through the criteria below, particularly regarding which genres they are accepting, and make sure you pitch your manuscript to the right people. 

This year when purchasing, you will also choose your own time slot on a first come, first served basis. Please make sure you do not book with the same publisher/agent twice and ensure you allow at least 5 minutes between each pitch. 

If you have any further questions, drop us a line at FoFPitches@gmail.com.

---

2026 Pitch Agents & Publishers

Saturday 21 November

Ideal pitch: Fiona is looking for good fiction stories well told! Fiona’s most successful clients are writing in domestic drama (Liane Moriarty) or crime (Jane Harper) or for kids (Andy Griffiths) or more literary but deeply affecting titles like Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. She loves books that have strong narrative drive, distinct voice and that make her think. To give you an idea of books that get Fiona excited, the best thing she has read this year is Elizabeth Strout’s The Things we Never Say.

Ideal pitch: Ali is looking for commercial fiction in trending genres that offers something new and special – well-written stories with an original premise, a compelling story arc, authentic characters, depth of heart and some x-factor magic. That is, books that can be read by a wide range of readers. Bonus points for stories that make you laugh or cry. Favourite authors (aside from her own, of course!) include Kristin Hannah, Rachel Joyce and Liane Moriarty. Current read: John of John by Douglas Stuart (an all-time favourite author).

Ideal pitch: High concept commercial fiction, rural fiction (both romance and suspense), historical novels (a dual timeline is a favourite), rom-coms and crime.

Ideal pitch: Ruby (Affirm imprint at Simon & Schuster) is looking for historical, classic crime/thriller and high-concept fiction. With historical fiction, it must have a clearly fresh angle and strong writing. She’s particularly a fan of high-concept and commercially savvy novels with strong pitches (she loves weird). Crime and thriller must offer something really unusual — think a clear high-concept hook, a really fresh/fun character or an unusual setting (for instance, historical, or somewhere we haven’t seen explored in this genre before). For non-fiction, she’s looking for “granddad genres” like sport, politics, history and humour. Good humour will always work for Ruby, in both fiction and non-fiction.

Ideal pitch: Nerrilee is looking for indie/self-published authors (no unpublished or traditionally published please) writing commercial fiction, namely romance (all categories) and speculative fiction or sci-fi. Nerrilee focuses on selling translation and film/tv rights on indies’ behalf, as well as licensing their backlists.

---

Sunday 22 November

Ideal pitch: Chloe is looking for female focused stories that are commercially appealing. Minimum word-count is 60,000 for all genres. She’s interested in:

• Romance
• Dark rom-com
• Paranormal romance (dark like Nocticadia or funny like Warm Bodies)
• Historical
• Horror (good for her, female focused, no body-horror)
• Crime
• Suspense/Psychological suspense
• Romantic suspense (bingeworthy)
• Romantasy/Fantasy

What Chloe is NOT looking for:

• Reverse Harem
• Why Choose?
• Urban fantasy unless it falls into paranormal rom-com

Ideal pitch: Marisa is looking for:

Picture books (much less a focus, but happy to receive pitches she can pass on within her team if they appeal), graphic novels for children and teens, and junior fiction.

Ideal pitch: Joel is representing the whole publishing team at Hachette, and is happy to receive pitches from across the board.

Ideal pitch: Kirsty is looking for historical fiction, literary fiction, and children’s fiction and non-fiction.

Ideal pitch: Dylan is looking for fantasy, science fiction and horror for upper YA and adult audiences.

FAQ

Where is the pitching happening?

The pitches are held in Edith Cowan House (Building 20) on ECU’s campus. It is a short walk from where the Festival of Fiction is being held. There will be signage if you’re unsure how to get there.

Does my pitch ticket get me into the Festival?

Your $60 pitch ticket only gets you the pitch opportunity. You will need both a pitch ticket and a day pass if you want to attend the festival as well as pitching.

Am I ready to pitch my manuscript? 

In order to be eligible, you must have a completed manuscript. In other words, it is ready to be submitted if your publisher or agent requests it after the pitch. 

How much does it cost? 

Each pitch session costs $60 and must be booked in advance. Pitch tickets go on sale on Saturday 15 August at 8am and will sell quickly.

How many pitches can I book? 

You can book up to five pitches in total. However, please do not book more than one pitch with each individual publisher or literary agent, or we will be obliged to cancel your extra tickets.

How do I choose which publisher or agent to pitch to? 

Familiarise yourself with our stellar group of publishers and literary agents (scroll back up!) so you know exactly who you want to pitch to when tickets go on sale – and which day they are available. Importantly, read through the criteria, particularly regarding which genres they are accepting, and make sure you pitch your manuscript to the right people. 

Can I pitch to a publisher or agent I’ve already pitched to in a previous year? 

Yes. However, we would not recommend pitching to a publisher or agent you’ve already pitched to unless you have a new project you haven’t pitched before or you have substantially reworked a project you’ve already pitched to them.

How should I prepare for my pitch? 

Your pitch is your chance to explain your story to a publishing industry professional so they can decide whether it’s something they might publish. It’s also an opportunity to see if you click with the publisher or agent. We recommend preparing a concise “elevator pitch” for your manuscript to start with. This should take around 1 minute – simply give them the crux of it!

Assistant Director of the Festival of Fiction and published author Sasha Wasley is running (independently of the festival) a workshop called Prepared for Pitching. If you need some practice or want to know more about pitching a manuscript, you can find out more here.

Do I need to bring anything on the day? 

No, other than a digital copy of your pitch ticket, you don’t need to bring anything with you. If you have notes to use in your pitch, bring those too.

Does ‘No Props’ mean I can’t bring any notes? 

No – you are welcome to bring a page or two of notes. Props refers to displays, objects, printed copies of your work, pictures, artwork, etc.

I’m self-published. Can I pitch my published book?

Yes – to Nerrilee Weir only. Nerrilee is seeking quality indie novels to sell translation, film or tv rights internationally. Scroll back up to see her ideal pitch. However, don’t bring your published book on the day. She will give you her email if she wants to read your work.

What will happen during the pitch? 

You’ll be escorted to your allocated publisher or literary agent by one of our pitch volunteers prior to the session timer starting. Each publisher and agent may do things slightly differently however, generally we recommend: 

• Start with a concise “elevator pitch” for your manuscript to start with. This should take around 1 minute – give them the crux of it and keep it short! 

• After your elevator pitch, the publisher/literary agent will lead questions for the remaining time. 

• If the agent or publisher loves the sound of your manuscript, they will provide their direct email address so you can send through your opening three chapters, a synopsis, and short biography.

• Please note, you are not permitted to leave things with our publishers/agents.

• When your pitch is finished, you’ll be escorted through the exit door to avoid congestion.  

What if I need the toilet in between pitches?

If you need the toilet, head around the side of the house and use the toilets at the back so as not to disturb the people pitching. 

Do I need to track the times my pitch window starts and finishes? 

Your pitch will be timed by a volunteer in the house (other pitches with different publishers will be happening in different parts of the house at the same time) and at the start and end of your pitch, a subtle alarm will sound. Timing will be extremely strict to ensure a fair go for all – no one will be allowed to exceed their 5 minutes. 

How do I know if the publisher or agent is interested in my manuscript? 

If the publisher or literary agent loves the sound of your manuscript, they will provide their direct email address so you can send: 

1. Your opening three chapters  

2. A synopsis  

3. A short biography 

You should have all this ready to go – but just bring yourself on the day! 

What if I’m nervous? 

It’s understandable to feel nervous. But remember the most important thing of all is to just be yourself, let your personality shine through and don’t be too modest about your work, be proud! There are no set rules for pitching. Think of it as a chat with a fan of your work!

You may also like to take advantage of Sasha Wasley’s (Assistant Director of the Festival of Fiction) October workshop, Prepared for Pitching, for a practice session (note: this workshop is independent of the festival).

What if I miss my pitch appointment?

Sadly, we cannot squeeze you in at another time as all timeslots will be full. It’s your responsibility to make the appointment on time.

How do I get there? 

It’s all happening at Edith Cowan Joondalup.

Parking at ECU is free on weekends. The best carparks for Edith Cowan House are 14 and 8 (see campus map below). Ignore the signs because parking is free on weekends (except for disabled parking). There are volunteers around in hi-vis who will help you navigate the campus.

Edith Cowan House (Building 20 on Google maps or see the campus map below. ) is a short walk across ECU’s campus from where Festival of Fiction is being held. There will be signage if you’re unsure how to get there. We suggest arriving 15 minutes before your pitch time to check-in and collect your special pitch wristband.

How do I get back to the Festival afterwards? 

Edith Cowan House is a short walk away from the Festival buildings. There will be a guide to show you out of Edith Cowan House and signs to get you back to the Festival, as well as volunteers on the grounds to point you in the right direction.

Will there be food and drink available at ECU? 

Yes, the on-site café, Bermuda, will open all day along with coffee and food trucks also on site for pre or post-pitch refreshments. 

What if I can’t make my pitch slot anymore? 

If you can no longer attend any of your pitch sessions, you can request a refund yourself through your Humanitix ticket booking confirmation, right up until the end of September (less ticketing fees of ~5%). After 30 September, please email FoFPitches@gmail.com to discuss your cancellation.

What if I have further questions? 

Email FoFPitches@gmail.com .