This event is booked out.

Do you have a picture book, middle grade or YA text that is begging to be published? This is your opportunity to get in front of a fabulous publisher from Penguin Random House or Larrikin House and convince them why your book should be their next big thing. For this session, participants who have secured a place in advance will have a five-minute session to present to their allocated publisher why their book will be the next big thing.

There is no need to submit any material in advance. Just bring along any notes you may need to confidently present your exciting elevator pitch! Due to time constraints, you will not be able to include a slideshow or any interactive elements to your presentation. At the four-minute mark, you will be given a signal to let you know to wrap things up. At the five-minute mark, your time will end.

Please note this is not an opportunity to receive feedback, and there is no guarantee of future publication. You should have a completed manuscript that is ready to be submitted if requested.

You will be randomly allocated a publisher to whom you will pitch your work. Unfortunately, given the nature of this event, you cannot request a specific publisher. Likewise, you will be assigned a time between 4:10pm and 5:00pm for your session.

Tickets to this session are strictly limited and are not eligible for credit or refund.

To prepare for the pitching sessions, read publisher Zoe Bechara’s tips below.

1. Prepare and practise. Genre; word count; intended audience and a brief description. Prep will help you feel calm, and you’ll be less likely to stumble over an important detail.
2. Know your audience. I hate to say it but very few books are for ‘everyone, aged one to one hundred.’ Think critically about your reader: what they are already reading, what they’re into when they’re not reading, and what your work will provide them with that they can’t find elsewhere.
3. Use comparisons. Something like ‘a modern-day Madeline: think an all-girl Hogwarts with the social savagery of Mean Girls, set in Paris.’ A thrifty way to sell the work, without using too many words to list the themes, setting and characters.
4. Be your own publicist. What are the unique talking points of your background, your writing experience, the book itself?
5. Less is more. Don’t be tempted to describe the entire plot. Editing your pitch shows you can be concise, ergo, you are an editor’s dream.