Masters graduate Rachael Keene and Literary Speed Dating
ASA Literary Speed Dating for the Masters Graduate
Rachael Keene, a Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) graduate, had a manuscript that was fully written and ready to find a publisher. And she knew that the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) virtual Literary Speed Dating offer to meet and pitch to potentially TWO publishers was too good an opportunity. Her nerves could be conquered by belief in her historical novel, Roses of Budapest.
Rachael had already been shortlisted for the Banjo Prize in 2020 with Roses of Budapest, which gave her confidence. She has had two pitch presentations, in 2020 and 2021 – and these have had to count as that’s the maximum number of times you can attend this event.
Success in pitching like this is about preparation, and research. She knew that it helped to attend the ASA PitchPerfect training, and that it was important to be able to state: WHAT, WHY and HOW. In preparation, she checked the right publisher to target by going through their publishing list and niches, and was ready to book in as soon as the event was open. She wrote the pitch proposal (one page ONLY) three weeks prior, then for two weeks she practised and memorised it. She wanted to use all of her 2 minutes 45 seconds (15 seconds for questions!) to bring her concept to life in the mind of the publisher representative in the zoom/room with her.
Rachael knew she nailed this pitch with her practice and research – the words flowed, she honoured her story, and she left the publisher with three key points. As she said, ‘this was an amazing chance to get out of the slush pile’. Rachael has been successful in getting her foot in the door, in getting noticed; she engaged the interest of Alex Adsett agency in 2020 and Simon and Schuster in 2021. Now, after this careful preparation, she is waiting to hear the result, but she is secure in the knowledge that her confidence has increased and she knows how to pitch her work.
Brief Bio of Rachael – another form of pitch:
I am a psychologist turned writer living in Perth, Australia. I have been writing for several years now, and am finally feeling good vibes coming from my current work in progress. Fingers crossed! It’s my second historical fiction manuscript, my preferred genre, and is the story of a young Jewish woman living in Budapest in World War Two. I love to write about strong women challenging society’s expectations and limitations, and making a difference for women in future generations – blazing a trail. I also love writing stories on topics or situations or contexts that have rarely or never been addressed in the fictional form. I spend a lot of time researching!
What are the components of Virtual Literary Speed Dating?
- Your completed manuscript ✓
- A Zoom room of publishers and agents ✓
- Three minutes to pitch your work ✓
Check out the 2021 details here: https://www.asauthors.org/services/literary-speed-dating