It is Pitchfest season again!

I don't know about you, but for me it feels like we were just here! Which is both exciting and terrifying (in a good way). For those of you that are new, you're in for a worlwind! Pitchfest is intense! In the best possible ways, of course!

Last pitchfest, we received around forty submissions and we had a blast combing through those submissions together. For everyone who opted to subscribe at a publishing-related tier, they were privy to the process as I read through pitch letters, sampled manuscripts, and chose a short list of stories to read all the way through! It was an unbelievable time of sifting through incredible stories, written by incredible authors!

This time is going to look a little bit differently.

Rather than being a two-week old imprint with no real idea of what I was looking for, I have a very clear vision of what I am after now! As well as much more experience searching for it!

As we go into pitchfest, I am keeping my eyes open for something dystopian and world shattering. I don't really care if it leans more sci-fi or fantasy, so long as it takes a really hard look at the world around us and either explores our complicity, our positionality, or challenges us to look for solutions for the future. I am REALLY passionate about finding something really impactful and timely.

I do intend to cross genres and dive into horror, romance, and all of the other genres that exist as we acquire more manuscripts! But this pitchfest, I really want something dystopian! That does not mean that I won't seriously consider the right story that doesn't fit that bill. So, we'll see what happens!

With that said, I do think it is worth noting that Pitchfest is not a contest. I feel like it has accidentally been perceived that way, and I just want to make sure I am offering as much clarity as possible! Pitchfest is a way to make sure that the door is open for unagented authors to get their manuscripts in front of each of Bindery's tastemakers. Those manuscripts are being added to the stories we are already looking at. But as an imprint, we only have the resources and capacity to put out one or two books a year at this point. As our community grows, the goal is that we will be able to do more, but for now, that is where we are. So there is no guarantee that a manuscript will be chosen out of Pitchfest, as I have to look at _all _of the manuscripts coming across my computer.

For me specficially, I do not currently have any agented manuscripts I am looking at. But I do have unagented authors I have been eyeing since last Pitchfest, as well as authors I have intentionally pursued to see what they are working on, and I am looking at all of those works alongside what is submitted during Pitchfest.

I currently have some ideas for what I want to do for our Spring 2026 season (if you are subscribed at a publishing-level tier, be watching for that update soon), but I am still looking for something to potentially put out in the Fall season of 2026. I have a couple of manuscripts in my sights, but I am hoping that something truly next level comes my way during pitchfest. So I am really exited to dive in and see what shows up!

As for what this process is going to look like, like I said, it'll be a little different than last time!

Knowing that we received around forty submissions last pitchfest, when this imprint was only around two weeks old, I anticipate we may receive even more this time. So I am not going to commit to reading from every single manuscript like I did last Pitchfest. I feel much more confident in what I am looking for and feel that I'll have a pretty good idea if a story is moving in the direction of what I'm interested in from that pitch letter. So I will be reading all of the pitch letters and putting together a short list of stories that I want to take a look at. And then I will dive into those stories and see where they take me.

I imagine this is going to be a much shorter process than it was earlier this year, but I do intend to be very thorough and to give every manuscript it's fair shot! I am very passionate about creating a publishing space that is equitable for everyone, which means making sure that I am paying attention to the authors with the least amount of representation. So I won't rush this process. If there are forty stories pitched that fit the bill of what I'm looking for, then we're looking at forty manuscripts. And if it's five, then we're looking at five.

I will be sharing regular and detailed updates for everyone who is subscribed at an appropriate tier for that content, and will be opening my comment sections for your thoughts, feedback, questions, etc.

My hope is that between the manuscripts submitted during Pitchfest, the books I have been holding onto since the last pitchfest, and the stories I solicited from authors directly, we can find the perfect book for our Fall season!!!!

So how do you participate?

Make sure you are subscribed to at least the $5 tier. While the majority of my exclusive content is available to everyone, including my free tier, the publishing related content is only available to paying tiers due to the nature of this community. Those subscriptions help us fund the publishing process and, in turn, grant access to the process!

So if you would like to:

• Get regular updates
• Hear about the stories I'm reading
• Be able to offer your feedback
• Get early copies of our published works
• See your name in our future books

Make sure that you are subscribed to whatever paid tier has the perks you are specifically interested in!

For clarity, ALL paid tiers have access to publishing updates and the opportunity to offer feedback. But there are specific perks beyond that that are tier specific.

For $5 subscribers, you will get:

• an early e-copy of every book we publish

And for our $12 & $25 subscribers, we offer:

• an early physical copy
• a dedicated thank you page in every book where you will be mentioned by name

Once again, the goal with those tiers is to help offset the cost of publishing and to provide you the opportunity to take a more active role in creating the type of change you'd like to see. So if you have the capacity, resources and interest, please make sure you are subscribed at an appropriate tier so that we can create change together!

And now that we've got all of that out of the way... get ready, because Pitchfest is coming!!!!

Let me know in the comments if you're ready!!!!

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**If you are reading this because it was posted outside of Bindery, please take a moment to subscribe so that you have access to future exclusive content! You can do so for free, or you can join one of our paid tiers and take an active role in the publishing process! Either way, we want you to be a part of this community. Thank you for being here and I hope we get the opportunity to get to know you better! **