Pitches
"From Here to Eternity"
EDITOR/AGENT APPOINTMENTS
These pitch appointments offer a unique opportunity to pitch your completed manuscript in person to the editor or agent of your choice. Five-minute individual appointments will be scheduled on Friday and Saturday, August 12 and 13, although not all editors and agents are available on both days. To request a pitch appointment, you must be registered for conference (Sat/Sun) and have a completed manuscript ready for submission.
COMPLETE ONE REQUEST/BOOKING FORM ONLY.
You can request extra pitches by checking the boxes in the "if my first choice is unavailable" section. Whether they're successful will depend on supply and demand. We have a record number of editors and agents taking pitches, but also a record number of registrants. Our first priority is providing one pitch opportunity for everyone. If there are slots open with your other requested editor(s), you may be allocated more than one appointment.
Friday afternoon:
- Amy Thomas, Penguin
- Jeanmarie Morosin, Penguin
- Annette Barlow, Allen and Unwin
- Lucy Gilmour, Harlequin Mills & Boon, UK
- Angela James, Carina Press
- Erika Tsang, Avon
- Kristin Nelson, The Nelson Agency
Saturday morning:
- Clare Forster, Curtis Brown Australia
- Erika Tsang, Avon
- Bernadette Foley, Hachette
- Belinda Byrne, Penguin
- Kristin Nelson, The Nelson Agency
- Lucy Gilmour, Harlequin Mills & Boon, UK
Saturday afternoon:
- Annette Barlow, Allen and Unwin
- Ali Watts, Penguin
- Beverley Cousins, Random House
- Lucy Gilmour, Harlequin Mills & Boon, UK
- Kristin Nelson, The Nelson Agency
- Erika Tsang, Avon
Please note: Times may be subject to change but you will be notified
as soon as possible if this is the case.
Clare Forster, Curtis Brown Australia
Now a Melbourne-based literary agent with leading agency Curtis Brown
Australia, Clare is a former book publisher of many years' experience.
She has worked for Penguin and Harper Collins and began her career
with University of Queensland Press. She has worked with authors on
successful books in many genres of fiction, and particularly enjoys
mainstream commercial women's fiction.
Please note: For those scheduled to meet with Clare, a blurb, headshot, synopsis/outline and first 30 pages need to be emailed to the pitch coordinator no later than 22nd July.
Erika
Tsang, Avon
Executive Editor Erika Tsang had a bright idea when she joined Avon
in 2002: let’s add paranormal romance to the list! She scooped
up Lynsay Sands, Kerrelyn Sparks, and Jeaniene Frost while no one
was looking, and now they appear regularly on the national bestsellers
lists. But historicals are still her first love, and she continues
to work with such stars as Suzanne Enoch, Laura Lee Guhrke, and Beverly
Jenkins. She would like to add more paranormal and historical romances
to her list, as well as ethnic titles and high concept women’s
fiction.
Annette
Barlow, Allen and Unwin
Annette Barlow has worked in the publishing industry for over 25 years,
in bookshops, in sales, in editorial and for over 10 years as a publisher.
Her list comprises fiction titles including the internationally successful
Kate Morton, the intriguing collection of romance stories, How do
I Love Thee? edited by Valerie Parv and wonderful newcomers like Tess
Evans' The Book of Lost Threads. Her non-fiction titles include Valerie
Parv's very popular romance writing guide, Heart and Craft and the
stunningly romantic memoirs from Marlena de Blasi, the first being
A Thousand Days in Venice.
Ali
Watts, Penguin Australia
Ali Watts started her publishing career as a teenager, as `photocopy
kid' at Penguin Books. She went on to work part-time as Administrative
Assistant to the Design Department, while completing her BA in English
Literature at Melbourne University. She then transferred to the Adult
Publishing department as Editorial Assistant, and enrolled in RMIT's
Graduate Diploma in Editing and Publishing.
Penguin took her on as a Trainee Editor, then over the past eighteen years she has worked her way through the ranks from Editor to Senior Editor, Managing Editor and finally to her present role as Associate Publisher on the Michael Joseph list. She now specialises in commercial women's fiction, working with authors such as Monica McInerney, Rachael Treasure, Gretel Killeen, Fiona McIntosh and Katherine Scholes.
Belinda Byrne, Penguin Australia
Belinda Byrne is a commissioning editor at Penguin Australia specialising
in women’s commercial fiction. She can’t imagine another
job as creative and rewarding as working with talented authors as
they build their writing careers. Belinda has had the privilege and
pleasure of working closely with bestselling authors such as Rachael
Treasure, Katherine Scholes, Kerry McGinnis, Andrea Mayes, Lee Tulloch,
and Kate Veitch, and is delighted to be introducing new voices like
Mandy Magro and Cathryn Hein to a broad Australian audience.
Bernadette
Foley, Hachette Australia
Bernadette Foley is a publisher of adult fiction and non-fiction at
Hachette Australia. She started working in book publishing in 1985,
and has been with Hachette for almost seven years. She has also worked
in-house at Pan Macmillan, UQP, Allen& Unwin, HarperCollins, and
as a freelance editor for most of the leading trade publishers. With
Dr John Dale she established the Graduate Certificate in Editing and
Publishing at the University of Technology, Sydney, and was a member
of the Australia Council/APA committee that set up the Residential
Editorial Program for mid-career editors. She was a recipient of the
Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship, which gave her to opportunity
to work with publishers in New York and was later on the selection
panel for this fellowship. Among the authors she publishes are Bronwyn
Parry, Helene Young, Gabrielle Lord, William McInnes, Lian Hearn,
and Phillipa Fioretti. Bernadette loves stories that you can dive
into and swim around in.
Angela
James, Carina Press
Executive editor of Carina Press, Harlequin's digital-first press,
Angela James is a well-known advocate for digital publishing. James
has enjoyed a long and varied publishing career that has included
ownership of an independent editorial services business, work as a
copy editor for electronic book and small press publisher, Ellora's
Cave, and executive editor for Samhain Publishing. James frequently
travels to regional, national and international writing conferences
to meet with authors and readers, and present workshops on digital
publishing for both authors and readers of all genres of fiction.
Amy
Thomas, Penguin Australia
Amy Thomas has worked in publishing for eleven years and is Senior
Editor in the Books for Children and Young Adults at Penguin Books.
She has worked with authors such as Melina Marchetta, Alison Lester,
Kirsty Eagar, Sofie Laguna and Isobelle Carmody, to name a few.
Jeanmarie
Morosin, Penguin Australia
Jeanmarie is the Executive Editor at Penguin Books for Children and
Young Adults. Before joining Penguin, Jeanmarie was a Senior Editor
for Harper Collins Children's Books in New York. Jeanmarie has also
worked for ABC Books for Children, Allen & Unwin and Random House
in Australia.
Kristin
Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency
Kristin Nelson established the Nelson Literary Agency in 2002 and
in the short time since has sold over a 100 books to all the major
publishers. She has landed several film deals and has contracted foreign
rights on behalf of her clients in many territories. Kristin specializes
in representing commercial fiction (mainstream, women's fiction, romance,
science fiction, fantasy, young adult & middle grade) and literary
fiction with a commercial bent. Clients include New York Times, USA
Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling authors such as Ally Carter,
Jamie Ford, Gail Carriger, Simone Elkeles, Courtney Milan, and RITA-award
winners Sherry Thomas and Linnea Sinclair. Website: www.nelsonagency.com
Blog: http://pubrants.blogspot.com.
Lucy
Gilmour, Harlequin Mills & Boon
Lucy Gilmour is an Editor for Harlequin Mills & Boon, works in
their London office and is acquiring for all M&B lines. Lucy joined
Harlequin six years ago after finishing her classics degree and spending
two years working in the French Alps, perfecting the skills every
editor needs; extensive wine-tasting knowledge, learning the language
of love...and chatting to (ok, serving drinks to) impossible gorgeous
Mediterranean men! She acquires across all of the UK acquired series
giving her the chance to work with some of her favourite heroes -
the Alpha males of Mills & Boon Sexy and Sweet, the devilishly
handsome doctors of Medicals and Mills & Boon Historical's Regency
Rakes!
Beverley
Cousins, Random House
Before moving to Australia with her family in 2007, Beverley Cousins
had twenty years' experience of London publishing (first for Pan Macmillan
and then Penguin Books UK). Following a year's secondment with Penguin
Australia, she moved to Random House Australia as Fiction Publisher.
During her career, she has published a number of brand-name authors,
including Minette Walters, Colin Dexter and Janet Evanovich, and currently
looks after bestselling authors Judy Nunn and Susan Duncan, among
others.
Requests for pitches will be available online from 9 am, 16th May
at http://www.romanceaustralia.com/conferencerego/pitches.asp.
Pitch registration will close 30th June or earlier if places are filled.
Everyone who requests a session will be notified closer to the date
of the conference.
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