The New York Pitch Conference is the only writers' conference focused entirely on pitching novel-length manuscripts to acquisition editors from major publishing houses in New York. Founded by author and editor Michael Neff, the conference is held four times a year in New York, New York and consists of novel diagnosis and pitch creation. The event is led by workshop leaders including Paula Munier, Caitlin Alexander, and Susan Breen. Editors come from such distinguished publishing houses as Random House and Penguin Putnam, among many others.
The New York Pitch Conference promotes nascent authors working in the genres of commercial and literary fiction, serious and light women's fiction, historical fiction, mystery/thriller and detective, high-concept young adult, as well as memoir and narrative nonfiction. Four times a year in New York City (March, June, Sept., Dec.) this conference takes place.
Prior to the start of the pitch conference, writers are given several advanced writing and plotting assignments that enable them to focus on those specific fiction elements that make for a successful commercial novel, especially one that will attract the attention of editors and agents. On the heels of these assignments, writers are then able to write a stronger pitch because they have a stronger novel on which to base it.