Are you one of the many writers out there with a finished manuscript, currently querying agents or publishers in an attempt to find it a home? If you are, you may already know about #PitDark, but if not you should definitely read on.
Like #PitMad, the other pitch event, #PitDark is a twice yearly querying frenzy on Twitter/X where agents and publishers look for the most interesting tweet pitches by us, the authors. The difference is that #PitDark is exclusively geared toward us freaks and weirdos who write material of a darker nature. Horror, thriller, mystery, crime, even fantasy, sci fi, and westerns if it’s dark, this is for you!
You are allowed to send out one tweet an hour per project you’re querying, between 8am and 8pm on the selected date (October 26). Then you wait. That’s it! If a publisher or agent is intrigued and wants to read more, they will favorite the tweet, and then it’s up to you to look up the person’s instructions on how to send them what they want. It’s a really unique opportunity to potentially get more eyes on your work, but you have to craft some really clever tweets if you want to grab their attention.
One of the unique aspects of #PitDark is the comps. As you may know, with traditional query letters you can only comp similar books. But with #PitDark you can comp any medium you want. For example, for my darkly comedic thriller Leeway (new title alert!), my comps are No Country for Old Men x Seven Psychopaths.
There is definitely a learning curve to crafting tweets for #PitDark. That’s why I thought I would let people know it’s coming up, because it can take some practice to get them right. There’s the hashtags, the pitch, the comps…all in the alloted number of characters! It’s more difficult than it sounds.
Here are a few of mine from the last #PitDark, back in May:
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN x SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
Ethically anemic repo man and deadbeat dad Jimmy Ray Day has screwed the pooch in spectacular fashion. Dallas to Bakersfield to Mexico, he now finds himself racing for Wichita to save his daughter from a vengeful lunatic #A #T #PitDark
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NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN X SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
A car dealer set on revenge
A grieving mother mad with bloodlust
A big oaf who’s just following orders
A tow truck driver—or is he?
An addict w/scores to settle
Jimmy Ray Day must outlast them all to save his daughter #PitDark #A #T
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NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN x SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
🔫 a hit gone wrong
🤠 a good ol’ boy out for revenge
🗡️ a mother w/bloodlust
🛻 a tow truck driver w/a hidden agenda
💉a junkie w/something to prove
Jimmy has to outwit or outlive them all to save his daughter #A #T #PitDark
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Now keep in mind, I didn’t get any love from agents on any of my pitches—I’m not saying these are especially good, just showing you different ways you can craft them.
Here is the link to the official #PitDark website: https://jasonhuebinger.com/pitdark/ It goes over all the rules in regard to formatting, hashtags to use for your genre, etc.
There are also a decent number of other writer websites that go into far more detail, and offer tips on how to create intriguing pitches. It’s worth it to do your due diligence and find some of those if you find yourself struggling to come up with captivating pitches.
While #PitDark is really just a crap shoot as to whether or not anyone will request to read your work, it’s pretty fun and a nice way to spend a day and maybe even network with other writers. If you have a finished manuscript and you want people to read it, get after it!
BooksofJobe.com 
Thanks, Mr. Jobe. I think I’m going to give this one a shot this year! Had never heard of it before.
It’s worth a shot! I had heard of it a long time ago but never had anything to query. It’s was a fun challenge to come up with such short pitches