Author Intensive, March 27, 2027, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. (PT) - Industry Q&A and Virtual Pitch Roundtable
Mar 27, 2027 - Mar 28, 2027
Online event
Industry Q&A followed by Pitch Roundtables: Four industry professionals will take your questions. For an additional fee, you can then attend Zoom pitch roundtables, where you will have an opportunity to pitch your project to an editor and an agent.
Info
Q&A with
Alison Romig, Editor, Delacorte
Alma Gomez Martinez, Editor, Simon & Schuster
Michaela Whatnall, Agent, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, LLC
Vicky Weber, Agent, Creative Media Agency
Schedule
9:00 to 9:10: Announcements
9:10-10:00: Panel Q&A with audience questions
10:00-10:10: Instructions for the pitches
10:10-10:20: Break, and go to first pitch Zoom room
10:20-11:20: First round of pitches
11:20-11:30: Break, and go to second pitch Zoom room
11:30-12:30: Final round of pitches
We will send a Constant Contact email with the Zoom access link to attendees on the Thursday before the event. The Zoom access link will also be displayed on each member's homepage under "My Events." On the Tuesday after the event, we will send a Constant Contact email with the recording link and any applicable submission guidelines.
Alma Gomez Martinez, Assitant Editor, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Alma Gomez Martinez joined Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2022 and supports Alexa Pastor and Sarah Barley as an Assistant Editor. She graduated with a BA in English language and literature and an MS in Publishing from Pace University. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado in a tight-knit Chicano community, Alma is passionate about championing underrepresented authors and stories. She finds herself drawn to fun and fantasy-filled stories, especially ones that make kids forget that they’re learning something new about the world.
Alma Gomez Martinez Critique Preferences
Young adult and middle grade fiction, fantasy, horror, and coming-of-age stories. Please avoid historical fiction, grief books, and contemporary romance.
Alison Romig, Editor at Delacorte Press and Delacorte Romance
Alison Romig is an Editor at Delacorte Press and Delacorte Romance. She started her publishing career and RHCB in 2018. She edits both middle grade and young adult fiction and likes to say she exists on two ends of the spectrum from scary to swoony—focusing mostly on horror, romance, fantasy, and any blend of those genres. She has edited New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today bestselling, and award-winning novels. Originally from Virginia, she currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Alison Romig, Critique Preferences
YA and MG horror, fantasy, romance, and thrillers (genres).
Michaela Whatnall, Literary Agent with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Michaela Whatnall is a literary agent with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, where they have worked out of the agency’s West Coast office since 2019. Michaela received a degree from Emory University in English and linguistics, completed the Columbia Publishing Course, and has experience in school & library marketing, bookselling, and reviewing for trade publications. In 2023, Michaela was named a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. They are most strongly interested in finding middle grade and young adult projects of all genres; upmarket adult fiction; and grounded fantasy. Michaela is also open to select adult romance; narrative nonfiction for both children and adults; graphic novels; and picture books.
Michaela Whatnall, Critique Preferences
I am accepting all genres within children’s literature.