New York Write to Pitch Conference 2023 - Paula Munier's Group

[EditorAdmin]

Dear Writers,

For those in Paula Munier's group, please tell us what you experienced and how it changed your novel and pitch as well--assuming this was the case.  

Thank you!

Admin

[ldhawke]

I was in Paula Munier's June 2023 group with about 16 other people writing mainly thriller/mystery/suspense, but also narrative nonfiction, women's fiction and historical fiction. The most valuable thing I left with was the ability to pitch my novel in a clear, succinct and commercial manner, which I was completely unable to do before the conference. The amount of feedback from Paula and encouragement from the group was amazing, and I learned so much about both pitching and publishing. Paula is an excellent instructor with so much industry experience and knowledge, so working with her was extremely valuable. I'm grateful for the experience and now planning to finish revisions and query this year, thanks to the input from the workshop.

[Guest Sue Leddy]

     I was also with Paula, 6.2023.  My experience was phenomenal.  Paula loves what she does and it shows in her enthusiasm. She brought with her so much knowledge and experience, and delivered it in such a positive way that I truly believe everyone in our group is a better writer for it.  I throughly enjoyed each and every person in our group.  Their support was genuine and encouraging.  I feel we all came away with a better understanding of the industry and a real solid pitch, making us all that much closer to becoming published authors. .  I can’t express how amazed I was at the way you presented the process, joys and pitfalls a writer will face while reaching the goal of becoming a published author, and all I could think to myself was, BRING IT!  And for that, I will be forever grateful as I continue writing, rewriting and then rewriting some more.

[Guest Cindy Berry]

Paula made the conference an extremely valuable experience. I believe everyone in our group benefited from her practical expertise and thoughtful insights. She kept it real and gave it to us straight, which I greatly appreciated. When you’re going for the brass ring, you simply can’t underestimate the value of learning from someone who has already been there and done that. Paula knows the publishing industry and taught us how to speak the language. She answered an endless stream of questions and seemed genuinely interested in helping us become pitch masters in the publishing universe. 

[Christopher]

      Paula Munier is clearly experienced in the written arts, and has a gift for channeling that knowledge toward coaching and orienting hopeful writers. Paula may be firm in her advice, but she sweetens the medicine with doses of clear logic and insight, and I trusted her judgement. What’s more, Paula is a likable individual, and I am a better writer for having made her acquaintance. May she be well paid for her efforts.

      Our group was composed of kind and patient writers who, by and large, sustained the rhythm and pace of daily sessions by listening attentively to the discussions and keeping opinions to themselves. These were people truly making the effort to absorb and assimilate the expertise to which they were being exposed. Let’s hope they all continue with their work and gain success.

      Overall, I was very pleased with this conference. The experience was more workshop and hands on than a mere lecture series. Taking NY Write to Pitch seriously, jumping into the pre-event assignments, persevering through hours and hours of hands-on exercises, four days of pitching, re-working and re-pitching, and getting a sense of validation, made this conference a VERY good value for the money. The whole experience was well worth the price.

[David Stoddard]

Paula made the conference valuable for writers who are serious about getting published.  She has a pleasant demeanor and genuine interest in helping each writer succeed.  The feedback was candid and to the point from Paula and other faculty members with vast publishing backgrounds and insight.  It was both a worthwhile challenge and a delight to be part of our June 2023 NYWP group comprised of dedicated writers.  They made my experience enjoyable.  Many thanks to all who put together such a terrific conference.

[R. A. Savary]

This conference experience was nothing short of an awakening for me. Without a doubt, being part of Paula Munier’s pitch workshop was the impetus for this awakening. Her ability to retrieve and simplify the crucial elements of the stories we presented and to maintain those details, sometimes referring to them again when discussing other writers’ works—not only in the same session but throughout the conference—was impressive; this aptitude turned the fixed credentials and inert titles of her bio into vibrant action that conveyed her experience as an editor and her empathy with us as a fellow writer.

The session with Paula and Brendan Deneen was especially crucial in exposing critical flaws with my POV, protagonist and antagonist issues, and other necessary details for my pitch and within the story, which I realized in sharing with others later, I had tried to ignore or otherwise mask.

One of the recurring things I shared with the other was that in the past, whenever I have had to make major revisions to my story, I’ve been angered and deterred from moving on, whereas now, after discovering I have even more intensive revisions to make, I am excited and filled with new energy.

In hindsight, looking at the rewriting process of my novel, my progress and lack of, it was as if an unforeseen dark power forbade me to make necessary changes to the integral parts of my story. As a fellow writer shared it’s like I’d been spinning my wheels.

In summary, it should have been obvious but after participating in the conference, I don’t think I had fully realized how important my pitch was to my story, and maybe, my story to the pitch. I like to think of myself as frugal but in reality, I can be quite stingy—this conference was money well spent.

[Sydney Salter]

I learned so much from the pitching process over a series of days (and revisions). The feedback was substantial, unlike other pitch events I've attended. The homework ahead of time had already pinpointed weak spots in my story and the workshop helped me with my pitch. I also appreciated the camaraderie among our group and the welcoming tone set by Paula. I was able to ask all my silliest questions! And Paula had all the answers

[Lee L.]

Before the conference, I was seriously considering not going, because I dislike transatlantic travel and had recently been reading far too much Lucretius. I feared it would be an unphilosophical waste of time that would leave me drained and jetlagged.

Still, I'm so glad I did. I found the workshop to be extraordinarily helpful. In particular, she helped me identify the more interesting themes which needed to be brought out more clearly in the pitch. Her clear grasp of the publishing industry and kind willness to answer all my questions, no matter how absurd or minor, was also greatly appreciated. Her honesty regarding the world of publishing was so extraordinarily helpful. She actually cares about writers and writing.

[Alexander Muka]

I had queried agents before attending the NYC Write to Pitch Conference and looking back on it...my attempts were laughable. Without the knowledge and feedback from Paula I would still be hopelessly querying agents wondering what the hell I was doing. If I do ever get published it will 100% be because I attended this conference. She not only took the time to help dial in each attendees query, she was also filled with knowledge of the entire publishing industry I was completely ignorant of. It was also eye opening to talk about my story out loud, to see other writer's/agent's reactions and feedback, and gameplan moving forward with my manuscript. I highly recommend attending this conference if you are serious about getting published. The experience was invaluable. 

[Annie Oswald]

After oceans of conflicting feedback and a couple dozen unsuccessful queries, I knew I needed what the NY Pitch was offering: no BS. Attending was the best thing I’ve done on my query journey thus far. Paula’s expert knowledge of the publishing world, the generous way she dumped all the contents of her industry brain onto us, as well as her unwavering enthusiasm in each and every moment she had with us made this an invaluable experience. Meeting and connecting with the wonderful writers in my group who are smiling and slogging through the same process was the cherry on top of the already extremely fruitful cake.