Working on something special?

Local writers are invited to pitch their first page to literary agents during Cork World Book Fest, which welcomes Irish and international writers to Cork for an extravaganza of books and writing this April.

The organisers have run the successful First Page Pitch event for several years and are asking writers to submit their work for consideration.

A panel of expert book lovers will choose ten of the submissions for the authors to read out loud for feedback from their agents (or if you’re shy, Sam Blake will read them).

‘You never know what will happen’

“It is incredibly useful to hear pitches and the openings of books and what the agents think of them. Even if your work isn’t selected to be read, it’s also a great opportunity to tune in to perfect your own approach, find out what works and what doesn’t!” said Patricia Looney, Senior Executive Librarian at Cork City Libraries.

“You also never know what will happen as a result – Olivia Hope pitched at our festival a few years ago and she’s now a published author.”

The readings and feedback will take place on Saturday, April 27th at Cork City Library, Grand Parade.

To submit, email as an attachment a two-line/50-word pitch describing your book and the first 500 words of your book via this link.

The closing date for submissions is 5pm Friday, March 23rd, 2024 so get scribbling any last-minute edits pronto.