Pitch:
FACTS:
- Ria hasn’t danced Kathak since her dad passed away.
- She’s struggling to impress her school’s western dance team.
- Her mom just planned a trip to Bangalore, India, during competition season.
LIE:
- Ria tells her team she’s going abroad for a prestigious dance solo.
FATE:
- Ria’s flight seats her next to extremely cute, only slightly infuriating film student Kabir—who’s looking to feature a dancer in a short-film competition.
PROBLEMS:
- The dance must be Kathak.
- Ria is definitely going to fall for Kabir.
- All they have is fourteen days.
Excerpt:
My feet glide along the floor as I look at myself in the mirrored wall, my breathing uneven. Music echoes around the room as I dance, almost in autopilot. I frown. Something feels off.
So I close my eyes, letting my mind drift to another time: eight years ago. That always helps.
In my mind, I’m moving freely, floating on air. I’m the only one on stage, and I can see Mamma and Baba smiling at me from the audience as I leap around, performing the same movements I’ve rehearsed over and over for the last few weeks. I’m moving. My heart is thumping. I feel free.
I open my eyes, and I’m back in my stuffy high school dance room. I’m eighteen now. I’m still dancing. Not kathak, contemporary. I’m not the only one on stage anymore; there are ten of us. I tell myself that it doesn’t matter. I’m still moving. We are all moving in sync, our bodies flowing and rising and contracting and sinking together, the movements smooth, soft, and powerful all at once. It’s perfect.
Until it’s not.
I trip, bumping into Juliana, who gives a reassuring smile. It’s minuscule. If I were on stage, the audience wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Hailey Johnson, the team captain, does.
Dear Rishika,
I love your pitch!! Your novel sounds amazing, and like the read-in-one-sitting Romance we all need at the moment. I also enjoyed reading your Pitch Wars interview. I’d love to take a look at your full manuscript, if you’re interested in sharing it with me? I’m at andreasubmissions (@) writershouse.com. (We just ask that creators select one Writers House agent to query at a time.) In any case, congrats on being at this place in the Pitch Wars process! It was a pleasure to see your wonderful pitch for WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE BANGALORE.
All best,
Andrea Morrison
Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars! I’d love to read more. Please send your query + full manuscript + synopsis to Lauren@triadaus.com, and put “PW Request” in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you! ~Lauren Spieller
Hi Rishika! Uh, this sounds amazing. I would love to read WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE BANGALORE. If you’re interested in submitting to me, I’d love for you to send me your query and the full manuscript to tara@emliterary.com. Just mention Pitch Wars in the subject. Thanks so much! Tara Gonzalez (Agent at Erin Murphy Literary Agency)
Hi Rishika!
This sounds like the cutest and most heart-wrenching story. I completely understand the pull and healing power of dance, as well as the cattiness it can bring into our lives. I love this concept, and your voice is beautiful! I’d love to read your full manuscript, if you wouldn’t mind sending it to me. This link will lead you to my Query Manager, where you can upload your query, synopsis, and full manuscript: QueryManager.com/KellyPeterson/PitchWars
Wishing you the best of luck, and hoping to see your manuscript! =)
Warm Regards,
Kelly Peterson
Rees Literary Agency
Hello there! Your pitch is very cute. I love dancing and would like to see your material.
Please send 3 chapters and an outline/synopsis plus letter to
jenniferweis@rossyoon.com
Thanks and looking forward to reading.
Hi Rishika, I very much enjoyed your excerpt, and I would love to read your work. Please feel free to email me the complete MS at jrudoph@dystel.com. That said, if any other agents from Dystel requested the MS as well, please approach the person you feel might be the best fit and/or notify us of other requests in agency, and we’ll work out on our end. Thanks, Rishika!
All best,
John
Rishika,
Your pitch and pages really caught my attention and I’m excited to see more. If you would like to submit to me, please send the first three chapters, short bio and synopsis in Word format to shannon@cmalit.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Good luck in the Pitch Wars!
Shannon Snow
CMA, Inc. Literary Agent
Hello! I’d like to see more of this! If you’re interested, please send me your query + first 25 pages with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line to symondsqueries@thebentagency.com. (If more than one agent from The Bent Agency requests materials, feel free to send to all of us–just let us know. Thank you!) Looking forward to reading more!
Hi Rishika,
This sounds fantastic! I would love to read your manuscript. Please send to querytamar@contextlit.com, making sure to write Pitch Wars Request in the subject line.
Thank you!
Tamar
Hi, I’d love to see more! Please feel free to send your query and first 50 pages to Ameerah@serendipitylit.com
I’d be delighted to consider this. Please see submission guidelines here: https://www.contextlit.com/submissions under Kaitlyn Sanchez, and please put PITCH WARS REQUEST and your genre and title in the subject line of the email. Thanks for sharing your work!
Hi Rishika,
I would love to read more of this! If you’d like to, you can upload the full manuscript following this link: QueryManager.com/ElisaHouot/PitchWars You can specify « Pitch Wars » in the reference line. If more than one agent of The Seymour Agency have requested material, please send to only one first, we have a one-agent-at-a-time policy! I look forward to reading your material! Elisa
Please send the full manuscript to submissions@birchpathliterary.com
Thank you.
Warmly,
Alyssa Henkin.
Dear Rishika,
I’ve reviewed your pitch for WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE BANGALORE and am intrigued by your excerpt. Please send your full manuscript in Word or PDF format to me at victoria@hgliterary.com and copy my reader at gabry@hgliterary.com. We look forward to reading your work.
Thank you,
Victoria Wells Arms
Hi Rishika! This sounds so good! I would love to request the full manuscript. If you’d like to send it my way, please upload it here: QueryManager.com/AlexandraWeiss/PitchWars2021
Alexandra Weiss (she/her)
Azantian Literary Agency