Success Story: Carolina J. Gómez

We’re excited to share Carolina J. Gómez’s #LatinxPitch success story! The middle grade and young adult author answered some of our most pressing questions about her experience with #LatinxPitch and her amazing work, with which Carolina signed with an agent shortly after the #LatinxPitch 2021 event. Congratulations, Carolina!

1. Tell us a little bit about your experience with #LatinxPitch – where did you hear about the pitch event from, how did you feel the day of the event in terms of expectations, and how did the event lead you to sign with your agent?

I’ll never forget how #LatinxPitch got me my first ever full manuscript request. Before then, I felt as if my voice was drowning in a sea full of so many creative books and wonderful pitches. But #LatinxPitch created this space only for us, for Latinos! And that was perfect for agents who love our stories and wish to raise our voices as they have never been before. I like to say that Tricia (my agent) found ME. She fell in love with Milo (my character) and his culture and background before I even hit that send button to the query.

2. What was your recipe for the perfect pitch?

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I LOVE WRITING PITCHES. (So, if you are a querying writer, feel free to hit me up! I always love to help other writers with their pitches/queries! @seriouslywrite on Twitter!)

It’s all about the ✨hook✨ For my math people out there, think of it this way: WHO + WHY + HOW. If you cover these questions, you’ve got yourself a good structure. Keep it simple and clear, gente. Also, use comps if you can! They are very eye-catching and give a sense of your story right away.

For reference, here’s my pitch:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON x Avatar: LoA Finding missing pets is easy, right? 12yo Mexican Milo Martínez would say otherwise, especially when a girl from another world asks for help. An evil wizard is turning animals into monsters and only Milo can save them #LatinxPitch #MG #F #OWN

3. What would you say to Latinx writers who are querying?

Well, to start, please be my friend! I want to support your journey and lift your voices!

¡Amigxs! ¡Sigan luchando! The perfect agent for you is out there. It will take time, mental and emotional breakdowns, and a whole bunch of self-doubting, but it’s all going to be worth it when Latinx kiddos all around the world see your book at bookstores and find themselves represented on the pages. You WILL get there. Don’t be afraid to shelve a project, write the next thing, read more books. And reach out! You’ll find lots of help in the community! (Again, @seriouslywrite pa’ la banda.)

4. What does an event like this mean to you as a Latinx writer?

Is “everything” too obvious an answer? Because it honestly means that, everything! Whenever [I tell] someone I was born and raised in México and English is my second language, [it] puts me at a HUGE disadvantage with so many intelligent and eloquent writers out there. So, when I found out about #LatinxPitch I wanted to cry (of happiness). I felt like my voice might not be so small after all and that I am surrounded by an amazing Latino community. I am so thankful for this movement! And I can’t wait to share my stories with the world.

5. Finally, tell us what you can about your manuscript and the stories that you write!

I mostly write picture books right now. I write either really funny and adventurous MG books or very dark and deep YA books. The book that I got my agent with is called MILO MARTÍNEZ AND THE MISSING PETS, and as you read on the pitch above, it’s about a Mexican boy who searches for missing pets and accidentally gets caught up in an evil wizard’s plans to turn animals into monsters. It’s very voice-y, funny, and whimsical. Right now I’m also working on a YA Horror based in México that’s very spooky. My saying is that I write serious books. Because I do. Or do I?

Carolina J. Gómez is an author, Computer Science and Business student, and artist. She was born and raised in Monterrey, México but is currently lost in fictional worlds and novels, living vicariously through her characters and wondering the “What-if’s” of the real world.

When not writing, reading; and when reading, living.

Carolina J. Gómez is represented by Tricia Lawrence at EMLA

You can find Carolina on:

Twitter

Instagram

Preparing #LatinxPitch Submission Materials

LatinxPitch Submission Materials - Twitter Literary Pitch Event

You’ve saved the day to your calendar, you’ve finished your manuscript(s), but what else should you have ready before participating in #LatinxPitch?

A QUERY LETTER AND A SYNOPSIS

Most of—if not all of—the time you’ll need to submit a query letter with your manuscript sample pages. We recommend having a few people read and offer feedback to help you with a final version.

Although less commonplace, some agents might also want a synopsis, or a short version of a story outline that shows your character’s complete arc. Having one already handy that has also been read by a few people is also a good idea!

A WAY TO KEEP YOUR QUERIES ORGANIZED

If you’re participating as a writer looking for an agent, whether you get one like from agents or thirty, one easy (and free) way to keep track of requesting agents is to organize a folder on your desktop for the event. Inside of it, you can add a folder with the names of each requesting agent and add in copies of the materials they’ve requested. This will help keep varying requests separate from one another and help you avoid sending the wrong files. Having this type of filing system also allows you to keep track of who you’ve queried by color tagging files and folders and it gives you room to move agent folders around as you hear back. Even if you’re participating as an unagented writer, it’s also good to have a file that includes the names of any editors that interact with your pitch for the future!

A FULL MANUSCRIPT AND A 50-PAGE PARTIAL

Having these two files prepared before participating in #LatinxPitch can save you time later on—a full manuscript and a 50-page partial (the most common partial). Spruce up your manuscript files up by adding in a placeholder page for your query letter addressed to each requesting agent at the beginning of your file, making sure your pages are numbered, and ensuring that your manuscript uses standard fonts and colors (you can never go wrong with Times New Roman).

PREPARING AND SCHEDULING YOUR TWEETS

You’re allowed to pitch each manuscript once in the morning and once in the evening during #LatinxPitch. Like your query and synopsis, be sure to try to get feedback on your Tweets before sending them out to get the most out of your experience. Once you’ve finalized the two (per project), you can always use a scheduling tool like TweetDec k to have them ready to go on September 15^th if you won’t have time to send them out in real-time the day of.

Now that you have a good idea on what you might need after #LatinxPitch is over, make sure to join the community during our pitch practice day on Wednesday, September 1^st. Members of #LatinxPitch and the writing community at large will be able to offer comments on your Tweets, so be sure to take advantage of any chance to get feedback!

Rules to Participate in #LatinxPitch

LatinxPitch is around the corner! We hope you are preparing your pitches for September 15, 2021.

Here is a reminder of who can participate and how to participate.

ELEGIBILITY

All UNAGENTED and AGENTED Kidlit LATINX authors, author-illustrators, and illustrators are welcome to participate. Kidlit includes board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, graphic novels and young adult.
Anyone who self- identifies as Latinx with cultural ancestry in Latin-America is encouraged to participate. If you’re a bilingual Latinx creator not living in the US but are interested in publishing in this market, you are eligible to participate. If you are married to someone who is Latinx or your subject matter includes Latinx heritage, but you are NOT a self-identified Latinx creator, we ask you to refrain from participating in this specific event.
Latinx creators are welcome to submit any type of story or topic that falls under the Kidlit umbrella. There is no expectation that pitches should only cover Latinx themes as we fully recognize the diversity of talent, interests, and knowledge of our community. Our goal is to showcase these talents and promote Latinx expertise and skills to the wider community.
Agented authors and illustrators should check with their agents and agencies before the pitch.
If you’re an illustrator pitching work-for-hire/commissions include work samples from your portfolio and your topics of interest.

HOW

FOR WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Post your pitches using #latinxpitch from your personal Twitter account. You are not required to register for this event.
Add your genre #BB (board books) #PB (picture books) #CB (chapter book) #MG (middle grade) #GN (graphic novel) #YA (young adult) #Art to make it easier for agents and editors to find you.
Add a subgenre if desired: #AuthorIllustrator, #NF (Non-Fiction), #OWN (Own voices), #DIS (Disability), #Romance, #Fantasy, #LGTBIQ, #WFH (Work-for-hire)
Artists will use hashtag #Art and submit a link to their portfolio or 4 individual illustrations. You may mention what are your sources of inspiration or what kind of projects you are interested in working.
Agented authors and illustrators must include the hashtag #Editor to indicate they are looking for an editor and not an agent.
Pitch each manuscript/art project only ONCE in the morning and ONCE in the evening. Each project can have a total of two pitches during the event. Only pitch completed, unpublished manuscripts or samples of a complete proposal for artwork. Self-published projects are not eligible.
You can post up to 4 manuscripts/art proposals in the morning and 4 manuscripts/art proposals in the evening, for a total of 8 pitches during the day. You can only post the same project twice during the event.
Remember do not like fellow creator’s pitches. As a creator you can show your encouragement to work you like by commenting on pitches. We are looking for ONLY Agents and Editors to FAVORITE and RETWEET pitches. A retweet from an editor will be a signal for agents, they are looking for this specific type of project (#MSWL). A retweet means interest, a like means request.
Please note if an editor likes your pitch, but can accept ONLY agented submissions, do not submit your work directly to them. However, you can note their interest when querying agents.
If you receive interest from agents or editors accepting unagented submissions, we recommend you do your research before submitting. You have no obligation to submit your work if it’s not a right fit for you.

FOR AGENTS AND EDITORS

Please visit our event from 8 am to 8pm on September 15th. Writers will post up to 4 original pitches in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. The same project will be posted a max of 2 times.
Post your guidelines for submitting on your twitter page.
Please LIKE pitches you would like to request. Agented writers will use #agented as a hashtag. Unagented writers will not have that hashtag. If you prefer only agented submissions, you may RETWEET to signal agents you are interested. A retweet means interest, a like means a request.
We hope you find many voices to enrich your book lists and we appreciate you for opening a door to the Latinx community.

What’s a Twitter pitch?

A Twitter pitch is a short and catchy “what my book is about”. Think of it as an elevator pitch but with the word count constrains of Twitter. For our event, #LatinxPitch, you also need to leave room for hashtags for your genre (#PB, #CB, #MG, #GN, #YA) or if you are #Agented.

Quick tips:

Remember to add our hashtag #LatinxPitch either at the beginning or end of your tweet.
Your manuscript should be ready to go when you participate on this event. Sure, you could still polish it and make revisions, but the story has to be finished. We’re not pitching ideas, but complete manuscripts.
Write your pitch several days in advance and include hashtags to see how many characters you have. Twitter allows up to 280 characters including spaces.
You may want to use Twitterdeck to keep track of likes and retweets of your pitch. Learn more HERE
Polish your pitch and keep it simple. Your tweet should capture the heart of your story and present it in a compelling way.
When an agent or editor favorites your tweet, go to this person’s page and look for their guidelines for submission.
Keep in mind that even if an agent or editor picks your pitch, there’s no guarantee they will offer you a contract. But at least you would have a opportunity to show your work.
Have fun! Get to know other Latinx writers, follow their work, and if you can, buy their books (or request them at your library). Representation works only when we work actively towards it!