A: For the Annual Contest, you will receive an editorial letter (or equivalent) and consultation (via whatever means of communication the editor and author agree upon). The editor will also help the author prepare their query letter edit and first five pages for the winner showcase.
Any additional edits will be up to the author's and editor's discretion and follow a mutually agreed upon timeline.
A: Only one submission per entrant is allowed.
A: Yes! If you've won another contest or one of our mini events, you are eligible to submit to our Annual Contest. However, past Annual Contest Grand Prize winners cannot enter again for two years after they've won, and it cannot be with the same manuscript.
A:
A: Winners can still pitch their manuscripts while working with editors. If they receive requests, they'll just need to let the agents know they're revising and will send the manuscripts as soon as they're done.
A: Yes, you can still enter manuscripts that have fulls out with agents. Be sure to note that under Manuscript History on the submission form. If they are chosen for the contest, they'll just need to let the agents know they're revising and will send the manuscripts as soon as they're done.
A: There is no longer a cap on submissions! All of your chosen editors will receive your submission. However, we no longer guarantee that the editor will read your submission.
A: Your query letter & first five pages, full manuscript, and synopsis will be uploaded to our submission form in SEPARATE documents. (Accepted file formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf.)
Query letter and first five pages in ONE document:
Full manuscript:
Synopsis:
If you need a visual example of formatting for the Annual Contest, take a look at our submission form example, query and first pages formatting sample, synopsis formatting sample, and full manuscript formatting sample.
A: We have a query article about this from RevPit editor Kyra Nelson.
A: Here’s a query bio article that goes into detail. If you don’t have any writing credits, just a few short sentences about yourself are preferred.
A: No more than 1500 words, please.
A: This synopsis how-to post by former RevPit editor Kaitlyn Johnson explains what should go into your synopsis. Editors might not provide feedback on your synopsis. They mainly need it to see the plot and character development in your manuscript.
A: Check out this logline writing article by Becca Puglisi to learn what a logline is and how to write it! Or check out Essentials for Writers: Loglines by our own Jeni Chappelle
A: This word count post explains industry standards for word count. If your word count is too high or too low, it won’t disqualify you, but that is one element the editors might take into consideration.
A: Yes! 750 characters per question. Please note that characters includes punctuation and spaces.
A: The editors will not request additional materials. Authors will not hear from the editors until winner announcements have been made.
A: In 2020 and 2021, we paired with Tessera Editorial to bring mentees from that program on to #RevPit to shadow our editors and gain experience with evaluating submissions and going through a slush pile. While we aren’t pairing with them for the 2024 Annual Contest, we plan on doing so again. We do continually pair with them for our 10Queries mini events. In their own words, "Tessera Editorial was founded on the idea that publishing can and should be an accessible industry to all people. Through myriad diverse voices in the profession, we hope to open the world of books to as many readers as possible." Learn more about them on the Tessera Editorial website!
A: Editor wish lists will be available soon with their bios on the Editors page, so do your research before the submission window opens. If you’re looking for clarification on what a specific editor is looking for, stop by during their #MeetTheEditor sessions on our Subreddit or @ them using the #RevPit tag on other social media.
We also have an accessible spreadsheet that breaks down which age categories and genres the editors are accepting to help you narrow down your choices. You can access the Editor MSWL spreadsheet here.
A: This gives everyone the best shot of being seen by their first choice of editor. With fewer editor selections, authors can focus on the most compatible options.
A: Editors who are also agents are not allowed to request or represent authors through the annual contest. #RevPit has selected our annual contest editors on the basis of their freelance editing background and not their role as an agent. For authors submitting to any agents, #RevPit recommends vetting each agent’s credentials and experience.
A: If you have a pre-existing personal or client/editor relationship with any of our editors, you are not permitted to submit to that editor.
A pre-existing client/editor relationship is defined as an ongoing editorial contract for developmental editing or having worked on a developmental edit/full manuscript critique for the manuscript you're submitting. A personal relationship is defined as family and close friends.
Having previously engaged with an editor on social media, in other events, or on small projects will not disqualify an author from submitting to that editor, nor will it give you preferential treatment. All winners are determined by their submission materials.
A: #10Queries sessions are when editors will post anonymous feedback on some of the submissions they’ve received on our Subreddit. For more information on #10Queries, check out our past 10Queries.
A: #10Queries sessions will take place on our Subreddit between the submission window and the winner announcements. Watch the #RevPit subreddit for updates on when editors will post their #10Queries feedback.
A: All editors will send feedback to the authors they used for #10Queries but are not required to send feedback to any other authors. Any feedback will be sent via email to the email the authors specified in the form. As this contest is very labor-intensive, some editors may take some time to get back to you. Try not to worry!
A: Winners will be announced on the Showcase page of our site as well as on our Subreddit. Editors will then email their authors to begin the editing process!
A: Yes, all editors are available for hire, but their availability and pricing vary. Reach out directly.
A: Previous winners and runners up, mostly. Beyond that, First Readers are from the community and have publishing experience. There’s a whole process that also involves a test and training. First Readers can’t enter the annual contest.
A: The First Readers will ONLY have access to the first five pages and query letter, content warnings, genre, and age category sections. They may have access to any personal information that is included in the query letter, so feel free to remove your contact information from the query letter if you aren't comfortable with the first readers seeing this (editors will get this info from the submission form). Your name will be attached to these files, so the entries will not be anonymous.
A: First Readers score the first five pages based on a few categories that they’ve been trained in. Queries are only used for context and are not graded. Each submission is seen by two first readers. They look for writing style, voice, and connection to characters. First Readers provide feedback that helps organize and flag any concerns, but can’t “eliminate” any submisions. The editor will always have access to all submissions directed at them. With the sub cap now gone, this helps editors immensely. Like having highly skilled PAs!
A: We don’t share the scores at all out of respect to our First Readers. Every submission gets two First Readers. Sometimes the scores vary widely.
A: Check out our First Reader page to learn more. If we are open for applications there will be a form to fill out, otherwise email reviseresub @ gmail. com expressing your interest, and we’ll reach out next time we are looking.
A: We want the submission process to be as accessible as possible. We are happy to make accommodations due to disability, religion, or other special circumstances that create a significant barrier to submitting.
We want RevPit to remain a safe space. No author will be discriminated against due to a need for accommodations. Please email us at reviseresub@gmail.com to discuss your needs.
A: We want the submission process to be as accessible as possible. We are happy to make accommodations due to disability, religion, or other special circumstances that create a significant barrier to submitting.
A: In order to make the contest as accessible as possible, we are willing to work with any author to find a helpful solution. We want RevPit to remain a safe space. No author will be discriminated against due to a need for accommodations.
Some previous examples include:
Please note that accommodations are not limited to the above. We are willing to work with you to find the best solution for you
A: Yes definitely! We do not want the 8 week timeframe to be a barrier to submitting. Our editors are willing to work with you to create a schedule that works for both of you.
Currently, the Annual Contest 8 week timeframe only applies to: receiving an editorial letter (or equivalent) from the editor and having a consultation (via whatever means of communication editor and author agree upon), as well as the editor helping the author prepare a query letter and first five pages for the winner showcase (this may include notes, ideas, line edits, etc.).
Any additional edits will be up to the author's and editor's discretion and follow a mutually agreed upon timeline.
A: We also have an accessible spreadsheet that breaks down which age categories and genres the editors are accepting to help you narrow down your choices. You can access the Editor MSWL spreadsheet here.
If you need further aid, please let us know!
A: Please email the board at reviseresub@gmail.com to discuss your needs.
Please include:
We want RevPit to remain a safe space. No author will be discriminated against due to a need for accommodations.
A: #RevPit is a contest where winning authors receive developmental edits on their full fiction manuscripts from professional editors, ensuring their works are polished and ready for the next step on their publishing journey. Authors will be immersed in a supportive community of their peers and have the chance to learn more about how their story fits into the industry and why different edits matter and how to continue practicing them in the future.
A: RevPit prides itself on our extensive vetting program. Each of our editors have gone through several rounds of evaluation to ensure they meet industry standards. To meet our editors, please visit the editors page.
A: All winning manuscripts will take part in our Showcase event, where you can peruse sample pages and author information. Click here to view the Showcase. The Showcase will remain live for three months.
A: In order to officially request additional material, all agents and acquiring editors must use the form located at the bottom of each showcase entry. All requests will then be forwarded to the writers in question. Please note that not all manuscripts will be complete as of the showcase.
We at #RevPit know that competition can be fierce, but we ask that each participating agent and acquiring editor adhere to the request process. Our winners are encouraged to share the links to their showcase material on social media. If you ‘like’ an entry on social media, please be sure to request via the form on the official showcase page for that individual author. We can’t ensure that the author in question will interpret your ‘like’ as an official request.
Further Information: If you would like to keep updated on all #RevPit events, please follow our Substack for important information. If you have additional questions, feel free to email the Board at: reviseresub (at) gmail (dot) com
#RevPit Code of Conduct
This code of conduct applies to community members, First Readers, and editors, both online (including but not limited to email, Reddit, X/Twitter (including direct messages), #RevPit community Slack groups, and other social media, and in-person (if applicable).
Authors submitting to the Annual Contest retain all rights to their work. Participating editors, First Readers, and mentees (if applicable) agree to maintain confidentiality with respect to all materials submitted and will not share it with others without the author’s consent.
#RevPit is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, national origin, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, and sex-stereotyping), age, disability (including mental and physical health, neurotypical status, body size, genetic information), parental status, marital status, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, physical appearance, or clothing.
We do not tolerate harassment of community members in any form. Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to the protected classes, calling attention to differences related to protected classes, questioning another author’s #OwnVoices status, belittling or intimidating statements, stalking, sustained disruption of another party’s communications, and unwelcome sexual attention. Harassment does not need to be recognized as unwanted or unwelcome by anyone other than the person being harassed.
Be mindful of the words that you choose. Exclusionary jokes can be offensive to those around you. Offending behavior may also include micro-aggressions (subtle put-downs) and tone policing (responding negatively to the emotion behind a person’s message while ignoring its content, such as telling someone who is upset to “calm down” instead of responding to their concerns).
Anyone asked to stop any offending behavior are expected to comply immediately. It is not the duty of a member of a protected class to explain why the conduct in question is offensive. Take the time to self-educate from the many resources available: We've gathered some DEI resources here.
Anyone violating these rules may be removed from community spaces (Slack channels, RevPit SubReddit, X/Twitter Group Chats) and may be ineligible to participate in the Annual Contest or Mini-Events.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact the #RevPit board via email at reviseresub@gmail.com, the @ReviseResub Reddit or Twitter account, or one of the #RevPit board members directly (the list of board members is available at reviseresub.com). You may also report concerns anonymously through our confidential reporting form available here. If you believe your safety is threatened, please contact your local authorities immediately.
Bullying or harassment of any kind is unacceptable. The ReviseResub editors want #RevPit to continue to be a safe, supportive place for all writers and will do whatever possible to keep harassment out of the #RevPit community. This includes reporting, blocking, and removal from the Annual Contest or any mini-event, any individual or account that has demonstrated harassing behavior. We use Reddit’s standards for harassment and abuse.
If you’re being harassed:
Please contact the #RevPit board via email at reviseresub@gmail.com, message the mods on the subreddit, or one of the #RevPit board members directly (the list of board members is available at reviseresub.com). You may also report concerns anonymously through our confidential reporting form available here. If you believe your safety is threatened, please contact your local authorities immediately.
We want to see all writers succeed and will continue to strive to provide a space where writers can grow together.
As RevPit is a contest and community that is constantly growing and evolving, we are committed to our efforts in providing a safe place for writers.
We are all human—editors and community participants alike—and mistakes will be made, but we will take swift action regarding any claims of misconduct, complaints, hate-speech, or anything that has negatively affected a person or the community at large whether that be from an editor, board member, community member, industry professional, or author.
Any issues that are brought to our attention will be addressed by promptly reaching out to all parties involved, communicating with our community, and taking additional, measured steps as needed whether that be refining our guidelines, setting forth an ethics review, updating our processes and procedures, banning or suspending members from participation, and/or beyond.
We are constantly improving our processes in order to create an inclusive, supportive, and dedicated community for all involved.
To file a complaint or voice a concern: please contact the #RevPit board via email at reviseresub@gmail.com, message the mods on the subreddit, or one of the #RevPit board members directly (the list of board members is available at reviseresub.com). You may also report concerns anonymously through our confidential reporting form available here. If you believe your safety is threatened, please contact your local authorities immediately.
RevPit acknowledges the huge impact that AI has had recently on the writing world and wants to clarify the RevPit contest’s position regarding the Annual Contest, 10Queries, and any other RevPit events. This is the official position of the RevPit contest, but not necessarily of all of our participating editors in their own editorial businesses apart from the RevPit contest and events.
As freelance editors, we support the work of authors who pour their hearts into their fiction manuscripts. We want to encourage the free expression of people in creating art for other people in the world. The AI tools currently available that generate text are using the intellectual property of many writers (often without their consent or compensation) and are producing work that could take the place of manuscripts written by people. This is not consistent with RevPit’s guiding principle of supporting writers (not AI tools) in their pursuit of writing knowledge and publication. In addition, AI-generated content is not protected by Intellectual Property Law and so may be in breach of RevPit's terms and conditions, which require authors to wholly own the rights to the content they submit. RevPit acknowledges that many literary agencies, publishing companies, distributors, and other reputable industry professionals are now including a clause in their contracts asking authors to guarantee they have not used AI to generate content. We define AI-generated content as text created by an AI-based tool (such as ChatGPT). If an AI-based tool wrote the actual content of the manuscript, query letter, synopsis, or logline, it is considered "AI-generated," even if a person edited the text substantially afterward.
We acknowledge the longstanding use of various AI tools (such as Pro Writing Aid and Grammarly) to assist writers in honing their stories and improving their prose, and will accept manuscripts, query letters, synopses, and loglines in contests and events from authors who have created their own content and then used AI tools like grammar checkers and/or plotting/outlining tools. If you created the content yourself and used AI-based tools to suggest improvements such as error-checking, proofreading, or otherwise self-editing that text, then it is considered "AI-assisted" and not “AI-generated.” Similarly, if you used an AI-based tool to brainstorm and generate ideas, but ultimately drafted and revised the text yourself, this is also considered "AI-assisted" and not “AI-generated.” These manuscripts are allowed to enter the RevPit contests and events and be eligible for the prizes.
Images used in mood boards and other collateral materials
Submissions for the RevPit annual contest and other events may include:
All of the materials included in the submission package (including the query letter, synopsis, and log line) are subject to the prohibition on AI-generated work. The purpose of such materials is to concisely capture the plot and voice of your manuscript, and as such, the use of any other content would likely not lead to an effective query letter, synopsis, or log line. Prior to submitting materials to a RevPit contest or event, we encourage authors to assist each other in polishing their query letters, as fellow authors are an excellent source of feedback.
Images such as mood boards, mock cover art, and other images about your manuscript are not considered to be part of the submission materials. As such, the editors will not be offering editorial feedback to their winners about any visual art posted in the Reddit forum or other social media by the authors. RevPit will allow mood boards and other images to be posted, including those that are AI-generated, with the knowledge that these are not part of the submission for any manuscript into a RevPit contest or event. RevPit does, however, discourage the use of any AI-generated images. Authors who choose to post such an image are responsible for verifying that all AI-generated content adheres to all content guidelines and complies with all applicable intellectual property rights. RevPit reserves the right to remove any content from the Reddit subforum that doesn’t comply with the content guidelines.
Reddit and many other social media platforms are subject to such platform’s policies which may allow any information posted to be used by content-generating AI technology. If authors want to prevent their inclusion in content-generating AI tools, authors are cautioned against posting their intellectual property, including portions of manuscripts, on such forums, including the RevPit Reddit subforum. All submissions to RevPit contests and events are held in strict confidence by the RevPit editors and first readers, and the author maintains all rights to their intellectual property. The winners’ first five pages and query letters will be posted on RevPit’s website, reviseresub.com, for three months for the winner showcase. The content of postings on the RevPit website are not also shared on various social media and are not subject to the AI policy of such social media sites. Reasonable measures are taken on the RevPit website to protect the authors’ intellectual property and prevent AI bots from crawling the showcase pages.
We have seen a rise in questions from authors wondering if their manuscripts count as ownvoices.
After much listening, research, and discussion, the Board has concluded three main points:
First, the RevPit Editors are not qualified to judge what is or is not a marginalized identity, and we do not presume to know the context in which the writers are living and writing. Furthermore, it is not appropriate to question anyone's identity or force them to out themselves, and we don’t want to put anyone in these positions.
Second, we are also very clear that, in order to be #ownvoices, the author must share the same marginalized identity as the MC(s). Being adjacent to a marginalized person is not the same as being marginalized. For example, it is not ownvoices if your family member is mixed race and your MC is mixed race, but you are not mixed race.
Third, we have also seen that the label has received legitimate pushback from writers in marginalized communities, so we don’t want anyone to feel obligated to use such a label.
So if you’re wondering whether ownvoices is appropriate for your manuscript, consider whether you want to use this label and if so: