#CastPit

@castpit4authors.bsky.social

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#CastPit is an online pitching event for authors on X and Bsky starting Nov. 13, 2025 6am PST. Hosted by @elisebetzbooks. For full rules, please visit: https://www.elisebetzbooks.com/castpit

1) Firstly, anything asking for money is a scam. Real agents do not have reading fees or recommend paid editors. Any publisher that costs money is a scam called a "vanity press" or "hybrid press." If they're making money off authors, they have no incentive to make money off readers. 2) Make sure you're talking to the person you think you're talking to! If you can't find the professional's X account on their website or their agency's website, be very careful. Impersonating agents and then asking for reading fees seems to be a trend these days. 3) For real industry likes, we'll start with editors! When vetting a publisher or small press, start by looking at their books. How many people have bought them? What do their covers look like? Do they use AI? What do the reviews say and *who wrote them* 4) Take a look at the website next. Is it geared toward getting authors to submit or getting books to readers? Do they prohibit agented submissions? How old are they? How do they distribute books? Do they offer any paid services? 5) Rules for vetting agents are more solid. You'll want someone from a reputable agency who is a member of ALA and has either sold books like yours or who has strong mentorship from agents who have sold books like yours. 6) It's even better if the agent has previous editorial experience, has sold to Big Fives (or whatever the equivalent is for your genre!) and has a reputation for kindness and communication. 7) If an agency is also offering editorial, marketing, or other for-pay services, that's a huge red flag! (This doesn't necessarily apply to agents offering freelance services independent of their job at the agency.) 8) If an agent has no editorial experience, relevant education, or sales record, don't sign with them!! A bad agent will set your career back so much farther than having no agent--and I mean that. 9) vet all offers with Writer Beware, Publishers Marketplace, the Querytracker comments section, and the experts on r/PubTips
Projector film on a light table. Text: 1 day until #castpit #Castpit question countdown Question #4 Where would you want the premiere of your book brought to screen to be held? The city in which your book is located? Local hometown movie theater? TCL (Mann’s) Chinese in Hollywood?
Projector film on a light table Text: 2 Days until #CastPit #CastPit question countdown Question #3 Script Adaptation: Would you want someone else to do it? Collaborate? Or do it yourself? If you pick someone else or collaborate, any script writers in mind that you want to bring your book to screen?
Projection film on a light table Text: 3 Days until #CastPit #CastPit Question Countdown Question #2 Would your book be a TV series or a movie? If you say TV series, would you agree if it was turned into a one-shot 2-hour movie with hopes of a sequel? Or would you hold out for a TV deal? And vise versa: movie to series?
Film negatives on a light table in background. Text: 4 days until #castpit #CastPit Question Countdown Question #1 It takes more than just a director and actors to make a movie or TV show. Any special picks for certain production roles? Cinematography, Costume Design, Composer, etc? Who, for what role, and what have they done to make you pick them?
Hourglass on a table. Text: 12 days until the launch of #CastPit November 13, 2025 Start casting your characters, prepping those posts, and building those swap and support lists
Visuals: clapboard background & a light Text: One month until #Castpit November 13, 2025 X & Bsky: @castpitt4authors Full rules at https://www.elisebetzbooks.com/castpit Start your character casting now!
Pink and yellow background Text "EXAMPLE" semi-translucent across the whole graphic Text: Pink Pony Dancer My Little Pony X The Little Mermaid X Striptease Screengrab of three girls from K-Pop Demon Hunters Studio logo of Sony Pictures Animation underneath "Animation style: Kpop Demon Hunters" The Pitch Princess Twinkle Hooves is the best singer in all Equinevale, but she’s secretly a great dancer too. One day, she is granted a wish as a prize for a singing contest. She wants to visit the human world, as a human. During her 24 hours on Los Angeles, she falls for a musician. To return, she bargains her voice away to Vexana, the Witch Mare. Now a mute human, she must find the musician that stole her heart. What better place to find her musician than to become a stripper in L.A.?
(Green background) Text: Sucks To Be You, Lead Cast (Photo of Ryan Gosling) Ryan Gosling as billionaire John Craveston,early 40's, cold and heartless businessman who uses Lily’s bad luck to sabotage his business competitors, but eventually falls for Lily (Photo of Laura Morano) Laura Morano as bad-luck cursed Lily Higgins, 32 years old who keeps her heart on a shelf, plays temptress for money, still pines for mining town high school sweetheart, Jimmy (Photo of Ross Lynch) Ross Lynch as James “Jimmy” McAngus, 33 years old, Lily’s high school sweettheart who is now rich and Craventson’s latest target to bankrupt. Ultimate cinnamon roll & romantic who falls for Lily a second time
#CastPit Rules 1/2 Use hashtags specific to your project (listed below rules) for audience and genre, including #CastPit. Anyone can participate no matter the state of their WIP or finished manuscript. To give agents and publishers an idea of the story, include a pitch of quick summary of your story in the post or included in the graphics. You are allowed to like and repost posts. Only post within the given date, Nov. 13, 2025, 6am for 24 hours to Nov. 14, 2025, 6am Pacific Standard Time (World times on another slide)
Black background - all text. #CastPit #CastPit is an online pitching event for authors to promote their books at any stage, from published to work in progress - yes, even drafting phase. The main purpose of this pitching event is for you, the author, to give literary agents, publishers, and potential readers, a chance to see inside your mind and envision who your best pick to play your characters would be if your book was turned into a TV series or movie. For us visually oriented people, it helps us imagine your characters better. If your book would be better suited to anime/animation, you can pick an animation style/production house and voice actor for your characters. If you include a director, include a movie they directed that makes you list them. You can even include composers, cinematographers and costume designers. Anyone you feel would be essential to bring the vision of your book properly to the big or small screen. ​ This is a new event, so be creative and have fun with it. You don't have to follow the examples below, using the Agent's Guide style, but a jumping off point. You can even do mood boards with your actors, just be sure to list the actor's name and the character they would play.