Stampede as 500 writers attend annual 'pitch slam'

The pitch slam is probably the most anticipated session in the three-day event that Writer's Digest organises annually, as a platform to coach writers on the needs by the publishing industry as well as accord them the chance to pitch their works. 

With 500-plus writers dying to have their manuscripts in book form, the one-on-one encounter with a literary agent representing one or several mainstream 'big name' publishing houses, the writer gets only 90 seconds to grab the attention of the agent with a solid book proposal that elicits an outright rejection or embrace.