SEMWA / Killer Nashville Ready! Set! Pitch! One-on-One Coaching

Thursday, August 21, 2025
from 5 PM – 6 PM

Practice makes perfect. Come practice your three-minute book pitch with experts. Published authors from Southeast Mystery Writers of America will evaluate your pitch so you can put your best marketing foot forward with agents and editors at Killer Nashville. SEMWA’s pros will offer suggestions for strengthening and polishing your pitch. Each slot is ten minutes long, with the last seven minutes focused on coaching, encouragement, and suggestions to improve your pitch.

Ready. Set. Pitch!

Killer Nashville has a stellar lineup of agents and editors for the 2025 conference and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (SEMWA) is gearing up to once again help conference attendees perfect their pitch. Started several years ago by Nancy Sartor, Ready. Set. Pitch! has become a popular, and highly anticipated, part of Killer Nashville. As the current president of SEMWA, I can guarantee this year won’t be any different.

Well, maybe just a little.

The premise will be the same––those pitching will still have 10 minutes to perfect their pitch––but the format is changing. In past years, each registered participant was given a specific 10-minute time slot within a given hour on the opening day of the conference. During their ten minutes, they were able to meet with a published author and practice their pitch before their scheduled meeting with one of the attending agents or editors.

This year, we’re trying something different. Rather than a designated time slot, we’ll be taking participants on a first come, first served basis. Those who have pre-registered for the event can check in outside our room and begin lining up a little before the start time. Once we begin, everyone in line will be called in order to make your pitch. Our group of volunteers––who are experienced, published authors––will listen, advise, and help you perfect it.

So, what are you waiting for? Ready. Set. Pitch!

Lynn Chandler-Willis
President of SEMWA

Lynn Chandler-Willis
President of SEMWA

You must be registered for Killer Nashville 2025 to select this option.

You can expect:

  • Coaching from a published author.

  • Encouragement.

  • Suggestions for improvement, if needed.

  • Suggestions to better showcase your work and yourself.

There are 24 spots available in this $29 session.
Everyone will meet at the conference room at 5:00 and registrants will be taken into slots on a first-come, first-at-the-door basis. Only 24 spots are available. You must be a registered full four-day attendee to participate in SEMWA / Killer Nashville Ready! Set! Pitch! One-on-One Coaching.