Stu, have you been wondering if our Pitch Surgeries could bring you closer to publication?
If there’s one thing we love in the Mslexia office, it’s hearing success stories from the women in our community. After taking part in a past Mslexia pitch event, Salon member Tracy Fahey got in touch to say:
‘My short story collection (Queens of the Crone Age) has been picked up for publication in 2026. I’m really grateful for the help and advice you gave – it was invaluable.’
Here’s the pitch she brought to the session, followed by a short extract from Debbie Taylor’s feedback.
Pitch (excerpt)
Queens of the Crone Age offers fourteen stories of love, loss and redemption, told to the mythic Irish Hag of Beara who reawakens in the cold reality of the modern world. A mingling of reimagined folklore and weird fiction, the collection explores the latent power of older women to frame a more hopeful future.
Debbie’s feedback (excerpt)
Yes, I like this. There’s been a recent upswell of interest in the power of older women and the reframing of terms such as hag and crone, and the way you’ve linked the stories could counteract publishers’ reluctance around collections.
However, you need to give much more of a flavour of the narratives themselves. Who is telling these stories, and why? If the Hag of Beara is a recurring figure, tell us more about her personality and motivation. Most importantly, choose three contrasting stories and describe them briefly – ‘love, loss and redemption’ is too vague to hook an editor.
This is exactly the kind of editorial, placement-focused feedback writers have been receiving in our recent Pitch Surgeries.
Tracey listened to the feedback, reworked her pitch, and now her collection is set to be published in June by PS Publishing.
If you subscribe to the Mslexia Salon, you can now:
Read all the pitches shared in the Pitch Surgeries
See the feedback Debbie provided
Use those examples to refine your own pitch ahead of the Indie Extravaganza (23–24 February)
It’s a rare chance to read pitches, understand feedback, and notice where writers often need to sharpen their focus, before the publishers see your work.
At the Indie Extravaganza, editors from 12 independent publishers will be reading pitches live in the Salon, all actively looking for new writers.
You may have missed the Pitch Surgeries this time – but don’t miss the Indie Extravaganza.
If you’re serious about publication, this is preparation that can genuinely change the outcome.
Team M x
