PENGUIN AND JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE A MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME FOR UNPUBLISHED WRITERS

THE PERFECT PITCH AIMS TO DISCOVER AND SUPPORT EMERGING WRITERS

New Delhi, 8 December 2022: The leading publishing house in India, Penguin Random House India, marks its 35^th year in India with the launch of a one-of-a-kind platform to discover and mentor emerging writers from the country, in association with the world’s largest literary festival, the Jaipur Literature Festival. Titled The Perfect Pitch, it is a mentorship initiative to scout for the best pitch for unpublished, submission-ready work by aspiring writers and storytellers, where the candidates can win an opportunity to be guided by experts in publishing and the literary world and polish their pitch. The Editor Recommends, a fast-growing, popular literary social media influencer, comes on board as a knowledge partner for this programme.

Aspiring writers from all over the country are invited to present the pitch of their finished manuscripts to a jury panel made up of editors, literary experts, and notable authors. Call for entries opens today, 7 December, and closes on 25 December. Criteria and guidelines are listed in the annexure. The finalists will be invited to Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 to present their pitches to the esteemed jury and in front of an audience in an exclusive session. Jaipur Literature Festival is scheduled from 19 January to 23 January.

The writer with the best pitch will be awarded an opportunity to be mentored in one-on-one sessions with experienced editors from Penguin who have commissioned best-selling and award-winning works, an acclaimed author who has published with Penguin and Shreya Punj, also known as The Editor Recommends. The winner’s work will also be considered for a book deal with Penguin, should it meet the publishing house’s requirements.

Speaking about this partnership, Natasha Kapur, Senior Vice-President, Marketing, Penguin Random House India says, “Penguin and Jaipur Literature Festival have a longstanding association with common aspirations to make reading, books and authors accessible. On the occasion of Penguin’s 35^th anniversary in India, we join hands with Jaipur Literature Festival to present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to India’s budding writers with a chance to pitch their book to an eminent jury of editors and authors in front of an audience of potential readers. As a publisher, we aim to discover and promote the best of Indian writing and with Jaipur Literature Festival we get the chance to bring together all elements of the literary community under one

roof- the writers, the readers, and the editors, and celebrate India’s vibrant and burgeoning literary culture.”

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “It’s a delight for the Jaipur Literature Festival to partner with Penguin in creating a space for writers, thinkers, speakers and humanitarians. Through this initiative, we aim to bridge the gap between the unpublished authors and renowned figures in the field of publishing.”

The Perfect Pitch: A mentorship initiative by Penguin and Jaipur Literature Festival

To discover and support new literary talent, The Perfect Pitch is an opportunity of a lifetime for India’s budding authors. It is a programme where writers get a chance to pitch their book to a jury of eminent people from the world of publishing.

Criteria: Who can apply

• The competition is open to entrants over 18 years of age residing in India.
• The contenders should have an unpublished, complete manuscript.

Guidelines: How to apply

• Please register-
• There is a registration fee is Rs 500 per entry. Please make payment here-https://rzp.io/l/theperfectpitch
• You can only submit one pitch per registration and only one book idea per document.
• The deadline to complete your entry is 11:59 PM IST, 25 December. Entries will not be accepted after this

Key Dates:

Prize:

• Winner will get 5 one on one sessions, one each with the two editors of Penguin, two sessions with Shreya Punj, also known as The Editor Recommends, and one with the author from the jury.
• A chance to win a book deal with Penguin, should the written work fulfil Penguin’s publishing requirements and criteria.

Terms & Conditions

“Perfect Pitch Contest”

These terms, conditions and guidelines (‘Terms’) are applicable to and govern the “Perfect Pitch Contest” (“Contest”) organized and conducted by Penguin Random House India Private Limited (‘PRHI’/We) along with its knowledge partner, The Editor Recommends (“TER”), as part of the events connected with the Jaipur Literature Festival, 2023 to be held in Jaipur, India in January 2023 (“JLF”).

By participating in the Contest you agree to have read, understood and accepted the following terms:

1. PRHI reserves the right to modify these Terms without any prior notification. You are advised to regularly review these Terms. If you do not agree with any of the Terms and any amendments thereto, you must not participate in this Contest. Participation is voluntary and optional.

2. This is a call for entries, asking individuals to submit their pitch for a book idea by registering on RazorPay at https://rzp.io/l/theperfectpitch. The registration fee is Rs 500. Once registered, the individual will be redirected to a Google Form. The individual will need to fill out the form and add a link to the reel posted on Instagram as indicated on the Google Form.

1. Five (5) Shortlisted entries will be selected from all the valid entries received during the Contest Period and the corresponding shortlisted participants (“Shortlisted Writers”) will be eligible to pitch their book to a distinguished jury (“Jury”) at JLF. The Shortlisted Writers will also get a chance to attend JLF and their travel and stay for the concerned dates of the pitch will be paid for.  The Jury will choose a winning participant (“Winner”) from amongst Shortlisted Writers. The Winner will get the opportunity to receive one-on-one mentorship sessions with The Editor Recommends, a senior editor from PRHI and an author published by PRHI (“Prize”).
2. You are invited to submit your entry between 7 December 2022 and 25 December 2022 (both days inclusive) (“Contest Period”). Shortlisted Writers will receive an email with further instructions. PRHI will announce the Shortlisted Writers on 13 January 2023 via email and their social media handles.
3. Please note multiple submissions are not allowed. Further, you are permitted only one pitch per registration and one book idea per pitch. Entries once submitted cannot be withdrawn.
4. The Contest is open only to Indian Citizens residing in India, who are at least 18 years of age or older on the date of participating in the contest. If the entry is received from a person below 18 years of age, the same will be disqualified.

1. Before being announced and eligible to pitch their book idea before the Jury at JLF, each of the Shortlisted Writers must further submit full details of their name, permanent address, copy of Aadhar Card phone number, age, photo, video and any other details, documents/ materials as may be prescribed by PRHI. It is to be understood that Shortlists Writers will be eligible to pitch their book idea before the Jury at JLF only upon the furnishing of the prescribed details and documents/ materials. Any information found to be incomplete, false or misleading shall result in automatic disqualification of the participant. The personal information provided by the participant/s will be saved/ stored with PRHI for the purpose of completion of the Contest.
2. You hereby expressly consent to share personal data including your name, age, email address, postal address, Aadhar details, photograph, and video with PRHI and TER for the purposes of this Contest. Further, you consent to PRHI storing and using details regarding your name, age, and email address for purposes other than the Contest, such as for marketing and promotional purposes. You understand and agree that personal data shared with PRHI and TER may be required to be processed on computer systems hosted outside the territorial jurisdiction of India and that the same is necessary as per PRHI’s and TER’s respective protocols required for maintaining transparency and security and are further necessary for PRHI and TER to fulfill its obligations under this Contest. “Processing of personal data”, means an operation or set of operations performed on personal data, and may include operations such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation, alteration, retrieval, use, alignment or combination, indexing, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, restriction, erasure or destruction.
3. By participating in this Contest, you grant PRHI permission to use your name, photographs, videos and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes in connection with the Contest, without additional compensations across all means, media and technology known now or invented hereinafter. The Winner agrees that the footage of any nature with regard to the Winner(s) shall vest with PRHI including but not limited to all intellectual property rights and any other rights worldwide and in perpetuity.
4. We take no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason. Sending an email/ direct message on a social media handle is not proof that we have received your entry. Also, entries sent in any mode except for the modes specifically provided for shall be deemed to be invalid/ not received.
5. Any dispute that may be existing/ arise in respect of an entry (selected or not selected) or invoice relating to pre-order of the book shall be the responsibility of the participant. PRHI shall in no manner be responsible for any legal/other disputes that may existing/may exist in future in respect of the entries, events at JLF or mentoring sessions.

1. Employees, directors, and/or officers (including immediate family members or members of the household) of PRHI, its subsidiaries, film partners, affiliated companies, distributors, advertising, fulfilment and promotion agencies and all other companies or entities associated with the Contest are not eligible to participate in the same.
2. Shortlisted Writers and Winner and Jury are to be selected by a procedure set up by PRHI at its sole discretion. All the entries will be stored in a backend system operated by PRHI and/or any person/agency appointed by PRHI.
3. The decision on the selection and eligibility of the Shortlisted Writers and Winner of the Contest shall be final and binding on all the participants. PRHI shall not entertain any questions, or enquiries on the manner of conduct of the Contest, the selection and declaration of Shortlisted Writers and Winner, the mentorship sessions and on any aspect of the Contest from any party whatsoever.
4. The entries, the opportunity to pitch a book idea before the Jury and the Prize are non-transferable, non-assignable, non-changeable, non-extendable and shall be provided strictly as set out in these Terms.
5. The Shortlisted Writers and Winner(s) of the Contest agree(s) that he/she shall hold harmless and indemnify PRHI, its directors, employees, officers or representatives in connection with the Invitation won or any loss, claim, demands, costs, damages, judgments, expenses or liability (including reasonable legal costs) by him/her in the Contest and shall also not file in person/through any family member and/or any third party any applications, criminal and/or civil proceedings in any courts or forum to claim any damages or reliefs.
6. All participation is at the risk of the participants and PRHI shall not be responsible for any loss of life, health, injury or damage to any person or participant on account of participation in the Contest.
7. PRHI reserves the right to alter/change/modify the dates, venues, procedure and schedules of the Contest without prior notice and PRHI shall not be liable or responsible in any manner for any inconvenience/loss/hardship suffered by any participant/ Winner(s) as a result of such change/alteration/modification.
8. In the event, any participant is found to be violating the said Terms as set out herein, then PRHI reserves the right to disqualify the participant from further participation and /or take appropriate legal action against the participant including but not limited claims for compensation / damages for loss of reputation and/or breach of contract.

1. Decision of PRHI with respect to this Contest and the Terms thereto shall be final, binding and non-contestable and no communication shall be entertained in this regard.
2. PRHI assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. PRHI also does not accept the responsibility for any delayed email or message or any entry that cannot be delivered or received due to connection issues (failed or partial transmission), malfunctions inaccessibility, unavailability, out of coverage area, traffic congestion, acts PRHI shall not be responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by PRHI on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site, or any combination of the above (as applicable), including any injury or damage to any participant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in or in connection with this or failure of any entry to be received by PRHI. CAUTION: any attempt to deliberately damage any website or the information on a website, or to otherwise undermine the legitimate operation of this may be a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, whether successful or not, PRHI reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.
3. All disputes shall be subject to the laws of India and the Courts in Delhi shall have exclusive jurisdiction with respect to any dispute relating to the Contest.