Pitchapalooza, the annual event that allows anyone with a brilliant book idea to pitch a panel of publishing industry experts, is, in a word, a success. No, not just a success, but a HUGE success.  Not only have Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, aka The Book Doctors and authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, met some incredible people and heard some incredible stories, they have also helped the authors of a few truly outstanding projects find the right agent for their book.

And now, the very first Pitchapalooza winners have been featured in the New York Times. Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi’s book, Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of Muslim American Women, is a collection of true stories about American Muslim women’s experiences with dating, love, and sex. An inspired idea and pitch that has become an inspirational anthology, this is a book that Arielle and David are proud to have helped launch.

For further reading and viewing, check out the links below.

New York Times article on Love, InshAllah

New York Times article on Pitchapalooza

Pitchapalooza trailer

Pitchapalooza on NBC

Wow. That’s pretty much the temperature in the Workman offices this morning after last night’s Pitchapalooza at the B&N on the Upper East Side. Wow. Wow. Wow. It’s not just that Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry totally rocked it, in general and more specifically with a choreographed routine(!). It’s not just that they filled the expansive (150 seats) room almost to capacity. It’s not just that it was H-O-T-T in there. (Literally.)

Things get off to a rollicking start. Authors Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry with Workman Group Publisher Bob Miller (left).

It was, frankly, just awesome.

Awesome to see how passionate people were about sharing their stories and turning them into books.

Awesome to see how hungry they were for the very real information offered up by Arielle, David, and their panelists, agent Larry Kirschbaum and Workman’s own Bob Miller.

But most awesome of all were the stories. People had stories. The winning pitch in particular is one none of us who attended have been able to stop talking about. (I won’t give it away now. In a few years, Oprah will be telling you about it. Seriously.)

It was one of those special New York City nights, where you remember why so many of us put up with this place. The people! The stories! The umm, crowds! And from my perspective, it’s a rare treat for an editor to be able to connect her work so tangibly to its purpose.

So thank you Barnes & Noble, Arielle, David, Bob, and Larry. And thanks to agent Jim Levine for snapping the pics.

For more info on The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, head over to www.thebookdoctors.com.

The runner-up (IMHO!) giving a pitch too good to spoil--you'll just have to wait for the book!

Agent Larry Kirschbaum (right) breaks it down with Pitchapalooza winner Verne Hoyt. None of us have any doubt that Verne's amazing story will one day be a Very Big Book.

Books were signed.

More books were signed.

The happy panelists, all stories and smiles.