Was It Worth It? My Pitchfest Experience, Honestly.
A little heartbreak, a lot of insight, and a new sense of direction.
I Didn’t Win Pitchfest.
I didn’t even place in the top fifty! But I did walk away with a new fire in my chest and a gut full of questions.
Hey friends,
Remember last month when I said I submitted Taggin’ Quest to Kids Comics Unite’s Pitchfest? That little comic competition where 50 lucky creators would get their pitches showcased to publishers, agents, and editors?
Well... I didn’t make the cut.
And yeah, that stings. I really thought I had a shot.
The process started strong. I poured everything I had into that pitch—finished some of the best pages I’ve ever drawn. Even shelled out for a 1-on-1 critique session with Chris Duffy, executive editor at Union Square & Co.
And that part? Honestly? Kinda ruled.
Chris liked it. Like, really liked it. Called it marketable. Said it had mainstream appeal. Literally told me, “If this came across my desk, I’d totally pick it up.” That’s the kind of thing that sticks with you.
Of course, he had notes—smart, thoughtful, totally fair:
My panel gutters were too tight for middle grade readers
Font size was too small (I used Battle Chasers as a reference—whoops 😅)
A few layouts were too dense
And too much 100% black, which isn’t great for print
It all made sense. Taggin’ Quest started as a 20-page monthly comic, and I retrofitted it into a middle grade graphic novel. I colored it on an iPad at full brightness. Of course there’d be adjustments. But overall? Chris saw real potential. Shelf-ready, pick-this-up-at-a-store potential.
So… why didn’t I make Top 50?
Big Shoutout First
Before I get into the weeds, I’ve gotta shout out the Kids Comics Unite team. The day results dropped, they hosted a Pitchfest Panel and Showcase Reveal from 11:45am to 1:30pm—and it was packed with insight, support, and a great Q&A. And after that? They still kept it going with 1-on-1 critique sessions. That’s a huge lift, and they handled it like pros.
As for my session… well, it started with a bang. Literally.
About two minutes in, my laptop shut off mid-call. Turns out I’d tripped a fuse earlier without realizing it, and my battery had been slowly draining all day. Full-blown panic mode. I called in on my phone (no luck), downloaded Zoom on my iPad, scrambled back in—and Chris Duffy, bless him, was super cool about it. Even gave me extra time since I was his last session of the day. Total class act.
And the talent in that Top 50 showcase? Incredible. Polished, inventive, exciting pitches that absolutely earned their spots. No shade at all. But I do wonder—why stop at 50? Why not let editors and agents browse a wider gallery? I get filtering out the obvious “nope” entries, but limiting access—especially when folks paid to be seen—feels like a missed opportunity.
Not bitter. Just puzzled.
Plot Twist
Here’s the funny part.
I thought not making top 50 meant I was shut out entirely and no one would see my pitch. I accepted it. I even wrote most of this newsletter as a “well, I learned something” reflection.
Then I saw it.
If you scroll to the bottom of the Top 50 showcase… there’s a button:
👉 “CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WHOLE GALLERY” 👈
And guess what?
Taggin’ Quest is there. 😅 Check it out!
My work is in the gallery. It is visible. And if any editors or agents go the extra mile and click that button—they’ll see it. That little surprise flipped my whole perspective. Just because you’re not on the “main stage” doesn’t mean no one’s watching.
Big sigh of relief.
Here’s what slightly soggied my cereal:
Entries were split between two separate judging pools. Each group of judges only saw half the submissions. So depending on where your pitch landed, you got a completely different set of eyes.
And yeah, I get it—there were a ton of entries and limited time/eyeballs. But it’s hard not to wonder: What if mine had landed in the other batch? What if all the judges had seen every pitch?
Especially when you’re me and you don’t scroll to the bottom of a page. 🙃 I was sitting there thinking, “Dang. I paid all this for no one to see my stuff.” (ProTip to self: Don’t be dumb!)
I was deep in feels about it for a hot sec before finding out the full gallery was visible, so it’s basically a non-issue at this point, but worth mentioning I guess since I was actually super bummed about it at the time. (Until I scrolled down. 😅)
Was It Worth It?
All told, the entry fee and my critique session were $220. (Shoutout to my amazing fiancée for supporting my perpetually broke self.)
Was it worth it?
Honestly… yeah. I got direct feedback from an industry heavyweight who told me my work was marketable and ready. That’s not nothing. That’s huge. But it also left me with this weird truth:
The age of gatekeeping might be over—but the paywalls are still up.
Chris’s advice for next steps? Hire an agent. Which—fair. But that’s another middleman. Another process. Another hoop. More fees.
I left a career to chase this dream. I don’t have infinite cash to keep buying access. And most creators don’t. So maybe it’s time to stop knocking on locked doors—and start building my own.
I’ve got the pitch. I’ve got the pages. I’ve got feedback from someone legit who believes in it. It was kind of more of the same as when I had my portfolio reviewed at C2E2 2024 and the consensus was: You’re ready for this! That has to count for something, right?
And hey—Taggin’ Quest is still up on the Pitchfest gallery. So who knows what might happen.
TL;DR:
Didn’t make Top 50.
But I made the gallery.
Got some incredible feedback.
And walked away with hard-won clarity.
I guess what I really wanted was validation, and I got it.
I’m not waiting around anymore. I’m building what’s next.
Stay toon’d 👀,
RAW!
Yooooooooooo! Love this. So many thoughts. So many of the same feelings. Ima hit you up offline. Your project is sick, keep fighting for it!
Thanks for sharing and congrats on the positive feedback! I didn't participate in pitchfest this year after having a lot of similar feelings from two years ago. I think it's an awesome event and BIG shout out to the KCU team for putting it together! That said, I get the sense that all the judges have some very specific boxes to check and if you don't tick enough of those you aren't considered.
I think the publishing industry is suffering from the same mentality that plagues the film industry. Big studios and publishers are pretty entrenched in their formulaic models and if you don't fit in then they don't consider your project. I had a very candid editor tell me he thinks my project will sell well and has mass market appeal but most publishers will pass because the format is non-standard (A4 dimensions) or it doesn't match their current slate of projects' art styles. They aren't willing to risk it. Well, he was right because I self published and it's been going really well, albeit with a lot of its own challenges.
My advice is to cut the publisher out. It'll be challenging but there are more and more options for doing it indie! Run a kickstarter, build a small loyal audience, and when the time is right work with a 3rd party distributor or one of the non-traditional publishers out there! That way your energy goes into your work and not trying to fit someone else's agenda!