Pam van Hylckama Vlieg and "No Pitch Left Behind"

Some--probably many--of you have already picked up on the fact that every single entry in this year's Baker's Dozen received at least one bid.  This was not an accident.

Later in the day on Tuesday, I received the following email from Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, one of our Baker's Dozen all-stars:

Everything has at least a 10 page request and I plan to critique them.

Being a bit fuzz-headed from the auction, I wasn't quite sure what she meant.  So she clarified:

I usually critique as I read through! So I bid 10 pages on the ones that had no bids and I'll leave notes when I email them about it :).

At this point, I realized I was actually talking to an AUCTION FAIRY, and not a real agent at all.  I thanked her profusely and told her how much I hate it when entries don't get any bids.  Here is her response:

I hate it, too! It shouldn't be that way. The book I sold for the biggest money was a pitch contest and no one bid on it. I knew it was either going to suck or be amazing. You have to check the writing!

So there you have it.  Pam van Hylckama Vlieg is going to read and critique each of those 10-page requests.  With an eye to the you-never-know-where-a-hidden-gem-lies.

And she has dubbed it the "No Pitch Left Behind Act".  (Hee.)

Pam -- here is your VERY PUBLIC THANK YOU!  Thank you for the gift of your time.  Thank you for joining me in supporting serious aspiring authors on their journeys.  Thank you for allowing me to post a winner list that included all 60 of our brave entrants.

Let the celebrating commence!