If you have an idea for a new piece, a veritable gem of a story, but no editors are biting…what’s going wrong? You can find out tonight at 6pm (AEST) in Polish Those Pitches with Ben Riley.

Ben Riley is the editor and facilitator of Express Media’s The Under Age, an online newspaper run by teen journalists in partnership with The Age. As a journalist with The Star Observer and freelance writer, Ben knows what makes a great pitch and wants to share his know-how with you.

For you pitching veterans out there, join in using #NYWM15 to add your skills to the conversation.

Now, it’s no coincidence that ‘pitching’ features on our NYWM calendar today of all days. Day 3 of NYWM is the first Wednesday of the month – which means it’s #pitchbitch day!

Founded as an encouragement and resource for female writers, Pitch, Bitch wants to close the gender gap in pitching for publication. Tweet your pitches as part of Estelle Tang’s initiative to get girls published.

Another fantastic resource is Jane Howard‘s Let’s Get Pitching! which compiles some of the best pitching guidelines and how-to’s online.

Today is also the perfect day to flag The Emerging Writers’ Festival event, The Long and Winding Road to Getting Published, which kicks off tomorrow from 6.30pm in Melbourne. If you can, join Leanne Hall, Alec Patric and Miles Allinson as they discuss their publishing journeys.

But for those of you unable to make it to Melbourne, chat online with fellow writers about how to submit work to a publisher. Share your experiences regarding the dos and don’ts of publishing. On June 5, join the Australian Society of Authors online, but don’t forget to book!

Have you got your pitch perfect? Send it through to Youth Central – a hub for all things youth-ish. On the lookout for reporters, Youth Central publishes podcasts, articles and videos that inform and inspire fellow youths (and they also pay you!).

Lit mag for current affairs and progressive culture Overland is also open to pitching, so go to their website and peruse the pitches page to see what your next article could be.

But what should you do if you want to pitch? Well, Elizabeth Flux, Editor of Voiceworks says there are really only three things to keep in mind when pitching your story: Your pitch should detail “what you’re writing, why you’re the person to write it, and why it belongs in the publication you’re pitching to.” For more great advice, don’t miss Polish Those Pitches tonight.

Lastly, keeping in mind that part of pitching is being succinct; pitch your next piece in 140 characters or less using the hashtags #NYWM15 #pitchbitch.