Pitchapalooza is coming to Martha’s Vineyard, so time to dust off your pitching chops. But here’s the catch. You will have but just one minute to talk.

The pitch, so to speak, is as follows. Twenty writers will be selected at random from the audience. Each person picked gets sixty seconds to convince the judges of the worthiness of his book idea. At the end of the pitching a winner will be announced. The prize? An introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his or her book.

The judges are Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, cofounders of The Book Doctors, a company dedicated to helping authors get their books published. They are also coauthors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How To Write It, Sell It, and Market It Successfully (Workman, 2010).

To sign up to pitch, you must purchase a copy of The Essential Guide To Getting Your Book Published. Anyone who buys a copy will receive a free 20 minute consultation, a $100 value. If you don’t want to pitch, the event is free.

The evening takes place on Saturday, August 20, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven.