I’ve completed another novel draft, which means I’m at that delightfully terrifying stage again: pitch time. A process I’ve yet to unlock the secrets of; the last novel I shopped around has yet to find a home. Granted, the manuscript itself could be to blame—it’s a beast of a novel, around 173,000 words, which is a hard sell even in hard sci-fi land—but I suspect there are also still plenty of things I could improve about my query packet and process.

One strategy I haven’t yet attempted is doing live pitches. I go to a lot of conferences where this is an option but have always talked myself out of signing up. I’m enough of an introvert that just thinking about selling my project face-to-face in real-time makes me want to find some dark corner to hide in. The thing is, I don’t want to let myself miss opportunities just because something makes me uncomfortable. So I’ve resolved to start taking my shot with live pitches. 

Like the good Virgo I am, this means I’ve also been doing a lot of research into just what’s involved in live pitches and how to get the most out of them. I don’t have any first-hand advice to offer on the subject yet, but I have found some very helpful (and reassuring) advice from people who are actually experts in this whole thing. I figured I’d share them with folks here in case anyone else out there is in need of some live pitching pointers.

Jane Friedman

How to Pitch Agents at a Writer’s Conference

Why listen to her: 25+ years in publishing, co-founder/editor of The Hot Sheet, regularly listens to writer pitches at conferences

This article is specifically geared at people who are new to pitching, and includes info on practical things like the structure of a good 30-60 second pitch. A couple of my big takeaways from this one:

• Keep expectations reasonable – even if they ask for pages, that’s not a guaranteed yes.
• Treat the pitch as a learning experience – Come with questions that can help you improve future pitches or your project and take the pitch as a chance for professional feedback so you get value from it even if their answer is ultimately no.

Kerrie Flanagan

How to Pitch to an Agent at a Writers’ Conference

Why listen to her: She’s the director of the Northern Colorado Writers Conference and has insider info from agents who take pitches at the conference 

What I found most helpful about this article is that it includes direct quotes from agents about what they look for (and what turns them off) in writers’ pitches. Other useful takeaways for me were:

• Research the agents first – The odds of a “yes” are low whatever way you’re pitching, but those odds go up if you at least pitch agents who represent the kind of stuff you write
• Don’t rush into the pitch – The gist I’m getting is that if you feel like you need all 10 minutes of your slot for your pitch, then your pitch is too long. Condense it down enough that you can ease into it and make a minute of small talk before you get down to business.

Bryn Donovan

How to Pitch Your Novel in Person to an Editor or Agent

Why listen to her: She’s an acquiring editor who hears novel pitches at conferences 

This one includes advice not just on making the pitch but how to follow up after, and answers a few etiquette questions I was wondering (like whether it’s okay to ask if you can send pages if they don’t invite you to). Other takeaways:

• A lot of the same best practices apply whether you’re pitching agents or editors – The first two articles focused on agents, but much of the same basic advice is given in this one, which is editor-focused. This includes things like having an elevator pitch ready, coming prepared with questions, and doing research in advance to know whether they’re into the kind of stuff you write.
• It can be beneficial to prepare your pitch in multiple formats – For instance, this editor isn’t a huge fan of “X meets Y” style pitches, but for other editors that might be the best way to sell your project. The more ways you can talk about your project, the better you can tailor your pitch to different tastes.

Peggy Eddleman (Writer’s Digest)

7 Tips for Pitching to an Agent or Editor at a Conference

Why listen to her: She’s a published author who feels that pitching has been helpful in building her career

While some of the tips in this article repeat info from the links above, I included it because it was helpful for me to hear from the writer’s standpoint—and it has some new advice, like:

• A pitch session doesn’t only have to be used for pitching – There are other ways you can benefit from an agent or editors’ expertise, even if you’re not quite ready to pitch the project yet (or, as Bryn Donovan noted in the last article, even if the agent or editor quickly rejects your idea).

Books & Such Literary Management

Pitching Your Project During a Face-to-Face Appointment

Why listen to them: They’ve been on the agent side for a lot of these pitches 

This last one introduced me to the concept of a one-sheet, which is definitely something I’m going to be putting together for future pitch sessions. I trust my ability to write much more than I do my speaking prowess, so having a document I can hand over to convey all the relevant info about my book will make me feel a lot more confident going into a pitch.  

Other takeaways:

• It can be a smart move to sign up for multiple appointments – The reasoning: having multiple opportunities can take the pressure off of each one, making you more relaxed and likely to pitch well.
• Get at least a little personal – Sharing a few nuggets of personal info can help you as a writer and human to stand out from the dozens of others the agent or editor is talking to at the conference. 

The big picture takeaway: You have to pitch to get a yes

This is a theme that’s been repeated in some form across all of the resources and articles I’ve been checking out during this research. Yes, it can be scary, and no few writers recounted horror stories about times they did it poorly and felt embarrassed—but they still learned something from the process, even when it went terribly wrong. And what they learned getting those “no”s led them to their eventual “yes”.

Maybe not the most inspirational way to end things, but it’s been a reassuring takeaway for me. I at least feel a small amount of excitement to temper the dread at the thought of trying my first in-person pitch in the near future. 

 

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