Pitch, pitch, pitch. That's all I ever hear. What's the big deal in talking to an agent or editor about my novel instead of just sending a query letter, or simply sending my manuscript via an agent or publisher's submission page?
Actually, writers don't have to pitch their novel directly to an agent.
But, sitting down face to face with an agent or publisher at a conference or workshop offers several opportunities you don't get by simply sending a query letter via email or snail mail, or submitting to the slush pile.
First, pitching your work directly to an agent is one of the very best ways to network--and make new friends and connections. You never know, even if an agent doesn't want to see your manuscript, you have made a valuable connection that may become important later in your writing and publishing journey.
When sitting down with an agent, you bypass the proverbial slush pile, which puts your submission at the bottom of the reading list. This opportunity puts you at the top of the heap, and your manuscript, if it is requested, will likely be sent directly to the agent's email, versus their regular submissions page. With that, you are more likely to get a much quicker response directly from the agent, whereas submitting via a query letter or the regular submission, you might not get any, or receive a canned rejection letter.
A particular note here is that, like every writer, an agent also wants to fall in love with your manuscript as much as you want them to love it. As a writer and a publisher, I have experienced both.
Sure, any writer, even those who have pitched before, get unnerved at the thought of talking with one of those high-powered New York agents who can shoot you down in the snap of a finger. But, if you do your homework, prepare your pitch, and practice, practice, practice, you'll be much more comfortable when you sit down across from them. Besides, all the agents and publishers I've met over the years are really nice people.
With that in mind, here are a few points to remember when preparing your pitch. Most are straight forward and easy to remember.
1. Remember the purpose of your pitch.
So what is the purpose? Simple: to pique the interest of the agent and intrigue them to want to know more!
2. State the title of your novel. (This seems like a given, but in the heat of the moment, it does happen.) Fear not, though, if you do forget, the agent will ask.
3. Introduce your protagonist by name and age at the very least. This lets the agent know the category the novel falls in, whether it's a middle grade, YA, or adult novel.
4. State the genre, and,
5. Include the word count. Stating the genre and word count, lets the agent know if you are in the ballpark of a particular genre. For example, if your middle grade novel is edging toward 100,000, the agent immediately knows the book needs major editing, since most middle grade novels run 40k-50k.
6. What is the problem the protagonist faces and must overcome? Or, what is it that the protagonist wants more than anything in the whole wide world?
7. What or who (antagonist), prevents the protagonist from achieving their goal or overcoming their problem?
8. How exactly does the protagonist intend to overcome the problem?
9. The ending. It's not mandatory you give away the ending, but you want to hook the agent so that they want to know more about the storyline and the protagonist.
Keeping these pitch basics in mind, write down the essence of the story. Use bullet points to get each of the most important ideas down. This will help you write only the most important points sparingly.
Next, write the pitch down in complete sentences. Then read it out loud.
When reciting your pitch out loud, you are more likely to catch a word or phrase that doesn't sound quite right, or that you may stumble on. Rewrite your pitch, including all the information above, until it sounds like you want it to. Then, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Again, out loud. Eventually, you will grow more comfortable in hearing the words and remembering them.
Now, with all this point by point information above, as an acquisitions editor, when a writer sits across from me, I don't want a long, drawn out monologue about the novel. Providing the major details I've listed here are all that's needed, and you can probably accomplish that inside of a minute or two.
Keeping your pitch short allows both the writer and agent to talk about other things, and allows both to ask questions. Think in terms of sitting down and having a casual conversation, which, in this instance, happens to be about your book. Which you love!
I do want to point out here that pitching a novel is different, and a bit more difficult, than pitching a non-fiction proposal. When pitching non-fiction to an agent or publisher, they will want to know the following:
1. What is the book about?
2. Why is it important that the book be written?
3. Why are you the one who should write this book, i.e., what authority do you have to write it?
4. Who is going to buy the book?
Next week, we'll talk about "Show, Don't Tell" and what's it really all about.
Until then . . . keep writing!