The Wind Up... And the Pitch!
Yesterday at the Books Alive! Writer’s conference I saw a large crowd of hopeful writers lined up to present their work to a roomful of agents in five-minute sessions. But before that, a panel of agents talked about how they would like to be pitched to. A live pitch is not the same as a written submission, but like submission letters there are definite things agents prefer, and I took some notes about what those are.
The agents all agreed that the writer should start with the raw data they need to decide if the book being pitched is one they want to work with. For fiction that means the length, the genre, and the fact that it is complete. For a nonfiction book agents want to know the author has written a solid proposal.
After that, the agent wants to hear an elevator pitch. And they don’t want you to read a prepared pitch to them. They want you to talk to them, so that the pitch can develop into a conversation. They don’t want all the details of the book, just a couple of minutes of the plot or idea, so they will have time to ask questions and discuss the book with you. One agent said that writers should lead with their strength in a pitch. In other words, if you have a past publishing history mention it right away. If the book is the result of a particular inspiration, say so up front. If the plot is the strongest point you have to offer, rush straight to that. Writers were also advised to have comparison titles. It’s good to say, “This book will appeal to the readers of [popular book.] and [popular book.]” And if your nonfiction book would fill a hole in the marketplace that is important to share. One agent cautioned fiction writers to only talk about the most important characters in their story. If more than three character names are mentioned, the agent could get lost in the cast, and more importantly, you could give the agent the sense that the book isn’t sufficiently focused. One tip I thought was particularly valuable was that writers should avoid “basket words,” that is, words that might carry a lot of different meanings. Don’t just say the heroine is beautiful – different people will have different pictures of beauty – but instead describe HOW she is beautiful. And if any agents, publishers or successful authors are reading this, how about sharing your ideas I may have missed. What else can help new writers succeed in an agent pitch session?
The agents all agreed that the writer should start with the raw data they need to decide if the book being pitched is one they want to work with. For fiction that means the length, the genre, and the fact that it is complete. For a nonfiction book agents want to know the author has written a solid proposal.
After that, the agent wants to hear an elevator pitch. And they don’t want you to read a prepared pitch to them. They want you to talk to them, so that the pitch can develop into a conversation. They don’t want all the details of the book, just a couple of minutes of the plot or idea, so they will have time to ask questions and discuss the book with you. One agent said that writers should lead with their strength in a pitch. In other words, if you have a past publishing history mention it right away. If the book is the result of a particular inspiration, say so up front. If the plot is the strongest point you have to offer, rush straight to that. Writers were also advised to have comparison titles. It’s good to say, “This book will appeal to the readers of [popular book.] and [popular book.]” And if your nonfiction book would fill a hole in the marketplace that is important to share. One agent cautioned fiction writers to only talk about the most important characters in their story. If more than three character names are mentioned, the agent could get lost in the cast, and more importantly, you could give the agent the sense that the book isn’t sufficiently focused. One tip I thought was particularly valuable was that writers should avoid “basket words,” that is, words that might carry a lot of different meanings. Don’t just say the heroine is beautiful – different people will have different pictures of beauty – but instead describe HOW she is beautiful. And if any agents, publishers or successful authors are reading this, how about sharing your ideas I may have missed. What else can help new writers succeed in an agent pitch session?
No comments have been added yet.
