Photo by Derek Thomson
I'm currently on the road, making my way to New York for this year's Writer's Digest Conference. In anticipation and celebration of this weekend (and because right now I am thinking more as a writer than as an editor), I thought I would share some of the best advice I've come across for pitching to agents and the places I found them.
But first, here's the information fiction writer's currently need to include in their incredibly brief 90-second pitch, per the Writer's Digest Conference guidelines:
Title
Word Count
Type of Book (mystery, memoir, self-help, etc.)
Comparable Titles (recently published successful books similar to yours)
Main Action (plot/big idea)
Emotional Impact (theme/promise to reader)
Unique Selling Proposition (USP/what differentiates your story in the marketplace)
That's a lot of information to cram into a minute-and-a-half. The following suggestions can help make the process of crafting such a miracle snippet a little easier.
1. From author and creative-writing coach Tomi Adeyemi's "How to Pitch a Literary Agent in 5 Easy Steps":
5 Questions You Should Address in Your Pitch
What is the title, genre, and word count?
What is the setting?
Who is the protagonist?
What is her conflict?
What does she have to do to overcome this conflict?
Here's my takeaway: Strip your story to its digestible essentials. The pitch is not so much about the grand ideas you might be trying to explore or communicate, but rather about boiling down your ms to the kind of description you might find on the back of a book or under the title of your favorite streaming show.
Why I love this advice: Tomi does a great job in her blog post of showing how a well-known story, The Lion King, could be described through these five simple questions. Even though my own ms shares little in common with the Disney film, just having a concrete example to look at and compare my work to definitely eased the process of drafting my first pitch.
2. From author and pitch-guru Jane Friedman's "How to Pitch Agents at a Writer's Conference":
Take the pressure off: it really isn’t a make-it-or-break-it moment.
...The truth is that in-person pitches have about the same success rate in gaining a writer representation as a cold query, less than 1 percent typically.
If you become overly focused on this mythic opportunity—and hearing that “yes” or “no” verdict—you might miss out on the biggest benefit of the pitch experience, which is getting instant feedback on your project. ... To the best of your ability, try to approach the pitch process as part of the business of being a writer.
Here's my takeaway: Embrace the fact that the chances of being signed with an agent are quite low by focusing instead on getting useful feedback and delivering the best, most professional pitch you can.
Why I love this advice: Part of what makes pitching so nerve-wracking is that, ultimately, we have no control over whether the people we talk to are interested in our projects. Here, Jane is telling us to take back some of that control by making our goals about pushing and bettering ourselves. Nothing has done more to decrease my stress than taking this advice to heart.
3. From writer and life-coach Tracey Barnes Priestley's "5 Important Tips on How to Pitch a Literary Agent In Person":
Practice, practice, practice!
...When you finally feel your pitch is ready, you must take ample time to practice. Aloud. ... Pitch to your family, trusted friends, your writing group...[or] haul yourself in front of a mirror.
Here's my takeaway: Actually, this one is pretty self-explanatory. The more you practice, the better your pitch will be. The better your pitch is, the better you will feel about it. The better you feel about it, the better your pitch will be.
Why I love this advice: While most of us don't really need to be told that practicing as much as possible is a good thing, sometimes hearing it from an outside source helps cut through all that inner noise and reminds us where our attention needs to fall. Especially if, like me, you would really rather not hear your words out loud.
4. From an interview between best-seller, cartoonist, and Writer's Digest editor Bob Eckstein and Hugo-nominated editor Diana M. Pho:
Writer’s Digest (WD): ...What ratio of the pitch should be solely about the book as opposed to selling yourself and expounding on your credentials?
Editor, Diana M. Pho, Tor Books: First and foremost, I want to be intrigued by your manuscript! When thinking about your pitch, I appreciate getting the stats, of course (title, genre, word count, comp titles), and then pull me in with some plot description. ... Personal information isn’t as important to me, unless it directly relates to your project or your writing career (for example, it is an #ownvoices story, or you are an award-winning author).
Here's my takeaway: The content of your pitch should be about about your manuscript, not about you.
Why I love this advice: Although it's always important to come across as someone who would be good to work with (professional, likable, knowledgeable, realistic, open to feedback), for me, getting permission to not actively try to sell my background as part of my book was a huge relief. As with the other advice on this list, knowing what to focus on (and what not to) takes away much of the uncertainty and anxiety involved in preparing a presentation, while also ensuring that the final pitch is as streamlined as possible.
All of the above are excerpts from longer essays, lists, or interviews. If you're preparing to pitch for the first time, or just want an update or reminder on what to do, check out the full articles for even more useful information. And best of luck!