Five days until the ACFW conference. I can’t wait! Before we get started, if you are going and you would like to attend the MBT Pizza Party/Frasier Awards, there are still tickets available at the door. It is $25, first come, first serve. It’s going to be fun. Chip has something special planned, and Jeane Wynn is going to give you some fabulous tools for the care and feeding of readers even before you are published. And, I have something fun up my sleeve. I promise, this is not your average awards ceremony!
Now…let’s talk about how we’re going to behave at while pitching at conference, huh?
Of course, we’re there to work and learn, to fellowship and hopefully to have some fun. But when we’re pitching, it’s important to lay some ground rules.
It helps to remember that you are not competing with your fellow author. Really. I know the world might say otherwise, but for believers, if you truly believe that God has your life in His hands, then you step forward with your faith and He’ll move the mountains. He arranges every appointment, every moment in the elevator or food lines, every accidental editor meeting – all of it. So, don’t panic. He’s got this.
You also need to remember that a great writing voice is personality on the page…so your personality as you meet people and pitch to editors and agents gives them a clue as to how you write. So, be yourself.
Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of pitching.
First, when you pitch, you should have already done your homework to know which agent or editor to pitch to. Every house/agency takes different manuscripts and you don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Know what other books they have published that are similar to yours, and know how yours are different, also. But you need to have some answer as to why your book would be a good fit in that publishing house. An agent might even ask you where you see this book being published. Do your homework and give them an informed answer.
Then, if you are in a pitching appointment, go in, shake their hand, introduce yourself, smile and hand them your one sheet.
They’ll probably look at it and say “how are you today?” or something to break the ice. Go ahead and make friends briefly, and then segue into your pitch.
“I’m great, Mr. Anderson. I enjoyed your class, Writing the Bestseller. Intriguing. I’ve written a contemporary romance that I hope fits your best-seller category….A story about a talk show host to the lovelorn who has never had a date. Why? Because she is waiting for the perfect man. But when he moves in next door, will she recognize him? It’s set in small town Minnesota and is a story about being trapped by our fears and perfect love setting us free.”
“Interesting. Why hasn’t she had a date?”
“Good question – She made a list in high school because she saw her best friend crushed by love when they were teenagers, and she never wanted that to happen to her. And then, tragedy happened. Her mother was killed in an auto accident and died in her arms. Fear took control of her life and she became agoraphobic. She’s trapped by her fears inside a tiny radius around her home. But she has a national talk show and no one knows it – including the new football coach who’s moved in next door – someone who drives her crazy. See, he’s got his own scars and secrets after being wounded in Iraq, and he’s hiding something too. When he starts calling the show, in need of help to befriend the neighbor, they begin to fall for each other online without realizing they are neighbors. But will their love last when they discover the truth? And what will their secrets cost them?”
“Why would this make a sellable story?”
“Think You’ve Got Mail, set in small town America with a little of Friday Night Lights thrown in. It’s something I could see trade size at Tyndale or Waterbrook Multnomah.”
“Hmmm.”
Now, here’s where they’ll pause. They might ask you more questions. They might ask how long you’ve been writing. Or if this is a stand-alone or part of three part series. They might ask you where you got your idea. They might offer ideas to tweak it. They might ask to have you send them a proposal.
Sometimes they might even say…”How can I help you with this?” Obviously, we WISH they’d say, “Hey I love this,” and pull out a contract right there. Not gonna happen. It’s wise to arm yourself with some sort of feedback question for that situation.
Be armed with an answer, something that allows them to give you real, usable feedback: “How can I make the story more compelling?” “How could I tweak this to make it more sellable?”
The key is to use this time to talk about your story. There is nothing worse for an agent/editor than to have an author pitch their story, then sit back and smile, and make the agent/editor fill in the blank space. You have fifteen minutes to communicate your vision for this book – use it!
The difference between the 15 minute appointment and the elevator pitch is the amount of time you have to sell your story. In an elevator, or in line to eat, or even at dinner, you have one sentence. If they like it, then go ahead and offer your premise. If they ask for your card before you get off the elevator, then you’ve done your job.
But the 15 minute appointment is designed to let you sell your story, your way. Yes, use your pitch, use your premise, and hopefully by then you’ll feel comfortable enough to be yourself and weave them into your story.
And here’s a hint – don’t memorize your premise word by word. It feels canned. Let the story come out on its own, with enthusiasm. You know your story – just tell it.
If they ask for a sample proposal, then thank them, take their card and follow up in a week with the proposal package. For sure, regardless of their feedback, send them a thank you note for their time (email will be fine).
I talked to a couple agent buddies of mine about pitching recently. Here’s what they said:
Steve Laube (and you should read his blog on pitching!) said:
On the one hand is the person who tries to tell their entire novel with excruciating detail. That is either a case of nerves or a case of failing to practice ahead of time.
On the other hand is the person who is so precise that they sit down, smile, and hit me with their 25 word blurb. Then they close their mouth and expectantly wait for my reaction. As if that is considered a conversation. ! That “interview” lasted for all of two minutes at that point…. and the silence is rather awkward.
The key is a strong balance between being over eager and talkative and the sterile precision of a practiced speaker. Remember, this is a conversation. I am not only listening to your pitch, I’m also listening to you. I am meeting you.
Exactly.
Chip MacGregor had a great thought:
The one thing I wish they’d do is to have an experienced editor look it over BEFORE they pitch me. The majority of projects I see at conferences aren’t ready to show yet, and a good editor (even an edit by an experienced writer friend) would help most projects immensely.
So…come prepared, polished, professional…and then woo them with your story.
If you need help, My Book Therapy is having hands-on Pitch practice tonight at the MBT Chat.
Join us tonight at 8 pm EST/7 pm CST in the My Book Therapy chat room.
To access the chat:
- Sign into My Book Therapy with username and password, if necessary.
- Click on the Chat tab.
- Your name will show up in the right sidebar.
- To post a comment, type in the box below the yellow smiley face.
- We abide by chat etiquette to maintain order in the room. Please type ? for question, type ! for comment, and when you’re done typing your comment or question, please type GA for go ahead. That lets us know when to continue. Please wait to be called upon.
- If you have any questions, send an email to lisa@mybooktherapy.com
And to catch up on the other BATTER UP for ACFW Pitch Fest blogs, go to: http://thewritingroad.blogspot.com/
See you tonight…and hopefully this weekend!
Susie May