Talking to agents face to face is far better than an unsolicited letter.
Attend places where reliable agents are seeking new clients. Some writers conferences, like San Francisco on President’s Day weekend each year, are primarily oriented toward marketing (though there are many panels and workshops aimed at craft, and some on self-publishing as well). The agents who attend have been specifically invited (therefore pre-screened for your benefit). The conference website likely has a list of agents who will be attending. Check out the agents’ websites to determine which are interested in your genre.
Develop two pitches. The attention grabber should be under 30 seconds. Then have a minute of explication, in case you receive encouragement. For “speed dating” with agents during a period scheduled by the conference, you may have three minutes. But limit your pitch to 90 seconds so you can save some time to answer questions. (If none are forthcoming, well that’s your answer.)
If an agent says, “Send me three chapters” (or, rarely, an entire manuscript), send it within a few days. They talk with so many people that they will have forgotten your pitch if you wait longer. Include a cover letter that starts with appreciation of their invitation to see your material. Check their website to see what they want included and how to submit. (They will not respond if you can’t follow their directions!) If they request email submission, in the “subject” line write: “Requested three chapters of (Title)”
At the SF Writers Conference, I offer free ten-minute editorial consultations. Often I’m asked to help develop or give feedback on a pitch. This is what I’ve learned:
Think about your pitch at the same time you develop your back cover material – which is a pitch, in written form, to the reader.
Content of pitch:
Genre and subject matter
Especially what is original about your contribution to the subject
What the reader will gain (emotional state, useful information, political activism)
If there is time:
Your credentials (professor of psychoceramics, or you’ve already sold 14 million copies of three titles translated into 39 languages)
What is similar in the market that has recently been on the bestseller list
The number of followers of your blog or your cult who will buy seven copies each.
There is no need to waste precious seconds giving the title or your name – unless it is immediately meaningful, like having been in the headlines in the last month. And there is probably no need to name the characters unless the name tells the agent something about the character of your writing – particularly if it is humorous or allegorical or ethnic.
Presenting your pitch:
- Look alert, strong, enthusiastic (no head down carrying the shame of talking to the principal). Keep in mind that you the author are an equal partner in the publishing process. You should be screening the agents at the same time they are screening you. (If you are going to be sent on an author tour, you need to present like someone with the capacity to entertain and enlighten others.)
- Be polite, respectful, and receptive. Be distinctive in your content, not in your behavior.
- If you don’t elicit a positive response, say “Thanks” – and don’t waste more of your own time.
- If you are interested in pitching a certain agent, catch them in the hallways, over meals, even at the urinals. They are out to find clients, not to put their needs first. (There are limits: wait outside the stalls.)
A benefit of preparing your pitch in advance of needing it is that you never know when you’ll be having a haircut and the guy in the next chair, who happens to be an agent, overhears what you’re telling the barber about your writing project.
Until next time, delight in the process …
Download PDF Find An Agent – The Pitch