The Pitch
As I previously posted I attended the Desert Rose Chapter of the Romance Writers of America over the weekend. It was the first time I had attended one of their conferences which I expected to be focused on romance writing. I glad to say that the conference was not what I expected.
Friday started with a practice your pitch session for anyone who would be meeting with an agent or editor the next day. The pitch session was well run and informative. That was followed by an agent/editor panel where the panel was asked a series of questions as submitted by attendees.
What I learned from the session and panel was invaluable and here are a few tidbits:
1. When pitching your work to an agent or editor they really aren't scary - so true!
2. When pitching treat the person on the other side of the table as if you were pitching to a friend.
This one sentence really hit home to me and made giving my pitch much easier.
3. Don't quit your day job. As much as I would love to do that and focus my energy on what I love to do, it's unrealistic. Not everyone will be an "overnight" sensation and hit the NYT best seller list with their first book.
4. You should know the basics, if you don't already:
a. Introduce yourself
b. State the name of your work, it's length, if it's completed and how many words
c. Indicate what genre you write.
It's essential to pitch to someone who is looking for your genre. An editor who is seeking paranormal YA only isn't going to accept your manuscript on erotica. This will save their time as well as yours.
5. Have a list of questions you would like to ask the agent/editor. After all you may be working closely with this person or firm and you need to be sure you are comfortable.
6. If you need to read your pitch that is better than becoming overly nervous trying to remember a script. However, practice your pitch before your meeting and that will go a long way towards making you more comfortable. Actors don't open on Broadway without rehearsal and you should do the same.
I'm happy to say that both the editor and agent I met with asked me for the full manuscript as well as the outline on the second Jayne Stanford book. I'm hoping that this develops into an offer but if it doesn't then I'll keep moving forward.
Last tip I learned - don't give up, even if you receive a suitcase full of rejections, follow your dreams.
Leslie
Friday started with a practice your pitch session for anyone who would be meeting with an agent or editor the next day. The pitch session was well run and informative. That was followed by an agent/editor panel where the panel was asked a series of questions as submitted by attendees.
What I learned from the session and panel was invaluable and here are a few tidbits:
1. When pitching your work to an agent or editor they really aren't scary - so true!
2. When pitching treat the person on the other side of the table as if you were pitching to a friend.
This one sentence really hit home to me and made giving my pitch much easier.
3. Don't quit your day job. As much as I would love to do that and focus my energy on what I love to do, it's unrealistic. Not everyone will be an "overnight" sensation and hit the NYT best seller list with their first book.
4. You should know the basics, if you don't already:
a. Introduce yourself
b. State the name of your work, it's length, if it's completed and how many words
c. Indicate what genre you write.
It's essential to pitch to someone who is looking for your genre. An editor who is seeking paranormal YA only isn't going to accept your manuscript on erotica. This will save their time as well as yours.
5. Have a list of questions you would like to ask the agent/editor. After all you may be working closely with this person or firm and you need to be sure you are comfortable.
6. If you need to read your pitch that is better than becoming overly nervous trying to remember a script. However, practice your pitch before your meeting and that will go a long way towards making you more comfortable. Actors don't open on Broadway without rehearsal and you should do the same.
I'm happy to say that both the editor and agent I met with asked me for the full manuscript as well as the outline on the second Jayne Stanford book. I'm hoping that this develops into an offer but if it doesn't then I'll keep moving forward.
Last tip I learned - don't give up, even if you receive a suitcase full of rejections, follow your dreams.
Leslie
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