Pitch Perfect?

One of the most important steps in selling your novel is the pitch. If you’re sending your manuscript to an agent or publisher, then the pitch is your query letter. A query letter differs from an actual face-to-face pitch in that you have time to run it by others to make sure it’s perfect. With the face-to-face pitch, my biggest concern is trying to keep idiocy and desperation at bay. Let’s face it, trying to fill three or five minutes weaving an enticing and unique story description with a complete stranger is, at best, daunting—at worst, terrifying. What’s a lowly writer to do when faced with her Holy Grail?

First, if you’re pitching, you have to be prepared for the request. You know, that coveted goal where someone asks for a full manuscript. If you don’t have a finished or nearly finished product, you shouldn’t be pitching. Trust me. My initial pitch experience was great. The publisher asked for a full manuscript. I floated out of that room, accepting accolades from my fellow writers. The only problem I had was that the story wasn’t finished. Instead of trying to finish it and send it in later with apologies, I gave up.

So, maybe you think you could pitch it and finish it later and send it in. You could, however, think about how many others pitched to that same person that day, and those people probably sent their manuscript in immediately. Now, the agent/publisher selects one or more stories. By the time your manuscript arrives, the slots that were available to that agent/publisher have been filled. No matter the quality of your story, there is no more room. So, do yourself a favor and be ready.

Remember that the person to whom you are pitching wants to hear what you have to say. They are actively looking for their next book and hope you may be its author. They’re rooting for you to succeed.

Next, have a good grasp of your work. It’s all well and good to have memorized a catchy paragraph about your story, but what happens when the agent asks about your character motivations or story arc? Oh no, not the blank face! If they’re interested, you need to be prepared to field questions and flesh out your story. What sets your story apart from all the thousands out there?

And that catchy paragraph needs to not only
outline your story, but tell the listener what will pull the reader in. What is unique about your story? Is the protagonist famous? Remember Eleanor Roosevelt solving mysteries? Does the story take place in a different setting like the Supreme Court? Was the body found in highly unusual circumstances, i.e. the locked room? An agent or publisher is looking for fascinating situations that will pull the reader in. Whether your protagonist belongs to a witch's coven or is the wife of the president of the United States, mention it in your pitch. Throw in a hook at the end that will prompt questions from the agent/publisher as well as the reader.

Most conferences have a class to help you perfect your pitch. Take it!

The last piece of advice I have is the one I find most difficult. And that is to relax and be yourself at the session. By the time I sit down at the table to begin my pitch, I’m in such a frenzy, I want to throw up. It doesn’t help to know I’m not alone in my terror. Of course, by the end of those few minutes, I feel much better and can even smile. I wish I could be more relaxed, but I’m sure the person across from me is used to the nervous writer. I can tell you that if your pitch is part of a fest where you get to pitch to more than one person, then it gets much easier to be yourself.

Multiple pitches? If you are lucky enough to pitch to more than one person, you need a plan. I learned this at Thriller Fest two years ago. First, make sure to research all the agents/publishers ahead of time and choose the ones who will value your work. Rate them in order of your preference. Then, make your first pitch to the person least important to you. Why? Because you will shower the worst of your nerves and mistakes on that person and learn from the experience. By the time you speak to your number one option, your pitch will have become much better.

More pitching advice.

Good Luck! I’m in the process right now of revving up my own pitch to deliver at the New England Crime Bake conference in a few weeks. Yikes!

Remember, keep writing!

A Short Synopsis? Are You Kidding?

The dictionary defines synopsis as "a condensation or brief review of a subject: summary." 
Okay, I get it. You need to boil down the essence of your book so that you provide only the important information. Agents and editors don't have a lot of time to find out how much they need your masterpiece, so make it short. 

At PitchFest, agents asked me to send them my book along with a "short" summary. 
"Oh," I said, "like four pages?"
That evoked a head tilt with a wry smile. "No. Two pages. Double spaced."
"Oh." Gulp. "Fine." I forced a big smile. "No problem."

No Problem! I had four and a half single pages that had been whittled down (with extreme angst) from ten. How could I possibly hone down all that important information to two double-spaced pages. I threw my head down against my arms on my desk. Impossible!

Thankfully, I have cheerleaders--my writer's group. With their support, I worked and reworked the synopsis until I had it tamed to a reasonable length.

How did I do it? It wasn't easy. Good thing my kitties don't understand English. 

I checked out online resources with information about the short synopsis. (Because there is also a long synopsis.) See the links at the end. I tried to keep my thinking within the main plot, ignoring subplots, no matter how amazing they happened to be. I then wrote a super short outline that hit on the suspense, character interaction, and a hint of romance. From that outline, I tried to find those parts that were pertinent to the genre, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal. 

Finally, I had the basics, the information that showcased the story points. Next I tried to cut out the extra description. Whew! A lot of that. Then I needed to cut out superfluous words. That forced me to make the sentences more active. A good thing.

Of course, I still had too many words and so I had to delete more of my beautiful babies. Ouch! But I persisted, dried my tears, and prepared the finishing touches--writing the synopsis in the present tense, third person using my voice. 

I wanted the reader to view the synopsis through my protagonist's eyes so they could get the flavor of the book. When I finished, I had two double-spaced pages plus two lines. 

At present, I'm in waiting mode for the results of those submissions. But now that I have a nice short synopsis, and a query letter (that is another whole story), I'm all set. Right? Oh, no. One of the publishers asked for a back cover blurb and a one-sentence blurb (an elevator pitch). Eek! More work.

And, then, since I'm half-way through the second book in the series. . . .  You see where I'm going with this. 

For today, though, I'm simply going to concentrate on writing--one word at a time.

Synopsis examples

Synopsis tips for Literary Agents

Recipe for a Successful Synopsis
  

PitchFest 2014

This past week, I attended a terrifying and exhilarating event called PitchFest. It is part of the ThrillerFest conference held in New York City. 

PitchFest is a two and a half hour event similar to speed dating, except your date is a person who can help you sell your masterpiece. Optimistic authors stand in lines to speak to one of over fifty agents and editors hoping to excite interest in their work.

Prior to the event, the mere mention of the word pitch would make my stomach queasy. Pitching has always strained my nerves, and I had a recurring image of me passing out in the middle of the room while determined authors stepped over my prone body. 

Standing in line waiting for the dash to begin, I made special note of the closest Rest Rooms. 

I have to tell you, each member of the crew running
PitchFest was awesome and the setup worked beautifully. They had three conference rooms with the names of each agent and editor posted outside. The lines were not bad. If you found one too long, you could move on to another. There was no pushing or shoving. 

The conference literature had every agent and editor listed with their preferences and what they didn't want. So, before you pitched, you could make sure that the person would be interested in your genre. It was perfect.

Standing in line, I did what I love. I schmoozed with the other authors. By the time I'd learned what everyone around me had written, it was time to speak to the agent. After the first jolt of fear, I found the agents to whom I pitched to be helpful and caring. Even after they had been in those rooms for hours, they were encouraging and kind. 

And, guess what! Five agents asked for pages, two wanted the whole thing. I left there wanting to hug everyone I met.

My friend Jane had the same wonderful experience. She'll be sending out pages and two fulls also.  

Is PitchFest worth it? Oh, yes. If you think you might be interested, look for it next July. But beware, the conference and rooms fill up fast. Register early.