Pitching Your Book to an Agent or Editor

Recently, I attended another workshop at Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop. This one was titled Pitch Perfect: Sell Your Book in a Single Sentence and was facilitated by Angie Hodapp of Nelson LiteraryAgency. While the class was geared mostly for fiction, I tried to adapt it to the memoir I am writing. My notes from the class follow.

First write the entire manuscript, then make certain it has a unifying factor and appeals to a wide audience. It should have the following. 

• Character introduction 
• Inciting incidents 
• Turning point  
• Climax 
• Resolution

Study books that are comparable to yours. Look at reviews on Amazon and Goodreads to understand what’s selling and why.

Understand your genre and subgenres. Possible subgenres for memoir include those listed here. Google subgenres for other types of books.

Figure out the appropriate word count for the genre of your book. When talking to agents and editors, tell them the number of words in your book, not the number of pages. Pages are determined by the printing process—size of page, type of font, layout, and whether pictures are included. You can do an Internet search for the appropriate word count of your book genre. My goal for memoir is approximately 80,000 words.

When talking to someone about the book you’ve written, you will probably have about one sentence to grab the individual’s attention. This includes agents and editors. If you can hone the description down to one sentence, you will sound highly competent and confident. Talk about the book in a way that makes the person say, “Oooh, Tell me more.”

In your pitch of fiction, include 

• Character(s) 
• Goal 
• Motivation 
• Conflict or tension 
• Stakes (what your character stands to lose if he doesn’t achieve his goal)

 In a pitch of memoir, include 

• Beginning and end 
• Reason for writing

Attend writer’s conferences where agents and editors will be present. 

• Talking with them is often included in the price of the conference. 
• The people you will speak to are generally only interested in books you have completed. 
• You can usually sign up for a 10-minute appointment. During that time, plan to spend about two minutes talking about your book and eight minutes interacting with the agent. Include one thing about yourself that will make you memorable. Be prepared to talk about what inspired you and what made you excited to write this book. 
• While editors and agents are usually only interested in books that are finished, make an appointment even if you are not finished. 
• Go with questions for the agent/editor. 
• Agents and editors often hangout in the bar during down time. Approach them there as well. Be polite and ask them if you can talk with them about your book. 
• Do not get upset about rejection. It is all part of the process of marketing your book.

 Sources for finding agents. 

• AgentQuery—online data base for types of agents 
• Writer’sMarket—contains agent lists and other helpful information. Requires a subscription. 
• Publisher’sMarket Place—agent profiles plus all the latest in the publishing industry. Requires subscription.

There are several ways to let people know about your book. Practice all of them. 

• Synopsis—A summary that is several pages long 
• Pitch paragraph—Will fit on one page. It may be 2-3 paragraphs long. Looks much like a book jacket summary. This is what would be included in a query letter. 
• Elevator pitch—Talk about your book in the time it would take for an elevator ride. 
• Logline—What might appear on a movie poster.

Consult QueryShark for advice on writing query letters to send to agents and editors.

When writing to an agent or editor, never attach a manuscript unless you are invited to do so.

If you are on Twitter, you can pitch your book using the hashtags Pitman and/or Pitchwars. Do a Google search on Twitter Pitches to find advice on writing these.

Books to read for more ideas: 

• Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, by John Truby 
• Books by James Scott Bell, who writes about the writing process 
• Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction and Get It Published, by Susan Rabiner

Making Chapter Deadlines: Follow-up from My Last Blog Entry

Good news…so far, I have made every one of my chapter deadlines. In May, my good friend Jeff had me create a chapter outline for the memoir I wanted to write on growing up at our family cabin. Along with the outline, I created due dates for submitting chapters to him for critique. So far, I have completed five chapters, emailing each one on time. This has been a wonderful tool of accountability. His comments, in turn, have been very helpful, mostly suggesting topics that need additional development.

The more time I spend working on the memoir, the more I am enjoying the process. I am amazed at the detail I am able to conjure up from so long ago. The writing has also given me an excuse to talk more with my two brothers about our experiences in the north woods of Minnesota.

My ultimate goal is to write approximately 80,000 words.

Writing Tips: The Value of Accountability

 

I’ve spent decades writing vignettes and accumulating lists of story ideas, possible titles, themes, etc. I write because I love to write. Unfortunately, I never seem to get my act together to put my notes into a final product.

Years ago, Joel Macintosh asked if I would write a book for Prufrock Press based on my weekly blog. He suggested a very general outline and let me loose. Once I was assigned an editor, I was given deadlines. The deadlines motivated me to plow full-force into the project and get it done.

Since writing that book, I have had no deadlines and have been accountable only to myself. It has not worked well. I have continued to write, but have not had a clear focus. I have written randomly, pondering if I should concentrate on this project or that project, fiction or non-fiction.

A few weeks ago, I had a house full of company. These were all long-term, good friends. On one of our walks, I talked with Jeff, reiterating my love of writing, but my frustration with lack of purpose. He encouraged me and recognized that I need a real person to whom I report. Jeff agreed to be that person. At once, I was motivated.

I have decided to start with a memoir of sorts, based on growing up at our family cabin/vacation home in a remote area of northeastern Minnesota. After asking for my travel schedule, Jeff assigned my first two deadlines:

·         April 15—Submit a rough plan/outline with chapter titles and approximate due dates for each.

·         May 15—A first draft of a chapter of my choosing.

Since my “assignment,” I have traveled quite a bit, but I have also been very busy with this writing project. I have written in airports, on airplanes, and during downtime on my travels. I am ready to “hand in” my first assignment in a couple days, and I am well on my way to completing my assignment for my second due date.

In this memoir, I am grouping events, not chronologically, but by general subject matter. This is not a story about a dysfunctional family, but one of adventure and fun family events that are unique. So far, I am enjoying the process of reminiscing.

Primarily, I want to write this for my grown sons. While they have heard the stories many times, I feel it is important to put them in written form so they will be available long after I am gone. I wish I had such a legacy from my parents. While I am writing the memoir primarily for my kids, I hope to polish it for general publication.

Deadlines are what I needed, along with someone willing to be a taskmaster. (I mean that in the best sense.) Perhaps you have the same need. I wish you luck and would love to hear your experiences with such a structure. You can relate those experiences either by commenting here or writing me personally at carol@bycarolfertig.com