Few things strike terror into
the hearts of conference goers more than the dreaded
editor or agent appointment, and yet few opportunities
at a writing conference are more valuable. Here,
then, are a few tips to make the experience less
terrifying and more valuable.
1) SIGN UP.
Just do it. Yes, I know, those people are from
New York. They have breakfast with Dan Brown and
lunch with Nora Roberts. They have the power to
reject your book. Might I remind you, they also
have the power to buy your book. So sign up. If
this is your first appointment, or you don't have
a completed manuscript, then I would recommend
a group appointment over an individual one. These
are not only less intimidating, but it's surprisingly
helpful to hear other authors pitch their work.
There's no quicker way to get an idea of what
works and what doesn't than to sit in a room with
an editor or agent and hear other people's pitches.
2) EDITOR OR AGENT?
Try to schedule an appointment with each. If you
can only have one, and you're unpublished, I would
choose the editor. The person who will eventually
buy your book will be an editor. Get to know these
people, ask questions, find out what they like,
who they are, what they are looking for. Do a
little research ahead of time and find out who
and what they publish so you don't end up pitching
your erotic vampire book to a Christian publisher.
3) THEY AREN'T GOING TO
BUY YOUR BOOK TODAY.
I find this enormously reassuring. What you hope
to walk away with is nothing more than an invitation
to submit your book to this person. It will be
a long time before anyone gets close to buying
it, but you've jumped yourself over the slush
pile by being invited personally by an editor
or agent to send your manuscript. That is your
goal. For a couple of minutes, you have the opportunity
to tell an acquiring editor (or agent) about this
project you love so much you've spent months or
years working on it. You, for a couple of minutes,
have the same attention that Dan Brown gets over
breakfast. Use it well.
4) WHAT TO SAY?
A pitch is a sales call. You want to present your
product in the best light. Is the book finished?
Great. Say so. If you're a brain surgeon, and
so is your heroine, say so. Of course you're nervous.
That's okay. Editors and agents are used to it.
Write your pitch. It's fine. If you end up reading
it aloud that's fine, too. An index card is great
for this. It's far better to read your pitch than
to panic because your mind has gone blank. Hopefully,
you'll have memorized the pitch, or a few brief
points, and you can look the editor in the face
and tell her about your book. But it's nice to
know you've got a written cheat sheet. In brief,
here's how I pitch my books (and yes, even after
twenty-five sales, I still have to pitch). The
easiest way I know to design a pitch is to use
the Goal, Motivation and Conflict model set out
in Debra Dixon's book of the same name. What does
the heroine want? Why does she want it? Why can't
she have it? You can do the same with the hero,
though in romance, of course, often the hero is
the very guy standing in her way, which makes
pitching even easier.
5) AN EXAMPLE OF A PITCH.
Kit Prestcott (heroine) PR director of the
new erotic boutique hotel, Hush, in Manhattan
is determined that her Fantasy Weekend promotion
will put the hotel on the map. (goal) In 200 words
or less, contestants must describe their hottest
fantasy, one they'd like to fulfill at the hotel
and the prize is an indulgent weekend at the luxurious
hotel. Everything is going well until Kit discovers
her first winner is Peter Garson, the man who
broke her heart when he forgot to show up at their
wedding three years ago (conflict).
You could stop here, or you could
add the hero's GMC. Peter (hero) knows he
screwed up. All he wants is a chance to put things
right with the woman he hurt so badly (goal)—until
he sees Kit again, then he knows that he wants
her back. But how can he make her trust him? (conflict)
He's got one weekend to win back the woman he
lost. This is the kind of thing that ends
up as a back cover blurb, so it's very helpful
to practice these pitches with all your books.
This (successful) pitch was for Private Relations
(Blaze, October 2005).
Best of luck. And remember, editors
and agents don't take appointments merely to terrify
authors. They are actively looking for books to
publish. Why shouldn't one of them be yours?
Nancy Warren is a GVC member. Watch for Private
Relations, Blaze, October 2005, and Bayou
Bad Boys, Kensington Brava, December 2005.
For more, check out www.nancywarren.net.
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