Pitch your book
Feb. 14, 2025. Running, Asilomar Beach, Monterey Peninsula. 2021 photo.
“The Writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Last week’s San Francisco Writers Conference presented an important opportunity in my journey as an author. It was a chance to meet with agents and small publishers for the first time. I needed to bring my “A” game if I was going to pitch my novel to these gate keepers of publication. Unfortunately, I arrived at the conference short of sleep and felt like slouching in the back row of events. I wanted to hide.
But I couldn’t indulge my impulses, knowing I’d paid my fees and the opportunity for face time with a live literary agent wouldn’t likely come again soon. I scraped together my grit, booked appointments, and gave it a shot.
I learned that agents are ordinary people who read so many queries, they’re put off by irrelevant information. Pitching live at a conference with more than 500 attendees, my opportunity to make a positive impression lasted only a few minutes – eight to be exact.
I learned a phrase that characterizes the contents of a pitch: the hook, the book, and the cook. Hook the agent with a brief insight into what’s unique about your work. Boil the book down to its essence in a just a few sentences. As for the cook – that’s you the author – well, this is a chance to sell yourself, to make the agent want to work with you.
Although I didn’t land the big one, I did get a few nibbles: two agents requested I send them pages of my novel to read. Stay tuned.
