Your first Publisher Pitch
The Ultimate Writing Tips - Pitching
Welcome back my literary friends!
Today we are talking pitching! So, you’ve found out you’re pitching to an agent or publisher. What the heck do you do now?!
Find a Coach
Preparation is Key
Have an ‘extended’ pitch ready
Prepare for a variety of questions
Have your documents ready for submission.
Find a coach
When I learned that I’d successfully booked an appointment with an agent and a publisher, I was over the moon. Then I was terrified. I had never pitched before and was worried about messing up ‘my shot’ with these people. I had found Dr Rachel Grosvenor through my Instagram account and reached out to her. Rachel's invaluable advice helped me confidently pitch a manuscript to a major publisher in my country. It was my first time and without Rachel's help I don't know where I would have been. Her support, guidance, professional tips, pitch writing assistance and face to face time was worth its weight in gold! Rachel's professional feedback was supportive and encouraged me in the right direction. At no point did I feel like she was 'just saying what I wanted to hear'.
If you haven't booked in a free discovery call with Rachel Grosvenor, you are doing yourself a disservice. Rachel changed my life, not only as a writer, but as a woman in the world of writing.
Preparation is Key
Write your elevator pitch and practice, practice, practice!
Get in front of the mirror and practice pitching to yourself until you know your work backward. Even if you decide to have some notes with you, try to know your content well enough to not rely upon them. It will help significantly if you are aiming for a clear and confident delivery.
Prepare for a variety of questions
Rachel worked through several key questions that might come up during an interview, and here are my top 5 to prepare:
Tell me about yourself
This question is such an easy one to get caught up on. Who are you as a writer? Who are you as a person? Have 2-3 dot points noted down for each. Are you a reader? Do you enjoy the outdoors? Are you sociable? Do you have any hobbies or pets?
What books are comparable to your work?
If you don’t immediately know off the top of your head, consider having a beta reader revise your manuscript and ask them what titles it is similar to. Pay particular attention to titles and authors the agent/editor are currently working with and be sure to mention if your title is similar to anything currently in their repertoire.
Who is your target audience?
Make sure you have a clear understanding of who your target audience is. If youa re unsure who you are writing to, the agent/editor will be unsure who they are selling it to. Be clear and concise. ‘The Invisible Woman is contemporary women’s fiction aimed at females aged 18-35.’ It explains the age and the stereotypical ‘gender’ that the title is targeted toward.
What’s next?
Two simple words! If you aren’t already elbow deep in planning ‘the next one’, be sure to have an idea prepared to answer this. You could stick with something as simple as, ‘now that I have this manuscript at this stage, I am ready to begin working through some new ideas.’ They will want to know if you think you are a one-hit-wonder.
Where did this story come from?
If your story has some real-life background, it makes it a far more intriguing sell for commercial purposes.
Have your documents ready for submission
If our pitch goes well and the agent/editor ask you to send something through, be sure to have it prepared in advance. The most common items requested at this stage are:
Manuscript - either a certain number of pages or chapters (or the whole manuscript)
An Author Bio
Synopsis
Character Breakdown
If you are asked to send any of these things through, be sure to have a polished version ready to go beforehand. It will mean you are able to submit in a timely manner and not find yourself panic writing after the fact.
There you have it, my top tips for pitching to a publisher or agent in the literary world!
If you have any comments or suggestions on what to see on this list, let me know below!
-Anna