Friday, June 21, 2019

Honing Your Pitch

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. I'm just back from my vacation trip with my 3 sisters and had a fabulous time. It was such fun to spend time with my sisters - we talked a lot, reminisced a lot and laughed a lot. Oh, and I managed to get 'rescued" by a group of very nice (and cute!) fireman - that may be going into a book some day :)

But on to the actual post for today.  We're moving into conference season so I thought it might be time to have a refresher on pitching to an agent or editor.  So here are a few notes taken from a workshop I give on the subject.



Pitching to an agent or editor has never been one of my favorite things to do.  Trying to summarize my masterpiece into a few sentences for this person who has the power to further (or not) my career is somewhat intimidating. 


The good news is that there is an art to the pitch, and anyone can master it.  While this doesn’t make it any more ‘fun’, feeling prepared does give one the confidence boost to get through the session with some measure of aplomb.

Once you’ve crafted your pitch (don’t worry, we’ll get to the how’s of that in a minute) - PRACTICE.  And this means saying it OUT LOUD, over and over, until it comes naturally.  
Grab anyone who will sit still long enough to listen, and pitch to them as if they were an agent or editor.  If you can’t find a willing vict-, uhm, volunteer, practice in front of a mirror.  Make sure the words flow naturally, that you aren't rushing it (my own biggest problem), and that the words you’ve chosen present your work in an active and interesting light.

If you want to write down your pitch, or just memory-jogging bullet points, use 3x5 index cards and bring them along. 

Ok, the big day arrives, and the moderator signals it’s your turn.  What do you do? 

·         Take a deep breath and try to relax.
·         Smile, introduce yourself, shake her/his hand.
·         Once introductions are out of the way, give your pitch.
·         Let your enthusiasm and excitement for your work show through - it’ll be contagious!
·         After you’ve delivered the opening pitch, sit back and give the editor/agent an opportunity to comment.  This is VERY important.  You need to get feedback on what you’ve presented so far, and you want to let the agent/editor ask questions.  Be prepared to provide information on:
°         additional details about the book you just pitched
°         details about yourself and your writing credits - this is a good time to mention contest wins, group affiliations, other writing credits, etc.
°         high concept information on any other works you have in progress or planned.
·         When time is up, shake hands, thank her for her time and consideration, and leave promptly.  DO NOT OVERSTAY YOUR WELCOME.

Now, on to crafting the pitch itself.  There are lots of different schools of thought on this.  What I’m going to give you here is my own slant, based on information I’ve garnered from other workshops, how-to articles, and (sometimes painful) personal experience.

First, I’ll give you the checklist and then we’ll go into more detail and look at an example (NOTE: this is for a romance. Tailor it as necessary for other genres)


The pitch should include:
·         genre/sub-genre  and, if appropriate, targeted line
·         approximate word count
·         setting
·         high concept or trope
·         Heroine: who she is, what she wants, what stands in her way
·         Hero: who he is, what he wants, what stands in his way
·         Romantic conflict: what attracts them to each other/keeps them physically together, what keeps them from committing/holds them emotionally apart.

Be concise - you should be able to pack all this info into 6-9 well crafted sentences.

The first part should be easy.  Simply open with something along the lines of:
THE LADY AND THE TIGER is a single title Regency-era historical of approx 95,000 words.

Now, what do I mean by High Concept or Trope? 
Well, there are two ways to approach this.  You can use one of the well-known tropes such as:
·         Marriage of Convenience
·         Secret Baby
·         Beauty and the Beast
·         Poor Little Rich Girl
By the way, your story may contain elements of more than one of these.  When pitching, however, I would stick to the one or two main themes.

The second technique is that of comparing your story to well-known characters, stories or movies.  This would look something like:
·         Elle Woods meets Mr. Spock
·         Sherlock Holmes meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer
·         Pride and Prejudice in Outer Space

Either approach gives the agent/editor an immediate image of what kind of story you will be pitching.

Next we define the heroine: who she is, what she wants and what stands in her way.
Part 1:  Who she is.  By this, I don’t mean her name.  Instead, paint a picture: 
  • a single mother of triplets
  • the only female in a prestigious law firm
  • an ugly duckling who inherits a modeling agency
Don’t you immediately get a sense for what each of these women might be like?

Part 2:  What she wants.   This is the goal she is working toward and your description should hint at why. 

Part 3:  What stands in her way.  This is, of course, the obstacle (internal or external) that keeps her from achieving her goal. 

Once you’ve completed the above process for the heroine, do the same for the hero.

Now for the Romantic Conflict.

Part 1 - What attracts them to each other/keeps them together physically.
Even though they may not be initially attracted to one another, you must give them a reason to stay in close proximity for an extended period of time, allowing the attraction to develop. 
Examples of this would be:
·         their work/social circumstances throw them together often
·         they both seek the same prize/item and must work together to acquire it
·         they are stranded together

Part 2 - What keeps them from committing/holds them emotionally apart.  This explains why, once the attraction builds, they cannot achieve their happily ever after, at least not without significant cost.

Ok, so lets see an example of how this would work.  Here’s one based on one of my own books.

THE UNEXPECTED BRIDE is a single title Americana of approx  92,000 words.  It’s a Poor Little Rich Girl/Marriage of Convenience story set in 1892 NE Texas.
The heroine, a hopelessly inept, bookish heiress, sets out to prove she can make it on her own by taking a job as a governess, only to find she’s botched things yet again when she finds her new ‘boss’ thinks she’s come west to be his mail order bride.
The hero, a lone wolf who thinks himself unlovable, is dead set on adopting his recently orphaned nieces and nephews so the children can stay together as a family, even if it means he has to marry a snooty debutante who doesn’t want him.
The two strike an uneasy bargain to marry - agreeing to stay wed only long enough to finalize his adoption of the children.  Their plan is to get an annulment afterwards, allowing her to quietly return to her home ‘back east’.  This means, of course, they must treat the marriage as a purely platonic business arrangement.  Things get complicated in a hurry, however, as the attraction sizzles between them and threatens all their well-laid plans.

This pitch managed to cover every one of our bullet points in just 8 sentences - and hopefully grabbed your interest and made you want to learn more in the process.  And yes, I know it's a bit formal in tone - feel free to use whatever degree of formality/informality you are comfortable with.

As you can see, preparation is the key.  It's important to understand that this is not just make-work - it is your chance to sell yourself as a professional writer, and to sell your work as a marketable gem.

One last word of caution - don’t expect to actually strike a deal at the pitch session, no matter how good a job you do.  A conference appointment is just an opportunity to connect, an in-person query if you will.  But it could be the door that opens onto something absolutely wonderful. 

So prepare, practice, and when the time comes, you’ll be ready to wow  ‘em!


Now it's your turn. What do you think - did this resonate with you? Do you have a checklist of your own that you use when pitching? How is it different or the same as this one?

45 comments:

  1. Hi Winnie:

    This is very helpful. I have a few questions:

    1. How long should your pitch be?
    2. Do you prepare an elevator pitch first?
    3. Do you try to insert hooks into your pitch to help keep the listener's attention?

    Thanks for your post.

    Vince

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    Replies
    1. Hi Vince. Good questions.
      1. No more than 8-10 sentences
      2. I usually do prepare an elevator pitch separate from this, though not always first. I don't use it in the actual pitch session, but as a response if I get a question about what my latest project is about.
      3. Absolutely. The hooks are especially important when you describe your high concept, but try to get them in wherever you can.

      Hope that helps

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    2. Hi Winnie:

      Thanks… that was very helpful. I now have a question after reading your 'pitch' for, "The Unexpected Bride", and that is: do you actually give a print-out of your pitch before or after your verbal pitch? (Do you even have it with you?)

      Vince

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    3. No, I practice it until I can recite it in a conversational manner. If I'm nervous about remembering I bring an index card with concise bullet points but I rarely need to refer to it, just having it with me allows me to relax.
      However at those conferences that use one sheets, this is close to what I use for my story blurb

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  2. Winnie, this is wonderful stuff. Pitching can be daunting because it seems that so much power lies in the hands of the interviewer, but the funny thing is that THEY'RE HOPING YOU'RE THE NEXT BIG THING!!!!! They want your success. They want that next award-winning, bestselling concept, so they're totally on your side.

    Go for it.

    You have nothing to lose and great experience to gain. You've got this!

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    1. Ruthy, this is so true. They're looking for books and we do books. It's just not always the right book at the right time.
      kb

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    2. Hi Ruth:

      What you said is so true…and it also applies very well to news people doing a story on you as an author or expert on some subject.

      "They want your success."

      Yes, indeed, but they also want their own success even more.

      Here's what I've learned over many years being interviewed by the media on real estate matters:

      Always make the interviewer look good.
      Always prepare neat and quotable 'sound bites' which can act as great lead-ins to the news story and get your story used!

      Note: For the interviewer to be successful, (and promoted to a bigger media outlet), your interview has to be used!!!

      So give short, quotable, statements that make the interviewer look good and you'll be asked back again and again not only by that medium but many others over the years.

      It also helps to be willing to drop what you are doing and go meet a media person when they want to interview you with a specific background. The visual should 'show' what the story is about. This too will help get it used.

      That's a key to getting good PR.

      Vince

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    3. Ruthy, that's so very true. Not only do they really want to like your story, they're very aware that most writers are more articulate on paper than verbally so they will often ask to see your proposal even if you botch the pitch.

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  3. Oh, thank you, Winnie. I'm off to ACFW in September with two unsold series. Can use all the help I can get. I do get nervous. You're right, preparation is key and we need to be able to just roll through it.
    There's also a fine line between babbling and going off-script, in the wrong way, and being relaxed and being yourself. I tend to babble but am getting better at it.
    I keep going back to preparation. Just read an interview with Jeff Daniels, who is doing "To Kill A Mockingbird" on Broadway and is playing the role made iconic by Gregory Peck. Daniels is quoted as saying, "Preparation is the best cure for nerves." I think he's right. Look on the bright side, at least none of us have to try to play Atticus Finch.
    I also agree with Ruthy. I see a number of agents and editors on Twitter, and they're all looking for that Next Great Book. They WANT us to succeed.
    I AM OFF to solve a problem like Maria and trample out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. In other words, to my Friday errands.
    Kathy Bailey
    "A Home For the Heart"

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    Replies
    1. You're quite welcome. And babbling was my biggest problem when I first started doing these pitches, that's why I developed this checklist, so I'd know just what points to focus on. Another thing to remember is when you get to the conversational part where the editor or agent is asking questions, keep focused on what they want to know, don't go off on tangents that take valuable time away - you want to give the e/a time to give feedback or ask other questions

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    2. Oh, and good luck with your pitches at ACFW!!

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  4. "Say it out loud over and over until it sounds natural." That's my downfall. I sound like I'm making a pitch I memorized, like reciting a poem in school. Something that helped me was taking the focus off me for a few moments and taking time to express my thanks to the editor/agent for attending the conference and making these opportunities available. They seemed to appreciate it too. Thanks for the tips, Winnie.

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    Replies
    1. I have that problem as well, but honestly, I don't think the editors and agents mind. They know a lot of us are nervous and they are just grateful to get a coherent and concise pitch that gives a clear snapshot of the story. Though it does help if you can show enthusiasm for your story as you pitch it. :)

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  5. Hi Winnie:

    What do you think of this?

    As a marketing person what I want to know most from a pitch is this:

    "How is this story 'the same only different' in a way readers are always looking for from a new romance purchase?"

    For example:

    In this Marriage of Convenience the difference is that the hero and heroine are denied a marriage certificate because it is discovered that they have both been married before and have never been divorce -- only to discover that they were married to each other!

    Of course, to make this work, you really need a great foundation.

    Vince

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  6. I've never pitched anything in person. It sounds so daunting, but these tips are fantastic and I do agree that preparation--in anything--helps a LOT. No wonder it's the boy scout motto :)

    I hope someday to have a story worthy enough to pitch! Thanks for sharing, Winnie.

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  7. Thank you Glynis and you are quite welcome

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  8. Winnie, this is fabulous. I so appreciate the way you shared what to cover in a pitch. I think the hardest part for me is finding the well-known characters to frame the story for the agent/editor I'm pitching to. I'm going to have to think more on this. :)

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    1. Hi Jeanne, so glad you found some value in this post. Using well-known characters is not a must for a pitch, and some stories just don't lend themselves to it. Don't stress if you can't make that work, instead use a well-known trope (and extra points if you can give it a little twist or turrn it on its ear!)

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  9. Super helpful breakdown--thank you. Makes it seem more manageable.

    Is the verbal pitch similar in construction to one you'd include in a book proposal?

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    1. Yes, very similar, though you do have room to expand on this in a proposal. And of course in a proposal you include the dark moment and resolution

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  10. Winnie, this is great information. I haven't had to do a pitch yet, but I hope to some day. You mentioned that the pitch you used as an example was more formal. That was how it sounded to me. I wasn't sure how you memorize that and sound conversational in your pitch. I will definitely refer to this when it is my time to pitch.

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    1. Hi Sandy, I'm sure you'll have your opportunity when you're ready!!

      When you practice your pitch out loud, I find you automatically make it more conversational, by tweaking word choice, voice inflection and body language. The key is to make sure your excitement and enthusiasm for your story shines through

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  11. Winnie, I'm so glad you had a great trip!! I think it's so wonderful that you all got together to do that. A dream trip! I can't wait to see the story you write from the rescue. :)

    Lots of great info here! I sure wish I'd had it years ago before I blew my first pitch. haha

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  12. Thanks Missy! And I very much doubt you blew that pitch :)

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  13. Winnie, this is all great. I also want to say that I just finished reading your book you mentioned here and thoroughly enjoyed it. And if you write Pride and Prejudice in Space or one of the others you mentioned, I want to read it! :-)

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  14. Hi Amy. Thank you so much for the kind words. And LOL on Pride and Prejudice in Space, I don't see that one in my near future.

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  15. Thanks Winnie for sharing. It's such a difficult task to widdle down thousands of words into such a short passage! These are great tips. Lee-Ann

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    1. You're quite welcome Lee-Ann. And yes, I know just how daunting a task it can be - I find it much easier to do for someone else's books than my own :)

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  16. Winnie,
    This is great information- thanks for sharing!

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  17. Not being a writer I don't have a story to pitch but if I did, you have some great tips. Maybe I coud modify them a bit and use them on my hubby when I have a new project for him! LOL Thanks for sharing.

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