the 10-minute interview

[Pat~]

In 2 days I'll be at a major national writer's conference, where I'll have 10 minutes with an editor or agent to pitch 4 ideas (2 are completed books; 2 are in the idea stage with no proposal yet written). I would be very interested in knowing what the best approach would be; do I throw out the 4 ideas, and suggest they choose which one they want to discuss; do I present four 1-page mini-proposals that they can skim; do I just talk VERY FAST....???? From your perspective, what would be the 4 or 5 most important things to hear about a project (after a brief personal introduction where I mention my publication credits)? And, do you prefer to talk or read about these ideas when meeting with a writer?

[Vanessa]

I can't offer you anything but a...
BIG OLE' PHAT CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST OF LUCK!

[Pat~]

LOL :D...thanks, Vanessa. But I need HELP...anybody?? Things are coming down to the wire, here...

[Vanessa]

Come on guys and gals. I know there's many of you experienced folks that can answer this question for PB. :)

[Kasey Mackenzie]

Honestly I would pick your strongest project and focus on that, rather than trying to pack too much into one session.

That said, I used the search function to find the following that may be helpful:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20563&highlight=agent+pitch

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20754&highlight=agent+pitch

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20000&highlight=agent+pitch

If you use the search function and type in agent pitch you may find other relevant threads. I've never done one myself so don't have any direct experiece myself.

Good luck!

[Pat~]

Thanks, Kasey! I'd seen the 1st and 3rd links before, but not the second. It was good review; one help is that my books/ideas are nonfiction, so I don't have to get into summarizing plot.

Spent some time this afternoon preparing a 200-word blurb for each of the 2 strongest ideas, covering genre, title, theme, target audience, and what makes it different from what's already out there. That plus Table of Contents (rough) will at least get the ball rolling...

[batgirl]

This may just end up being confusing, but you might want to read a couple of Miss Snark's blog posts on the subject of conferences:
http://misssnark.blogspot.com/2005/10/miss-snark-benefits-from-snarkling.html

http://misssnark.blogspot.com/2005/10/conferencesagain.html

There's one with her pov on the 5 minute pitch, but I'm having trouble tracking it down. Okay, here it is:
http://misssnark.blogspot.com/2005/11/news-flash-agents-are-human-beings.html

I quote briefly from the third post:

"Here's how to use five minutes:

You: Good morning. Thanks for seeing me.
MS: Good morning, it's my pleasure.

You: I have a fifty word pitch memorized but I'd rather ask your advice
MS: (puffing up with delight at being asked to share her pearls of wisdom) Sure, go ahead.

Then you ask three of the questions you want to ask this agent or editor"

-Barbara