Pitch Slamming Prep

dsoul700

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I'm looking forward to attending an upcoming writers conference, to see about getting involved in the pitch slamming session.

Does anyone here have any pointers one I supposed to have or know about in order to scale through the session?
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Walk with dignity. Smile and remember the agent is a human being. Think more about what you have to give than what you have to get. Be real.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

blacbird

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I have witnessed a couple of these events at major writer conferences. The first time, I'd signed up, in total ignorance of what was involved. What was involved was standing in line while the writers ahead of me took their kicks at the cat. After witnessing a couple of these approaches, I elected to go have a drink at the hotel bar.

A more odious activity associated with the writing "process" can hardly be imagined. I can't fathom why any agent would participate in such a thing.

caw
 

Debbie V

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Walk with dignity. Smile and remember the agent is a human being. Think more about what you have to give than what you have to get. Be real.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
Gold stars to Siri. Research the participants in advance if you can. It helps make them feel human if you've read a few interviews. Go with the flow of the time.
 

rac

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I have witnessed a couple of these events at major writer conferences. The first time, I'd signed up, in total ignorance of what was involved. What was involved was standing in line while the writers ahead of me took their kicks at the cat. After witnessing a couple of these approaches, I elected to go have a drink at the hotel bar.

A more odious activity associated with the writing "process" can hardly be imagined. I can't fathom why any agent would participate in such a thing.

caw
You were smart to have a drink at the bar! Pitching is demeaning. Think about it: How can an agent possibly give serious consideration to a writer's book proposal in ten minutes with a crowd of people around? It's my guess that ninety-nine percent of writers who pay for pitches are throwing their money away, and those are generous odds. For an interesting discussion with writers telling about their experiences at conferences like the one you attended, click on the link below and scroll down to the discussion.

http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/02/07/the-writers-conference/

There is a good reason agents participate in pitching sessions: $$$$$$. Think about it: If participants pay $50 for a ten minute pitch, the conference takes in $300 an hour per agent (or $250 if the agents take a ten minute break every hour). The conference gets a cut, and the agent gets a cut. Few agents are doing really well these days. Publishing is in a state of flux. Publishers are so unsure of what to buy that they are trolling ebooks that are doing well to purchase them, and because publishers aren't buying as much as they used to, agents aren't selling as much as they did before. It's all about survival.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Not saying it's the best way to get an agent, but it does give the agent a real look at how the writer acts under pressure. That's something they won't get from a query.

Also, by paying close attention to the agent's body language and listening carefully to what they have to say, you get a good idea of what they need and want. I learned several things from pitching just to one agent once. That agent sent a beautiful R, but what I learned was worth it.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

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Well I shall be the voice of dissension. I have a few friends who got agents through pitch sessions. The reason agents do them is in the hopes of finding an author to represent, otherwise they wouldn't do them. Don't know the conferences Rac has gone to, but the ones I know where my friends got their agents the agents did it voluntarily and were not paid.

Now yes, there are some pitch sessions and conferences where agents might get money, and I'd be wary of those. But usually what happens is the conference covers the cost of travel and accommodation but that's it.

Blacbird is a cynic, it is wise to take his posts here with a grain of salt. He tends to appear in a thread to make some kind of sarcastic joke about how nothing works no matter how hard you try to get published. And I know nothing about Rac, but considering the link to an "indie" website and the suggestion that agents are suffering now and that publishers are trolling ebooks along with the assumption that agents only do these sessions for money and not because they actually care etc etc it all reads from the self-publishing guru's handbook. Basically said handbook does everything it can to undermine trade publishing and the people who work there, either claiming the people are evil, selfish or stupid. It is quite clear that Rac is not exactly fond of agents nor publishers, so he/she might not be the most objective of resources.

I'm not saying the stories in the link aren't true, I'm just saying that it really depends on the conference, and to just read a conversation on a board devoted self publishing means you will likely have a particular group of people who had bad experiences only (ETA: having now read it, it actually looks like several people had good conference experiences in that thread, though there is the usual claiming of fact that agents are in a bad way now, without any actual evidence).

Why don't you tell us which conference this is, and we might be able to talk specifics as opposed to wondering if this is a conference that is just a money making venture or one that is truly beneficial to authors (like the Backspace Conference for example - your location says NYC, and if you are there I highly recommend it. That's one of the ones where one of my friends got his agent).
 
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rac

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And I know nothing about Rac, but considering the link to an "indie" website and the suggestion that agents are suffering now and that publishers are trolling ebooks along with the assumption that agents only do these sessions for money and not because they actually care etc etc it all reads from the self-publishing guru's handbook. Basically said handbook does everything it can to undermine trade publishing and the people who work there, either claiming the people are evil, selfish or stupid. It is quite clear that Rac is not exactly fond of agents nor publishers, so he/she might not be the most objective of resources.

I'm not saying the stories in the link aren't true, I'm just saying that it really depends on the conference, and to just read a conversation on a board devoted self publishing means you will likely have a particular group of people who had bad experiences only (ETA: having now read it, it actually looks like several people had good conference experiences in that thread, though there is the usual claiming of fact that agents are in a bad way now, without any actual evidence).

You've made a lot of inaccurate assumptions. I'll try to address them without being too lengthy.

Tell me, where exactly did you find this handbook for people who self-publish that claims people in trade publishing are evil, selfish or stupid? I have never heard of a self-publishing guru's handbook, and I doubt that one exists, even metaphorically. To think that people who self-publish believe this is nonsense. You need to read no further for proof than the joyous posts on this web site from self-published writers whose books have been picked up by traditional publishers.


You falsely assume that I am not fond of agents. I think a good agent is the best ally a writer can have, and I know this from first-hand experience. Further, I believe a good agent is a necessity when dealing with a publisher, worth every bit of the fifteen percent fee and then some.

Another of your inaccurate assumptions is that you claim I'm not fond of publishers. I've had excellent publishers in the US and in Europe. Why would I dislike people who have treated me well? On the contrary, I'm grateful to them.

" ...but considering the link to an "indie" website and the suggestion that agents are suffering now and that publishers are trolling ebooks along with the assumption that agents only do these sessions for money and not because they actually care etc etc"
Apparently you don't read The New York Times or The Washington Post. Both newspapers have had articles that have talked about traditional publishing houses trolling ebooks for purchases. One of the most famous of these purchases is "Fifty Shades of Gray." Another purchase is the print rights to Hugh Howey's "Wool." Howey was smart. He was dealing from strength and refused to let Simon & Schuster have his ebook sales.

I could go on, but this is pointless. In the Style section of yesterday's Washington Post, a full page was devoted to "The Future of Reading and Writing." A publisher named David Miller described it well by saying that publishers are stumbling their way through the "Great Disruption." Digital publishing has created a huge sea change, and it has caused some floundering among traditional publishers. The business model they used to have is no longer as viable as it was; they have to be very careful now. As a result, it has become a more difficult market in terms of agents placing books. This isn't new. Several years ago, a highly-respected New York literary agent told me how much harder it was to place books, and things have not improved for publishers and agents since then. All writers, whether traditionally published or self-published through ebooks should be concerned about what is happening in publishing. We need traditional publishing houses, and we should hope that they find their way through the Great Disruption and thrive.
 

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1. The self publishing guru's handbook was indeed a metaphor. It comes from a lot of experience here and in other places, where self published authors show up on a site, extol the virtues of self publishing, and put down anything at all to do with trade publishing. They promote lies, they quote individuals who have a vested interest in the self publishing model as if they know some universal truth, they link to sites devoted to self publishing. They also call self publishing "indie" so as to make it seem more legit.

Are there self published authors who are reasonable? Absolutely. I know many of them. Many of them come to this site. Many of them are my friends in real life as well (I mean, off the internet). But I have been on this board for years. Yes, years. And I have seen, time and time again, a self published author come along and try to convince someone unsure of what they are doing that there is no point in going the trade route.

Clearly considering your response, I was wrong to assume such of you. But I am not the only one who makes sweeping assumptions. You made a sweeping one about conferences, saying basically the only reason agents do it is they need the money because their business is failing. This is an untruth. Some might, but I don't know any personally (and I know a fair few agents). I thought that misinformation was not helpful, and considering the OPs response after you posted, I thought the OP needed to hear the other side of the story. Considering the other evidence (your linking to an "indie" site, your seeming cynical attitude towards agents) I thought you were one of those authors I mentioned above. I was wrong. I'm sorry.


2. I know ebooks get picked up by the trades. I like ebooks. I'm publishing an ebook (with an ebook publisher, not self published, but still - I am very supportive of self publishing, I even designed a cover for a friend). My issue was two fold. One the choice of the word "troll". To me it is a negative sounding word. Like publishers are so desperate now that they need to wade into the mire. Two. The fact also remains that while self published ebooks are getting picked up by the trades, they are still not being done so in large numbers. Especially compared with how many self published books there are out there right now. Why is it that every time a self published book gets picked up it's news? If it happened with boring regularity no one would write about it. The lion's share of books being acquired through trades is still happening through the old route.

I am not denying a sea of change. I'm simply not sure what any of this has to do with the OP needing advice for attending a pitch session, and why it was necessary to make the OP second guess going to the conference in the first place when you have no idea which conference it is yet. Yes publishing is in flux, it doesn't mean that conferences don't still exist to help authors with agents/editors attending because they really do want to help.

I apologize for misreading your intentions. If you hang around here for a while, I think you will start to understand where I am coming from. Especially about the self published authors who come along to bash trade publishing. It happens a lot here. And maybe it's made me a little more sensitive and wary. I was wrong. And I'm sorry.
 

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I feel obliged now to offer some answers to the OP's original question, seeing as I am partly responsible for sending us off on a totally different tangent.

How to prepare for a pitch:

- make sure you have a concise summary of your work. An elevator pitch is what they call it.
- have some questions for the agent prepared in case
- have some answers in case the agent asks you anything: favourite books/genre, why this book, why do you like to write, what's the market for this book, what other books are like it

- dress comfortably but nicely, be clean and presentable.
- try to relax, it's hard, but try to remember they are just people. And they really want to find a great book/author. They are not there to put you down, they want you to be great
- if you can, go to the hotel bar. Usually that's where agents etc hang out when not doing the conference. It will be a good chance to just sit and chat with them. But do it as people, don't talk writing or at least don't talk your writing. You can talk about books you are reading, the weather, movies. Just hang out. Don't be scared to chat with an agent socially, just do not, whatever you do, pitch them. This is a chance to show you are a normal person.

And that's my advice! :)
 

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Blacbird is a cynic, it is wise to take his posts here with a grain of salt. He tends to appear in a thread to make some kind of sarcastic joke about how nothing works no matter how hard you try to get published.

cynic n. See realist.

Blacbird's Unabridged Dictionary, 2013 ed.



cynic n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.

The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce.


caw
 

rac

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My issue was two fold. One the choice of the word "troll". To me it is a negative sounding word. Like publishers are so desperate now that they need to wade into the mire. Two. The fact also remains that while self published ebooks are getting picked up by the trades, they are still not being done so in large numbers. Especially compared with how many self published books there are out there right now. Why is it that every time a self published book gets picked up it's news? If it happened with boring regularity no one would write about it. The lion's share of books being acquired through trades is still happening through the old route.


I apologize for misreading your intentions.

Thank you for your apology.

My choice of the word "troll" was unfortunate. From what I've been reading, publishing houses are keeping a very watchful eye on self-published ebooks, looking for those that are selling, and they're picking them up. I don't look at it as though they are wading into the mire. They are looking for and buying what they see is working. Every book that they buy doesn't make it to the newspapers or to a forum like this one. This move on their part makes perfect sense. They are saved from the headaches of pre-publication and can use their expertise to help the books they buy gain even more readers. It's a win-win for them.
 

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You're welcome. And again, I am truly sorry for misunderstanding your intentions.

And you are right. I guess my thinking is always what the person who doesn't know much about publishing yet thinks when he/she reads something like that. And to me I think it is likely they might conclude going after an agent, attempting to be published by a trade etc, is not the right route anymore, and instead they should just self publish and wait to be found by a publisher. Which is not at all what you were intending I realise now, but it bothers me because it takes away options from new authors. So many new authors don't think there's a chance in heck of a real life publisher ever publishing them so they don't even try. When people say publishers are more likely to purchase a self published book than a submitted MS (which isn't true - not yet), I think many new authors lose a choice in that they assume they will never make it unless they self publish.

So while I love self publishing, ebooks, small presses and the Big 5 because we have more choice than ever as authors, I sometimes worry that in our glee at the self publishing option we are inadvertently removing choice/options from new unaware authors who will cross off the latter three in favour of the first of that list.

That's all.

Anyway . . .

(blacbird - my definition of you is someone who is extremely talented but who let's his own attitude get in the way of success. Witness how you gave up on doing the agent pitch slam before it even happened - claiming it was fruitless, but of course not even trying in the first place.)
 

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One thing I would add to the other advice here, based on my own experience, is to be a zealous advocate for your book but not to get defensive if the agent asks questions or pokes holes in your story. You don't have to agree with everything they say, but make it clear you're flexible and willing to work with them rather than being like a rabid mother desperate to shield your newborn child from any criticism.

At the last pitch session I attended, the woman ahead of me in line was so abrasive that the agents found me a breath of fresh air by comparison. That worked well for me, but not so much for her.
 

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I also had a few pals get agents through a pitch-slam. (They did not pay to participate in the slam, though. That seems shady to me.)

One pal boiled her pitch down to a sentence. Something like a movie tagline. Maybe checking out film taglines would be helpful?
 

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It's not shady if the slam is part of a larger conference. The Backspace one for example is totally legit and features top NYC agents who have taken on many authors from said event.