Pitch Session

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

You go in with a smile on your face, walking with dignity, wearing clean professional looking clothing. You go in with the understanding that you have something to give the agent. You are NOT on the take. You are not needy. The agent is a potential partner and potential friend.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

If you don't already have simple business cards, see if you can get some. They don't need to be fancy - name and contact info (mine has my email and website, but no phone number) on the front. Leave the back blank so that when you give one out you can make a note on it if you need/want. (These are handy not just for a pitch session but for the rest of the conference as well.)

Write up a half-page or so with the title of your book, your name, genre, wordcount, contact info at the top. Then a two or three paragraph summary of the plot. (One paragraph each to describe how the books starts, what happens in the middle, and either what the big problem/choice the protagonist faces at the end or how they resolve the conflict at the end. Some folks like to make this kind of summary more of a teaser, but it's okay to be a little more specific if you feel it better presents your book.)

When you go into the session, hand a copy of that page with your contact info and the summary of your project to the agent. Let them keep it at the end if they want, but don't make a fuss if for some reason they don't.

Make eye contact. Smile. It's okay to be nervous, but don't make a big deal out of it. If you stumble over something while you're presenting your pitch (which should roughly follow the info on the page you handed the agent) just keep going.

Remember that your book is unique and wonderful, but it may not be what the agent is looking for. If they don't ask to see more, don't be upset or angry. Don't oversell your work or make promises the agent will know are false (things like 'I'm going to be the next Stephen King.' or 'This is the next great American novel.') and don't be self-deprecating either (things like 'No one's ever heard of me, but that's okay. I'll just sit here in the corner and write.'). I've run into both in other authors and neither is attractive.

Have fun. Remember that this is a good opportunity but it is not your only opportunity.

And best of luck.

I'm gonna piggy back on Aggy here because she's got some terrific advice.

Aggy B. said:

If you don't already have simple business cards, see if you can get some. They don't need to be fancy - name and contact info (mine has my email and website, but no phone number) on the front. Leave the back blank so that when you give one out you can make a note on it if you need/want. (These are handy not just for a pitch session but for the rest of the conference as well.)
I've seen quite a number of agents saying they dump these when they leave the pitch session, but Aggy's suggestion of stapling it to the pages makes it more useful and is a good idea. And yes, having them for other people at the conference is a good idea, as well.

Make eye contact. Smile. It's okay to be nervous, but don't make a big deal out of it. If you stumble over something while you're presenting your pitch (which should roughly follow the info on the page you handed the agent) just keep going. This is such good advice. Not a lot different from a job interview.

Remember that your book is unique and wonderful, but it may not be what the agent is looking for. If they don't ask to see more, don't be upset or angry. Don't oversell your work or make promises the agent will know are false (things like 'I'm going to be the next Stephen King.' or 'This is the next great American novel.') and don't be self-deprecating either (things like 'No one's ever heard of me, but that's okay. I'll just sit here in the corner and write.'). I've run into both in other authors and neither is attractive. I bolded the above because this is another thing I see agents mention a LOT. They really don't like to see authors who put themselves down. Be confident (but not overly-so, as Aggy says). You've written and polished a book! That's something to be proud of.

Have fun. Remember that this is a good opportunity but it is not your only opportunity.

And best of luck.

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This is top-notch wisdom, as well.

Siri Kirpal said:

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

You go in with a smile on your face, walking with dignity, wearing clean professional looking clothing. You go in with the understanding that you have something to give the agent. You are NOT on the take. You are not needy. The agent is a potential partner and potential friend.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

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Best of luck, culmo

Before you go in, sacrifice a goat.

caw

culmo80 said:

I have better odds of landing an agent with an in-person meeting than through the slush pile.

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Why do you think this?

Old Hack said:

Why do you think this?

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Probably because goats are hard to come by, and famously uncooperative at being sacrificed.

caw

culmo80 said:

It's a lot easier to dismiss someone or something when it's a scrap of paper (or an email) than it is a person sitting in front of you.

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If the agent you pitch to likes the sound of your book, she'll ask you to query her. At best she'll ask you to send her a few pages. Either way, you're no better off than writers who query in the normal way.

I'm not saying a a pitch-session is going to lead to anything, only that if your odds of landing an agent through a query is 100-1, the odds for landing an agent via pitch session is 90-1.

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You're looking at it wrong, I'm afraid. The odds are not the same for all of us: it's not like rolling dice.

Some books are so bad they have no chance at all of finding representation for their authors, and no chance at all of being published by a reputable publisher.

Some books are so good that they have a very good chance of finding an agent and a publisher.

It's the quality of the book which counts, not whether you query or pitch in person.

By all means attend the pitch session and do your best: but don't do so in the belief that it'll give you a better chance of finding an agent. It won't.

That's just the impression I've gotten reading various sources.

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I've seen lots of boards where writers talk about the odds in the way you just have. But I've rarely seen people talk about how different books have different chances, and how the odds are different for each of us, and that's what is significant here.

I think for folks who are friendly, personable and have a good pitch it may be easier to interest an agent in person. (It's the same difference as talking to an agent over the phone vs in email. Actually talking to someone - voice to voice - makes a difference.)

I don't think being face to face will pressure an agent to ask for something they wouldn't ask for from a query. But it might be the difference between asking for a query and asking for a partial/full. If that makes sense.

I did a pitch session at a screenplay conference a while back and being face to face with the producer/agent did not mean they didn't turn me down. But being able to talk about the project and answer questions did mean that I was certain I had done everything I could to present my project in the best possible light. (Which is not always the case with a query letter which doesn't leave room for clarifications.)

culmo80 said:

It's a lot easier to dismiss someone or something when it's a scrap of paper (or an email) than it is a person sitting in front of you.

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Let me tell you something. It's much, much, MUCH MORE DIFFICULT to be rejected in person. I know from personal experience because it happened last year. At RT Booklovers Convention, I went to their Pitch-A-Palooza, which is essentially speed querying. You have five minutes to pitch to an editor or agent, and at the end of your pitch you automatically know if they want to see more. It only happened once, but hearing that friendly but apologetic tone in person when an agent had to say "no" cut deep (I was having enough issues over attending but that's another rant for another time) and was a bit more harsh than getting a rejection in my email. You smile, groan in disappointment, but remain professional and cordial, and thank them again for their time but inside? You are DYING. Even worse than the last form rejection you'd gotten in the mail. Because you could actually see their face and hear their voice, and you don't have to imagine these things. THEY SAID "NO" RIGHT TO YOUR FACE HOW DARE THEY CAN'T THEY SEE YOUR GENIUS WELL IT'S THEIR LOSS etc.

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

I have talked to six agents and one editor at conferences, and all but two of them have asked to see more material...more than they ask for as part of the submission process. Three of them gave me "close but no cigar" rejections. This is a whole lot better than querying. And if you interview well and/or have stage skills it gives the agent the opportunity to see for sure that you could handle that end of publicity, which is awfully hard to convey in a query. So, Old Hack, sorry. I realize you're much more experienced in most things than I am...but what you've said doesn't square with my experience.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

I detest "pitch sessions", but that's a personal opinion having relevance only to myself. I have been so intimidated and overwhelmed by the experiences I've had at such things that I will never do one again.

That out of the way, however, there's also this: I think most agents consider the people who are willing to pay money to attend conferences, often with travel involved, and go to the effort of doing this kind of thing, as more serious about their writing than those sending simple queries to the office. That alone probably leads to fewer "nos" and more "yesses".

caw

Let me clarify.

Yes, agents might be more inclined to ask for a partial when you're pitching in person, compared to when they read emailed queries and don't have the person sitting there before them.

This is almost always because it's so much harder to say no to someone face to face; and because agents don't want a rejected author to flip out and create chaos for the whole pitch session. (I've seen this happen a few times and it's not good. Police were called on one occasion, and it turned out that the pitcher in question was well known to them for stalking one of the agents at the session, and making threats.)

So you send your work in and it will be read, and if they like it they will offer representation. If they don't, they won't.

This part of the process is no different to querying. None at all. Having been face to face with an agent will not help you if your book doesn't measure up.

I did some stats, years ago, on the relative successes of standard querying and pitching at these sessions. When you compare the numbers of submissions received or pitches made, and compare them to the numbers of fulls or partials requested, and the numbers of offers of representation made, the standard querying route was more successful in all areas.

I don't have access to those stats right now but if I can find a link to them I'll add it.

What's really sad is that conference organisers tell potential attendees that if they pay up and go to the conference they have a real chance of snagging an agent or a publishing deal, and this is simply not true. Some writers might, but they would have a good chance of getting there if they queried, too: but most have no chance at all, because the books they have written are just not good enough.

The only way to get yourself an agent and a publishing deal is to write a really good book. Once you've done that, there are several routes you can take to representation and publication: but so long as you're diligent and professional it's the book which gets you there, not the methods you use.

Old Hack: Obviously a good/great book is necessary, but I would assume most of us feel we have done that (written a really good book) or we wouldn't be trying to sell it.

Naturally, our perception of our work may be vastly different than an agent's perception, but few people will think "I've written a terrible book, but if I talk to someone in person they'll like me so much they'll want to represent me." It's more like "I've written a great book and if I meet an agent in person they'll love me and my book so much they'll want to represent me."

I prefer querying to pitching because I can only pretend to be an extrovert for so long. And I can query steadily over a period of time instead of having a brief window to talk to anyone in whom I am interested. (Not that I need to do either at the moment because I have an agent.) But, like I said before, pitching is a good opportunity, but it's not the only opportunity to find representation.

culmo80 said:

Thanks everyone for your input.

The pitch went very well and the agent requested my full manuscript.

Obviously that's not an offer of representation, but it's a start.

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I'm glad for you that your pitch went well, and I wish you luck with your manuscript!

I do, however, agree with Old Hack that the odds of success resulting from attending pitching sessions are slim. I have been unable to find meaningful statistics on pitching, which I suspect are discouraging. The agent Janet Reid wrote a blog on pitching sessions from her perspective. It's interesting reading for anyone planning on attending a pitching session:

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2014/01/rant-pitch-sessions-are-spawn-of-satan.html

The conferences profit most from pitching sessions, both using them as draws and gaining from the additional revenue they bring in.

rac said:

The conferences profit most from pitching sessions, both using them as draws and gaining from the additional revenue they bring in.

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Not necessarily. RT Booklovers Convention has several opportunities to pitch but there's never an additional fee to attend. One session you have to schedule a block of 15 minutes, the other is a first come-first served speed session where you can see as many agents and editors you can; you're given five minutes with each person you see. Again, no additional charge.

Many people who attend RT are readers, publishing professionals, and librarians who'd have no interest in pitching to an agent or editor, anyway but the big draw for everybody attending is books. There's a freebie room where attendees can take up to 9 books, there are books scattered about the hotel because people didn't want them and didn't throw them out, authors give away books during panel discussions, certain events have goodie bags crammed with books, you get a couple in your registration bag, and Smashwords is giving away free thumbdrives with about 300 e-books. Granted, there are many conferences where the main focus is having attendees pitch to agents and editors, but I'm not familiar with any that charge any additional fees for that.