The first step to pitching your manuscript to an agent in person is to take a deep breath and relax.
https://carlywatters.com/2016/09/19/pitchagentspov/
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Here are several tips to make your pitch the best it can be.
http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/09/pitch-your-novel-perfectly/
To perfect your pitch, think of it as a verbal query letter.
http://bookendsliterary.com/index.php/2016/07/14/advice-on-perfecting-your-pitch/
It's better not to simply talk rather than read a scripted pitch or recite it from memory.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2016/06/why-memorizing-or-reading-your-pitch-is.html
You never know when an agent or editor will ask what your book is about.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/04/transitions-between-chapters-not-just.html
Blog: Adventures in YA Publishing (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Contests, Pitch, Add a tag
We are so proud of all of you for being brave enough to enter your work and hope you've already gotten something out of the contest. But we had to pick the top 50 and here they are.
If any of the titles below are yours, please send your revised (if you choose to do so) pitch and first page (no more than 250 words, without cutting off a sentence) in the same format as you sent your initial pitch. Do so by 6PM EASTERN. You will have 12 hours to revise and send. I'm sorry our schedule is a little off, but one of our judges was ill and could not comment until today.
I will then post the top 50 pages/pitches on our contest website as soon as possible for comment.
A SIGN OF MAGIC |
ANDARI |
ANYTHING BUT ALIVE |
AURUM: BOOK ONE OF THE GOLDEN REBELS SERIES |
BIXBY TIMMONS AND THE GRAND MASTER'S RIDDLE |
BLUE GENES |
CHILDREN OF TOKUA |
COWARDS AND CAPES |
DAMSEL IN DISTRESSED JEANS |
DARCY TOWERS |
FIGHT FOR THIS |
FOREST OF SHADOWS |
HERITAGE OF HATE |
IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD |
IMPERFECT LIVES |
INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE – THE GHOST OF EDINBURGH CASTLE |
LISTEN TO ME |
LOST PEARLS OF INDARNINI |
MUSE POWERS IN DANGER |
MYSTERY AT GEEK CAMP |
NANNY MORTO |
NECESSITY |
NIKITA WHITFIELD AND THE BUTTERFLY EATER |
RECRUITED |
RETTA VS. MUTANTS |
RIVETED |
SEARCH FOR THE SAMPO |
SUMMER THUNDER |
THE BATTLE OF WONDERLAND GARDENS |
THE CHRONICLES OF WHAT HAPPENED, BY CAM HANSON |
THE DARKADDERS |
THE FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT CLUB |
THE GREAT WOODS |
THE HUNT FOR THE HEAVENLY HORSE |
THE KIDNAPPER'S CONUNDRUM |
THE LAND OF JOY AND SORROW |
THE LEDGE |
THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI |
THE OTHER SIDE OF NORMAL |
THE PRINCESS AND THE PEASANT |
THE SECRETS WE KEEP |
THE SINNER ROSE |
THE SIX |
TRACKED |
TRACKER 220 |
VANISHED |
WHATEVER IT TAKES |
WHO IS BERKLEY ADAMS? |
XAVIER AND THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK SPACESHIP |
Blog: Adventures in YA Publishing (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Contests, Pitch, Add a tag
Only send submissions to AYAPContest at gmail dot com NOT the other AYAP account or your entries will be deleted without being read and that will make us SAD :(.
Don't forget to check for updates on our official contest website.
Not sure what Pitch Plus One is?? Check out this post that includes both rules and AMAZING judges!!
Good luck, everyone!!! Add a Comment
In your pitch, you need to give the concept of your book.
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/07/17/pitch-is-concept/
There's more to planning your pitch than figuring out what you're going to say.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/07/pitch-ettiquette.html
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: logline, pitch, how to create high concept in novels, how to pitch your novel, Jill Corcoran literary agent, screenplay a path to publishing, Memoir, Add a tag
Summer means Writers Conferences and pitching your story. You find yourself sitting at lunch next to a literary agent. How quickly and compellingly do you draw her into your story? How intriguing is your concept?
When friends ask what your story is about, rather than drone on about every single plot point, learn how to rattle off a pithy pitch that sends even people overhearing you begging for more.
Think of the concept and pitch as the seeds out of which grow action and characters interacting in a meaningful way.
Some writers won't write a word until they come up with a concept that renders them eager for more. Others don't tackle the task until they've finished writing and editing and are ready to query.
Wherever you are with your story, the time is never too early to ask yourself: What is your story about really? Brainstorm. Keep a notebook. Narrow down what your story is about to one or two lines and you're ready to pitch.
Concept, Logline, Pitch Workshop is the next workshop for all ages and all genres at A Path to Publishing.
Answer these eleven questions to help you craft your fiction pitch.
http://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/crafting-a-fiction-pitch/
Before you can perfect your pitch, you need to understand what your book is about.
http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2013/02/pitching-is-like-fishing-more.html
Pitching sessions are a wonderful opportunity to talk with an agent about your manuscript, but they also have some problems.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-problems-associated-with-face-to.html
What do agents think about when they listen to your pitch?
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-are-we-thinking-about-during-your.html
The secret to good pitches is being prepared.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/03/getting-ready-to-pitch.html
Blog: Adventures in YA Publishing (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Contests, Pitch, Add a tag
We interrupt this regularly scheduled post to share the 25 titles that have progressed to the author round in the Pitch Plus One contest.
Now, the rules!
Revised pitches and first pages are due back to us at ayapcontest at gmail dot com by Sunday at Noon. High noon. Please include:
- Name: Your Name
- Email: Your Email
- Title: Book Title
- Genre: Age and Genre
- Length: Manuscript word count
- Pitch: Pitch of no more than 150 words
- First Page: First page of no more than 250 words.
- Note we've added word count and the whole first page.
- Subject line should read Pitch Plus 1 top 25 Entry: Entry #XXX Title
- Defy the Stars
- Paloma and the Bow Wow Bar Mitzvah
- Gerald and the Amulet of Zonrach
- Class Clown
- Camp Cammoodle
- Something Wicked
- A Serpent in the Garden
- Where there is Dark
- Luma
- Roger Firebug
- The Unbelievable Misadventures of Avery Mann
- Becoming Hook
- Don Q. Oatney - Vampire Hunter
- Witches Brew
- Ivan and the Grey Wolf
- See You Then, Joshua Jacobs
- If I promise you the sun
- Twist of Fate
- Darkenwear Inc.: Feathers vs. Scales
- Words in the Windowsill
- Love and the Bard
- Leaving Peacesylvania
- Heritage Blade
- Nanny Morto
- Conduit
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: agents, pitch, Add a tag
There are some advantages to giving your pitch in person,
http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/advantages-of-a-verbal-pitch/
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: agents, pitch, Add a tag
Here are some tips if you're lucky enough to have the opportunity to pitch an agent in person.
http://carlywatters.com/2013/05/06/how-to-pitch-an-agent/
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: pitch, agents, Add a tag
Prepare using these dos and don'ts.
http://forewordliterary.com/2013/04/pitching-dos-and-donts/
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: queries, pitch, Add a tag
When you're pitching or querying, don't leave any surprises.
http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2012/12/thre-can-be-no-surprises-in-pitches-and.html
Only pitch one book, your best one, in a query.
http://www.rachellegardner.com/2012/12/why-you-should-pitch-a-single-book/
Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: food, holidays, boys, historical, celebrations, carnival, children's book reviews, melody, chicken, Caribbean, bands, drums, de, Lee and Low Books, calypso, Frané Lessac, Mark Greenwood, beaches, beats, drummer, limbo, dat, author notes, black sand, drummer boy, gourd, bass beat, biscuit tin, book glossary, bottle-and-spoon, Caribbean Islands, Caribbean Sea, chac-chac, coastal beach, fried pancakes, John John, John John Trinidad, maraca, metal pings and pongs, NonFiction, Historical Fiction, pirates, music, picture books, Favorites, African, ocean, tone, rhythm, spices, Atlantic Ocean, Holiday Book, picture book reviews, pancakes, run, note, tune, pitch, Trinidad, 4stars, Library Donated Books, white sand, roti, "Spree", book reviews, paartiee, shango drum, steel drums, streel drum, tamboo bamboo, Winston "spree" Simon, Winston Simon, Children's Books, Add a tag
4 Stars Drummer Boy of John John Mark Greenwood Frané Lessac Lee and Low Books Pages: 32 Ages: 4+ Jacket: Carnival is coming and the villagers of John John, Trinidad, are getting ready to jump up and celebrate with music dancing, and a parade. Best of all, the Roti King has promised free rotis—tasty friend [...]
Add a CommentBlog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: critique, book marketing, revise, pitch, agent, editor, manuscript, Add a tag
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Desert Baths
by Darcy Pattison
Giveaway ends November 10, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
When you do a manuscript critique at a conference, you must be ready to push for an answer to a crucial question; and you must have a back-up plan.
I’ve been backstage at conferences, in the break room where the editors are gathering and chatting. I’ve heard them come back from a critique session and talk.
Editor: I told the writer that the story was great and the voice was great, but they just didn’t match up. This is a picture book, but the writing is like a YA novel. They just wanted to argue and tell me a long story about why they wrote the picture book. Why would they waste their time and my time that way?
Indeed. At a manuscript critique, you can expect to hear at least one good thing about your story. But then–you asked for an honest critique!–you will hear some things that are not-so-good, need-work, needs-rethinking, WILL-mean-a-total-revision. Duh. Editors are in the BUSINESS of telling writers how to revise. Do you think a critique will be any different? No.
So, when you go into a critique, expect a laundry list of things that need to be done. Do not take your ego into the critique with you. This cannot be an emotional breakdown. Take a notepad and take notes about what needs work? Ask critical questions that show you understand their opinion and would like to understand even deeper.
Close the Deal with a Crucial Question
After listening, politely ask, “If I make these revisions, would you like to see the manuscript again?” This is the REAL goal of your session, an invitation to submit this manuscript again.
If the editor responds yes, you’re done. Chat for a minute or so longer, if there’s time, but get out early if you can. You got what you wanted and needed.
What if the editor says, “No, this isn’t something I can publish.”
Back Up Plan–Pitch
Then–you pitch! A pitch to an agent is a brief distillation of your novel into a 30-second teaser. You’ll want to have pitches for 3-5 manuscripts ready to go. After listening to the editor’s presentations at the conference and talking with him/her about your mss, choose one or two of the manuscripts. And follow-up the previous question with a pitch about these stories.
And again, ask, “May I send you this manuscript (synopsis and sample chapters)?
The 10-15 minutes of private time with an editor or agent is a great opportunity to get feedback on your current story; but it’s also a great time to drum up interest in a different story. Don’t waste this precious time trying to justify some minor point in the critique. Listen, learn, sell.
Add a CommentBlog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tips, list, Advice, How to, Pitch, need to know, Helpful tips, Agent pitches, Add a tag
One of the main goals of the New Jersey SCBWI Conference is to get you in front of as many editors and agents as possible.
That is why you get to have lunch each day with a member of the faculty; why we have a Mix and Mingle on Friday night with the faculty; why one-on-one critiques and consultations are set up; why we have over an hour to network during the book fair; and why you are given the opportunity to pitch to two agents.
You may laugh and say, well at least I don’t have to worry about giving a pitch, I didn’t sign up for one.
WRONG!
Now is the time to prepare a pitch, whether or not you chose to schedule yourself a 5 minute agent pitch. Why should you prepare, when a pitch isn’t on your agenda? Precisely because of the lunches, the Mix and Mingle, and the other networking opportunities available during the weekend. Members of the faculty really do want to talk to you and they will ask, “What are you working on?”
If you do not have something prepared, you will stumble and ramble around trying to get to the point of your story. Think how you work on your story and revise and revise to get the rhythm and pace down to match your story. Think about how you pluck out unneeded words? Remember how long you worked to get a strong hook for your story? All those things took work and thought. So if you don’t give some thought and work to what your answer will be if an agent or editor asks you that general question, you will ramble on trying to get to the point of your story and their eyes will glaze over.
I was on the phone this week with a writer who was registering for the conference. I asked her what her book was about and she rambled on to the point where she said, “It really is a good story. It just doesn’t sound like it the way I am explaining it.”
That was perfectly fine, since she was talking to me, but she would have lost all chances of enticing an editor or agent into saying they would like to read it, if she had floundered around like that.
I am pointing this out, so you will take the time to prepare. Start with coming up with a one line pitch.
Here are some one line pitches you might recognize:
A cop comes to L.A. to visit his estranged wife and her office building is taken over by terrorist. - Die Hard
A businessman falls in love with a hooker he hires to be his date for the weekend – Pretty Woman
A newly married couple must spend Christmas Day at each of their four divorced parent’s home. – 4 Christmases
A just-hired employee goes on a company weekend and discovers someone’s try to kill him. – The Retreat
A risk-averse teacher plans on marrying his dream girl but must first accompany his overprotective future brother-in-law — a cop — on a ride along from Hell. - Ride Along
Now that you have the idea, give it a try. After you perfect your one line pitch, try it out on ten people and use the feedback you get to improve it further.
Here are some tips for your 5 minute pitch:
1. Write down what you want to say about your book.
2. Read and time it, so you leave a minute for the editor to respond.
3. Now e-mail it to a few writer friends to get their opinions.
4. Tweak your text accordingly.
5. Pr
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: pitch, getting_published, Add a tag
Simple advice on how to approach and editor/agent pitch at a conference.
http://www.genreality.net/writers-conferences-editor-agent-appointments
View Next 21 Posts
This is ALways excellent advice! Thanks for the reminder, Kathy
Donna,
Are you still up? I just made it to number six with the letters that need to be sent out. Since it is 2:45am now, I doubt if I am going to make my goal of ten before I go to bed.
Kathy
Yeah, I was still up. I just finished a painting as a gift for one of my best friend’s daughter. It’s her bridal shower tomorrow. We are two wild women with these ridiculous hours! That’s ’cause there will NEVER be enough of them! lol
Pleasant dreams, Kathy and Donna.
Excellent pitch advice–I’ll come to the Conference prepared.
Yay, Mary
ANother blog for my class wiki! Thanks.
Carol,
You should let me know if there are any topics you would like to blog about. Maybe I could fill in those holes.
Kathy
Mary,
The conference will probably keep me so busy that I will not be able to follow my own advice.
See you soon,
Kathy
You bring up some excellent point, Kathy, and my verbal skills in book descriptions are a real weak spot for me, so these points are much appreciated. You did a great job on your examples, so thank you for sharing. Enjoy the conference, while you are there. Marcy