With conference season, there also comes the arrival of the pitch. (Da, ta, ta taaaaaa) This is where you (the writer) must convince an editor and/or agent that your work is the next best thing to Nora Roberts. And all within seven to ten minutes.

Not an easy thing to do.

It’s extremely difficult for some writers to put their work out there for scrutiny, criticism and possible rejection. The good news is that agents and editors are human, just like you and I. They have their good days and their bad days. But when they’re attending a conference, they fully expect to listen to the twenty or thirty hopeful writers who wish to see their books published … be it electronic or traditional print. Many agents and editors will listen to your pitch and automatically request the first three chapters and/or synopsis. This is probably easiest in the long run for both you and them. You’ve got the pitch out of the way (with a request) and they will have the leisure of checking out your submission once they’re home in their office.

I’ve heard tell of writers who were invited to submit the first three chapters and a synopsis, but then didn’t follow through with the submission. How foolish is that? You sign up for the pitch in order to sell your book. The first step is to let someone else (besides mom, sisters and friends) read it. Even if you’re rejected, no experience is wasted. As a writer you develop a thicker skin. This is also where you go back, discover what you did wrong and fix it. Then you’ll be ready to pitch that puppy again.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 3:36 am and is filed under Liz's Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.