A couple of more quick thoughts on this topic before we call it close tonight. There are tons, I mean TONS, of resources out there on getting ready for a conference. Authors Incognito had a couple of great posts on pitches and queries. For example, Danyelle Ferguson talked about "The Essentials on How to Prepare for a Pitch Session," and Jenn Johansson talked about "The Perfect Elevator Pitch." By the way, great photos, ladies!
Here's another great resource: Kristin Nelson, literary agent, has a great blog worth following. Go to her blog and search for "pitch" or "query." You'll find sample pitch letters and a query workshop with 11 entries, as well as a lot of detail on agents.
I suggest looking at blogs by agents you like, or by agents your friends like, and see what they have to offer about this. Many of them, like Kristin, have samples or suggestions.
I just Googled "elevator pitch" and got over a million hits. Yeah--way too many to wade through in one setting, but you'll find plenty of good things out there.
I think more than anything, you want to have something simple and concrete to talk about regarding your book or project. If I could only give one piece of advice, it would be to hone over and over your pitch until you have it concrete, simple, and engaging. Have the 6 word version, the 25 word version, and the 100 word version. And know them by heart. But always bring them with you--written down. If you know what your story is about, then you know what you want to do at the conference and who you want to meet.
But don't worry if you don't have something worth pitching. Find your genre and talk about that with people.
And don't eat too much. This may sound silly, but bring a toothbrush and some dental floss. The last thing you want is to feel embarrassed or simply uncomfortable because of something you ate. You can always sneak off to the restroom to assess the situation. But you can't take the discomfort back if you later find you've had spinach in your teeth all day!
2 comments:
Frank Morin, a fellow writer, adds:
"Great post. I'd add: Research who's attending to target your networking and make it as productive as possible. There are a lot of people at conferences, and knowing what name to look for helps a lot, particularly if you're hoping to meet particular agents or editors to pitch your story, or just to get to know."
That's excellent advice, folks. By doing just that we found 8 agents and 3 editors at World Fantasy Conference last October.
Great advice! Research is certainly a good way to go. Excellent thoughts on the matter.
I gave you a Shout-Out on my blog, Joshua. :)
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