A h, the editor/agent pitch, a concept that strikes fear in the hearts of aspiring authors, especially first-timers. As nerve-wracking as the process can be, just remember, that which does not make us faint dead away makes us stronger.

During my seven-year journey to publication, I subjected myself to those sometimes excruciating eight to ten minute time slots on various occasions. The truth of the matter is, pitching your book live and in person isn’t necessarily the be all, end all, make-or-break-your career event. It’s another open door to opportunity. It requires preparation and demands reasonable expectations.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or make comments following the pitch.

That said, I’m going to make a few suggestions based on experience that will hopefully take a bit of the angst out of the procedure.

BEFORE THE PITCH: PREPARE TO BE THERE

So you’ve been lucky enough to land a pitch with the editor or agent of your choice. Now what? As most of us have been taught, shrinking your story into a couple of high-concept lines is preferable. Writing them down on a card is a banner idea, too, lest your brain go as dry as your mouth probably will. However, during one of my pitches (warning: horror story), I did just that, wrote down four dynamic lines that summarized my mainstream romance, something I normally didn’t do as I tend to fly by the seat of my slacks. I read it, waited for the editor’s response, and suddenly got bombarded with questions such as, what is the plot? I fumbled around with conflicts, themes, etc., and when nothing I said seemed to be satisfactory, I began to think, This 400-page tome has no plot. On hindsight, I now realize she wanted to know the external plot and this story involved a character-driven emotional journey. She eventually took pity on me and asked me if it was complete, at which time I told her yes, it was a previous Golden Heart finalist (more about that later). Her reply: “Oh, send it on. I’m sure it’s a wonderful book.”

The moral to this story is, be prepared beyond the high-concept pitch. Know your book well but also realize that what you’ve written may not be the editor’s proverbial cup of tea. I now know this was not a personal reflection on my abilities or my book, only the reality of the business—sometimes you aren’t always aware of the editor’s specific preferences, no matter how much you prepare.

Keeping all that in mind, another few things you should remember.

• Know your market in advance. Do not make the mistake of pitching a book that does not fit the house guidelines—i.e. category romance to publisher who doesn’t publish category romance.
  
  
• If you have the opportunity before your scheduled pitch, attend the spotlight featuring the publishing house you’re targeting to see if the editor comments on what she’s looking for. Of course, if your type of story isn’t included, don’t let that discourage you. You could have what she wants and she doesn’t know it yet. If you do have what she’s looking for, all the better.
  
  
• DO NOT bring material unless you are specifically requested to do so. If you show up with manuscript in hand without that requirement, you might as well stamp ‘novice’ on your forehead.
  
  
• If the opportunity presents itself, strike up a conversation beforehand with another author waiting to pitch. Knowing you’re not alone can be calming. But don’t foist yourself off on someone who isn’t receptive. People have unique ways to prepare, and some authors would prefer solitude while gathering their thoughts.
  
  
• Take a few deep breaths and remember that no matter what happens, you will survive. If it’s not a good experience, this is not the end of the road for you or your book. If it goes well, it could be the beginning of great things.

DURING THE PITCH: EDITORS/AGENTS ARE PEOPLE, TOO.

If you have a good pitch and the editor seems interested, be sure to send the material pronto.

A fellow author once told me that when she walked into the room for her first-ever pitch, she took one look at the editor and didn’t know whether to “shake her hand or burp her.” Many of the editors taking “pitch duty” are just starting out in their publishing careers, which means they could be very young, or at least younger than most of us. But newer editors are usually hungry to discover the next best-seller and have smaller author stables. And they might even have limited experience listening to pitches, as well. I remember my original editor at Silhouette telling me she was a bit nervous over taking her first pitch appointments. Imagine that?

Whether you’re facing an experienced editor, who’s probably heard it all, or an up-and-coming fresh-faced editor who’s just getting her feet wet, they both have a couple of things in common: they’re human and they don’t expect you to be superhuman. They probably expect you to be a bit anxious, but it’s how you handle that anxiety that dictates the tone of the pitch. During one of my other pitches (attention: fantastic story) with a senior editor, she told me she liked my dress before I ever sat down, immediately putting me at ease. I thanked her and told her it was a pleasure to meet her, which it was. This happened to be the first time I’d pitched a category romance, but I was fortunately a veteran pitcher by then. I did my spiel, she asked a few questions, and it took about three minutes tops. Then we went on to discuss the conference and trends, had a few laughs. I went away with a feeling of accomplishment and a request for the complete manuscript. As it turned out, my first sale to Silhouette eventually resulted from that open door, even though it took a year almost to the day to receive the call. So the door was jammed for a while. It was definitely worth the wait. Now a few more tips on what to do—or not do—during your pitch.

• Smile. Nothing goofy, but pleasant works well.
  
  
• Talk slowly and succinctly. Some of us have a tendency to push the verbal accelerator because of nerves or time constraints.
  
  
• If your manuscript is a finalist or winner in a major contest, mention it immediately (refer to my pitch from hell). If you’ve finaled in several contests, you might want to say, “This story has finaled in several contests, including the Golden Heart, Orange Rose, yada, yada.”
  
  
• It’s best to concentrate only on one book, but not a bad idea to mention others, time permitting. i.e. I also have 2 other complete romantic suspense novels… If they want to know more details, they’ll ask.
  
  
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions or make comments following the pitch.
  
  
• Again, expect the unexpected, and remain as calm as possible if your appointment isn’t going all that well. Having a sense of humor doesn’t hurt, either. Avoid making tasteless comments such as, This really sucks swamp water. Which leads to…
  
  
• Make an impression—a good one. When your time’s up, wrap it up quickly, thank the editor/ agent for their time, then go. You don’t want to be remembered as the author who refused to leave quietly in the night. Nor do you want to be known for your poor attitude.

AFTER THE PITCH: GREAT EXPECTATIONS

As I’ve mentioned before, my first sale came after that really great pitch. However, I had many pitches before that resulted in rejections. And as I later learned, that requested manuscript went into the conference slush pile, was subsequently read by an assistant editor who passed it up with a recommendation to buy before going on maternity leave, and made it to the senior editor some time later. I’m only speaking to Silhouette’s policy, but it’s my understanding that this is common practice despite editor requests. For that reason, do not expect a quick response.

Would I have had the same opportunity by sending a query instead of pitching? Honestly, I’d already sent one query and a follow-up letter to a different editor on the same book without receiving a response to either, the reason I chose to pitch it in person. I’m glad I did.

Finally, a few other points to keep in mind about pitches to help you keep it all in prospective.

• Unless you’re totally off the mark with your story, let’s say you’ve written a romance featuring two sperm whales, and you haven’t offended an editor/agent, you’re most likely going to receive a request. And you’re going to most likely end up in a pile, although again, you could be the exception. But don’t be too disappointed if you’ve delivered a stellar pitch and you don’t get a request. Sometimes things just don’t click. You still have other options.
  
  
• Relax. You’ve accomplished something just by walking through the door, laying it all on the line, and making it out on your own two feet, not a stretcher.
  
  
• Don’t squander opportunities. If you have a good pitch and the editor seems interested, be sure to send the material pronto.
  
  
• Don’t let one less-than satisfactory experience taint your goal to pitch in the future. We all learn through practice. And experience. But if you decide that pitching isn’t for you, that’s okay. It’s only one of many ways to get your foot in the door.
  
  
• And some advice I always include no matter what the topic. By all means, keep writing more books while you’re waiting to hear on your submission. After I made that first sale, I also had another manuscript inhouse from a contest request. They pulled it from the slush pile and that was my second sale.

Kristi Gold resides in Central Texas, is a member of HBA RWA and considers Houston her home away from home. Her eighteenth Silhouette Desire®, Mistaken For a Mistress, will hit the shelves in August, 2005.

Copyright © 2005 Kristi Gold. All rights reserved. Used with permission.