Using the Programme Guide of the 2021 World Science Fiction Convention, DisCON III, which I WOULD have been attending in person if I felt safe enough to do so in person AND it hadn’t been changed to the week before the Christmas Holidays…I will jump off, jump on, rail against, and shamelessly agree with the BRIEF DESCRIPTION given in the Program Guide. I will be using the events to drive me to distraction or revelation – as the case may be. The link is provided below where this appeared!
"Success is equal parts preparation and luck—so be prepared when luck puts you in the right place at the right time! How do you get ready for a pitch opportunity with an editor or producer, when you may have less than a minute to sell your dream project?"
Diana M. Pho: Editor at Tor.com
José Pablo Iriarte: Writer
Joshua Bilmes: Owner of JABbberwocky Agency
Patrick LoBrutto: Former ACE Books editor, currently Editorial Consultant (with connections and project far too numerous to list, go here: https://patrickjlobrutto.net/)
Sarah Avery: Moderator
OK! So there was quite a lineup there! Everyone had something good to say. It was less organized than the others, but they all agreed on one thing: the pitch was “A way you approach an editor in order to get your foot in the door, or to interest them. BREVITY is key. You can get down to details later.”
Without further ado:
Diana M. Pho:
1) 30-45-60 sec0nds. You want to talk longer, arrange a meeting.
2) Title; word length; genre (but DON”T GET MARRIED TO the genre you choose – roughly!); plot; how big is the cast is; the protagonist, antagonist, and main supporting character for the protagonist; the FOCUS of the piece. Make it one, 60 second-long sentence.
3) Be EXCITED about your story. Passionate, knowledgeable, confident…Your enthusiasm can carry the pitch.
4) Respect the agent’s BOUNDARIES – don’t touch them, and be light. Respect their seconds and arrange a time later.
5) What kind of expertise do you have?
6) DO NOT SAY: “It’s difficult to describe”, or “It’s just like [current best seller]”. How do you want to envision the book? Open the doorway to how to POSITION it.
7) Hollywood Log Line: “Dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans. This fragile balance will determine once and for all, whether humans remain apex predators or share it with history's most fearsome creatures.” [Jurassic World: Dominion] Like this.
8) “Adjectives an author uses to describe their work [to an agent], go in one ear and out the other.”
Joshua Bilmes:
1) You elevator pitch should be like a press release – interesting stuff first, boring stuff last.
2) Title and first line – YOU NEED MORE THAN THAT! The pitch doesn’t matter without the rest.
3) Give the agent CONTEXT – where does it fit at B&N or on Amazon.
4) The agent should WANT to know more. Don’t give a boring pitch!
5) Be caught up in the pitch, but not ready for the follow up!
6) Give the CONTEXT of where your book fits! What books inspired you?
7) If you make a mistake, don’t kill yourself over it!
Sarah Avery
1) Don’t pitch what you haven’t finished!
2) Give me a map: PIXAR Pictures: “Once there was A…”, every day, one day, stuff happens, and FINALLY…
3) The pitch is in person. What are the social customs where you’re at.
4) It’s like “author-agent speed dating”. How much SHOULD you share?
5) Agents are gatekeepers; but don’t wave YOUR OWN red flag!
6) “I made my students read it and they all loved it!” is not a glowing endorsement.
Patrick LoBrutto
1) What have you had published?
2) The pitch isn’t working if the person doesn’t pay attention! You have to bring them with you with your words.
3) A casual approach works better. Aggressive approaches DON’T WORK! It’s not the ONLY time you can ever pitch!
4) Know what your novel is LIKE: (DAVINCI CODE meets JAWS). You have to be current and useful to the editor. What the characters like. Have a 1 page, 10 page, the whole novel WITH you…in case.
5) Best ones have never been published. IT’S ALL IMPOSSIBLE – I do it because I have to.
6) What the agent/editor already have – USE IT TO GIVE THEM TO COMPARISON.
José Pablo Iriarte
1) Manage your anxiety – the pitch is daunting! But don’t deliver a memorized…
2) Communicate! You understand the story’s structure – “I know what the story IS”.
3) There are many ways/opportunities to meet an agent/editor. You can put yourself in the way of opportunity.
4) Florida Writers – breakfast, genre “So, what is everyone reading?” You are a reader, too!
5) No misfortunes, lots of publishers. “Won’t work with SFWA” is a red flag.
6) ONE paragraph: Before – life is fine – then it’s NOT fine – what is the INCITING incident? – what’s the solution?
7) It’s not personal – it’s like the drug industry. You have to help yourself. Practice on your friends – but know that THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS.
8) Creating the pitch is also a good way to help revise and rewrite the book. Your pitch is the first bit of advertising/marketing you write. It should be MEMORABLE; then REPEATABLE, and you should be willing to share it with LOTS of people at the drop of a hat!
Program Schedule: https://discon3.org/schedule/
Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQY860vAI2izm2g2mUgxzT14fGVmoGh66B51g&usqp=CAU
Joshua Bilmes:
1) You elevator pitch should be like a press release – interesting stuff first, boring stuff last.
2) Title and first line – YOU NEED MORE THAN THAT! The pitch doesn’t matter without the rest.
3) Give the agent CONTEXT – where does it fit at B&N or on Amazon.
4) The agent should WANT to know more. Don’t give a boring pitch!
5) Be caught up in the pitch, but not ready for the follow up!
6) Give the CONTEXT of where your book fits! What books inspired you?
7) If you make a mistake, don’t kill yourself over it!
Sarah Avery
1) Don’t pitch what you haven’t finished!
2) Give me a map: PIXAR Pictures: “Once there was A…”, every day, one day, stuff happens, and FINALLY…
3) The pitch is in person. What are the social customs where you’re at.
4) It’s like “author-agent speed dating”. How much SHOULD you share?
5) Agents are gatekeepers; but don’t wave YOUR OWN red flag!
6) “I made my students read it and they all loved it!” is not a glowing endorsement.
Patrick LoBrutto
1) What have you had published?
2) The pitch isn’t working if the person doesn’t pay attention! You have to bring them with you with your words.
3) A casual approach works better. Aggressive approaches DON’T WORK! It’s not the ONLY time you can ever pitch!
4) Know what your novel is LIKE: (DAVINCI CODE meets JAWS). You have to be current and useful to the editor. What the characters like. Have a 1 page, 10 page, the whole novel WITH you…in case.
5) Best ones have never been published. IT’S ALL IMPOSSIBLE – I do it because I have to.
6) What the agent/editor already have – USE IT TO GIVE THEM TO COMPARISON.
José Pablo Iriarte
1) Manage your anxiety – the pitch is daunting! But don’t deliver a memorized…
2) Communicate! You understand the story’s structure – “I know what the story IS”.
3) There are many ways/opportunities to meet an agent/editor. You can put yourself in the way of opportunity.
4) Florida Writers – breakfast, genre “So, what is everyone reading?” You are a reader, too!
5) No misfortunes, lots of publishers. “Won’t work with SFWA” is a red flag.
6) ONE paragraph: Before – life is fine – then it’s NOT fine – what is the INCITING incident? – what’s the solution?
7) It’s not personal – it’s like the drug industry. You have to help yourself. Practice on your friends – but know that THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS.
8) Creating the pitch is also a good way to help revise and rewrite the book. Your pitch is the first bit of advertising/marketing you write. It should be MEMORABLE; then REPEATABLE, and you should be willing to share it with LOTS of people at the drop of a hat!
Program Schedule: https://discon3.org/schedule/
Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQY860vAI2izm2g2mUgxzT14fGVmoGh66B51g&usqp=CAU
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