My primary goal in attending the Atlanta Writers Conference was to pitch literary agents. Like many other non-agented authors, I’ve struggled in query trenches. With little or no agent feedback, it’s often hard to know what’s working and what isn’t. This isn’t to throw shade at them. They work hard for their clients and frequently have to do more with limited time, as with many other industries. From the outside in, the opaque reasons for an agent’s pass beg questions on whether the pitch isn’t hitting right or is not a good fit. Or, worst of all, is the writing not up to snuff?
In a general agent Q&A before the pitch sessions, most conveyed they were looking for projects they loved. Where they are excited about the premise or characters and want to help the author bring it to life. When they pass, it’s simply that they cannot see how they’d sell the project or that it’s not connecting with them. It has little to do with the quality of the query letter or the premise. Though always having the best query letter you can doesn’t hurt. With this in mind, my sought outcome of pitching agents was to get feedback on what was and wasn’t working. And make revisions for better success with future queries.
Pitching agents
In my prior blog, I outlined how the conference releases the agent list before sign-ups. The first step is to scour the list as you would agents you plan to cold query. Find ones requesting or representing as close to your book as possible. Anyone in the query trenches is familiar with Manuscript Wishlist, but if you’re not, this is a great place to research agents and their desired books.
After completing my agent list and signing up, I reworked my query letter for each agent and prepared to the best of my abilities. This preparation boiled down to three main points:
Prepping for the pitch:
- There is something to the age-old adage “practice makes perfect.” Practice what you’ll say, and get the cadence and words down so they feel natural.
- My wife helped role play what agents would ask to help me work out kinks in my delivery and attain a natural cadence.
Projecting professionalism:
- I wore slacks and a button-up shirt (work casual). Some participants wore suits, though this choice felt a bit formal. However, this is a job interview for a working relationship, and a professional manner is key.
- Knowing the ins and outs of my story. I practiced condensing answers about my plot and characters to convey them clearly and quickly for the condensed time of the pitches.
Being open to feedback:
- The agents are industry professionals, and while I know not everyone will love my story, I needed to be willing to take the advice.
- No one wants to work with a know-it-all or someone unwilling to take constructive criticism. Being open to suggestions acted as another way to demonstrate my professionalism and project confidence that I am ready for this industry.
Agent I
The five-minute wait between when they give the agent your query letter and when you get escorted in for discussion lasts forever. Before this first meeting, an agent I thought would be perfect for my story, there were butterflies in my stomach. I’d never pitched before and had to rely on outside sources for hints at the proper process.
The Pitch
The timekeeper led me in, and the agent greeted me. She didn’t stand, and we did not shake hands (none of them did). In the post-COVID era, this isn’t shocking. But I mention it because this first encounter felt a little strange. There isn’t that ice-breaking moment where you shake hands. So, take that as you will.
With a notebook open and ready, the agent began asking questions about if I’d changed my query letter much based on feedback from the conference. I mentioned I’d made a couple of tweaks, but for the most part, it was original. Her response floored me when she said it was a “very good” query. She clearly understood the stakes and the characters. This was a relief as the day prior, I’d gotten some rather opposite feedback during a query letter critique. I ultimately decided not to break it down and rebuild as there wasn’t enough time or mental capacity. Plus, I figured that building a consensus among the agents on what was working and what wasn’t would help with revisions.
Outcome
Unfortunately, she didn’t represent historical fantasy, which she said was the most accurate genre based on my query letter. A little stunned by this suggestion, I asked clarification questions to help determine if the genre fell into ‘historical fantasy’ as it is other-world fantasy. She made a good case for why, and after the meeting, I found one of my comps was listed as historical fantasy even though it was another world. It was a great learning experience.
Knowing it was a pass from her, I used the rest of my time to ask for any other agents she might recommend, and she did mention another agent at the conference, whom I happened to be pitching later in the day. She thought this agent would be a good fit. And she said she’d text her know she was sending me her way. Another great win from this pitch.
Pitching agents takeaways
If a pitch goes sideways, have a prepared list of industry questions:
- It’s only ten minutes, but if the pitch ends early, these questions won’t leave you trying to think on the spot. I’ll be ready next time.
Agent II
Still nervous, I stood outside the room, waiting for the agent to read my query letter. I doubt this will disappear, but the nerves were less this second time.
The Pitch
I first failed to see the agent inside the room as she was hidden behind a pillar. I played it off with a joke to break the ice and demonstrate my personality. This agent’s style was very different from the first. She dove right into a line-by-line reading of my letter, asking questions where she needed more information and giving critiques for phrasing and missing/extemporaneous information. While she mostly agreed with labeling my book historical fantasy, she had other suggestions on where to place it.
She asked why I mentioned certain plot elements and how they tied into the plot. Preparing succinct answers to these questions paid off in spades. They were very much needed in the minimal time offered for these meetings.
Halfway through her reading of my letter, I got the impression she too, would pass on asking for materials. With this in mind (desperately trying not to get flabbergasted and all into my head about it), I asked where the query letter went astray. What story elements might have piqued her curiosity. It got her to dig further into the letter, and with each question, she started to say, “In a normal pitch packet, I’d have your synopsis, which would answer a lot of these questions.”
Outcome
I asked again what might have piqued her interest in getting to the synopsis if this was a cold query. She thought about it and then said, “No, I think you have everything here. I’d want to read pages from this query letter and the answers you gave me, which should be in the synopsis.” (They are, by the way, yet another way I prepared for this conference)
With that, she pulled out a business card and said she’d like to have me submit my full manuscript. She also provided a unique Query Manager link to bypass the fact that she is closed to submissions and to tag the query as a result of the conference.
I was floored. I’d thought I failed this pitch! She wasn’t interested in my book and tried to ask questions to understand how I could improve. Perhaps I was reading the situation wrong, or maybe I saved it in the pitch, but it was a success.
At the two-minute warning, I asked how the agent got involved in a field entirely outside of publishing (a fact on her website). She gave me a brief synopsis of how she got into that field. In return, I told her a story I’d heard that might interest her. And she brightened and said she’d want to know more about that.
At the end of the conference, this agent gave me an award for best pitch (each agent picks the best manuscript and pitch). Something must have resonated, or maybe I did save it from being a no. I’ll never know, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome.
Pitching agents takeaways
Don’t give up on the pitch until it’s a definitive no:
- The way I stumbled into this pitch worked to my advantage, and I’ll try again in the future. Asking questions about what they liked or didn’t like and what’s working or not helps frame the pitch in a way that doesn’t seem like it’s asking for a yes. Plus, I still got actionable feedback from this agent on improving, even though she said yes.
Understand how to sell your book:
- Even though it is somewhat subjective, displaying knowledge of how you see your book being sold is essential. It is another way to demonstrate your understanding of the book business.
A personal touch:
- When researching agents, note one or two personal anecdotes about their interests. We’re just people outside our jobs who are passionate about many things. This adds a nice personal touch to the interaction that could separate you from others.
Agent III
For this final agent (the one the other agent said might be a good fit), I was the last pitch of the day—the VERY last one. I can’t imagine sitting on the other side of the table with hopeful authors for four hours, reading through query after query and discussing them. I tried to go into this one nonchalantly to help it be an easy last pitch.
The Pitch & Outcome
I started with another joke: “I have great news for you. This is your last pitch of the day.”
It got a laugh, and I thought it started off well. This agent said the earlier agent texted her, and based on that text and my query letter, she wanted to request pages.
It happened that fast.
The query letter and the recommendation from the other agent were all it took to get to a yes.
After she gave me the special link, we chatted more about the story. She did have suggestions for comps I could use and how to reframe certain aspects of the letter, but it was a casual conversation and a great way to end the day.
Pitching agents takeaways
- Keep the conversation light:
- It might have been last meeting exhaustion, but we seemed to get along well, and I was able to outline other elements of my plot that might appeal to potential readers. We talked about different books and joked around a little. Ultimately, being a human is never a bad idea.
- Getting a foot in the door:
- It’s a small industry, and agents talk to each other. If you’re an asshole, they will tell each other, making it hard to get anyone’s attention. Again, the main refrain of this post seems to be professionalism.
Final thoughts on pitching agents
One afternoon got me better results than all the cold queries I’ve sent. I’m unsure if this success is repeatable or expected based on others’ experiences. Still, even if nothing comes of the manuscript requests, it’s massively propelled me forward on the querying journey.
There is a level of validation that I didn’t know I needed from this experience. So much of being an author is shrouded in No’s. Or worse, silence. What does this silence mean? The worst voices in my mind often tell me it reflects poor writing. That I’m not good enough to pitch agents. And that still might be the case. In all likelihood, the book I’m pitching now isn’t the book that lands an agent. The odds are overwhelmingly not in my (or any author’s) favor.
However, talking with these agents gave me a confidence booster that I’m perhaps on the right track. That the books I’m writing are getting closer to one that might one day sell. If nothing else, it helped get actionable feedback. It allowed me to attain professional reviews of my work. And it puts a face to a name, so if I’m ever at a conference or industry event in the future, I can reintroduce myself and have something to talk about. Who knows, they might have a suggestion for another agent who might like my writing.
While nerve-wracking, the whole pitching experience is a networking opportunity rarely afforded elsewhere and seldom in online interactions. It’s well worth it if you can swing it. If I don’t get agented in this attempt, I plan to pitch with a different book.
For the future
In a final blog, I’ll discuss my other meetings and a wrap-up of the whole experience.
What about you? Are there other authors out there with similar experiences? Bad experiences? I want to know how others have faired with their pitches. Let me know in the comments below.
Forever, always, onward!