Pitching errorsIndeed, established authors will tell you that the need to pitch
does not end once you find an agent or sign a contract. The need to
pitch arises throughout one's career. It may be a radio interview, or
a talk with your editor about your next book, or a query letter to a
potential new agent. Perhaps you cannot foresee it now, but some
day the pop quiz will be sprung. Better to learn the art of pitching
now than to cram the night before the test.
FAMILIAR PITCHES AND WHAT THEY TELL ME
Certain pitches recur in face-to-face meetings, on the phone, and in
query letters. The following are some of the most common:
"My novel is very timely. You have to move fast]" Writing a novel is risky.
Sending it out is riskier still. As we have seen, the odds of success
are quite long. Given that, one cannot really blame aspiring authors
for claiming that their novels are hot.
Is there really such a thing as a novel that is as hot as today's
headlines? Not really. While it is true that so-called "instant"
nonfiction books can be written, produced, and shipped in a matter
of weeks, this is never done for novels (save for the occasional
movie tie-in). From the date of delivery to a publisher, virtually all
novels take a year or more to reach the stores.
One year! Can you remember what was on the front pages exact-
ly one year ago? Most people cannot. That is the reason that the
My-book-is-hoV. pitch fails. Even if your story does reflect a current
news trend, by the time the book hits the stores that trend will be
ice cold.
Authors who employ this pitch may, unconsciously, want to
relieve their rejection anxiety. Putting pressure on an agent or pub-
lisher, they imagine, will shorten the agonizing wait for a response.
Unfortunately, all this approach really accomplishes is to lengthen
the odds against a positive reply.
"I know my novel is dynamite. Impartial test readers have told me sol"
Advance readings may serve to reassure you of the salability of your
novel, but do they persuade me of it, too?
Just the opposite. One reason is simple psychology: like most
people, I do not want my mind made up for me. I want to form my
own opinion.