Pitching errorsthinking for him. That is dangerous. Part of my job is to give career
advice, true, but in the end only the author himself knows which
career moves will work best for him.
Perhaps this pitch also hints at a lack of self-confidence, a lack of
perspective, or even a bit of laziness. If so, that is too bad.
Confidence, vision, and persistence are crucial qualities for players
in the fiction game.
"Mr. Maass, this is your lucky day\" Unless you are uncommonly bold
or insensitive I will bet that you do not march up to total strangers
and announce, "Howdy! Here's why you are dying to be my friend...."
A pushy manner is off-putting. Amazingly, it is also the most
common tone in query letters. I'm not kidding! You'd be astonished
how often I receive letters that sound something like this:
Dear Mr. Maass:
This is your lucky day! I have carefully analyzed the best-selling
techniques of authors such as Stephen King, Jeffrey Archer, and John
Grisham. Thus, I can guarantee that my terrifying apocalyptic thriller,
GENE POOL-UTION, is a page turner that no reader will be able to
put down.
Ripped right out of today's headlines, this novel cannot miss.
Believe me, you will long remember the day when you rushed to the
phone to request my manuscript, Mr. Maass...You get the picture. So, if the hard-sell is no fun at parties or in
query letters, why do authors fall back on it? Insecurity is one big rea-
son, I believe. Another is the advice that authors too often find in writ-
ers' magazines: "You've got to sell yourself! You must show that you
understand the market! Get their attention and don't let it go!"
Do not get me wrong: I like authors who understand what they
are selling. Setting that out for me briefly and knowledgeably is not
pushy. It is a plus. But that is far different than the hard-sell.
Treat your prospect like a sane and sensitive publishing profes-
sional and, believe me, you will be way ahead of the game.
PITCHES THAT WORK
By now you are probably thinking that there is nothing you could
possibly say in a pitch that would excite me. Maybe silence would
work! Well, no. Silence from a writer is not helpful.