In my last post, I talked about some things I learned at the Missouri Writers' Guild conference when attending a workshop with best-selling romance author Bobbi Smith. Today's post is going to be more about my conference experience, and I'm going to focus on what I learned when I had pitch sessions with literary agents Kristin Nelson and Joanna Stampfel-Volpe (pictured on the left). So, here we go:
- Introduce yourself and your work: The first thing you want to do when you go into a pitch session is introduce yourself and your work. You don't need to give the agent/editor a bio or have a chat. Just give your name and information about your project. For example: "My name is Margo Dill. I have a 68,000-word young adult contemporary novel titled Caught Between Two Curses, and it's finished." You probably have a time limit for this pitch session, so don't tell any extra information about yourself until you get your pitch out. You can always go back and fill in the gaps later if you have time.
- Practice a clear, concise synopsis of your work: Some professionals say you should be able to get the main plot of your story down to one sentence. Others say three or five. The point is you should be able to tell the agent/editor your short synopsis easily and quickly. And practice! Practice! Practice! I practiced exactly what I wanted to say in the shower and in the car. Here's what I think I said (I was nervous, you know) at my pitch session about my novel: "Julie Nigelson is 17 years old and caught between two curses--one on her family by a woman her grandmother knew and the other--the famous curse on the Chicago Cubs. The curse on her family affects the men by killing them before their 35th birthday. Julie must race to find the answer to breaking both curses before it's too late for her uncle like it was for her dad. In the meantime, she deals with her own love life issues with a boyfriend who is pressuring her to have sex and her own worries that the curse will get the guy she loves, too."
- Try NOT to use notes: Some agents/editors won't care if you have notes that you refer to--they know you're nervous. But you should know your own work well enough when you are pitching that you don't actually need notes. Don't type up a pitch and read it. Talk about your work from your heart. Remember, agents and editors are just people. Sure, they can make your dreams come true. But you know your work and you can talk about it--really. If you're nervous, you might just sound really excited about your book. And that's not a bad thing.
At every pitch session I've been to, the agent or editor was extremely nice. Once I finished with my pitch, they asked me questions about the book, my career, and so on. If you already have a book published even in a different genre, mention it to the agent or editor at the end of your pitch session if it didn't come up in the conversation. I have a book under contract that hasn't been published yet, and I let the agent know after she said she would like to see some of my YA novel.
In WOW!'s May issue (which will be up soon), you can find out more about going to conferences and what to expect with my photo essay.
Happy pitching!
Margo L. Dill,
http://margodill.com/blog/
Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....
Persuasion by Jane Austen has to be--without a doubt--my favorite, favorite Austen novel. I've only read it twice, but each time was oh-so-magical. Though I will *admit* that it perhaps isn't a book that will "grab" you from page one. It might take some patience and effort, but give it a chapter or two (or three) and you might just find yourself swept up in the story of Anne Elliot.
Sir Walter Eliott, of Kellynch-hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Barnetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs, changed naturally into pity and contempt, as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century--and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed--this was the page at which the favorite volume always opened: Elliot of Kellynch-Hall.
See what I mean about NOT being an opening that will hook you? Long story short...or three reasons why you should read Persuasion despite its verbose, pompous opening....1) It is the story of Anne Elliot. A middle child, a daughter obviously, born into a pompous and atrocious family muddles through the best she can while waiting for her Prince to come. (Okay, she's not really waiting for her Prince to come and rescue her. She's all but given up on love since she's also, at age 27, an "old maid.")
2) Despite coming from a ghastly, horribly obnoxious family, Anne herself is not only intelligent and genuine but she's also thoroughly enjoyable and likable. She has a wit and cleverness about her. She actually sees the world around her. She isn't blind to reality like so many of the other characters.
3) Persuasion is all about second chances. Anne Elliot, a girl who truly deserves good things because her family is so rotten, lost her one chance for love and happiness eight years before our narrative opens. Her heart belonged--then and now--to a young man, a sailor, Frederick Wentworth. But her family and friends deemed him unworthy and unacceptable. And forced into choosing between her family and her love, she chose her family. A decision she regretted from the moment she broke her lover's heart.
When
Persuasion opens the reader learns that hard times have come to the Elliot family--a family mostly known for its arrogance and pride. The family is *forced* into renting their out their estate to an Admiral Croft and his wife. The Elliot family--all but Anne--will reside in Bath year round. Anne, poor Anne, only Anne, will be parceled out as need be between Bath and her father and older sister, Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Mary.
What can I say about Mary? Mary is interesting--and by interesting I mean obnoxious and annoying--in a completely different way than her father, Sir Walter, and her sister, Elizabeth. Mary is married to Charles. Charles Musgrove. Charles and Mary and their two children live on the estate--in a smaller house--as his parents and his sisters. They live in the "great house." Anne's time spent with her sister and her sister's in-laws is interesting to say the least. Mainly because someone has just arrived in the neighborhood. A Captain Wentworth. Captain Frederick Wentworth. Just the sight of him makes her heart skip a beat--or two or three--she loves him like she's always loved him. But he's out of reach. He's now courting--of all people--one of the Musgrove sisters.Love. Requited. Unrequited. Broken hearts. Regret. Jealousy. Disappointment. Frustration. It's all there with just a little more besides.I do not want to spoil this one for anyone. Really. I don't want to. So please, please, please stop reading if you haven't read the novel. I mean it.
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There are just a few scenes--one really big scene--that makes this novel oh-so-magical. That takes it from nice to really really great.I love, love, love the conversation between Anne Elliot and Captain Harville. Their discussion on which sex--which gender--loves most, loves deepest, loves truer is one of the best dialogues ever. Seriously. Mostly because of the heart-felt letter that is the result of Captain Wentworth overhearing that conversation. That letter? The best, most romantic love letter of ALL TIME. Who could not love this guy?
I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that a man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan.
Persuasion has just aired as part of PBS's Complete Jane Austen. If you're part of the Jane Austen mini-challenge, you might have been watching as part of your challenge. But even if you're not "officially" part of the challenge, I'd be curious to hear what you thought about the movie and/or book.
I'm reserving judgment at the moment. I am a little over halfway through the book. (Anne has just gotten to Bath. The last thing I remember is her going to visit her friend Mrs. Smith.) But generally speaking, I thought the movie was good. It's always interesting to see how adaptations are cast. How other people envision a fictional character looking. But I must say, I was pleased with what I saw for the most part. Mary, in particular, looks like her character in my opinion. I would have thought Mrs. Clay might have been cast a little uglier, since they make a point of that in the book, but overall I was happy.
The storytelling was rushed, but I suppose that is to be expected in such cases. An hour and a half for such a complicated plot doesn't leave much time for enjoying the details and mellowing in the atmosphere. I do feel that if you haven't read the book at some point, you would probably be confused by the chaotic introductions of new characters and overwhelmed by the fast-changing scenes. If you'd stepped out of the room for five minutes or so, you could come back and be completely lost as to who was who and what was going on. But even if you missed a few of the details along the way, the heart of the story was simple enough to follow. And the romance strong enough that you *wanted* to keep watching.
What did you think? (Or should that be what do you think?) If you've watched the movie, does watching it make you want to read the book at some point? And if you've read the book, do you feel compelled to watch this version or another movie version? If you've both read and watched this one...what do you think? Did the movie do it justice? Which did you prefer?
If you've posted about the movie OR the book, feel free to leave a link in the comments. If you don't have a blog, or would prefer just to write your thoughts in the comments, that's fine too. I'm really curious to see what others think....
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Cons are fun and pitching to an agent is nerve-racking, especially the first time. It's a great experience and gives you a whole new perspective about your work.
Cher'ley:
I totally agree with you. I would recommend it to anyone--even the most shy writer. It is great experience and will help you get a focus on your work!