I am often asked the question at conferences, "So how many of your writers have you found from pitch sessions like this?" Sadly, the answer for me, as well as many other agents is very few. But let me explain why this is really true.
When I ask writers at conferences why they are pitching to agents, the comment is always the same, "We never get a chance to actually pitch a story to them if we weren't at a conference." Unfortunately, this is far from true. Unless an agency is closed to submissions, agents are available for pitching 24/7 365 days out of the year. To add to this, in the initial phases of the submission process, the only thing that matters is the story.
Now, let's add a spin to this. I have said time and time again that the relationship between and author and agent is like a marriage. You have to be in sync about everything. This includes personalities. At this last conference, I was at, we all took historical fiction. Does that mean you are perfect match of every agent? Absolutely not. Personalities might simply not work. But here is the problem and the reason for so many rejections from conferences. Writers are pitching stories to people just because they are there and not because it is the right match for them.
Here is a surprise for you. It is OK to go to a conference and not pitch a story to an editor or agent. No, I am not saying because your story isn't ready, or you aren't. I am saying to not pitch because you have done your research and the editor or agent isn't the person you want to work with.
Do we as agents want to sign people at conferences? Sure! But this is only going to happen if writers will quit pitching to people because they are there and only pitch to the people they are a match with.
Scott
I totally loved reading this article. Yes, I agree with you that the answer which is so often heard by agents is not what they would be most impressed with. I am sure a little research at the end of authors would be welcoming. Thanks for this article. For me, as an aspiring author it was a great read to hear the story from the other side of the table. :)
ReplyDeleteSo let's say I've done my research, I know an a/e is acquiring in my genre, and I have a story to pitch. But since I haven't "met" you anywhere except perhaps online, would it be a better idea to schedule that pitch session and instead used it as a "get to know you" session? To say "I think I have a story that you would like, but I'd rather interview you about your communicaion style, the level of editing you do, what kind of career planning you do with your authors, etc."?
ReplyDeleteKat,
ReplyDeleteThe answer to that would be yes. That additional touch of meeting the person always helps.
Scott
Great post and even better honesty about the reality of it all. So many writers are concerned with grabbing the perfect agent that has the keys to the publishing kingdom that they really don't consider the agent as another person and even a partner in the project. Even if you grab the attention of a Top agent, it won't mean much if the agent and author have conflicting personalities and perspectives.
ReplyDelete