Pitching and Catching. (Hahaha, thanks, SerialKarma.)

[alg]

Pitch Sessions: What they are & how to do it

Everythiing you need to know about pitching your book to an editor, and more!

Comments

[jaylake.livejournal.com]

Excellent. Actually, I think that nearly all boils down to "Don't be an idiot."

The writer's commandment: "Thou shalt not be an idiot."

(Followed by a Peter Weller impression, "Hey, hey, people, be nice. Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.")

[alg.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. Yes, most of the advice I give on a professional level can be boiled down to that! Yet people don't believe me! They think, "That's too easy, it has to be a trick." People are weird, man.

[qnotku.livejournal.com]

Anna, can I link to this? I know a lot of folks who'd benefit (or maybe not) from reading the above.

hugs,
Teri

[alg.livejournal.com]

Yes, absolutely. As it says in the post -- linking anywhere is fine, but reproducing the text is not. :)

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

Interesting stuff! It's always intriguing to get a glimpse into "how the other half thinks". Thanks for sharing! :)

[alg.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[enjae.livejournal.com]

Great post, thanks! Am linking. :)

[alg.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- and thanks! :)

[graygirl.livejournal.com]

This totally rocks. Great advice.

[alg.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope it helps!

[cornfields.livejournal.com]

Fantastic post on the business-end. Thanks. :)

[alg.livejournal.com]

My pleasure! Thanks for reading. :)

[shadawyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice!

And I remember that pitch (being one of the people who was there for the encore). He *is* enviously good at it. Maybe I'll bug him for a tutoring before the next conference :D

[alg.livejournal.com]

Heeee. I am sure he'd be happy to give it to you! He's totally a nice guy. :)

[ratmmjess.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm going to save all of this. Thanks for posting it!

[alg.livejournal.com]

No problem! I hope it helps! :)

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

Still not sure if I'm aiming for prose, comics or cartoons at this point, but this seems like universally usefuly advice. Thanks for taking the time to pull it all together into one place!

...also, I now really really really want to go to WriterCon.....

[alg.livejournal.com]

I have found that, yes, "Don't be an idiot" works in pretty much every situation! As does "Mind your manners" and "Use your sense!" Hee. Good luck with whatever you aim at. :)

[tharain.livejournal.com]

This is an excellent, excellent post. I've linked it in my memories.

Here via jaylake.

Thank you!

[alg.livejournal.com]

Well thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for reading!

[xanphibian.livejournal.com]

Great, great post. Thank you so much.

[alg.livejournal.com]

My pleasure! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Is it a bad sign that this post really made me want to read The Robot Cheerleader War?

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Not unless I'm a Bad Seed, too.

I would read that book. Seriously.

Anna, I need a good laugh today. Thanks for giving me several. :)

[gwynnega]

Wonderful post. Thanks!

[alg.livejournal.com]

My pleasure! :)

[dctemo-13.livejournal.com]

Great Post. Thanks!

[alg.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope you found it helpful. :)

[gooddamon.livejournal.com]

I am so very going to link this. And then gush about its overall awesomeness.

Then I'm going to write a book with angels, demons, vampires, hot sex, and ambiguous morals.

[alg.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't think you can go wrong with angels, demons, hot sex, and ambiguous morals. Vampires, of course, are always dicey. :)

[safirasilv.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
Getting mentally prepared for RWA-NEC in April and Making the Dreaded Pitch. This is scary stuff. If I talked pretty, I'd talk, not write! But you've broken it down so well--and reminded me of the four words to live by.

[alg.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I was at the RWNE con a few years ago (last year? I don't even remember!), and it was super fun.

Pitching is easy if you remember to use your comment sense and BREATHE. And relax!

[scarlettgirl.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful idea! We've already had a few hyperventilating posts to Writercon ComCom members along the lines of "OMG PITCH!!" and I think this post will help them (and your sanity) immensely.

I have no interest in pitching at the con but I'll definitely send you a drink at the bar just for being so cool about the whole thing.

[alg.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've seen a few of the posts! I hadn't been planning on working this up so soon, but figured I might as well get it done now so that people can stop having panic attacks about it. Editors are people too! And we like to talk about books and other media, and it's nothing to get fussed over. :)

See you at the bar!

Great post

[catrambo.livejournal.com]

Linking, thank you. I had the privilege of sitting in on a session with Kurt Vonnegut and a bunch of freshman writers at one point. When asked what he thought the most important thing for a writer to learn was, he said "Manners" and then went on to explain, cleanly and succinctly, that etiquette counted in the world at large. Which I've always considered words to live by. -Cat Rambo

Re: Great post

[alg.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I think "mind your manners" is really excellent advice. Way to go, Kurt! Heh.

[yin-again.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Anna - this is really helpful. I'm looking forward to meeting you in July (whether you buy my book or not).

[alg.livejournal.com]

Happy to be helpful! See you there. :)

[madrobins]

Gosh, it makes me sad I never got a chance to pitch something to you. (Well, no it doesn't, actually. But it's interesting to read, nonetheless.)

[alg.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

Yes, well. Ahem. When you hit the city I will tell you stories of the people I have made cry. :)

[folklorefanatic.livejournal.com]

This is excellent--the first detailed post by an editor as opposed to an agent that I've read on how and what to prepare for a pitch. I can't afford any Cons at the moment, but I'm saving this on my computer for future reference. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

[alg.livejournal.com]

Good luck when you do attend a con! I'm happy to help. :)

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

This inspirational post has helped -- is helping -- me stiffen my resolve for an art proposal I'm slaving over. A pitch is a pitch in any medium. Also, it's making me laugh on top of that, so thank you twice.

Also, count me in as someone who'd read The Robot Cheerleader Wars. I can practically feel the pages in my hands as I curl up on the couch to read it some Saturday afternoon. Isn't there someone out there who could write it with the required hyper-perky ironic tone?

[alg.livejournal.com]

Yay! Good luck with your art proposal!

Perhaps one day I will write The Robot Cheerleader Wars. It would, of course, start with the line...

Cheerleaders get no respect.

Heeee.

[tabaqui]

Ah. Very cool, very helpful. One question, though, that maybe would be answered easily if I were at a con...

How do you actually get onto a pitch schedule? Do most cons have some sort of sign up or is that through the publisher/editor only?

Some of my very favorite, most-loved authors were published by Tor. Oh how I wish I was going to be in Atlanta this summer!

[alg.livejournal.com]

You get onto the pitch schedule through the con you're attending, usually when you pay your registration fee.

Glad to be helpful!

[claire.livejournal.com]

Although it's unlikely I will ever write a book, I still read this with interest. "Don't be an idiot" is good advice for any situation, not just aspiring writers making a pitch to an editor ;)

And if the book you mentioned last ever is published, I hope you give us all a "heads up" if you know about it, so I can buy it. I'm interested in it just hearing what you said about it.

[alg.livejournal.com]

If the book ever gets published, I'll be sure to let you know! It's a pretty darn interesting book. :)

[rikki-oko.livejournal.com]

I think I need a bigger word than thanks, here. :o) While I still have quite a bit of project polishing (and courage mustering) to do before I'm ready for a pitch, this post really gives me a clearer picture of what to expect, and of what will be expected of me! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this.

[alg.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks is sufficient! I'm always happy to demystify any part of publishing. :)