First off, a sort of disclaimer: this year at Realm Makers was my first time pitching. I pitched my novel three times there, but I am by no means an expert.

This post is just some of my thoughts and advice on pitching your manuscript from my experience. 😊

*Do the work beforehand.

Create an elevator pitch. Craft a blurb. Memorize your pitch. Write a synopsis and book proposal. Design a one-sheet.

Prepare for your pitch appointment. Talk to writing friends and mentors and get their critique and feedback. Consider hiring an editor for a proposal assessment.

Brainstorm answers to questions. Know the themes and heart of your story. Be able to communicate what makes it different from what’s already out there.

Utilize resources! One of the great things about living in the age of the internet is the number of resources and articles at our fingertips. The Steve Laube Agency blog and Christian Writers Institute are great places to go.

Seriously. Do the work. Feeling prepared will make it easier.

*Agents and editors aren’t that scary.

I completely, 100% understand the fear and nervousness that comes with pitching. Honestly, I think that it’s natural.

But I also think that you need to remember something about industry professionals: they’re people who love stories too.

Renown literary agent and publisher Steve Laube is often nicknamed “The Dream Crusher” in the writing circles I run in, mostly because of the high standards for the stories he accepts and because of the sheer volume of submissions he receives.

I pitched to Steve this summer. He rejected my manuscript. But he isn’t scary. He’s a person with years of experience, who knows the craft and wants to see Christian writers do well—which sometimes means telling them their story isn’t ready yet.

*Go in humble and ready to learn.

Because this summer was my first time pitching, I went in without any hopes of receiving a manuscript request. Would it have been cool to get interest from a publishing house? Absolutely! But I felt like that was unlikely, simply because it was my first time pitching.

Instead, my only goal for my pitching appointments was to walk away and feel like I had done well. And that’s what happened. I received rejections at both of my scheduled appointments, but I was able to walk away feeling like I’d done my best.

I also listened to the agents and what feedback they had about my manuscript. These people know the industry better than I do. They know a good story better than I do. And because they had similar feedback on my novel, that means I should probably listen to it.

The appointment probably won’t go exactly like you’d planned in your head. You might get asked questions you hadn’t thought of before. But going in with a humble and student mindset can help.

*It’s okay to cry—even if it went well.

Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of emotional build-up behind a fifteen minute pitch appointment. Months of refining the manuscript, crafting a pitch, putting together a book proposal. All throughout that time, there is a slow build-up of emotions, even if you don’t notice it.

When I went into my first ever pitch appointment, I honestly wasn’t all that nervous, by God’s grace. While the editor asked some questions I wasn’t really prepared for, I still felt like I did decently well answering them. Yes, some of her feedback stung a little, and yes, she gave me a rejection. I walked out of the appointment feeling a little disappointed, but overall fine.

But then I started crying. It was awkward. I didn’t even really know why I was crying; I wasn’t crushed over the rejection.

Crying in that moment was a release of the emotions and adrenaline that had been building toward the pitch appointment. In a sense, I needed to cry. 😅

And for the record, I didn’t cry after my second pitch appointment. 😉

*Have someone to debrief with.

After my first pitch appointment, I talked on the phone with my sister for almost two hours about the pitch. It was a needed debriefing, letting me work through all of the thoughts in my head. She also told me truth I needed to be reminded of, encouraging me as she helped me process everything.

And whoever you debrief with needed to be able to tell you to stop and and listen. There was one moment while I was talking with my sister where she did that to me, keeping me from spiraling into doubts about my manuscript.

I’d also recommend having a fellow writer or author friend to debrief with. While I haven’t been able to yet, I hoping to chat with an dear author friend of mine about my pitch appointments and possible next steps for my manuscript to get her expertise and advice.

*Be prepared for the unplanned pitches.

It was around 10:00pm on the last day of the conference, and I was tired. It was getting late and my social battery was practically running on fumes. I was chatting with a lady who runs a small publishing house. It was all very casual. While we were talking, she asked us if I’d pitched this weekend, and if she could hear what my book was about.

So I gave my pitch. When I finished, the lady told me that her publishing house was currently open to submissions and looking for YA fantasy if I wanted to send her a query letter.

That third pitch had been nowhere on my plans for Realm Makers. It certainly wasn’t my best–I blanked for a moment halfway through it because of my tired brain. But it was still a pitch that ended with a publisher wanting to learn more.

I have no idea what might happen next as a result of that casual, spontaneous pitch. But be ready for the unexpected. It goes back to knowing your pitch and doing the work!

*Other thoughts.

At the end of the day, pitching is hard. It’s difficult to scale your novel down into a short synopsis and an even shorter blurb. Nerves are bound to happen.

I talked with a couple of published authors while I was at the conference, and both of them admitted that they don’t like pitching in person. But it’s almost a necessary part of the journey.

However, there’s always the option to query agents and publishers (provided they accept unsolicited manuscripts) online. Moving forward, that might be what I do for future novels, especially if the timing isn’t right to wait for a conference. But I’m also not opposed to pitching again in person. 🙂

Have you pitched in person? What advice do you have from your experience?