The Dos and Don’ts of Agent Pitching
I’ve had four clients land agents in the last two months (one memoir, one novel, two how-tos), so I’ve been deep in the process of pitching. Next up is Abby Mathews of the MomWrites podcast, who will be pitching her first book, a middle-grade novel entitled Misshelved. She calls it “a middle-grade version of Jasper Fforde’s books, with its off-beat characters, flying cars, and talking animals.”
On the MomWrites podcast, in which Abby Mathews and Mel Parish have been writing books and getting coached as they go, Abby is going to start her pitching today and will be pressing “send” with me while we are on-air together. She said she has champagne to celebrate the milestone, but she also told me that she was bound to cry, and warned me to be prepared for that.
I laughed — because if there is one thing I know about 10 years as a book coach, it’s to expect writers to cry, and to jump up and dance and to scream with joy and to fall into despair. Big emotions happen all the time in the creative process, and especially with pitching. Pitching is a very hard thing to do. You are, after all, crossing a line where your book or book proposal goes from being a thing you hoped might happen someday to a thing that exists in the world and is going to go out on its own to be judged in the marketplace. You make a big shift from being a creator to being an entrepreneur. It’s a change in identity, and it can feel deeply rattling.
One of my clients who just landed her top pick agent just sent me this note: “You want to hear something funny? My nightly routine this week has included listening to you and Abby on MomWrites talk about pitching. It might sound funny since we just went through the process together but hearing you talk about it puts my mind at ease even at this new stage.” This is testimony to the reality that stepping over this line is a big moment.
The episode Abby and I are recording today is part of the third season of MomWrites — Season 1 was drafting the books, Season 2 was revising them (with Author Accelerator founding coach Kemlo Aki guiding the writers), and now it’s back to me for pitching. Mel isn’t ready yet for this step, so for now it’s just Abby, forging ahead!
The episode we are recording today will be released shortly, but in the meantime, you can hear the first four episodes of Season 3 as Abby prepares for this day, and you can listen to the first two seasons. In the weeks to come, you can hear what happens as Abby navigates the pitch process. And BTW, if you are not a mom or not a mom with kids at home, fear not! MomWrites is not just for moms or even parents — it’s about writing in a busy life, and about asking for help, and about doing the hard work of getting a book into the world, which means it’s for everyone.
You never know how long pitching will take — could be 30 seconds to a yes (this happened once to one of my clients), or it could be months of black hole replies (you never hear back) and rejections before finding an agent who is aligned with your vision. There is also always the risk that it doesn’t work — that you don’t get what you seek. Abby has vowed to let podcast listeners follow her through all the ups and downs — which is so generous of her and an awesome way for writers and book coaches alike to learn. And I will be there to guide her as she goes. This is, after all, what book coaches do.
And Now For the Dos and Don’ts
There are some dos and don’ts people can follow to make the pitch process better/easier/less painful. I’m going to outline 12 of them here.
1.) DO know what agents do and what you want in an agent
It’s a mistake to think that any agent is a good agent for you. You need to think about what you are looking for and what you are not — which means you need to understand what agents actually do. Too many writers think that agents are like fairy godmothers who wave a magic wand and make all your dreams come true; while it can sometimes feel like that, agents are in fact a business partner — someone you hire to help you with some particular tasks related to landing a book deal and crafting a career. Know what those tasks are and how you would like your agent to approach them.
>> This post and this one are both a little old, but they do a great job of breaking down the agent’s job.
2.) DO your homework and only pitch to agents who represent what you are writing
It sounds obvious, but pitching can make people lose all logic. You want to send your mash up sci-fi historical romance to agents who are clearly open to mash up sci-fi historical romances, and you want to send your cookbook proposal about all things cauliflower to agents who are clearly open to plant-based food books.
>> Use Manuscript Wish List to search, or Publisher’s Weekly, or QueryTracker, or any of the other agent databases to do your research. If you feel shaky about this step, it’s a great time to hire a book coach to help you do the legwork.
3.) DO even more homework and only pitch to agents open to submissions
They will say on their website if they are taking queries or if they are closed at the moment. Make sure you check.
4.) DO follow their guidelines to a T
If an agent says to attach ten pages, double spaced, you need to do exactly that. If they say to send a two-page synopsis, you need to send a two-page synopsis. The wide variety of requirements can be especially frustrating when pitching nonfiction book proposals as there seems to be an infinite number of ways to slice and dice a proposal (send the overview and the intro; send the intro and a sample chapter; send the TOC and the overview; send your bio and the TOC) but you still have to do exactly what they ask — and don’t forget their requirements for the subject line of the email. This may be the piece that matters most of all.
>> Use a spreadsheet to keep track of submission guidelines so you don’t have to keep checking the submission guidelines on agent websites.
5.) DO write a professional query letter
You know what professional means. It is a simple request. It is a calm and clear explanation of what you are offering. It includes some context and a little background about who you are. It includes a polite thank you for their consideration. It is not desperate, whiny, apologetic, dramatic, grandiose, or too long.
>> You can learn more in this short course I have on writing a query.
6.) DO have a plan for what to do while you wait to hear back from agents
In the absence of a plan, writers make up stories — about how the agent hates them and their work, and how they were so wrong to think they could land an agent or write anything that anyone would ever want to read. These stories will eat at your soul. Usually, the agent doesn’t respond right away because they are busy doing what agents do — which is not, contrary to popular belief, reading submissions all day long. They are serving their clients, which is what you will want them to do when it’s your turn.
To keep your mind from telling itself stories about why you are not hearing back from agents, make a plan to keep writing — a new book, some blog posts, some poetry, some letters to the friends you have neglected while you were writing the book.
Or make a plan to take a break from writing altogether and finally clean out the garage or plant some herbs, or learn how to do cross stitch.
>> I’m loving the badass cross stitch lady.
7.) DON’T pitch too soon
You only have one shot. Make sure you don’t waste it. Make sure your book or your book proposal is ready — which means good enough to land an agent. It doesn’t have to be camera-ready (which means ready to go to press). That comes after the editor and the proofreader do their work. Good enough is solid, professional, excellent — but it’s not perfect.
8.) DON’T pitch too late
You can squeeze the life out of a book by working on it too much and too hard. You can procrastinate until the end of time as you fuss about every sentence. There is no perfect when it comes to a manuscript (or a book, for that matter.). There is simply a day when you decide to let it go. Don’t delay that day unnecessarily. Face your fear and send it out.
9.) DON’T pitch to the agent who knows your cousin’s neighbor unless that agent is right for your book
This is a corollary to #2, but it’s an important one. I see so many writers do this kind of thing, and it can do a lot of damage. It’s part of the “I just want a date to the dance mentality” that puts being picked above establishing a solid business relationship.
10.) DON’T say yes to any agent who makes an offer
You want the right agent, not just any agent. Ask questions. Remember what you are looking for and why. Remember that this is a business arrangement. An agent who is a bad fit is worse than no agent at all.
11.) DON’T give away your power
You might not land an agent — but this does not mean you can’t publish your book. Agents are gatekeepers on the path to traditional publishing, but that is just one of the paths you can walk to get to where you want to go. We live in a time when there are so many other excellent options, including hybrid publishers and self-publishing. If your efforts to pitch don’t work, don’t despair. The power to publish is still in your hands.
If you land an agent, the same rule applies. Agents will work hard for you, but they can’t work miracles. Expecting them to do so is giving them the kind of power they can’t possibly possess. You hold the power to write a book you are proud of, and to choose who you work with to bring it to life. No one holds the power to command the marketplace; luck and timing always play a role in which books get read.
12.) DON’T expect it to be easy from here on out
It’s hard when the agent takes your book out on submission to publishers. It’s hard when the editor takes four months to get you a contract. It’s hard when the art department sends a cover you don’t like. It’s hard when the proofreaders find 1,437 things that need changing. It’s hard to prepare for launch day (Do you hire a publicist? Work with a launch specialist? Post on Instagram every day? What about TikTok?). It’s hard when the publisher doesn’t do everything you want. It’s hard when you get a bad review. It’s really just all hard.
So why even bother???
Because having a team of professionals champion your book and help you get it into readers’ hands is a powerful way to raise your voice and stake your claim and leave a legacy.
