Several don’t exist for query letters, and entire books have been dedicating to perfecting the art of querying agents and editors. That being said, as I am a literary agent writing this blog post, I have several examples of things that would fit in that don’t category that I see most often.
We’ve already covered a post on what to DO. Let’s dive into those DON’T categories.
DON’T: Be Demanding
I was in the querying trenches a few years back, I understand. You’ve sent hundreds of submissions, and you want:
Answers as to why people have turned you down
Referrals to other agents if this one will turn you down
And most important: an agent or a book deal
But you do have to keep in mind that we get literally thousands of submissions each year. If we provide any feedback or referrals, it’s on our own unpaid time.
Don’t ask for referrals or extensive feedback. The agent or editor will provide it if they see promise in your manuscript.
(You can put Ms. Bolinger if you want, but really make sure to research someone’s preferred pronouns before putting a Mr. or Ms. It’s often simpler just to do their name).
DON’T: Be Unrealistic
Who wouldn’t love for their book to be picked up by Netflix or Disney+. But we have to be realistic. Unless you have to have connections someone who already secured a Netflix deal for you don’t say, “This is going to be the next Netflix hit.”
Be realistic with social media numbers too. I may have 30,000 followers, but let me tell you, I did not have 30,000 of my followers buy my book when I released in June 2019. Talk about platform, but don’t say that that alone will get you sales.
It won’t.
DON’T: Be Rude
This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised at how poorly people take rejections. As someone who has been rejected literally hundreds (if not thousands at this point) of times, I know how to take a punch.
Don’t ask them to reconsider. Don’t say, “Well, J.K. Rowling got rejected XYZ times, and those publishers sure were sorry.” Don’t insult their agency, their position, or their publishing house.
Simply say, “Thank you for your time,” when they reject you. Believe me, you don’t want to burn bridges in this industry. And industry members do talk.
I have rejected people previously because I’ve heard from others that they were too hard to work with or badgered them constantly on social media for updates. While we’re at it …
DON’T: Pitch Them on Social Media
There is one exception: If they are participating in a Twitter Pitch Party. But even then, they require you to submit via email or Submittable if they like your pitch.
I have a rule of thumb (especially on LinkedIn). If I connect or friend someone and they message me a pitch, I immediately unconnected or unfriend them.
When you pitch someone on social media you not only invade their personal DMs, but you tell them that you only see them as someone you can get something from.
No one likes to feel used.
What other tips have you heard when it comes to queries? We’d love to hear them in the comments.
No doubt, nothing stresses out writers more than having to pitch to agents and editors in person.
After all, in ten minutes, we have to boil down into mere sentences projects we’ve worked on for years. And if we lose their interest, we might miss an opportunity to jump over the slush pile.
So what do we do when we want to pitch our books at a conference?
First, take a deep breath. In this post, we’ll walk you through some tips on how to craft the perfect conference pitch.
Step One: Remember, They’re People, Too
Many of them have sat at the other end of the table. They’ve pitched to editors, agents, or industry professionals. We’ve all started somewhere, so approach this “pitch” like a conversation.
They simply want to hear about your project, what gets you excited about it, and how you think you can market it in the current industry.
Practice with a friend beforehand if you have to, or another conferee outside the pitch room.
Step Two: Nail the Elevator Pitch
Don’t spend the whole ten minutes telling them why Liam, a side character, has an arc that will disrupt the romantic tension between Himari and Kevin. We don’t have time for all of that.
Boil your pitch down to 25 words if you can, and leave them wanting more.
The less you say, the more questions they’ll ask:
Tell me more about the main character?
What are some books in your genre that are similar to this?
How does it end?
Etc.
Step Three: Don’t Do/Say the Following
“This is my first time pitching.” Act like you know what you’re doing. The more relaxed you are, the more you’ll set the agent or editor at ease.
Flirt. Please, just don’t. We can’t tell you how many men and women flirt with agents and editors at these conferences. Flatter, in this case, will get you nowhere.
Get upset if they don’t offer a contract. Most editors and agents don’t. They want to meet you at these one-on-one appointments to taste-test the idea and get to know you. You will likely not walk away with a book deal.
Belittle the agent or the publishing house. It sounds straight-forward, but we cannot tell you how many times people made age-ist, sexist, or any other “ist” comments at these events. Respect the agent and the editor and the hard work they’ve done to get to their position in the industry.
Step Four: You Can Bring Materials with You…
But many won’t want to take them.
We simply don’t have enough time to read three chapters in ten minutes. You can bring business cards, one-sheets, and chapter samples, but mostly likely, they’ll ask you to email them the information instead.
Step Five: Prepare Yourself for Any and All Questions
Just like when you prep for a job interview, you’ll want to be prepared for any questions they may ask you at a conference pitch session. Some of these may include:
Tell me about your platform?
Do you have any other projects?
Tell me why you wrote this project in particular?
Do a Google search on FAQs for conference pitches, and come in prepared.
Step Six: Watch for the Lean
If an editor or agent leans in, they’re interested.
If they lean back, you may want to pitch other projects. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of your projects finished. Most don’t have a strict deadline for when you can send the materials.
Step Seven: Follow-Up
Most agents and editors, if they feel like the project will fit them, will request you send it to their inbox. This doesn’t by any means guarantee a project. But, surprisingly, only a small selection of authors who get this invitation will actually submit.
Take the chance and actually submit the manuscript. At worst, they can send a no. And more likely, they’ll send more detailed feedback because they met you in person.
Say you’re pitching an agent or an editor, and you worked countless hours on perfecting that query.
Now you’ve got their attention, or you’re sitting face-to-face with them at a conference.
Then come the words, “Please send me your book proposal.”
Gulp. Hadn’t prepared for that. What now?
Don’t panic. A book proposal is basically a 10-50 page document that essentially tells the publisher why they should publish your project, and why you’re the best person to write it.
Now, don’t let that 10-50 number scare you. Your first three chapters (or children’s manuscript if you write PB or board books) will take up the majority of that space.
As for the rest of it? Here we go…
The Overview
Potentially the most important part of your proposal, aside from the marketing section, is the overview.
Particularly for nonfiction, you’ll want to answer some questions:
What is the problem your book will fix?
How will your book help readers?
Why are you the person to write this book?
Convince the publisher that your book is necessary and you’re on your way!
Manuscript Details
Summarize the basic information of your book in this section:
Genre
Word Count
Completion Date (As a general rule, novels and picture books should be complete.)
Target Audience
Understanding your target demographic is important.
Who is going to read your book? Who are you writing it for?
We like to include a specific target audience and then broaden it with a secondary audience, tertiary audience, and affinity groups or organizations.
Remember that sometimes you’re writing to one audience but marketing to another. In the case of children’s books, your target audience is little ones, but they aren’t the ones who make purchases.
The Marketing Section
The marketing section is vital.
Now, more than ever, publishers want to only take on qualified writers. This means you book speaking engagements regularly, have a decent social media following, have an ample email list, and plan to expand all of those every year.
Start off this section with a headshot and bio, highlighting aspects that work in your favor as to why you’re the person to write this book.
Share those platform numbers. Don’t worry if you don’t have 170K followers. Flaunt what you’ve got.
Some quick tips:
Quantify Everything: Show via numbers your current platform (“I have 30K followers across all my social media platforms), and the current growth you’ve experienced. Maybe you only have 200 email subscribers, but if you have an open rate of 70%, include that. Show how you plan to grow and how much you’ve grown already.
Don’t Say: “I don’t have platform,” or even worse: “I’ll do the writing and people will flock to my book. You’ll see.” No, they won’t. People buy who they know, good writing or not.
Be Creative: Maybe you don’t have a huge social media following, but maybe you regularly speak at schools or frequently are on staff at conferences. Mention what types of platform you do have.
Experience Can Count: Publishers would much rather take on an “#OWNvoices” book from an author with a little less platform than an author who is writing a book on a similar topic, but doesn’t have personal experience with that subject. If you have a personal connection with the text or characters, include it.
This section also includes your endorsement list.
Who do you know, relevant to your book topic, that will endorse and promote your book? If you can obtain an endorsement ahead of time, get it!
If your endorser agrees to share and promote your book on their social media following, TV show, radio show, podcast, or share with their email list, include that, too. #BorrowedPlatform
The Synopsis or the Chapter Breakdowns
For novelists: Basically in one to three pages, single-spaced, you’ll explain what happens in your book. Remember, “only the facts, ma’am.”
Don’t tell every side plot or character. Just stick with the essentials, put it in third person present (yes, even if you write in a different tense in the book), capitalize the character’s name when you introduce them (“DANNY BELTE arrives at Emmanuel Academy on Tuesday”), and please, please, please include the ending.
Yes, mystery writers, even you.
Publishers will want to know how it ends.
As for nonfiction writers, you’ll provide an outline for each of the chapters. You don’t have to go incredibly in-depth, but a simple formula is to share the subject matter and reader takeaways.
You don’t need to share all the details of every story or illustration you’ll be writing about. Just let the publisher know how the chapters will flow.
The Comparative Titles
The Comps section of a proposal…ay yi yi.
Yes, there are books out there on the market like yours. Please don’t say, “There’s nothing like it.”
And publishers will want to know what’s selling NOW that’s similar to your book.
Remember these fast and quick tips:
No Self-Published Titles: Unless they happen to be selling millions of copies, only use traditionally published books.
Published in the Last 10 Years (Five is Better): Yes, that means “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” can’t be comp. titles.
Be Realistic: Don’t put every single number one bestselling book in your genre just to make it sound like your book will sell, sell, sell. Put some B-list and C-list titles in there. Really do your research and ACTUALLY read the books in your genre. Don’t just look at an Amazon description and hope it’s similar.
Some places to look for comps are Amazon, bookstore shelves in your genre, and Goodreads.
The First Three Chapters
These are by far the most important part of any proposal. Make sure those first three chapters positively glow, especially that first page.
And by first three, we mean start with Chapter One, not the Prologue or Introduction.
Although publishers will want to know your platform and comp. titles, they care most about this. So have as many eyes on this as possible before you submit.
