Starting this Thursday, I'm attending the NYC Pitch & Shop Conference. So, I've been putting my pitch together, think about my hook, and simultaneously working on a synopsis that was requested by an agent. All this requires big-picture thinking, and as someone who is prone to getting bogged down in the details, it was quite a stretch for me.
It ended up being a good thing. I'm now thinking about my novel in a more precise way, and when people ask me what I'm writing about, I can tell them without too many "uhhs" or "umms." I have a background in marketing, so one would think a plan for selling would come easily, but it's tough when it's your own work and you've been obsessing over every little detail for the past year or more.
The first day of the conference is devoted to perfecting your pitch and making sure your novel has all the elements for commercial fiction. I've heard that the workshops can be tough and blunt, but that approach works for me. The 3 days that follow are devoted to pitching your story to editors. I'm slightly nervous there, but I think it will be fine.
I'll be sure to blog and tell you how it went!
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14 comments:
*squee!* You got a synopsis request? How great! Keep us posted.
You'll do great, just like the last time. I'll be thinking of you!
Wow! That sounds great! And I second Janna's squee. :) I'm so jealous of you ladies getting to hang with other writers and agent-types. Have fun!
Knock 'em dead! I recently attended a Pen-to-Press conference and it was intense, but you'll be ready for those pitch sessions. Can you share your tag/log line with us?
It might need tome tweaking, but my log line right now is:
A wealthy woman faces the collapse of her family after her twelve-year-old daughter posts an internet striptease.
Can't decide if I should keep the "wealthy" bit. She's more of a striver than part of the establishment.
I've put my queries on hold until after the conference, but I have a couple of partials and a full out now. We shall see.
By the way, that "comment deleted" was my own. Typos galore!
Good luck! I went to Backspace in NY last year and it was an awesome experience. Can't wait to hear how the conference goes!
Yay! congrats on the request and good luck!
Sounds good! At P-2-P, we spent a lot time crafting, critiquing and practicing our log lines (descriptions like blurbs in a TV Guide; a few brief words to hook the "audience" with well known movie/author/book references) for use in pitching and querying. Mine goes something like: "Steel Magnolias and Yayas meet the Sex in the City gang." For the next one, I may use, "The author is Wally Lamb and Dorothy Allison's love child." LOL
Best wishes on your conference! Already it's got you finetuning how you present your story. Do you have appointments where you know just who you'll be pitching to?
Rachel--I read about Backspace. That one sounds interesting, too. Thanks for visiting!
Angie--I'm ready to take lots of notes. I've read through my pitch, but I'm sure I'll have to change it quite a bit.
joanne--We have a list of editors who will be there and what they represent. I have my list of faves. There are only 60 authors in attendance, so I hope that means we will have access.
You're going to knock it out of the park Wendy! Have a great time and remember: confidence, confidence, confidence!
Wendy, go to Backspace! My aunt is the co-founder. :)
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aaron!
Melanie--That's very cool that your aunt is a co-founder. I'll look into it!
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