Comments on: The Value of the Verbal Pitch https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/ Literary Agent Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:19:44 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Michelle DeRusha https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29835 Wed, 19 May 2010 14:36:17 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29835 >I would say email hands-down, because I am a great big chicken about the thought of pitching face-to-face.

I looked at your list of Christian writers' conferences. If you had to recommend one or two, which would be your topic picks?

And this is probably a dumb question…but do you have to make an appointment at a conference to speak to/pitch an agent or editor, or is there opportunity walk right up and start talking? I've never been to a conference, so I don't know how the process works!

Thanks!

]]> By: Emily Casey https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29813 Wed, 19 May 2010 01:10:50 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29813 >I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the pitch I gave at last week’s conference. It’s like replaying a first date over and over in my head. Did she request those pages just because I was there? Was she genuinely intrigued or was she just being nice? And what about all those stupid things I said?
But I know I’m not the only one thinking about these things. And I know worrying about it won’t do any good.
Overall, I think the verbal pitch helped me. Thank goodness for agents like you who are willing to hear them!

]]> By: Kathryn Magendie https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29808 Tue, 18 May 2010 23:32:04 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29808 >The one that gets the "yes!" 🙂

]]> By: Dara https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29802 Tue, 18 May 2010 18:46:13 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29802 >As much as I see the advantages in face-to-face pitching, I still prefer email because I don't stutter and act like a complete dunce like I do in person 😛 I know it's necessary to have a good public persona, although some writers will definitely have better ones than others.

]]> By: Anonymous https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29763 Tue, 18 May 2010 06:58:21 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29763 >I rarely hear about agents offering to rep writers after meeting in person, so what's the big advantage? All agents talk about is how exhausting it is to hear pitch after pitch and after a while, they all run together.

Seems to me the agent holds all the cards…the writer can muck up in so many different ways and make a bad first impression, and vice versa. Why bother?

]]> By: Care https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29758 Mon, 17 May 2010 23:16:45 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29758 >If my self esteem wore Lynda Carter's red, white, and blue wonder woman suit I would say face to face contact for sure!
Sadly, my confidence has been nicked a bit in life, I don't even have the wrist bands… 🙂
I thank heaven I have the chance to use email.

]]> By: Kristi Holl https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29757 Mon, 17 May 2010 22:28:23 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29757 >Once you get past the first pitch and don't die from it, it's easier to see the value in them. 😎 People can be a real surprise in person, for one thing! And the face-to-face contact gives the editor or agent a chance to ask for more details about things you might not think are important–and things you never would have included in a written query.

]]> By: Dave Cullen https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29756 Mon, 17 May 2010 20:59:19 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29756 >There are so many advantages to meeting in person, including a huge one for the writer:

Is this the right agent for you?

Nearly all my published writer friends, and me, are on our second agent. Most of us jumped at the first person who said yes. Bad move.

Good writers and agents mate for life, and finding the person who fits your personality, talent and temperament is crucial, but difficult.

The traditional written process (query, then manuscript, etc.) gives the agent 100 pages of material to "meet" the writer, but almost nothing in the other direction.

Remember that like all job interviews, both sides ARE INTERVIEWING EACH OTHER.

When you're seeking a job, you're trying really hard to land it. But then if they offer it, you're the one who has to work there for the next ten years. Do you want to?

Same with agents. This is a great chance to assess the agent, too. And even if the agent says no, you have learned a lot: a peek one more agent: what she's like, how she operates, etc.

This will help a great deal when an agent finally says yes, and you have to ask yourself: But do I want her?

]]> By: Emily Ann Benedict https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29754 Mon, 17 May 2010 20:16:15 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29754 >I think writers have a tendency to believe we are only capable of expressing ourselves through e-mails and manuscripts, but the world does tend to prefer face to face contact. I’ve noticed people are willing to look at my work much quicker if they’ve met me in person. It was uncomfortable at first, but the more practice I got the easier it was.

]]> By: Janet https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29752 Mon, 17 May 2010 18:58:15 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29752 >I think, if it possible to get, I would prefer the in person pitch. Though I would be nervous, I wouldn't have to wait and wait and wonder if the written query has even been read yet, or if it is in a slush pile somewhere. I am very impatient.I'm doing a pitch in June at the WVWriter's Conference at Cedar Lakes, WV. Wish me luck.

]]> By: Raquel Byrnes https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29751 Mon, 17 May 2010 18:10:27 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29751 >My first experience with verbal pitching at a conference was terrible…I was too nervous and worried about missing my "one chance" to sell my idea.

My second experience was wonderful. More relaxed and a bit wiser, I realized that editors don't bite and actually want to find something promising. That was a big help.

At a recent conference in Seattle, the editors were gracious, encouraging, and attentive. I was nervous, sure, but the smile across the table really helped me get over my anxiety and get excited about sharing my passion.

Definitely like the face-to-face now.

]]> By: Michael K. Reynolds https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29750 Mon, 17 May 2010 17:17:49 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29750 >There is another huge benefit of a face-to-face pitch which you won't receive by a written query. Not only do we want a "Yes", but a "Yes" with the right agent or publisher.

Going to conferences allows you to observe how agents and editors interact with other authors and their peers. It's helpful to see how they handle both the bad ideas and the good ideas they hear.

You'll also get to measure their level of enthusiasm for your concept and your writing, which will be crucial in not only getting you published, but in helping to forge a partnership that will generate strong sales.

This will give you powerful insights into whose basket you want to put many of your career eggs.

]]> By: Jason Black https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29748 Mon, 17 May 2010 16:30:21 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29748 >Excellent advice.

I think many writers (myself not least among them) are drawn to writing by its solitary nature. There is a certain comfort in the solitary, almost solipsistic isolation of writing, of living within your own mind.

And yet, as you say, if we're going to make a career out of it we'd better darned well learn how to talk, too. We'd better figure out how to get comfortable standing up in front of real live human beings so that coherent words may issue forth from our mouths.

That's hard.

As a recovering public-speaking-ophobe, the best advice I can give in that regard is to join your local Toastmasters International club. Chances are there are several active Toastmasters clubs in your town or city.

Toastmasters provides a safe, supportive environment in which to practice public speaking, in a program that is based on _constructive feedback_.

I'm just one data point, but Toastmasters turned this nervous, stammering introvert into someone who can not only face the prospect of speaking to large groups, but now also has the skills and practice to prepare and deliver a solid speech.

Put another way: I'm still as much of an introvert as ever, but thanks to Toastmasters I at least know how to pretend to be an extrovert for the duration of a speaking engagement. 🙂

]]> By: Keli Gwyn https://rachellegardner.com/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29747 Mon, 17 May 2010 15:47:09 +0000 http://rachellegardner.flywheelsites.com/2010/05/the-value-of-the-verbal-pitch/#comment-29747 >I see value in both, but there are definite advantages to a pitch session over an email query. Sitting face to face with a publishing professional can be intimidating for those of us who are reserved, but the back and forth communication is helpful. If something I say is unclear, I have an opportunity to clarify my point.

My first pitch sessions with an agent and editor went a long way toward putting my fears to rest. Publishing professionals are people, too, and my experience showed me that they're not as scary as I once thought. In fact, those I met with went out of their way to put me at ease.

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