A week away from the 2018 Write Stuff Conference™, GLVWG’s Donna Brennan offers some advice for attendees with scheduled agent interviews.
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When you go to a conference, you often have the opportunity to meet with an agent or editor and pitch your work. Depending on the conference, you may get one appointment or you may get several. The duration of the appointment varies too, typically ranging from five to fifteen minutes.
- How do you select which agent or editor to meet and pitch your work?
- How do you prepare for that meeting?
- What should you actually say at the meeting?
Here’s some advice addressing those questions.
How to Select Which Agent or Editor to Meet With
The longer the list of available agents and editors, the more daunting the task may appear. But look at it as an opportunity to find the best fit for you and your work.
First, read the bios listed on the conference website, paying special attention to what their current needs are. Don’t pitch a fantasy to someone who is only interested in contemporary romance. Then, go to their websites (usually listed in the bio) for more information about them and their agency or publishing house, including titles of books they represent or publish. Read reviews and summaries of those books online. If you can, read the first few pages online, too.
Do they have a blog? Read that, too. That often helps you to get a feel for what kind of person they are. You want to make sure they are someone you would enjoy working with.
Pick your top choices, but also have some back-up choices. Appointments usually fill up quickly with folks who register for the conference early, getting first dibs on available time slots. So register as soon as you’re sure you’ll be attending.
Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group 