Dear O'Abby - I got an offer from an agent, but it wasn't the one I wanted

Dear O'Abby,

I entered a Twitter pitch contest recently and got a few 'likes' from agents.  I sent off the requested material, and received rejections from most of the agents a couple of weeks later.  Then today, I got an email from a different agent at one of the agencies than the one I sent my material to.  A junior agent.

She loves the book and wants to schedule a call to talk about it.  What should I do?  I'm excited to have come this far, but I'm not sure I want to sign with this junior agent, or even why she's the one who has read my book when I sent it to a different agent.

Yours,

Uncertain.

Dear Uncertain,

It seems like you have a couple of different questions in there, so I'll try to answer them one at a time.

Firstly, junior agents in larger agencies often read the slush coming in.  Busy agents rely on interns and junior agents to read the slush and dig out the gems for them to read.  It sounds like your Tweet caught an agent's eye, and she asked her trusted junior agent to read the material.  And said junior agent loved it.

Maybe the other agent (let's call her senior agent) also read the manuscript and didn't love it as much, but saw that it has potential in the right, passionate hands.  Junior agents don't have a ton of clients already and are building their list of authors and contacts. They have more time for individual authors and projects. If senior agent believes the book is good enough, and may sell, she might have suggested junior agent takes it on and will then offer support and advice as junior agent goes through the process of trying to sell it.

Junior agents may not have the same number of sales as a more senior agent, but they often have more time to spend on individual projects than their more senior counterparts.  They are just beginning their careers and don't have a large number of authors competing for their time and attention.  If a junior agent has the support of an established agency or a single experienced agent, signing with them might be the best career move you can make.

XX O'Abby

Crafting a 35-Word Pitch for Your Novel

You may have noticed that some contests ask for a short pitch of your book, or you may have been asked by an agent or editor to provide one. The typical length of these short pitches is around thirty-five words, though this is not always the case. How can you condense a full-length novel into a thirty-five word pitch? Here are some tips:

1) Use this formula: What does my main character want? What stands in their way? What happens is they don't get what they want? That may seem like a lot to condense into thirty-five words, but if you've got these stakes identified in your novel, you should be able to pull them out into a short pitch.

Another formula: When X [inciting incident], X must [action/decision], or [stakes].

2) Limit your pitch to your main plot. There's no room for subplots in a pitch.

3) Be specific. 35 words is sufficient to drop a few details about your world and your main character. Specific details are much more intriguing than generalities ('the Sorcerer's Stone' vs. 'a magical talisman').

4) Keep the pitch to one sentence. Two, if necessary.

5) You can include comps if it really helps shed light on your plot, but it's not necessary.

6) Use the character's name. First name is fine (you don't need to waste a word on a surname).

7) Don't include any other named characters. You can refer to the description of the character who's standing in your main character's way: the witch, the warlock, the werewolf.

8) Include your main character's age if you're writing a children's book. But do so using hypens: 'twelve-year-old' is one word, while 'twelve year old' is three.

9) 35 means 35. Make sure you count manually, along with using on a word processing program's word count. You don't want to get your pitch bounced for having an extra word or two!

Example: Eleven-year-old Harry, who has just discovered he's a wizard, must stop newly-resurrected evil wizard from finding the Sorcerer's Stone, or the evil wizard will gain the power to destroy the wizarding world. (32 words)

Example: When Dorothy is whisked away to a magical land, she must rely on her newfound friends, along with her own strength and resolve, to defeat a wicked witch and find her way home. (33 words)

Example: When sixteen-year-old Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the televised Hunger Games, she must use her hunting skills to outsmart and kill her competitors in the brutal game, or be killed herself. (34 words)

Guest Post: Pitching to Agents, by Megan Lee

I recently attended a writers' conference in Seattle that focused entirely on publishing.  Since I was pitching that day, and was scared out of my mind, the class focusing on developing and presenting a good pitch was extremely beneficial and helped me to sort out my thoughts and ideas to develop a great pitch.  Now I am just crossing my fingers that the requests for my MS turn into something more!

Here is what I learned from the May 2017 Seattle Writer’s Conference about pitching to an agent.

The set-up of a perfect pitch: in order

-Introduce Main Character

-Flush out the Main Character (Tell us what they want out of life or what makes them interesting.)

-Inciting incident (What propels your novel into motion- The Hook)

-What is the major plot of the book about (What does the Main Character intend to do about the incident):  Part three should automatically lead to four.  State the incident and what the Main character intends to do about it.

-Complications (What stands in the way of what the MC intends to do.)

-What will the MC do to fix the problem (Do not say whether or not they will succeed.)

-Stakes: If the MC fails.  What will happen to them?

A couple of other great tips for your pitching session:

-Start with your genre, title, word count and any relating novels they may be able to draw from (never use the classics like Harry Potter or Hunger Games: personal pet peeve of almost all authors)

-Never end the pitch with a rhetorical question

-Although agents prefer you to memorize your pitch, if you don’t feel comfortable, do what you are best at.  If you need to read your pitch, then do it.  Represent yourself the best you can.

-If you are looking to write compelling pitches and first pages your BEST resources to find and study are successful debut authors in your genre.  They have learned to develop an amazing roadmap in order to get published so USE THEIR ROADMAP.

Personal things I learned about my pitching session:

-First pitch is the hardest. I was shaking like a leaf.  But once I started, I got comfortable and was able to pitch with a lot more ease the rest of the time.

-The agents are human just like you are, so talk to them like a human, not a robot.  During my first pitch I realized I had brought an apple with me (pregnancy and anxiety do not go well together.)  I sat down and just said “Obviously I am pregnant and nervous because I brought an apple to my pitch session,” she laughed and I immediately felt more at ease.  I realized after that, that she is human, and was able to talk to her with greater comfort and ease.

-Be prepared.  I studied common questions that agents ask in pitch sessions and I had an entire typed out page of well thought out answers that I could refer to.  The agents asked a lot of questions, and I felt well prepared to answer them because I had gone to great lengths to research and develop my thoughts, especially the break-up of my plotline.  When they asked specific questions about my plot, I felt prepared to answer.

I hope this helps future writers to be more prepared for their pitch sessions!  Good luck to all of us in this huge and exciting undertaking.

***********

Megan Lee has a BS in Print Journalism and Law and Constitutional Studies and has published articles in several local and online resources where she has won small competitions.  She spent time editing talks for worldwide audiences and now spends most of her time nurturing two toddlers and dreaming up stories.

To find Megan Lee:

Facebook: Megan Sonderegger Lee

Twitter: @meganleewriter

Up and coming niche blog: Toddlertestkitchen.com

That Moment When You Want to Quit

I remember my moment well. 

It was September of 2013. I’d just given my first pitch to a literary agent at a conference. For weeks before the conference, I feverishly prepared for that pitch, watching YouTube videos, researching, and gleaning wisdom from others who have pitched before. I wrote and rewrote what I would say. I practiced a dozen times in front of my very-bored children. I walked into that room, nervous, but knowing I’d done absolutely everything I could do to make the pitch the best it could be. I’d packed an atomic bomb’s worth of emotional and mental energy into that moment.

But, bombs have a tendency to explode.

I gave my pitch, but I failed to impress the agent.

I told myself it was okay, that I’d find another way. But, after receiving nothing but rejections on my work for years, I began to spiral downward. I struck the ground hard. I went to my room and detonated. I was done. I couldn’t do this anymore.

I’ve lost count of how many writers and other artists I’ve spoken to who have experienced “that moment.” I’ve watched friends withdraw and become depressed, hopeless. I’ve seen it so many times, that I know what exactly what’s happening to them. The industry has worn them down. Their strength has given out under the constant crushing weight. Their dream to do this thing they love, feels dead.

Have you been there? Are you there right now?

That weekend in 2013, I quit for about two hours. When I got beyond the tears and gnashing of teeth, I realized that, in my quest to be published, I’d lost sight of my first love—writing. Would I still love writing even if my books never achieved publication? Absolutely. I took a little break from querying to heal and focus on my writing.

I started sending work out again, but at a slower pace. I realized that I’d been sprinting and this is a marathon industry. I also realized that I couldn’t hold so tightly to my narrow dreams. Perhaps I needed to broaden them and allow them to take shape within the realm of reality. I invested in positive friendships with other writers for much needed encouragement, shoulders to cry on, and the often needed kick in the pants to keep going.

Most writers have experienced moments where they want to quit. These feelings are normal. The question is, what will you do with that moment? Will you allow it to win? Or will you keep going?

********

Melinda Friesen, author of the dystopian One Bright Future series, writes novels for teens and short stories. She is an avid collector of rejection letters.

More on Contests, April Mystery Agent Lottery, and Nestpitch

I really enjoyed Aimee's post yesterday about contests--and I agree that they're a great opportunity for writers to get their work in front of agents and editors.

I also agree that organizing contests is a lot of hard work--and I'm lucky to have all my Operation Awesome operatives to help when we run pitch contests here (have you entered the April Mystery Agent Lottery yet? Time is running short!)

I'd also like to plug another contest I'm involved in from the other side--Nestpitch, which will be commencing April 1. It's a pitch contest with an Easter theme.

Though I'm sure the judges will be more tolerant than this egg.

More information on Nestpitch can be found here, but here's a brief run-down:

The submission consists of:

(i)    35-word pitch

(ii)    Answer to this question: If YOUR MC was an Easter Egg, what flavor would s/he be? (no more than 15 words)

(iii)   1st 300-words of your manuscript

Throughout the month of April, multiple teams will look at the entries and pick their favorites. Yours could be one of them.

And of course, you should still enter the April Mystery Lottery too, if you can.

Finally, here are some tips if you plan to enter a contest:

• Make sure you have something ready and polished. Nothing like getting a request for half-done manuscript!
• Make sure your pitch includes your protagonist, what they want/need more than anything, and what gets in their way
• Make sure you follow all the contest specifications, especially submission guidelines, which can vary greatly 

And here are some tips if you plan to be a contest judge:

• Make sure you know the full extent of what's expected
• Make sure the timetable fits into your schedule, and that you are clear on what is supposed to happen when
• Make sure that you can glean/learn something from the experience

Question for all: What has been your experience with contests? 

We've Selected Our 50 Entrants for the August Mystery Agent Contest!

 Check the list and see if you're one of the lucky 50 folks* who get to pitch our August Mystery Agent!

If your name's on the list, you'll need to email us your pitch--50 words or less--for your completed and polished middle grade or young adult manuscript. Send it to operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dotcom) by July 30. In the past, we've emailed stragglers to get their pitches in on time, but with 50 entries we're not going to be able to do that this time, so make sure you follow the guidelines and meet the July 30 deadline!

Please format your pitch like this in the email:

Name: 

Email or twitter: 

Genre: 

Title: 

Pitch: 

Good luck to all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



*(There are 49 here, btw, because we had a mixup with our last contest and that person has a guaranteed slot in this one) 

#Pitmad: Defining Your Story in 140 Characters or Less

Well, it's that time again...time for #Pitmad on Twitter. It's a crazy day filled with endless RTs and creative ways to define your completed and polished manuscript in 140 characters or less (and it's less because you have to include category and hashtag in the tweet).

Don't know what Pitmad is? It's a day long Twitter pitch party hosted by the amazing contest hostess with the mostest, Brenda Drake. From 8am EST to 8pm EST, you can pitch your book (any category & genre) in the feed. Literary agents and publishers will scroll through the feed and favorite those pitches they'd like to see. Most times, agents/publishers will give specifics as to what materials they want submitted after they favorite.

It's a fun day and a great way to learn how to pitch, but there are rules:


1) You can only pitch 2x/hour


2) Pitch should include category (PB, MG, YA, NA, Adult) as well as #Pitmad designation (or you won't see it in the feed.)


3) It's okay to RT pitches you like so they have more exposure in the feed, but don't hit the "favorite" button - this is reserved for agents or publishers who want to see more.


4) Don't pitch directly at agents - use #Pitmad and agents will see everything in the feed


Want more details? Check out this link on Brenda Drake's blog: http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/

If you're participating in the pitch frenzy today, good luck and may you get many favorites!

Heads Up: Mystery Agent Contest Coming September 1st!

September has a Mystery Agent!!! And this is what our M.A. wants to see on Sunday (Sept. 1):

A 3-sentence pitch of your novel, maximum 75 words.

M.A. is looking for adult, young adult, and middle grade in the following genres:

• Fantasy (all types, incl folk & fairy tale re-tellings and magical realism)
• Adventure
• Historical Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Romance (YA only)
• Horror

(Dark comedy, original voices, and unique worlds a plus!)

If you've got a complete, polished novel that meets the above specifications, then ladies and gentlemen PREPARE YOUR PITCHES! The official contest post will be up the morning of September 1, 2013.

Since we've had some member changes recently, we've updated the blog schedule to include new members:

Click image to enlarge

You can also learn a little about our longtime and new members on the About Us page. 

As always, thank you for sharing your work and thoughts with us! We wouldn't be Operation Awesome without you.

August 2013 Mystery Agent Contest!

CONTEST IS CLOSED! THANK YOU!!

It's PITCHING TIME! Are you ready to enter? Pitch your completed novel to our Mystery Agent. August's Mystery Agent has requested the following genres:

Adult

Young Adult

Middle Grade

New Adult 

Fantasy
Romance
Paranormal
Historical
Contemporary
Horror
Light SF
Thrillers

Specifically looking for:

• A MG mystery full of wit, suspense, and adventure. 
• An authentic and relatable male protagonist in YA.
• Something truly unique and different in NA - a story where the characters and their stories linger long after the book is finished.

This is a three-sentence pitch contest. Winner gets a full manuscript request from the Mystery Agent. 

This contest is open to veterans and newbies alike - so long as you have a complete and query-ready manuscript on your hands within the genres of interest, our guest agent would love to hear from you.

Contest goes live 9 AM central time and remains open until all entry spots are filled. The first 50 entries we receive will go on to our MA. Remember, this is a three-sentence pitch. Cheating with grammar doesn't count.
The official contest rules:

1) Entries must be three-line pitches. The word count of the pitch is up to you, but remember, it's only three sentences.

2) Entries must be for completed manuscripts. No unfinished drafts, please!

3) Entries must be left in the comments section of today's post (please don't email us your entries!). We'll close the contest once we've reached our limit.

4) You can only enter once today (only one project). If you participated or won previous MA contests, you can enter this one as well!

5) Please include NAME, CONTACT INFO, GENRE, and TITLE, followed by your one-line pitch.

6) The contest will close when we receive 50 entries.

7) The winner will receive a FULL manuscript request!

8) If the rules aren't followed, your entry will be disqualified.

Please format your comment like this:

Name: 

Email or twitter: 

Genre: 

Title: 

Pitch: 

GOOD LUCK!!