Questions You Should Be Prepared For

Pitching your story to agents should be a pleasant and exciting thing. We all know it shouldn't be like this...

Now, shut up and listen while I tell you about my story.

H.G. Wells, Warehouse 13.

But sometimes we come across this way because we worry over our pitches (or queries if you never pitch) all the time. Take a deep breath and relax. Remember that the agent wants to hear about your story. Pretend you're talking to your best friend about your book, but be more concise and stick to just the main plot. The agent/publisher needs to know what's at stake and why they should care.

But what happens after you give your pitch?

If you've done your job crafting and practicing the pitch, there should be a couple of minutes for the agent to ask questions about your story or you. This is a great opportunity to show your professionalism and level of preparation.

Here are some of the questions commonly asked:

What makes your book different from others?

What is your favorite part of the story?

Why did you choose _____? (the names you chose, a certain plot device, age of the character, you can fill in the blank here with hundreds of things. Why Sendek?<--That's the question that took me by surprise last week. My lame answer was, "I don't remember really. I picked it eight years ago.")

What is it about your MC that you love the most?

What published books are like yours?

Who is your audience?

Do you have a marketing plan? What is it?

Do you see this as a stand alone, or as part of a larger series?

Do you have any questions about (our agency/publishing house)?

Why did you choose to query me?

Do you have an online presence? Tell me about it.

What other questions have you been asked?

Agents, Summer, and Contests

Not to morph into Dr. Obvious, but summer is flying by.

As temperatures rise, many agents whimper ‘no maas’ and close their doors to submissions until fall. They take this time to connect with family, watch the ice melt in tall glasses, and give priority to signed authors.

Not a problem. It gives us time to crack our collective knuckles and polish queries, first pages, and finish that wip. And the summer contests can provide different venues for creativity.

July was a good month at Savvy Authors. Several agents including Emmanuelle Morgen, Vickie Motter, Laurie McLean, and Tamar Rydzinski took 3-line pitch submissions and asked for more pages.

WriteOnCon will sponsor their second annual online writer’s conference August 16 – 18. The sheer number of participating agents, editors, and authors is jaw dropping stupendous.

Today (yes, right NOW!) Operation Awesome holds the Secret Agent contest. One-line submissions only. Truly, um, awesome.

This month, let’s prepare for the agents that return in the fall from their well-deserved break from wild-eyed writers.  

It is the first paragraph of your query, a combination introduction, hook, and storyline that needs to grab their eye. Those 25 to 30 words don’t give much time to snare the reader with much of a storyline but a word of two can make it fresh.

Critique for Hook, Introduction, and Flow. Submit that all-important first paragraph of your query for critique by our followers to cdcoff(at)gmail(dot)com.