I just returned from the 2013 Pacific Northwest Writer’s
Association (PNWA) conference in Seattle, Washington, so my next few posts
will feature highlights of the conference.
In the conference brochure, PNWA
president Pam Binder likens a writing career to a roller coaster ride. Unlike other
writing workshops and conferences, where the emphasis is largely on craft, the
PNWA conference focuses on getting your work published. While there were a few
craft sessions, this is not a conference for newbies; it focuses on having
polished work ready for market. If you are at the beginning of your writing
career, try regional workshops and hone your projects.
On opening day, agent Katharine Sands conducted a session on
Pitchcraft. While the stigma of self-publishing has ebbed, she makes the
distinction between being printed (self published) and published (traditional.)
She points out that too many self-printed books are put on the market before
they are fully seasoned. “People are in a hurry, and publishing is a slow business.”
She estimates once a book is accepted by a house, it is a minimum of eighteen
months before it will be available in print copy. That’s not counting the
months or years it takes to secure an agent. So as much of a kick it is to see your
book in print, “don’t “publish” something you may later regret.”
When reading queries or hearing pitches, Sands says she
looks for three things: person, place and pivot. She wants to know right away
who the story is about. She also wants to know the setting, and mostly, she
wants the pivot, (the problem).
I know I’ve said this before, but I’d rather write another
novel than a query letter or a pitch. It’s easier. Writers feel comfortable in
the artistic zone, the creative universe where we converse with our imaginary friends.
Many of us have EmilyDickinsoned our manuscripts in a box or computer file because
marketing our words (and ourselves)feels like roaming a foreign country without
a guide.
But the reality is if we want our books out there, we have
to pitch them to agents or editors. Condensing a three hundred page manuscript
into two or three sentences is like climbing Mt. Everest with a fork.
I’m a good writer, but a lousy self-promoter. I’m like the
two girls I see outside the window at Starbucks as I write this, waving a sign to
promote their check cashing business. Traffic whizzes by and few pay attention.
I’m not shy, nor am I invisible. As a teacher I stand in front of a lousy
audience every day and manage to capture my students’ attention. I even took a
stand up comedy class were my final exam was to write and perform a comedy routine
for a live audience. I killed them. Granted, most of the audience was drunk,
but I got a standing ovation. I’m fairly brave, so why do I balk at pitching my
writing?
The object is to describe your book in 2-3 sentences without
making it sound stupid. Guy wakes up to discover he’s a cockroach. A man
burns books for a living and starts to feel guilty about it. Destitute Family leaves
Oklahoma for California to seek jobs and security. See how easy
it is? Why can’t I do this for my own work?
In an upcoming post I will share my experience with preparing my
(dreadful) pitch, but still scored a couple of mss. requests..Happy Writing.
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