After my last post, I headed back downstairs for a workshop on polishing your pitch. It was actually the same workshop I had attended last year towards the end of the conference. The woman running the workshop teaches people how to market their books once they have been sold. In the workshop she uses that approach to develop a tight elevator pitch for your book.
It's pretty amazing to watch her. She just *pulls* the information out of each person. She really takes her time and gets the heart of your story. Last year I didn't get a "turn" with her (she only got to four people last year), so I really wanted to take the workshop again. It was well worth it.
It's amazing how much you just take for granted in your own book. I tried to keep my pitch simple and to the point...
"A young woman is betrayed by the man she trusted and served for most of her life..."
"Wait...served? How did she serve this guy? Was she like a maid?"
"No, see there is this...well, she is in a thieves guild, and the guild master--"
"Whoa! A thieves guild? What is that? That sounds cool!"
"Well, yeah...they sort of run the city. He's like the guild master who takes her under his wing--"
"What? So this girl is training to be a master thief or whatever and suddenly her mentor betrays her?"
"Well...yeah."
"Why isn't *any* of that in your pitch?"
That's sort of an abbreviated version of my turn with her. She actually spent about ten minutes with me, and I have a pretty raw version of my pitch that I should work out tomorrow. I was really lucky to get her time, I have a feeling I'll be using this pitch a lot over the next two days--if not the coming year!
We had about an hour and a half this time around, so I think about ten of the thirty-five people at the workshop had a go. The woman next to me was pretty bummed she didn't get a turn, and I can't blame her. I only got in because I was only one of three people not to afraid to volunteer to go first. My early and eager hand raising--perhaps bordering on pushy--got her attention early and earned me a spot third in line.
I guess that's what kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth about today. It seems like they sold too many spots, and just sort of left us on our own to get "lucky." I got face time with one of the agents I wanted to pitch purely by the luck of the draw. I was literally one minute away from missing her during the session. And if you think about it, the six minutes I spent reading my letter to here where the only real activity I got to do today. I guess I can't complain too loudly, as most people didn't get that lucky. But still...I don't know. Today is just really not what I signed up for at all. It really feels unfair.
Oh well, I am going to focus on tomorrow. I've been so nervous about Agent/Author day, I've almost forgotten that I have two days of panels and workshops tomorrow! There are a few I am really excited about over the next two days, and the main guest speaker is the guy who wrote Rambo! How awesome is that?
A weird aspect of these conferences is the huge difference between the way agents talk to you and the way published writers talk to you. After spending a day with the agents, you can't help but feel a bit of despair creep in. They give you such a business-only view of the process (which is what you want from them--facing reality is a *huge* reason we come to these things) that the idea of getting published just starts to seem impossible.
But then you spend two days listening to other writers...and that's awesome. They have been where I am, and they get it. There is always a note of quiet hope in their talks, and by the end of the day you're feeling ready to take on the world again.
I am looking forward to a little encouragement to balance all of this harsh reality like so much sour mix in a Margarita.
Wow...that was awful. I think I am too tired to be blogging at this point...
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