Pitching to Agents and Editors

On July 17^th through the 20^th, I’ll be attending the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s Summer Conference in Seattle Washington. I've gone to this event faithfully every year since 2010 when I first decided to push my uncertainties aside in favor of connecting with all the various professionals within the writing industry. I remember all the fears, insecurities, and nerves that plagued me then, and to be honest, I still feel many of the same emotions as I prepare to present a workshop at the same conference just four years later.

One of the fixtures of the PNWA conference is the opportunity given to writers to pitch their stories to a large number of attending agents and editors. In addition to pitching my own stories, I've had the opportunity to work on pitches with a large number of writers in a variety of genres. After last year’s conference, I was gratified to receive several e-mails from writers who attributed their success with agents and editors to my advice on pitching. In anticipation of the coming conference, here are some of the things I was able to share with my fellow writers about pitching their stories.

Be Comfortable

Often, when I would ask a writer to tell me about their work, they would ask if I wanted their memorized pitch or if they could just tell me about it. I’d usually tell them that I wanted to hear both, and it was amazing to hear the difference between the formal, canned pitch they’d labored over and the more organic description of a story that they loved. Often, their informal description was more interesting, and they were much more relaxed. Of course, some writers will not be comfortable without that carefully prepared pitch. Just remember that you need to present your story in the way that best suits your personality. As my writer friend Tracy Shew summed up: “An ounce of confidence is worth a pound of preparation.”

Be Brief

 Most pitches are actually dialogues between the agent and writer. Keeping your pitch brief allows time for questions and an open discussion of your work. During one of the workshops I attended last year, I had a young lady come and sit next to me towards the end of the presentation. In a nervous whisper, she told me that she was struggling with her pitch, and someone had said that I could help her. We quietly left the workshop and went out into the hallway so I could look over her carefully typed, single-spaced, full-page pitch. Since she seemed to want the security of a written page to read from, we focused on pulling out the strongest statements from what she had already written. In the end, her pitch was little more than one paragraph long, but was much stronger. I was happy to have helped her, and even happier when she joyfully told me later that she had been asked for a complete manuscript by three agents.

Be Relaxed

 Remember that agents and editors are people too. While you are hoping that they can take your career to the
next level, they are hoping that you will do the same thing for them. A pitch is a two-way interview for a working partnership. So relax, be yourself, and enjoy the search for a personality that matches your own.

Good luck to everyone who will be pitching at the PNWA summer conference this year. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Writing Process Blog Chain

Recently, I was invited to participate in an author blog chain where I would answer a few questions about my stories and the way that I write. I want to thank my good friend and fellow fantasy writer Burnham Wycoff for the invitation. Check out his new blog as he discusses his forays into independent publishing as well as a variety of other topics tailored specifically to writers. I also highly recommend checking out masfiction, the steampunk writing team that preceded Burnham in the blog chain and are currently crafting an exciting mix of alternate history and Jane Austen in a Pacific Northwest setting.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I have four projects in the works. There’s The Keltin Moore Online Serial, the episodic adventures of my steampunk monster hunter with new episodes posted at the beginning of each month. I’m also working on a sequel to my first novel, Lost Under Two Moons, which involves my main character Richard going back to Other World to begin delving into some of its secrets. The last two projects are an epic fantasy and another steampunk adventure and will be specifically targeted for a more traditional book deal.

How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I try to be really careful in the kind of stories that I read to avoid inadvertently copying somebody else’s style. As a result, most of my influences come as a mixture of the classics, old favorites, and video games, my biggest weakness. Also, it seems that my characters tend to be primarily based on  observations of real people rather than the study of other writers’ work, and my settings come as much from my own dreams and memories of childhood make-believe as they do from anywhere else. I think it’s this variety of influences that set my writing apart as both exciting and yet viscerally familiar.

Why do you write what you do?

When I was a kid, I would go into the woods near our family home and play make-believe for hours at a time. As I paced my secluded hideaways, I would act out the stories I told myself, living out all kinds of fantastic adventures in the safety of my own imagination. I never grew out of that. To this day, I still feel the need to play make-believe, to explore realms of fantasy and imaginary worlds. Writing is my hideaway now. The thought that I could make a living by continuing to nurture that sweet, creative child inside of me is like a dream all on its own, and I couldn’t be happier.

How does your writing process work?

I recently posted an article about my weekly writing goals and how I manage my projects, so I thought I’d focus here on what I do to get in the mood for writing. I usually write and edit first thing in the morning and late in the evening, times when I feel the least demand for me to have to act like a grownup. I do most of my work at my desk, which I’ve surrounded with images and objects that remind me of the small, coastal town of Long Beach, Washington. Long Beach has been my family’s vacation destination every year since I was a child, and everything about its stormy shores inspires me with mystic potential.

Probably the biggest thing I do to get in the mood to write is listen to music. I’m a big collector of music, and spend many hours contentedly sorting, arranging, and playing with my ever-growing library. When I write, I have different types of music that I listen to depending on the scene that I’m working on. For action scenes, I prefer heavy metal and hard rock. For descriptive scenes, I like to listen to classical or new age. When I edit, I crank my music up loud to force me to concentrate on my work and avoid just lazily looking over what I’ve written. I love music for the way it can evoke emotion and sensations, and I try to use it as a tool to put myself in the right place when I’m working.

The Next in Line

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading a little more of my writing process and what makes me tick as a writer. Be sure to check out Ty Roper, the next author in the chain who is working on an intriguing dystopian adventure and has a terrific blog on the ups and downs of crafting a novel. 

“What Happened to Your Online Serial?”

Fans of Keltin Moore may be wondering when the next episode of his serialized adventures will be posted. My last related announcement said that I would be taking a break during April and May to dedicate my full time to finishing the final edits on The Beast Hunter in time for its launch date. But the book has launched and now it’s June. What about the serial?

Well, never fear. I’m finishing the final proofread of the next episode and plan on having it on my website by the beginning of July. Why then? I’m planning on making some significant changes to the way my website is going to be run, and one of those changes is that I plan to have a new episode of the serial up each month, rather than sporadically publishing them whenever I finish one. To do that, I need a little time to build a backlog, just so I can have some schedule-cushion for the future.

Another change readers will notice will be the name of the serial. To avoid confusion with the first Keltin Moore novel, I've changed the serial’s name to The Keltin Moore Online Serial. This is a more descriptive title, and should clearly define it as a separate body of work from the related novel.

Finally, I've decided that I won’t be including an Author Insight with each episode anymore. Instead, I will be encouraging fans to connect with me here on my blog, on Twitter, or on Facebook with questions about my stories and creative process. By doing this, I hope to engage directly with my fans by discussing what interests them specifically, rather than writing a general review of my own work.

Be sure to check out my website in the first week of July to read the latest episode. In the meantime, you can read the episodes that are already posted and buy The Beast Hunter, Keltin Moore’s first adventure.

The Keltin Moore Online Serial

The Beast Hunter Amazon Page

What’s My Writing Process?

Several weeks ago, I was giving a workshop called Making the Most of Your Writing Time. After spending nearly two hours discussing strategies and habits for effective time management and combating writer’s block, one of the participants asked about my own daily writing goals and methods. At first, I was hesitant to go into too much detail since I tend to organize myself to what some might consider a near-neurotic degree. But all the participants agreed that they wanted to hear how I manage my own writing time, and while I did end up sharing my process with the group, I thought I’d take a few moments and describe my routine here as well.

I always have four projects that I’m working on at a time. These are usually novels and serials in various stages of production. I alternate working on all four projects, though I’m careful to only work on one project at a time during a specific writing period.

My writing periods are scheduled for the two times each day that I am most productive, first thing in the morning and late at night. I work on two different projects each day, with Project A in the morning and Project B in the evening. The following day I work on C and D. I also keep track of which project was last written in the morning as opposed to the evening, as I seem to be more productive later at night. So, If A was last worked on in the morning on Monday then the next time I work on it will be Wednesday evening.

Finally, I have my daily writing targets. Most professional authors agree that 1000 total words a day should be an industry standard, and my personal goal is to double that. I track separate minimum goals for each project, and raise or lower them by 100 words each week, depending on my performance. If I consistently missed my target, it’s lowered, if I consistently exceeded my target by 50% or more, I raise it.

As I said, this may be overly complicated for most people, but for me, I find it necessary to give myself as much structure as possible to make sure that I’m consistently producing work every day. Hopefully, this has given some of you other writers out there a few ideas of how you can structure your own writing time while continuing to push yourself a little more every day.