Writers Day Takeaway: Pitching
By Beverley Ward
A pitch in time – reflections from the pitching sessions at Write More in ‘24
In some ways it can be a mixed blessing to be at the helm of The Writers Workshop. Saturday was one of those days when I felt the conflict between my role as head of the Writers Workshop whose job it is to facilitate others and being an aspiring novelist myself.
In the morning I hosted Zoe King, a Rights Executive from Hachette UK, on the main theatre stage. Her role is primarily to pitch books to partners across the world, so it was fabulous to have her insight on what makes a good pitch (more on that below). She was also able to give us some background information about the giant machine that is the publishing industry.
In the afternoon I hosted another session with agent, Rachel Mann. Rachel has recently moved to Creative Artists Agency, where she’s building a list across children’s, YA, and adult literature. It was fascinating to learn about her own professional journey and hear her reflections on the current status of the literary marketplace.
Rachel Mann, agent for CAA
Twenty writers pitched their work across the two sessions, giving a one-minute pitch and receiving feedback from Zoe, Rachel, and myself. I can’t possibly sum up everything that was said at the event, but here’s what I took away from the two sessions.
Doing these things will make your pitch stand out
You wouldn’t normally do a one-minute pitch orally, but being able to briefly summarise your work is an essential writing skill and will help to make your writing stand out from the opening email (which is where you will usually place a pitch summary).
A good pitch needs to do a lot of work in a very small space. Pitches that stood out did the following:
1. Gave us a very clear sense of the genre and where the book would sit in the market. Comparison titles (both of books and film/TV) are a massive help.
2. Summarised the key themes and plot in just one or two sentences.
3. Made it clear whose story the book was telling and where the book was set.
4. Demonstrated the writing style and skill of the author e.g., humorous books had humorous pitches whilst those that were lyrical and literary showcased their prose.
5. Made use of persuasive and marketing techniques: repetition, rhetorical questions, one-line comparisons e.g., “One Day meets Before Sunset in Prague” (my example).
Publishing is a business subject to social, economic and political forces
Whenever I talk to agents and publishers, I’m overwhelmed because there are so many people trying to break into the industry; I’m disheartened because the odds feel stacked against debut authors; and I’m reassured because if I’m not breaking through there’s a good chance that probably has very little to do with the quality of my writing. Here are a few of the hard facts that I picked up.
Zoe King, Hachette, with Beverley Ward, host
The bad news
Even if an editor likes your book, it’s no guarantee of publication. Books have to be pitched at each stage of the publishing process and the whole publishing team (editors, designers, marketing executives and accountants) have to think that a book will make money before they will back it.
The state of the economy is affecting publishing significantly at the moment leading to publishers taking fewer risks.
The cost of paper has gone up by 300% so books are shorter in length in order to make them more cost-effective. (Keep your manuscript under 100,000 words).
Literacy levels have gone down since the pandemic, so children’s books are tending to have lower reading ages.
Celebrities and well-known names are still cornering a large chunk of the market, particularly in children’s books.
Authors are not well-paid; the average author is making £9000 per year. Don’t give up the day job!
Publishing is a brutal industry. Just from a one-minute pitch, behind the scenes, my guests were able to say “that will definitely get published” or “there’s no market for that.” Writing a good book is only a small part of the jigsaw; it also has to be on trend.
The good news
Trends come and go. Timing is a big factor in whether something will be picked up. Just because something is rejected one year, it doesn’t mean it’s doomed forever.
Despite the state of the economy, books are still selling well.
E-readers haven’t taken over, and physical books still form the bulk of the market.
Publishers and agents are genuinely interested in stories from outside London and in developing diverse voices.
Agents still want to support and invest in new writers, ideally for their whole career.
The really good news
Several lucky writers from our day have been encouraged to send their submission packages to Sarah Castleton (Hachette UK) and Rachel Mann. Many of them are members of The Writers Workshop and people that I’ve personally mentored. The successful pitchers were:
Coco Neale
Lucie Jolley
Rachel Guildford
Jane Croft
Louise Hedges
Phil Bayles
Dianne Hancock
Shalini Vohra