Preparing for Your Pitch by Renee Andrews

Just in time for your trip to the ACFW conference! Renee Andrews shares information to help you with your pitch to editors and agents. -- Sandy


Renee: Over the course of my writing career, I’ve attended many conferences. Most offer opportunities for writers to pitch their manuscripts to editors and/or agents. These appointments, typically lasting between five and ten minutes, provide your chance to pique interest and hopefully receive a request for the partial (synopsis and first three chapters) or full (synopsis and entire manuscript). In other words, they provide your chance to get your foot in the door with your dream agent or publisher.

In pitching my novels, I’ve used four pitch methods: GMC, Cover Blurb, High Concept and Multi-hook. I describe each of these methods and provide examples in my book, Extreme Pitch Makeover, but in this blog post, I’ll provide a brief summary and example of the first method, the GMC pitch.

The GMC Pitch

If you have Debra Dixon’s book on Goal, Motivation and Conflict, you know how valuable this tool can be to analyzing and plotting your story. If you don’t have the book, I highly recommend purchasing a copy from www.gryphonbooksforwriters.com. Since GMC is a necessary component of the GMC method, I’ll provide a mini-explanation here (but buy the book—it’s much more thorough).

Goal – What your character wants at the beginning of the novel.

Motivation – Why your character wants the goal.

Conflict – Why your character can’t have the goal.

 

The basic formula for a GMC pitch:

(Character’s Name) wants (Goal) because (Motivation) but (Conflict).

When pitching, provide the GMC for each of your primary characters. For example, in a romance novel, you should provide the GMC for both the hero and the heroine; in a suspense novel, you should provide the GMC pitch for your protagonist and antagonist, etc.

The following example shows the GMC Pitch for my current Love Inspired release, Small-Town Billionaire:

Ryan Brooks wants to steer clear of relationships entirely, because every female in his past has been more interested in his bank account than in Ryan, but the small-town beauty with the amazing business idea isn’t interested in Ryan or his money, and Ryan can’t get Maribeth Walton off his mind or out of his heart.

Maribeth Walton wants to continue living her life in anonymity, hiding in the tiny town of Claremont, because her time in the spotlight nearly cost her soul, but Ryan Brooks threatens to toss her into the limelight again, and Maribeth’s new world could be ruined if he learns about her past.

Note that this is only one of four pitching methods, and the strongest method for selling your book will depend on that specific novel.  However, the GMC pitch is typically a strong beginning and a necessary component for any pitch appointment. And when you get that desired editor or agent request, then smile; you’ve accomplished your goal. You sparked interest for the request. Congratulations on a job well done!

Are you headed for St. Louis this week? Do you have your pitch ready? Want to practice it here?

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Renee Andrews spends a lot of time in the gym. No, she isn't working out. Her husband, a former All-American gymnast, co-owns ACE Cheer Company. Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ donation. When she isn't writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband and bragging on their sons, daughter-in-law and grandsons. For more info on her books or on living donors, visit her website at www.reneeandrews.com.

Perseverance – Never Give Up – Never Surrender by Renee Andrews

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4

A few years back, right after my first sale, I was asked how many manuscripts I’d completed before finally making a sale.  I know authors who can say, “My first manuscript sold.”  Wow!  I think that’s wonderful!  Amazing, even!  But my answer was nowhere near my first manuscript.  In fact, I’d written 21 complete manuscripts before the first sale.  Double digits. 

Now, before you start wondering how I found editors that continued to read my work after I sent that many manuscripts, let me explain that the majority of those never made it to the post office.  I knew they weren’t ready, and I didn’t want my first impression to be anything less than my best.  So I kept writing until I thought I got it right. 

Realizing that I might not be the only author who’d had a test of perseverance on the way to publication, I polled a few authors and learned that there are several who were also into double digits before they sold…

• Renee Andrews (21)
• Stephanie Rowe (18)
• Tanya Michaels (14)
• Karen L. King (14)
• Jennifer Lewis (12)
• Beth Cornelison (12)
• Jennifer Echols (10)
• Bonnie Gardner (10)
• Lois Winston (10)
• Jane Myers Perrine (10)

What advice would these double digit authors give those who are continuing to write, but haven’t received that coveted call yet?

Renee Andrews

Write every day. Don’t stop at partials (I didn’t allow myself to start another manuscript until the one in progress was complete).  Set your goals high.  Enter contests (you never know when your future editor will be judging that entry – but by all means, have the manuscript finished and ready to go if it is requested).  Don’t be discouraged by the stack of manuscripts under your bed. Consider each one another step closer to the goal.  Good writing and good storytelling takes practice.  And finally, celebrate milestones, no matter how small they appear (finish a chapter – go out for sushi, get a request – go out for sushi, win a contest – more sushi).  Are you sensing the pattern here? I love sushi ;) 

Stephanie Rowe

Keep trying to improve. Write new stories—don’t get bogged down in revising existing ones. I really found that by the time I started a new manuscript, I’d evolved enough as a writer that the new story was fundamentally at a different level than my previous times. The few times I tried to go back and rework old stories, I discovered that I still instinctively worked within the parameters of that early story (even if I rewrote a new story from scratch with the same characters), which meant that the story still have the same fundamental flaws as the original. Write new, be self-critical, and keep striving to get better. Take online classes, go to conferences and take workshops and never think you’re as good as you’re going to get! And SUBMIT! I had over 130 rejections before I sold and I’d entered 97 contests.

Tanya Michaels

Keep writing, keep submitting, and keep in mind what one bestselling author once told me, "The difference between a published and unpublished author is one person's opinion."  You just have to find that one senior editor who loves your stuff and is willing to approve the buy...which won't happen if you don't submit!  Meantime, there's a terrific collection of Snoopy "rejection" comic strips that kept me laughing.

Karen L King

You are in charge of your destiny. You can choose failure by quitting.  And it really does come down to those who are willing to persevere, those who are willing to really work at improving their craft, those who are producing new stories, and putting the work out there again and again are the people that will be successful. I've seen a lot of really talented authors fall by the wayside, because they're not willing to learn, or not willing to risk rejection, or they keep rewriting or submitting the same thing over and over again.  So keep plugging forward.

 Jennifer Lewis 

Keep working! You can only get there if you keep trying. There is an element of luck involved, but you can only be lucky if you are in the right place at the right time, so keep writing and submitting. If you get any feedback from editors, agents, authors, etc, take it to heart and use it to improve your craft, because you get better with each book you write.

Beth Cornelison

Don't give up! Study the market. Don't give up! Educate yourself in the business. And did I mention, don't give up? :-)

Jennifer Echols

Write the book you want to read.

Bonnie Gardner  

Hang in there. Practice makes perfect. 

Lois Winston

Keep writing. Don't give up. My first novel was a 50,000 word romance that spanned 35 years.  Ten years later that book had been revised into a 95,000 word romantic suspense that takes place over the course of a few months.  It became the second book I sold.

 Jane Myers Perrine 

Keep writing. Keep submitting. You won't sell if you don't.

Renee Andrews spends a lot of time in the gym. No, she isn't working out. Her husband, a former All-American gymnast, co-owns ACE Cheer Company, an all-star cheerleading company. She is thankful the talented kids at the gym don't have a problem when she brings her laptop and writes while they sweat.  When she isn't writing, she's typically traveling with her husband, bragging about their two sons or spoiling their bulldog. 

Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ donation.  She welcomes prayer requests and loves to hear from readers! Write to her at Renee@ReneeAndrews.com or visit her Web site at www.reneeandrews.com. Her newest book, Picture Perfect Family, released in February.

 

Connect with Renee Andrews on Facebook or on Twitter.