3 Questions With… Diane Holmes of Pitch University (Part Two)

Yesterday's post introduced Diane Holmes, founder of Pitch University, a free website devoted to helping writers sharpen their verbal pitches. Today, she returns to elaborate on improving the content of your face-to-face presentation.

BtO: I well remember my very first pitch session, with an editor at Harlequin. Desperately nervous and, well, just plain desperate, I blundered through pitching a type of book Harlequin didn’t even publish and came perilously close to puking on the editor’s shoes in the process.

Ironically, years later, this was the same editor who bought and published my first novel (when she was working for another house and I was writing in another genre). Probably only because she failed to associate my name with that pea-green nitwit she met outside of Houston. ;)

But I digress. Third question: Aside from the problems caused by nervousness, what particular problems do you see with the actual content of writers’ pitches?

DH: Oh, you have my sympathy! And I love that this experience didn’t stop you. Be resilient. That should be our motto! Okay, let’s talk content. Here’s my list of Top 3 Content Derailments:
1) They’re confusing.

This often occurs because you’re speaking the “pitch paragraphs” that you used in your query letter. We just don’t listen the way we read. Imagine trying to make sense of a verbal pitch that opens with, “When thrown from a horse while fleeing for her life…” only to find out later that the rider is a present-day 16-year-old girl who has time-traveled to 1916, and she running for her life because of a battle in WW1.

2) They’re misleading.

When I’m helping writers with their pitches, I listen to the pitch, then ask them fill me in on book. Often the pitch is totally misleading. The author has narrowed the story down to a few elements not realizing those elements imply a whole world in the listener’s mind.

For example, if you mention that the protagonist finds a body, I’ll assume we’re now talking about a mystery. Dead body = Mystery. Mention a famous person, and I’ll assume your characters spend the entire book interacting with this person. Talk about a child who has polio, and I’ll think this is a book about the child’s experience with polio, and not just a colorful complication.

When you choose which elements to highlight in your pitch, remember that the listener gives a great deal of weight to those elements and believes that “this” is what will fill up your pages and form the structure of your story.

3) They’re all over the place.

My dear friend Laura Gompertz told me the secret to pitching, and I share it now with you (come closer so I can whisper it in your ear): give your very brief pitch, then shut up. ☺

All the things you’ve learned about synopsis writing and query letters don’t directly translate to a pitch. Pitching isn’t a summary of your plot, including character internal conflicts and plot points. It’s more about setting an expectation, implying elements, and giving the shape or experience of reading your book. (It’s not the formula for Listerine, it’s the wonderful experience of using Listerine.)

This may be quite different from what some of you have been taught, so I understand if you’re shaking your head at me! But I’ve seen this work. And I’ve also seen “pitches that explain” fail.

Once you shut up, your pitch appointment turns into a conversation, and you learn if the person you’re talking to has questions (about plot points and internal conflict) or is the right match for your book.

And if you get a yes, stop! All you have to say at that point is say, “Thank you!”

BtO: Thanks for the tips, Diane, and I hope that many of our readers will stop by Pitch University and read the excellent advice you’ve collected from the generous agents and publicists who have shared their wisdom. But before you leave us, we always like to ask our visitors one last question. What have you been reading lately, and what was the last book that knocked your socks off?

DH: Well, Pitch University has taken over my reading as well as my life. I’m currently reading POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything by Sam Horn, Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye by Literary Agent Katharine Sands, and Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear and Succeed by Bob Mayer. (I remember fiction, and I miss it so….)

As for socks being knocked off…. You’re going to laugh at me, but it was a contest entry I judged. So flipping good I actually wrote a letter of referral to an agent on her behalf.

Colleen, thank you so much for inviting me over to your many-tentacled blog. It’s been an honor.

3 Questions With… Diane Holmes of Pitch University (Part One)

A few years ago, I first met the indomitable force of nature known as Diane Holmes. Diane’s not only a writer, she’s an amazing resource-builder for all writers, and during the time I’ve known her, I’ve seen her pour countless hours into a writing group’s annual contest, single-handedly organize retreats with publishing and creativity professionals from all over the country, and most recently launch a brand-new absolutely FREE project known as Pitch University, where writers can not only learn about the art of pitching, but can also create video pitches viewed by acquiring agents. Wowza! Wish that had been around when I was looking for my first agent!

Thank you, Diane, for stopping by Boxing the Octopus to answer a few questions.

DH: It’s nice to be part of the jolly crew! Thanks for inviting me.

BtO: Writers are often called upon to put together brief descriptions in order to sell projects, something that might be done in an e-mail or query letter. What made you feel the need to focus on the art of verbal pitching?

DH: Well, the number one reason is that I suck at it, which has always frustrated me! After all, my Dad was in sales, and I grew up immersed in it. Plus I have a degree in Marketing, for Pete sake. And, no, the problem is not public speaking, because I founded two writers groups and have given lectures, workshops, and writing retreats.

But when it comes to pitching… the problem is me pitching my own book. It matters too much, if you know what I mean. And I have no perspective!

The second reason is that while there are a number of quality e-resources focusing on writing query letters, there wasn’t any long-term resource focusing on hands-on learning (your book, your mouth!) for verbal pitching. And now, there is!

I found myself in the unique position of understanding that pitching is a type of sales career for many people, and we could learn how to pitch our books from these experts who make their living at it. And I understand why, as a writer, it’s so very, very hard.


BtO: What are some of the things you’ve noticed that can go wrong with authors’ verbal pitches?

DH: There’re really only two things that go wrong in a pitch: presentation or content. You may laugh at that, because it sounds so rudimentary, but pitching feels so overwhelming it helps to simplify the experience. Most writers experience stress over both areas, intensified by the perceived high stakes (a.k.a. “my career is over unless I get a yes.”)

The presentation piece is easy to “get.” Of course it’s difficult. We’re writers (behind the scenes) vs. actors (out on stage). And it doesn’t matter if we’re extraverted or introverted writers. Our strength is the written word and things that happen inside our own heads. Suddenly, none of that expertise matters. And we tend to realize this right about the time we’re sitting down at an agent appointment

The content piece is murkier. Agents and editors truly believe no one knows our books better than we do. (And that somehow this knowledge will translate into being able to generate a good pitch.) But, in a way, that’s like saying the makers of Listerine know their product better than anyone else. Who needs an advertising department? We’ll have the chemists do the advertising.

So, we authors know our stories, but we don’t necessarily know how to sell them. And to make matters worse, what sounds good to us may not be effective.

These are the types of topics we’ll be exploring at Pitch University. Our focus is on becoming effective and developing real skills that work.

BtO: Tomorrow, I'll be posting the second half of Diane's interview, where Diane gives some great tips on improving the focus of your pitch's content!