Pitch the Publisher

Back in 2004, Steve Vernon pitched his first ghost story collection at the very first Pitch the Publisher event. “I was actually terrified,”says Vernon, who was certain he would be booed from the stage. “Now while boos and terror are a natural state of being for a ghost story collector such as myself—feeling frightened at this point of time was not. Fortunately, I refused to let the fear get the better of me. I cinched my belt tight around my gut-line, pasted a grin to my bearded visage, leaped up from my chair and made my best pitch.”

 

As a result of that pitch, Haunted Harbours was one of the first books to actually be published thanks to the Pitch the Publisher program. It caught the interest of Nimbus Publishing, who have gone on to publish several of Vernon’s books. “My entire life changed as a result of the release of this collection,” says Vernon.

 

“I became a maritime author and achieved the modest degree of success that I now enjoy.”

 

Every September at The Word On The Street Festival in Halifax, the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association invites budding writers from across the region to bring their book idea, or simply their curiosity, to Pitch the Publisher. A literary Dragon’s Den, Pitch the Publisher offers potential authors an exclusive chance to present their book ideas to a panel of Atlantic-based publishers—who don’t usually bite. Panelists make suggestions and provide feedback on how to develop book ideas or manuscripts for publication.

 

The event is a unique opportunity for a writer to catch the attention of a publisher who might be interested in publishing their work. Otherwise, unsolicited query letters and manuscripts are dumped into an ever-growing slush pile that can take an editor— or their assistant—a long time to sift through. It could be months before the writer ever receives a reply. Even then it’s likely the response wouldn’t contain the same kind of comments and feedback a publisher would provide face-to-face.

 

Pitch sessions are organized by literary genres—children, fiction and non-fiction. Publishers are appointed to the panels according to the genre that best fits their focus. The goals of the event are to demystify the world of publishing, expose Atlantic Publishers and inform the general public about the kinds of books being published in Atlantic Canada, how publishers decide to publish what they publish and to give authors a chance to pitch their manuscripts.

 

“Pitch the Publisher gives publishers a chance to meet new writers, hear new ideas, and generally get a sense for what writers are working on—always a plus,” says Patrick Murphy, managing editor at Nimbus Publishing and regular panelist at the event.

 

“Beyond meeting new writers and hearing about their projects, I always hope Pitch the Publisher can help me understand some of the challenges facing new writers—or established ones—both types make pitches at these events,” Murphy adds. “I’m also always eager to hear what advice other publishers provide.”

 

Colleen McKie is a Prince Edward Island-based book blogger (well known in the book blogosphere as Lavender Lines) who has participated in Pitch the Publisher twice. “My dream scenario was to catch the interest of a publisher and get my book published,” says McKie. “But ultimately I wanted to know if I knew how to market my book and if it was even worth marketing. Writing a book is only part of the battle of getting published. If you can’t pitch your book in a way that catches a publisher’s attention, then it won’t get published.”

 

McKie first pitched her idea for a young adult contemporary novel in 2010. “It was an amazing experience,” says McKie. “It let me know not only that I was on the right track, but that when it came time to get down to the business of querying, I knew what I was doing.” The opportunity sent McKie’s confidence soaring. “I was flying high for about a month! It was so great to get feedback from the publishers. It actually gave me the confidence to sit down and write Weirdo. Since a couple of the publishers were interested in it, I knew it was a publishable idea.”

 

Currently in the process of editing her now-written novel—about a teen who tells a lie to fit in with the popular kids at her new school—McKie decided to pitch the publishers a second time.

 

“Since I had it written this time, my main goal was to make the publishers aware of it. I was hoping that one of them would love the idea enough to want to read it. At the very least the hope was that when I go to query, they’ll remember me,” says McKie. “I don’t know if published authors go through this, but as an unpublished author I struggle with confidence. Is this what I should be doing? Am I any good at it? Is this book marketable?”

 

The second time around, McKie was once again left flying high. “It was such a unique experience to get advice from publishers and also to make them aware of who I am. I also had the confidence to talk to the publishers after the event was over. Last year I was really too nervous.”

 

Peter Twohig is already an accomplished and published author who decided to participate in Pitch the Publisher. “Even though I have published two previous works of non-fiction, and edited a half-dozen other essay collections, the current project is a work of fiction,” he says. “It is rooted in historical research and has taken me to archives in Rochester, Saint John, Toronto, London and elsewhere. But after living with this project for a couple of years, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if the story resonated with other people.”

 

Despite having publishing experience under his belt, Twohig told the panel that it was “terrifying to do this” when his turn arrived. “I thought it would be fun,” he says. “But when I stood up to do my pitch, I realized that I was really scared. Even though I regularly teach and lecture to large audiences, and do regular live radio segments on The Rick Howe Show about historical topics, I was terrified. And I am hardly a nervous person. I think my anxiety was because my current project is a radical departure from my body of work. I felt as if I was putting myself out there and exposing myself. In the end, I think this is okay and it will drive me to do good work.”

 

Twohig pitched a manuscript that was about ninety per cent complete, and has been working on the last ten per cent since the event. “I am sure that there is another round of careful editing before I turn it over to anyone else,” he says. “I really care about craft of writing and want this to be as good as I can make it. And, if I am fortunate enough to find a publisher for it, I can work with other people to make it better.”

 

Twohig says the event also gave him the confidence to continue. “I received many positive comments from the audience and I think that the project that has kept me up late at night seemed to resonate with the audience. So that was helpful, particularly now that I am down to the very hard work of the final stages.”

 

Pitch the Publisher also provides a great opportunity to sit in the audience and listen to pitches and the ensuing discussion as panelists discuss the kinds of books they have chosen to publish and why. Twohig agrees. “I very much enjoyed listening to the other pitches, seeing other approaches and the strengths and weaknesses of the other pitches. I think that all of this will enable me to write the best possible query letter and help me identify the right publisher for my book.”

 

Trevor MacLaren is a Halifax-based writer and a regular contributor to The Coast. He caught the attention of all three publishers on the fiction panel with the idea for his zombie-themed graphic novel. “The whole experience was a bit of a blur, but I felt that… interest was great,” he says.

 

“I thought it was great practice to pitch to publishers. Most often writers only get a chance to pitch via mail or e-mail. I believe that in order to sell yourself, having face time with an agent or publisher helps by putting a name and personality to the written work. Having publishers take the time to listen and give feedback is rare and all writers should jump at the chance to do it.”

 

Like McKie and Twohig, MacLaren “had some positive feedback that if nothing else, helps to raise my esteem as a writer,” he says. MacLaren also says he received sound advice towards his query.

 

“Writers should look at some query letters online before deciding to pitch. Having a clear and concise summary will help the publishers understand the work you are presenting in a more formal format.”

 

Twohig also found the comments from the publishers to be very helpful. “I listened carefully to their criticism of my pitch and will certainly incorporate their suggestions into the query letter,” he explains. “They indicated the importance of establishing the structure of the story, its key elements and characters and important plot events. They encouraged all of the participants to think about situating their work, indicating that it would fit alongside a particular author or genre, so that potential publishers could understand the approach.”

 

Advice akin to that of Nimbus’ managing editor. “Remember that publishing is a business,” says Murphy. “When you pitch a book idea to a publisher, you’re asking for a significant investment— time, money and other resources. So make sure your writing is as polished as it can be and that you have done your homework on your prospective publisher. Every publisher is different— don’t assume they all publish the same sorts of books.”

 

Steve Vernon’s collection of ghost stories may have been the first published book to come out of Pitch the Publisher, but certainly not the last. “Linda Moore’s fiction pitch a few years ago led us to publish her novel, Foul Deeds, the following year,” says Murphy.

 

“And in 2012 we are publishing a children’s book written by Erin Arsenault. She had pitched a different idea to us a couple of years ago at Pitch the Publisher, and even though we didn’t accept that one, we kept in contact with her and finally found a project that worked for both of us.”

 

Despite his terror, Twohig says he feels that Pitch the Publisher is a great event. “Lots of great comments from the publishers and lots of energy in the room. Since writing for me is a solitary process until the very last stages, it was fun to share the project for others. And it was great to hear the other pitches and realize how many other good projects are underway.”

 

Twohig’s advice to other prospective pitchers? “I wrote and practiced my pitch to ensure that it was clear. I could do a better one now, having had the benefit of the perspective of the publishers and listening to other presenters. But I would say, if you have good material, good ideas and a clear sense of your own voice, you should be okay doing the pitch—and writing your book.”