Pitch Perfect

Want to see your Peace Corps story in print? Here’s a step-by-step guide to traditional publishing

These days, there are more pathways to publication than ever before: do-it-yourself, web publishing, print on demand, vanity presses, hybrid publishers, and indie presses, to name a few. But if you dream of seeing your book on the shelves of airport bookstores or featured on an endcap at Barnes & Noble, you’ll want to shoot for a deal with one of the “Big Five” publishers—Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, and Simon & Schuster—each of which has a multitude of genre-specific imprints. 

Breaking into traditional publishing can be daunting. Most Big Five publishers will not accept unsolicited manuscripts, and if they do, these submissions go into the dreaded “slush pile,” where interns attempt to find gold among the dross. To avoid the slush pile, you will need an industry professional—a literary agent—to present your book concept to a publisher. The publishing industry has gatekeepers; a literary agent is the key to getting in. 

And those agents have their own rules in place to manage the incoming fire hose of query letters from writers looking to get published. You’ll find these guidelines on an agency’s website; follow them precisely. If an agent likes your query letter, they will reach out to request your full manuscript. Never send an unsolicited manuscript, as emails with attachments will likely receive a generic rejection letter, sight unseen. 

The Query Letter 

After the hundreds of hours it likely took to write your manuscript, it’s tempting to view the query letter as an easy afterthought, but don’t make this mistake. This is often the only piece of your writing an agent will see, so it’s worth getting it right. 

There is plenty of advice online about how to write a good query letter, but there are some best practices that will help the query achieve its purpose: making it as easy as possible for the agent to get to know you, your book, and how they might position your book in the marketplace. 

A query will generally include three parts: First, a summary of the logistics of the book, including its genre, word count, and comparable works. Mentioning two or three successful books in the same genre (and with a similar word count) will show agents that you have done your homework. 

The second part of the query letter, and the most important, is the pitch itself. In no more than 300 words, describe your story in the same voice your manuscript is written in. The more concise you are, the better, so introduce your main character and the central conflict they face, hint at where the story eventually leads, and then let it be. Your goal here is to make the agent want to read more, so focus on a good hook, not a plot summary.  

Lastly, you’ll include a brief bio focusing on your experience in writing and publishing. Don’t mention your age or how long you’ve been writing, or how hard you’ve been trying to “break into publishing”—keep it to what you’ve actually done. 

Finding an Agent 

While the quality of your query letter is critical, identifying the right agents to send it to is at least half the battle. If an internet search doesn’t bear fruit, consider visiting your local library or bookstore to look for recently published books similar to yours. Then check their acknowledgment sections: Any good agent will have their praises sung there.  

When querying, don’t pitch to more than one agent within the same agency. If your manuscript has promise but it’s not a fit for your initial recipient, they will pass it on to a colleague. 

If the send-and-wait nature of email querying leaves you wishing you could do more to grab an agent’s attention, writers’ conferences are a great way to make your pitch in person—and many also have writing contests associated with them, so consider submitting your work ahead of the event. This way you can let the industry professionals come to you, as having a finalist ribbon on your lanyard will give you some valuable “street cred” in their eyes. 

Meeting an agent or editor at a writing conference definitely gives you a leg up on anyone querying only by email, as even a passing conversation in the hallway can provide a great hook to personalize a query letter you might send later by email. 

Making Your Pitch

The best advice for anyone going to a writers’ conference to network? Be prepared. Have your query letter, including a short bio and brief synopsis, ready in case someone asks for it then and there. Print business cards for your writer persona, with a blank back so the agent can jot down a note after meeting you. 

Practice an “elevator pitch,” no more than 30 seconds long, with a memorable hook that will help an agent or editor remember your project. Prepare a sit-down pitch as well, a one- to two-minute overview of your story concept that’s meant as a teaser. Aim to leave them wanting more. 

Remember that you are selling yourself in addition to your book, so present yourself as you would for the photo on the back cover. Be prepared to explain what you bring to the table—if you have a social media presence, a blog, a mailing list of eager readers, a street team on standby, or industry connections that will help your book launch. You want to give agents as many reasons as possible to say yes. 

Of course, the road to publication is paved with rejection letters. It’s part of the process, so don’t get discouraged. Instead, write back with a thank-you: Be polite, show gratitude for their time and consideration, and maybe they’ll give your next pitch a closer look because of it.