Speed-Dating Agents As I Pitch My Novel at ThrillerFest 2012
.
Since my self-published novel "Imaginary Friend"
(available both on Amazon and Kindle) is a thriller about an atheist who gets
himself into major trouble by admitting on national TV that he doesn't believe
in God, it's also controversial. I
pointed out to the agents that there'd been a goodly number of non-fiction
bestsellers about atheism in recent years (Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris, etc.) and
that it was time for an atheist thriller to enter the market. I said this whenever I sat down across the
table from a prospective agent, adding that if he/she wasn't interested in the
subject matter please say so fast, lest we both waste time. My record for rejection in my fifteen or so
pitches was thirty seconds. But, happily, six of the agents asked to see
the entire manuscript (some of them were willing to take it on a flash drive
immediately, others wanting it sent via email, or even as hard copy through regular
mail). I was very pleased. Frankly, it would be the thrill of a lifetime
to have "Imaginary Friend" published by a professional company that
would promote its existence and get it into mainstream distribution.
Most of the conference consisted of talks by famous authors (or
panels of same) about the ins and outs of getting a novel from conception to
publication. If you, blog reader, are a
fan of thrillers, imagine how interesting it would be to choose from the
following possibilities over the four days of ThrillerFest (click to enlarge):
What impressed me most about these lectures/discussions was how very much the presenters cared about helping those who were newbies. It's a truism of the human condition that those who know things are almost always anxious to teach them to others, and that trait was much on impressive display at ThrillerFest.
ThrillerFest is an annual event in early July in which the
leading authors of thrillers (Lee Child, John Sanford, Richard North Patterson,
Steve Berry, etc.) give seminars on how to write thrillers, along with many
other meet-and-greet events. A highlight
of this one week meeting at the Grand Hyatt in New York City is an afternoon session called "AgentFest" in which aspiring authors (400 of them!), such
as yours truly, get to pitch their thriller to the leading agents in the United
States who represent thriller authors, with a goal of getting one of them to
take you on as a client.
I was set last year to go to ThrillerFest, but a sudden
illness and near death (see Related Posts below: "Mama Cat Saves My
Life") prevented me from doing so.
Happily, the recovery of good health and the willingness of the nice
people who run ThrillerFest to spot me this year's attendance fee, allowed me
to participate this year for no extra outlay of cash (I'd had to forfeit last
year's fee when forced to cancel the day before ThrillerFest 2011 began). So on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, I flew to NYC,
checked into the Grand Hyatt, and began to experience the 2012 version of the conference
and meet many famous people.
AgentFest, which occurred on Thursday afternoon for three hours, is set up much like a
speed-dating event. You pitch your novel to an agent for a few minutes, get the
agent’s reaction, and then move on to a different agent. It is both humiliating and exciting. Ahead of time you're given a list of the
agents (about forty of them), along with their bios, pictures, and a
description of what they're looking for, and then as the event begins you line
up in front of their tables, mumbling to yourself as your practice your
"pitch" (a rehearsed explanation of what your thriller is about and
why you think it will sell). There is a
maximum of three minutes per pitch, so you have to be concise, and attractive,
and persuasive, etc. It's . . . well, a
challenge.
Since my self-published novel "Imaginary Friend"
(available both on Amazon and Kindle) is a thriller about an atheist who gets
himself into major trouble by admitting on national TV that he doesn't believe
in God, it's also controversial. I
pointed out to the agents that there'd been a goodly number of non-fiction
bestsellers about atheism in recent years (Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris, etc.) and
that it was time for an atheist thriller to enter the market. I said this whenever I sat down across the
table from a prospective agent, adding that if he/she wasn't interested in the
subject matter please say so fast, lest we both waste time. My record for rejection in my fifteen or so
pitches was thirty seconds. But, happily, six of the agents asked to see
the entire manuscript (some of them were willing to take it on a flash drive
immediately, others wanting it sent via email, or even as hard copy through regular
mail). I was very pleased. Frankly, it would be the thrill of a lifetime
to have "Imaginary Friend" published by a professional company that
would promote its existence and get it into mainstream distribution.
What impressed me most about these lectures/discussions was how very much the presenters cared about helping those who were newbies. It's a truism of the human condition that those who know things are almost always anxious to teach them to others, and that trait was much on impressive display at ThrillerFest.
What did Douglas Whaley learn? I thought a lot about that question when it
was all over. Here are my conclusions:
 |
| Lee Child |
1. It's fun to hear
famous people talk about their craft.
Some of them are just downright fascinating (Lee Child comes to
mind as a prime example: an Englishman writing about an American adventurer,
and constantly being asked "What do you think about Tom Cruise playing
your hero Jack Reacher in the upcoming movie?).
2. Their advice contradicted
each other over and over. Phillip
Margolin stated you should never start writing until you have a detailed
outline; Lee Child says he never begins writing with a plan, but just makes up
the story as it goes along, always curious himself as to how it will come out. A number of the writers intoned "There are no rules." Others explained their rules in detail. I did learn a lot about jargon: "He
said" or "she asked" are called "tags," an interruption
of dialogue with a movement ("He rose from the table") is called a
"beat," a narrator who tells what is going from a viewpoint not that
of one of the characters (as if God were explaining things) is "third
person omniscient," etc.
3. A couple of
writers were frank in saying that while you can teach tricks and techniques,
you cannot teach people how to write well.
That's a talent that you either have or you don't.
4. Depressingly,
every single one of the presenters without
exception kept saying "you know," thus succumbing to the verbal diarrhea
sadly engulfing the planet, and against which I have thundered in prior
posts. It was most disappointing to hear
these famous people swept up in the plague and blundering on with the rest.
I also had much fun outside the conference, seeing Broadway
shows, having supper with friends, and much else. I've been going to NYC since 1961 (senior high
school trip), and my knowledge of Manhattan is good enough that in a cab I can
glance up at any time and within a block of so figure out where on the island I
am.
I flew home from ThrillerFest excited about the future of "Imaginary
Friend." Between the possibility of
acquiring an agent, the existing sales online, the many bookreadings I've been
doing all over Ohio, the terrific Amazon reviews, and the great emails I've received from readers, I have a
renewed confidence that my novel—so lovingly created—might have a healthy
future.
More to
come.
--------------------------------------------
Related
Posts:
"Frightening the
Horses," April 7, 2010
“Imaginary Friend,” June
22, 2010
“Explosion at Ohio
Stadium,” October 9, 2010 (Chapter One of my novel)
"Escape From Ohio
Stadium," November 2, 2010 (Chapter Two)
"Open Mouth, Insert
Foot," November 21, 2010 (Chapter Three)
"I Hate 'You Know'
You Know," November 28, 2010
"Report on Old Doug:
Health, Theater, eBook, and More," June 28, 2011
"Mama Cat Saves My
Life," October 23, 2011
"Needed: Readers of
the Final Draft of my Novel 'Corbin Milk,'" December 13, 2011
"How To Stop Saying
'You Know,'" April 28, 2012
"My Atheist
Thriller: Another Bookreading," May 17, 2012
Comments
Post a Comment