By Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

I recently corresponded with a writer who told me she attended a conference where pitching your work seemed to be “the thing,” but at the same time, there were no classes to help her learn how to pitch. This greatly disturbed me because, though pitching your work is essential – it is only important if you have something to pitch. 

I want to address some misnomers and see if we can help make your next conference more enjoyable and more productive.

Let’s back up a few steps to those 15-minute appointments. They are absolutely an excellent tool for you to access, but those appointments are not there to rush you into something. They are there for several reasons:

1. They are there for you to network – If you don’t have a completed project, take 15 minutes to meet an agent or editor – even a publisher. Connect with them. Share your thoughts on things you are working on and ask questions: Is this trending now? Or does your house have success with these types of books?
2. Use the appointment to get feedback on a project – Let the person across the table read a page and then ask for honest feedback. Be willing to hear and accept what they offer.
3. Do a paid critique – These are valuable to help you pinpoint areas that may need work. And it’s practice for when you are ready to place your work out there.
4. Mentoring – More and more conferences offer mentoring appointments 30-60 minutes long. These are one-on-one appointments that range in cost from $50-$500. (Those higher prices usually go with an individual time of 3-6 hours). Mentoring is wonderful. In fact, it is the perfect opportunity to learn at the feet of a professional. Again, it helps to have something written to mentor. You will certainly gain much more when a mentor can work with you on your project. I, personally, don’t recommend 3-6 hrs. out of your conference time unless you are taking a practicum. Conferences are too expensive to take away that much time, but it doesn’t stop you from being mentored after the conference. Most well-published authors will mentor privately. BUT, for 30 minutes to one hour, I say jump on it! MONEY WELL SPENT.
5. Practicums – These are absolutely wonderful. They are usually 1-2 hours a day at a conference, and classes are limited to 8-10 students. Practicums produce! They are hard work, and you have to learn to take criticism, but if you are serious about your writing – practicums are great.
6. Pitch a project if you have a project to pitch – I get blowback on this from time to time, but here’s my thinking. A lot (I won’t say all – but a lot) of publishers prefer a first-time author to have a completed work. They may love what you do and how you write, but having completed work does two things: 

      1) It shows you can write a book from beginning to end. You would be surprised at the folks who can polish three chapters to perfection, but they fall short on the remainder of the book. I believe it’s because they get in a hurry. 

      2) A completed work is worth contract consideration. I once contracted a book on three chapters and a proposal from an author who took three years to finish. Hence, why I don’t do that anymore. It only took once for me to learn that was not a good idea. If you are a new author, don’t stress to pitch what you do not have. There are better uses of your time. A finished, well-written book is what we look for, and those are worth contract consideration.

Editors, agents, and publishers are at conferences to help you learn. They hope to find the diamond in the rough, but most have learned that this is rarely the case. The presence of these professionals is not to put pressure on you to pitch. Most only want you to pitch what you have completed. Otherwise, allow them to look over your work and offer you valuable guidance.  

Here is where you call me Captain Obvious, but writers attend conferences to learn, especially if you are a new writer. That is what you should expect to gain from attending. Knowledge. I would rather chat with you about where you are in your writing career and ask how I can help instead of having you pitch me something you are not ready to pitch. 

Take the stress off. Relax. Decide how you can best utilize those professionals who are there. You can’t land an agent on an idea. They can’t sell just an idea unless you are well-published. They need a completed manuscript to shop for publishers. 

Here’s another thing to consider. Let’s say you are a more advanced writer, and you do have completed work ready to pitch. Make that one sheet. The one-sheet brings up different opinions from different folks but here is why I want you to make a one-sheet. I want you to have it in your hand to use as you learn to pitch to agents and publishers. A one-sheet will have your hook and the enticing information that might become the back book text. It’s what draws in the reader. It is what you will use to entice an agent or editor about your story. When I was coming up through the ranks, I had an author tell me in a class, “You should be able to bolt out of bed in the middle of the night and spout out your elevator pitch.” That’s well and good if you are not someone who falls over their words or is lousy at memorizing, i.e., me. A one-sheet can serve as your memory and take the stress out of pitching your book. I would prefer you read me, word for word, what is on your one-sheet than to have you stumble and panic because you can’t remember what you wanted to say. Having a one-sheet will not make or break you, but it will certainly help keep you on track when you are pitching your book. Let it be your memory to help you present a clear and concise view of your story.

Pitching your book is not the most important thing you do at a conference. Learning is, but it’s an opportunity. It’s up to you if you are ready to take hold of the opportunity at that particular time – and if you aren’t, it’s okay. Don’t stress over it. Instead, spend quality time learning. All too often, writers get things out of order when conference time arrives. Then when they find rejection, it’s devastating. I’ve seen new writers quit because they were pitching a story that wasn’t ready. Remember, this is an opportunity – one that is at each conference you attend. Learn the craft. Write a story. Polish it. Pitch it.  

I have great faith that you will learn the process. Remember, we all have to learn. Now, dig in and learn.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. She is the cofounder of ChristianDevotions.us and the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Cindy is the managing editor forStraight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, both imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is an award-winning and best-selling author and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com. @cindydevoted