Pitching to agents
This page has all three* videos I made for TikTok on the topic of pitching to agents, with video scripts if you’d rather read than watch!
Part one focuses on why you actually, maybe, shouldn’t take me word for it…
*I actually made four, so there’s a bonus at the end as well.
Video script:
Hi, I’m Jess, a writer and careers advisor, and this is careers advice for writers. This video is a perennial, really: pitching to agents...
...and in lots of ways, I’m not actually the right person to talk about this. Because I got my agent as part of the Chicken House deal I won in 2022, I didn’t do very much querying. I think I queried eight agents in the run up to the competition, of which I received two personalised and highly encouraging rejections, and then didn’t hear back from the others until beyond the dates they stipulated on their websites meant I could assume those were rejections as well.
However, there are some striking similarities between pitching to an agent and applying for a job, so I’m going to look at this a little differently and pick that apart.
However, before we dive into that – here are some people I recommend you seek out for more specific advice on pitching to agents:
ASH Literary (because it’s a good idea to hear it from an agent directly)
Writers and Artists advice
Jericho Writers advice
If you’re considering paying for an expensive pitch surgery course, I would refer you to the series I made about choosing a writing course first, because that all applies to those “how to get an agent” courses as well. I personally think a lot of them are unnecessary, to be honest.
In the next video, I’m going to talk about how CVs and cover letters have strong similarities to pitching to agents – so if you know how to effectively apply for a job, you probably have a lot of the pitching skills you need already.
Part two: how is querying agents like applying to jobs?
Video script:
Hi, I’m Jess, a writer and careers advisor, and this is careers advice for writers. This video is a follow up to my last one about pitching to agents...
...and specifically, how is it basically the same as applying for a job?
First of all, you may have heard me say this before (and I can basically guarantee you’ll hear me say it again if you stick around): ALL RECRUITMENT IS STORYTELLING. This applies if you’re trying to be recruited as a client, too.
And we’re all writers here, so I’ll expand the metaphor. When you’re planning a story, there are some key elements you will think about at some stage – who is this story about? What is this story’s message? And – this one’s really crucial – who is the audience for this story?
Well, of course, this story is about you. It’s why, on a CV, you should explain what your achievements were and what skills you used instead of just describing the tasks you had to do in that job. Anyone could do those tasks, but only you could do them in a particular way.
Similarly, when writing a cover letter for an agent, you might want to consider “what makes me uniquely placed to write this story?” or, “what evidence do I already have that I work well as a writer?”
What is this story’s message is probably easy enough – in a job application, you want to persuade a recruiter that you’re a strong candidate, right? And in a pitch to an agent, you’re going to need to explain what you’ve written, and why it’s highly marketable.
Finally – think about your audience. For a job application, that’s the company you’re applying to. You need to look closely at the job advert, because this gives you clues to what they want – often, they’ll even give you a list of skills they’re looking for. When thinking about agents, very often they will have information on their website or on a Manuscript Wishlist about the kind of books they’re looking for.
In both cases, if you know what your reader is looking for, all you have to do in the storytelling of your application is to give that to them.
So, it’s a simple enough concept but that still probably felt a big wishy-washy – never fear, in the next video I’m going to suggest some much more practical ways of looking at this.
Part three: practical tips and considerations
Hi, I’m Jess, a writer and careers advisor, and this is careers advice for writers. This video is the last in a mini-series about pitching to agents...
...and specifically, this video is practical considerations. As we know, what you’re trying to do is give the agent exactly what they’re looking for, right, because if you do that, then they have very little excuse to say “no”. Unfortunately, we can’t read their minds, so we have to use the clues available, and that means:
Do your research. And look, this bit is TEDIOUS. I know that – why do you think I only queried eight agents? I was going to do more if I didn’t win the Chicken House prize, but I procrastinated it, because... boring. So I sympathise! However, it must be done.
Information you need includes which agents represent your genre/style/target age-group. There is literally no point pitching your space opera for middle grade to an agent who clearly only represents adult cosy crime.
You’ll also need to know if there’s anything they directly don’t want to see. When I was querying, I saw multiple agents specify they didn’t want anything linked to angels, demons or Biblical themes, and considering my book is essentially a modernised fan fiction of Dante’s Inferno, they were not the right agents for my book.
Also, do they have any special hoops they’re asking you to jump through. And I phrase it that way because sometimes... it really does feel like they want us to act like circus dogs, doesn’t it? I mean, I get it – agents get so many queries, it makes sense they want to put barriers in place to weed out people who can’t follow instructions, but equally you wouldn’t catch me spending six hours on a Spotify playlist demonstrating the ineffable vibe of my characters just because one agent asked for one.
Having said that, if they ask for your manuscript to be in Times New Roman, font size 12 and double-spaced, that’s fair enough. Just do that.
The things you are likely to need repeatedly when querying are:
A short pitch, maybe about 30 words, that sums up your book. Mine, for reference, was: A homeless teenager learns she has no soul and agrees to journey through hell with a cute demon to try and get it back.
A synopsis. Often 1 page, but sometimes it’s even more stringent, like 300 words or so. I’d recommend writing a 1-pager, and then when you’re asked for anything more specific, do it and keep it for next time.
A cover letter. There’s a great blog post about these [here]. Often that will need to include comp novels... I have thoughts about these so will do a quick follow up on my opinions...
Sample pages – often 50 pages or your first 10 chapters, whichever is shorter.
I would recommend you polish these as much as you can, and then send out a few queries. If all you get back are rejections, maybe that means you should revise your pitch documents. If you’ve had any personalised rejections, there may be good advice in there to consider. Re-jig what you’ve got, and then try another batch!
BONUS CONTENT: Comp titles…
I got a little over-excited making these ones, so I decided to add a very quick note about my personal feelings around comp titles…