As a writer, you are probably fairly comfortable with the written word. Perhaps even, dare I say, more comfortable with the written word than the spoken one (or at least the semi-extemporaneous spoken word). Hence, you’d probably much rather tell an agent about your book in a letter or an email than sit face to face with one and make conversation about it.
But pitching in person can be wonderful. It is a great opportunity to make your book stand out among everything that an agent or editor sees, and to possibly get feedback on the commercial viability of your project, or get suggestions to improve your work based on your synopsis. You’re much more likely to get this sort of interaction in person as opposed to when you are one of many emails pouring into someone’s inbox.
So what’s an introvert to do?
Here’s the thing. We know you’re nervous. Just about everyone is nervous. And it is OKAY that you are nervous. It is totally fine if your hands are shaking, if your voice waves a bit. Your conference pitch session is not the Today Show, it is completely okay if you’re not perfect.
What you do need, though, is to be confident in and excited about your book. You’re pitching your book to sell it to that agent, so that they will want to see sample pages, and so they will jump to read those sample pages as soon as you send them. In order to do this, you need to be both engaging (project your voice, speak with inflection, make eye contact), and engaged (know your work, be able to answer questions quickly). If at all possible, you should practice pitching your book to friendly faces; the practice will help you feel less nervous and they may be able to identify areas where you are not being clear about what is unique about your story. If you’re unable to do extensive preparation beforehand, though, what you really need to do is take a few minutes before you pitch and remember what is so important to you about your book and what makes it special.
Fall in love with your book all over again, so that the person you are pitching can fall in love too.
