Several
of my private clients are completing their manuscripts this month,
getting ready to pitch to agents at one of the large writing conferences
happening in April: The Loft Literary Center's Pitch Conference, April 20-21, in Minneapolis, and Grub Street's The Muse and the Marketplace, April 6-8, in Boston.
Writers can
meet with agents and "pitch" their book--or give a short description
designed to spark an agent's interest. Some pitch sessions permit a
written query letter and sample of your writing, others just allow you
to pitch verbally.
Most
writers agree that crafting a winning query letter is all important.
Even if your pitch is verbal, the query can help you figure out how best
to describe your book in a unique, interesting way. Agents often
receive hundreds of these a week. How do you make sure that yours
stands out?