{"id":1811,"date":"2016-05-17T12:59:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T19:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=1811"},"modified":"2023-12-20T13:01:10","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T21:01:10","slug":"devourer-of-words-038-get-ready-for-the-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/devourer-of-words-038-get-ready-for-the-pitch\/","title":{"rendered":"Devourer of Words 038: Get Ready for the Pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MARC BERNARDIN’S DEVOURER OF WORDS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devourer of Words 038: Get Ready for the Pitch<\/h1>\n\n\n
Marc Bernardin<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Toucan<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Marc<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We are 10 weeks\u2014give or take a few sleepless nights\u2014from the beginning of Comic Con. And if you are attending, preparations are, I\u2019m assuming, well under way: Hotel rooms are secured, transportation is sorted, cosplay is being fabricated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re a writer and you\u2019re heading to Comic Con, there is an entirely different checklist that needs completing\u2014especially if you plan on plying your wares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Are You Going to Pitch<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a little early to know which publishers will be exhibiting at the show, but you can absolutely make some educated guesses. Keep in mind: The larger the publisher, the less likely they\u2019ll take the time to listen to your pitch at the convention itself. When it comes to Marvel or DC, your only real play is to swing through the booth\u2014after softening the ground with an email or two\u2014and just say hello. Just being a person\u2014 who is personable and able to hold a conversation (and know when to get out of a conversation)\u2014will go a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But do your research. See which publishers are looking to publish what kind of content. Cater your pitches appropriately. Nothing will get you shut down faster than, say, pitching a superhero book to an editor who wants nothing to do with them. And, as the date gets closer, you\u2019ll be able to scour social media and, eventually, the official schedules to see which editors will be on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Are You Going to Pitch<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Now is a perfect time to go through your files\u2014you know, the ones marked \u201cideas\u201d or \u201cpitches\u201d or \u201cproposals\u201d or \u201camazing things that need a publisher to take a chance.\u201d Take a good hard look and see what\u2019s still viable and what needs that push in the right direction to make viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ve got dozens of pitches that you\u2019ve cobbled together over the years. Some are, needless to say, stronger than others. Some are more fully developed than others. You\u2019ve got a little more than two months, so, right now you\u2019ve got time to spend whipping them into shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the key right now is to find the things you are still in love with. Or, at the very least, can fall in lust with. Because in the math that editors use to calculate if a writer and a pitch are worth rolling the dice on is passion\u2014the sense that this <\/em>is the person to write this story, and that they have<\/em> to tell it or they\u2019ll die inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe that\u2019s an old idea you\u2019ve still got feelings for; maybe it\u2019s a new idea that stumbles into your head fully formed\u2014but either way, you\u2019ve still got time to hammer that thing into shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Much Are You Going to Pitch<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing: If you do manage to get an editor\u2019s ear on the floor\u2014or, more likely, for a 15-minute walk off the floor\u2014they are not going to have the bandwidth to listen to you prattle through a dozen ideas. Have three pitches to roll in with. Your three strongest, naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And practice that pitch\u2014don\u2019t go in there thinking that, because you are a dazzling raconteur, you can just spitball it off the top of your head. A verbal pitch should be like the inverse of a Russian nesting doll. You start with the Big Idea. If they like that, then you go a little deeper\u2014tell them who the main characters are and how they relate to one another. If they\u2019re still interested, then you tell them the broad strokes of the whole story, from beginning to end. (Yes, you have to tell them the end. A pitch is no place for being coy and anyone who is going to bankroll the telling of your story will want to know, at the very least, that you know your story.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s up to you whether or not you want to print out copies of your proposals to leave with those people you pitch\u2014a \u201cleave behind.\u201d Some people like the idea of reinforcing the pitch with a physical object the editor can refer to. But others, like me, prefer to do that reinforcement with an email a couple of weeks after the convention. In my experience, no one likes to have to pack up a bunch of stuff to take home with them\u2014and, with as many pitches as editors get, some will treat your \u201cleave behind\u201d with the same respect as you treat the fliers tucked inside your windshield wipers when you park at the mall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business Cards<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

I like \u2018em. They\u2019re small enough to not be a burden to schlep home, and if you do it right, you can make a real impression while still imparting the necessary information. But, listen: Don\u2019t spring for the expensive ones, with the full-color and fancy card stock. You\u2019re a writer: Be creative. The artists will have the pretty cards\u2014you make sure you have the witty one. For years, I had a card that simply said \u201cMarc Bernardin: Established 1971,\u201d with my email and cell number. It made people chuckle. And that\u2019s all it had to do: Make a positive impression that I can exploit later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Bernardin\u2019s Devourer of Words appears the third Tuesday of every month here on<\/em> Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Marc Bernardin<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n