First Pitch in the First Inning with Agents
Hi, I’m Vin!
Thank you, new friend, for coming to my blog. I hope you enjoy today’s content and find inspiration and joy as you read.
I’ve done what I’ve been putting off for some time.
When I decided to take writing more seriously in late 2023, I had no idea what the journey ahead would look like. Like all journeys in life, writing has been a rocky path. However, one thing was long overdue: eventually, I’d have to get this story out there.
I had the opportunity to talk to two amazing agents at a Washington, D.C writer’s conference. The competition looked grim—hundreds of fellow writers gathered in this room, yearning for a taste at becoming a trad published author. There were whispers that the agents are always overwhelmed and would be hasty to root out concepts they didn’t like.
I expected an intimidating experience, but that’s not what I got.
The Expectation: An Audition for a Thousand Actors
Can you imagine the competition that Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire had to deal with?
Agents who get hundreds of submissions every week from aspiring authors—how exactly am I going to stance out among thousands? I hear that authors are compared to actors in wanting to become the next Hollywood superstar. Well, I kinda see it.
Looking at the panel of agents was enough to get me bone-chilled! They would speak about their expectations and how they would view every submission coming in. They’re gazing upon at least two hundred actors wanting to land that superstar role in the upcoming MCU movie.
And only one would land that role.
It pushed me to get to work. I stayed awake until 1:30 in the morning to rewrite and practice my pitch script. I recall tumbling into an internal panic that I wouldn’t be able to please the one I’m speaking to. I feared my concept would hit a ceiling that wouldn’t shatter the literary world.
The next day would be one to remember… or regret.
2. The First Pitch—Throwing My Fastball
It all worked out in the end.
2 PM couldn’t come sooner. Every hour in these marketing and crafting classes seemed to crawl by like a snail tied to an anvil. No matter how much I’ve prepared my pitch, I just wanted to get this over with.
To ease the anxiety within me, I filmed a silly TikTok reel conveying that emotion. Hoo boy, I was met with a lot of advice from my network and various random users.
Alas, I walked inside the pitching room an hour later. I met with agent Leslie (agent names adjusted for privacy concerns), and I would pitch The Brave Haven. Two hours later, I would pitch to agent Peri.
The result? Two great conversations, four business cards exchanged, and a lot of encouragement. Leslie seemed to be intrigued by my passion and premise for why I’m writing my novel. And Peri, much to my surprise, knew about all of my comp titles and we even shared a short chuckle about our favorite characters from one title. She was quick to ask for my sample pages. :)
3. My Advice to New Authors Like Myself in Their First Pitch?
One of baseball’s finest pitchers has words of wisdom.
I’d like to thank three good author friends when it came to nailing my thought process: Bryan Mitchell, Susan Cullen, and E.J Schmitt. The bottom line to the approach? Be yourself.
Yeah, as corny as it sounds, there’s no other way to put it! I realize, as an extrovert, I always find my energy around other people. I honed my greatest strength: taking one golden opportunity in an interaction and taking it as far as possible.
And what was that opportunity? Something I have in common with the agent.
Agent #3 (whom I pitched to on Monday), Sally, was a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, like I am. Peri knew all of my comp titles plus one I didn’t even list: Legend by Marie Lu. She even had the intrigue of my favorite read this year, Babel by RF Kuang.
Am I rambling? So where am I going with this?
Agents are not some intimidating, entitled, snooty corporate people who only see you as numbers on a paper. They are people who love literature as much as we do. They can be your friends as long as you know how to connect with them!
Until next time! :)
V.A.L
