Many of you know I finished a novel, Devil's Candy, about a screenwriter who sells his screenplay to a producer, the producer gets murdered, and the screenwriter gets framed for that murder.
So I've started to email a few agents about it and have found out a few lessons the hard way:
- No friggin' attachments in your pitch, ever.
- Read EXACTLY how to pitch each individual agent as each has their own requirements.
- Do NOT send out form letters. Do your research, explore the agent, and see what she wants and likes. If you find out your agent loves pizza, there's your potential opening to hook her into the rest of your pitch.
- Be respectful: agents (like you) are busy. They don't owe you anything. They'll get back to you when, and if, they can.
That all said, it's a numbers game. You have to do the outreach and the work. Writing the book is only half the battle.
I've reached out to 11 agents so far. 1 has agreed to read my first 50 pages.
Onward.