Friday, April 22, 2011

Outside my Comfort Zone

I'm a typical stereotype of a reclusive writer. I'd much rather be researching in a musty library archive or sitting alone in the cabin in the boonies writing. But unfortunately in this day and age you can't just write a book and let your publisher do the publicity. More and more of it falls on the shoulders of the writer.

And because I have aspirations of seeing my books on store shelves, I'm always in the hunt to catch the illusive agent or large publishing house editor and for that reason I'm pushing out of my comfort zone this weekend and attending a Writer's Intensive, where we'll schmooze, pitch, and have our query letters and synopsis read by three agents and three editors. If I said this was no big deal for me, I'd be lying like a a corpse in a six foot hole.

I can quote my pitch backwards and forwards until I sit down across from someone who I desperately want to like my book. Then I get tongue tied and sound like a blundering idiot. So I'm hoping by schmoozing with the "important" people before hand will help loosen my tongue at the right moment.

Here's my elevator pitch: Female MacGyver meets Latin Crocodile Dundee. Is that enough to make you want to hear more even if I can't spit it out coherently?

7 comments:

Lauri said...

Yep, I'm interested in hearing more after that line. :)

Have a wonderful time! I'm jealous, I'd love to be there with you!

Paty Jager said...

Thanks Lauri! One of these days we are going to come face to face at a conference or book signing.

M Pax said...

You had me at MacGyver. :D

Good luck, Paty. I wasn't exactly smooth when I did my pitches, and I did all right. They don't care if you're not perfect. It's the substance that counts.

Let me know how it turns out. :)

Juli D. Revezzo said...

Good luck, Paty! I hope all goes well this weekend.

Becky said...

That has me interested in hearing more. Good luck this weekend at the Writer's Intensive.

Paty Jager said...

Thanks Mary Julianne, and Becky.

Nancy Lee Badger said...

Works for me. Good luck with your pitch!