Are You Ready to Pitch to Literary Agents?
I finished writing the first draft of my novel in the beginning of March 2020, and I’ve been giving this question a lot of thought: how do you know you’re ready to pitch?
I’ve been revising my novel for about one month now, and I know there are still two months of revisions to go before it’s ready.
The quality of your novel is most important, plus the quality of your query letter. This is what deserves the bulk of your time and attention. But what about everything else?
I created an image below that showcases several different areas where I concentrate my time:
Writing and revising my novel
Building a brand through my website, newsletter, and social media accounts
Connecting with my community of fellow writers (both online and in person)
Perfecting my query letter
Reading comparative titles in my genre (psychological thrillers)
Researching which agents to pitch to
An important thing I learned from Nami Mun, author of Miles from Nowhere, is to pitch to 5-10 agents at a time. Gather feedback, and then proceed.
If you receive similar feedback from every agent, then you know your novel needs more work. You can take time to regroup, and then pitch again.
The chart above helps visualize where to focus your efforts.
It’s a lot, but if you focus your time and build a schedule around it, it’s doable.
If you have any questions about whether your novel is ready, you can always reach out. I offer editing services and consult with writers about their marketing, platform, and agent submission plan. Reach me at kasiamanolas@gmail.com.
