What I have learnt about pitching non-fiction
Some thoughts from the publishing trenches
Firstly, I’m no expert, but I’ve had a fair amount of practice (roughly 23 pitches to date for different books) and I’ve learnt what works and what doesn’t. I wanted to say something about non-fiction because, while there are excellent resources online about pitching, they are almost always for fiction writers. I write historical biographies and had to learn the hard way. My first tip is both simple and very, very complicated:
Decide whether you are going to pitch agents or publishers.
If you want to make pots of money and be a Sunday Times bestseller, you’re going to need an agent. These days, most big-name publishers will not accept unsolicited manuscripts from authors. Agents will negotiate your contracts and will probably get you more money in the end (but they are also going to take a cut). On the other hand, most agents are not interested in representing you unless your book has considerable commercial appeal.
You can approach some publishers yourself (they will have a ‘submissions’ section on their websites), you can self-publish or take a hybrid option like crowdfunding. These topics warrant posts in themselves, but ultimately, you have to think about what you want as a writer and who you are writing for. None of this is easy, but, fortunately, non-fiction writers can test the market because:
You don’t need to have written the whole book.
This is something I didn’t understand when I started out, but there is a difference between pitching (or querying) fiction and non-fiction. If you write a novel, you will need to have finished the manuscript before pitching it; if you write non-fiction, you can, in theory, sell it on the pitch. I don’t mean you can approach agents/publishers with a vague idea that you scribbled down on a beer mat one night in the pub. You will need to have written at least a few chapters, plus a polished collection of materials known as a pitch package.
Work on your pitch package first.
Each agent and publisher will have guidance on what they want to see (which you should follow as if your life depended on it) but it helps if you gather all your materials first and then you can remix them in different lengths and formats, much like applying for jobs.
What will you need? Well, it goes like this:
An elevator pitch - two sentences max - for your covering email.
A one-pager introducing the book and saying what makes it special.
A page on comparative titles (competing books).
A page on you and why you’re the ideal person to write the book.
A page on marketing - how do you intend to help promote the book?
A chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the entire book.
Sample chapters - usually the first three, approximately 10,000 words.
Is this a lot of work? Hell, yes. I think many of these elements have their own special pain, with most writers dreading the competing books section (known in the trade as comp titles). In the old days, people could get away with a pitching style like “It’s Harry Potter meets The Odyssey”, but that’s not really appropriate for non-fiction writers.
What we need to do is pick a few (say, three to five) recent books (i.e., published in the last five years) and talk about why they are both like our book and why our book also offers something different/extra. Avoid talking about old books - we need to be speaking to the current market.
Ensure your proposed book length is right.
For commercial non-fiction you’re looking at 80,000-90,000 words. For the more academic end of non-fiction: 120,000 words. Anything too far from these areas will probably lead to rejection. I remember a writer speaking about a three-word rejection he once received from an agent: “Too fucking long”. Luckily, he could laugh about it.
Research, research, research.
Go to bookshops and assess what is on the front tables. Which section would your book sit in and why? Read the blurbs on the book-jackets to help you formulate your pitch (both the elevator pitch and the one-pager). Keep abreast of publishing news - I subscribe to the Literary Review but you could read book reviews in the Sunday papers or The Bookseller.
When you come to pitch, you will also need to research your agents thoroughly. You can discover them by Googling ‘non-fiction literary agents [insert your country]’, but I also recommend reading the acknowledgements pages of books you admire, since agents (and editors) sometimes get thanked. Once you’ve identified them, you don’t need to stalk them but it’s important to know what they’re looking for. Don’t make the rookie error of pitching a book about landscape gardening to a person looking for Y.A. or dark academia. In other words, don’t pitch non-fiction to people who only accept fiction, and vice versa - it will result in rejection.
Also, don’t pitch all of the people at once - do it in small batches of, say, three or five at a time. This is because you will learn things as you go along. I can’t tell you how many people to pitch altogether - just keep going until you get a yes.
Rejection and its brother: opportunity.
Even if you’ve created a decent pitch, you will probably still get rejected. We all do. Try not to let it upset or deter you. In many cases you won’t even get a reply, which is annoying, but this is a reflection of the sheer numbers of manuscripts getting pitched on a daily basis. If you get a rejection and the agent/publisher explains why, you have been given a rare gift my friend. Firstly, your pitch didn’t stink, and secondly, getting feedback is an excellent way to improve your chances of success. Try to see your book idea through the other person’s eyes and keep honing your pitch, eliminating areas of weakness as you go. Here are some posts for when times get tough:
There is more I could say, but this is already too long. Please let me know if you would like me to write more on this topic and congratulations if you’re already out there. Keep going and good luck!
The notion of a 'pitch package'; your seven apposite, somewhat escalating, elements; and the clarity with which you write are very helpful. Thank you Annette; not in the least rambling!
The utility that I may find in following up on reading this will, if it lies anywhere, likely be located outwith the specifics of pitching non-fiction and in the more generalised application of your 'pitch packaging' to preparing projects in any a wide variety of literary and less literary veins where making good, ideally best, use of words is key.
Lichfield; Johnson; 18th Century; Letters, Arts & Culture; and Fine Photography to Boot: quite a combination. Thanks for being open to subscription and welcoming to subscribers.