Pitching the publisher…


This weekend, at Halifax’s Word on the Street, there’s this bizarre event called “Pitch the Publisher”.  The structure is this: think Dragon’s Den, but in a crowd of your peers, pitching to people who you know may well never even think about your book.

I have a few minutes to endear the publishers to me in a room with multiple distractions in a crowd of shifting people, in a tent which will probably be soaked with rain. I’m hoping they’ll ask for my parcel, a detailed outline, the first chapter, our bios (mine and my coauthor’s). I’m dreaming they’ll be thrilled, or at least mildly intrigued, by the premise. But I know it’ll be hard to catch their attention.

So I’m bringing visual aids with me. They’ll include: something frozen, two books, and something with wheels.

I’m pitching in non-fiction, but there are sessions for fiction and writing for youth. Last time I pitched, it was totally discouraging, as I arrived with a genre book and the three publishers told everyone at the start that they NEVER published genre. Genre being anything like romance, mystery, fantasy, westerns, anything you can pin a name onto, except literary. Everyone there brought genre books, pretty well, and it was sad.

This time I’m hoping our credentials hold true. I think we’ve got a great idea. Wish me/us luck!

6 thoughts on “Pitching the publisher…”

  4. Steve Vernon

    Hey shewrite63. What Dorothy Anne meant was that folks writing horror or science fiction might be out of luck. The publishers present at this session are generally regional publishers – meaning they are in the market for maritime-set books.

    However, a good Nova Scotia based mystery would still have a chance.

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  6. dorothyanneb Post author

    Hahahaha! Deep Darkness? Alas, I am so shallow you can see the ground beneath me. But that’s really just a height thing. Should point out that Steve has been unreasonably successful with his books (teasing) and I stand in admiration. Busy busy guy.

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