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Intrigued by Dianne Anderson’s mention of M.M. Palmer’s success, I contacted Palmer and asked her to tell me her story in her own words. She replied that she wasn’t sure that there was much story to tell, but that she would be happy to answer my questions concerning Jo Grossman, Murder in the Grove, or whatever else interested me.

Cheryl: I’m hoping to give a newbie (who has a manuscript in hand) some guidance.

M.M.: Two pieces of advice I’d give any newbie trying to find an agent (I’m assuming it’s a mystery because of the Murder in the Grove connection) is to join the Sisters in Crime online chapter known as Guppies. It has a subgroup just for writers trying to find agents and great support.

And two—if you are going to pitch—read from cover to cover, “Making the Perfect Pitch” by Katharine Sands.
[NOTE 1: Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent's Eye, Katharine Sands, Editor. "Learn the secrets of Pitchcraft®! With advice from 40 top agents and industry experts, this book is full of sample query letters, pitching techniques, tales of pitching woe and wonder, valuable lists of dos and don’ts, and revelations of the likes and dislikes of top agents in the field." NOTE 2: Sands, of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, will be at the 2007 MITG conference.]

Cheryl: Had you been to Murder in the Grove before?

M.M.: No.

Cheryl: As I understand it, you must have signed up to pitch the agent prior to the conference. Had you done that sort of thing before? Was your manuscript finished at the time? Had it been critiqued before? (anything along those lines would be helpful).

M.M.: Many writers conferences offer attendees the opportunity to pitch their manuscript. I had previously pitched (2005) at the Pacific NW Writers Conference and the Seattle Writers Conference which is no longer happening. I was asked for fulls by two agents and one editor. Based on feedback from them and others I had reading it, I spent another nine months rewriting it (cutting out 10K words).

I then submitted it to PNWA’s contest, the Debut Dagger, as well as Murder in the Grove. I won the PNWA and MITG and finished in the top 20 in Debut Dagger. I did NOT sign up to pitch at MITG or to attend. When I was called and told that I had won, I felt it was only good manners to show up and accept my reward. (I flew out and back the same day.) Jo had been sent my submission by the conference committee a head of time and wanted to meet me -— we hit it right off and that was that. So by winning I sort of circumvented the normal sign up process, not to mention the query process.

But to get back to your original question, generally speaking at the time you register you sign up for the agent (or agents) you want to pitch to. Since attending a conference isn’t cheap, you have to weigh the cost with the benefit. If you are attending simply to pitch to one agent, then it probably isn’t worth it. HOWEVER, there are other benefits to attending, e.g., workshops, meeting other writers, panel discussions, etc. You also should carefully research the agents that will be attending —- if they rep only romances and you’ve written a hardboiled PI, you may want to rethink going.

Cheryl: Did you have a chance to chat with anyone else who had pitched? Did you compare notes?

M.M.: When I pitched in 2005, I practiced with my critique group but that was all.

Cheryl: Can you recount the conversation or give us some sense of how it went? (I’ve never pitched before so I’m really curious how you prepared and what it was like)

M.M.: I wrote out my pitch and practiced it until it literally rolled off the tongue. (Think elevator speech) I followed the advice given in the book I mentioned previously. After making the pitch the agent asked a few questions -— like if it was completed. You are assigned before the conference an appointment time with the agent of your choice and 10-20 minutes to pitch (varies between conferences), usually in a large room with the agents sitting behind tables—sort of like a job interview.

You have to remember they will be hearing pitches all day long so you want to say something that will stand out—stick in their mind. Usually they will ask you to send some sort of submission (the first 50 pages plus synopsis is typical) unless it is not a genre/subgenre they represent or your pitch really stinks. The advantage to this is that when you send it off to them you can print “Requested Material” on the envelope which helps move it to the top of the slush pile. Oh, and be sure and to have a business card with you.

I didn’t sign up to pitch at MITG—Jo and I just sat and talked for half an hour, because she’d already read my synopsis and the first few pages. I did take the first 50 pages with me which she took with her, but usually agents don’t ask for a submission during the conference. They don’t want to tote them back on the plane.

Cheryl: How was the actual experience different from what you had imagined?

M.M.: Not too different. I’d read a lot about it and talked to others. It goes fast and can be a little anti-climactic when its over (you’ve been preparing for weeks). But you do learn that agents are just people like you -— not gods. Most are really nice. I did a great deal of research on each agent I spoke with, trying to find some common ground to mention, e.g., a hobby, a favorite author they rep, whether they lived where I used to live, that sort of thing.

Cheryl: What happened next?

M.M.: I sent off the requested material to the agents and, as I said, I ended up doing yet another rewrite. Then a year later a met Jo.

Cheryl: Would you recommend the experience for a newbie?

M.M.: Yes —- but not just for the pitching, the whole conference experience can be quite enlightening and rewarding. A good place to network.

Cheryl: Is there anything you would have done differently?

M.M.: No.

Cheryl: Finally, how’s the second book coming?M.M.: Well . . . I’ve got it well mapped out and a couple of chapters written but family matters have really interfered with my writing this winter. I am just now getting back to it, having spent the last couple of months clearing the decks so to speak.

Tags: M.M. Palmer, Pitches, Interview, Murder in the Grove