The Importance of Pitching
Wherever you are at with your novel, exploring how to pitch your story can be invaluable in creating a story that will attract the interest of readers, agents and publishers.
A successful pitch is a bridge between your story and potential readers, designed to make someone want to read your novel by highlighting what makes your novel unique and marketable. Pitching is another form of creative communication.
Embracing a commercial mindset gives your story the best chance of reaching a broad and appreciative readership.
Agents and publishers need to find out what it is about your story that excites them at an emotional level and represents a commercial opportunity to share that experience with readers.
“Unrecognised genius is a myth. For writers who can tell a quality story, it’s a seller’s market. Always has been. Always will be.” Robert McKee
Crafting Your Pitch During the Writing Process
Crafting a pitch for your novel during the writing process is important for several reasons:
1. Clarity of Vision: Developing a pitch forces you to distil the essence of your novel down to its core elements. This clarity can help you stay focused on your story’s central themes, characters, and plot as you write.
2. Audience Identification: Crafting a pitch requires you to consider who your target audience is and what they are looking for in a novel. This awareness can guide your writing choices, ensuring that your story resonates with the intended readership.
3. Agent and Publisher Interest: When querying agents or publishers, having a well-crafted pitch can make your novel stand out among the many submissions they receive. A compelling pitch can pique their interest and make them eager to read more.
4. Marketing and Promotion: A strong pitch serves as the foundation for 
marketing and promoting your novel. It provides the basis for your book’s back cover blurb, online descriptions, and promotional materials. A clear and engaging pitch can attract readers and generate buzz for your book.
6. Revision and Refinement: Crafting a pitch early in the writing process can help you identify any weaknesses in your story concept. If you struggle to summarise your novel effectively, it may indicate that certain aspects of your story need further development or clarification.
Pre-Course Work Required for the Pitching Your Novel Day
Please note: You will be required to complete and bring in pre-course work which will be used in the workshop and for the pitching process.
How the Pitching Your Novel Day Will Run
Morning Session: 
Meet the two agents who will be talking about publishing trends and what makes a novel attractive for agents and publishers and find out what they are looking for in a manuscript.
Take a deep dive into what makes your story unique and compelling and create a draft of a 300-word pitch that encapsulates the heart of your story.
Afternoon Session:
Following the lunch break, you will use what you’ve learned over the day to pitch your novel one-on-one directly to one of the agents.
Receive feedback to refine your approach and brainstorm taglines that capture the essence of your novel.
This hands-on approach will equip you with the confidence and skills to craft a compelling pitch.
Reflections on our Previous Pitching Days
As Lou, one of the agents, said, “We really enjoyed meeting the writers and hearing the pitches. We were very impressed with the calibre of the novels presented. Everyone had a strong sense of the story they wanted to tell and what made a story compelling for readers.
“We enjoyed providing the insights and guidance on how create an effective pitch for their work to give the writers the best shot of finding a home for their novel in the publishing marketplace.”
Testimonials from Course Participants
“I can’t tell you how enormously helpful I found the day and I was so grateful for the opportunity to participate. Listening to Jeanne and Lou was wonderful, I thought they were encouraging, but also straightforward about the facts of trying to get published. To my mind it demystified the process a little which was brilliant.
“Also, I found the pre-course work and the exercises on the day to be especially helpful. I spent some time thinking and writing about the questions before Saturday and I was very glad I did.
“At this stage in the 2nd draft, it was timely to go back and revisit the original inspiration of why I started. And being this far along in the process I thought it was the right time to take a moment, to stop, and try to distill/articulate the essence of the novel. I now think I have a much clearer picture of what I’m writing and this must surely help as I approach the 3rd draft.
“I now I have a much better handle on what my story is attempting to say and why this theme is so important to me.” Peter O’Dowd
“Thank you both for your generosity and insight at Saturday’s Pitching session at The Writer’s Studio. It was enjoyable, informative and illuminating.
“Lou, thank you for the feedback on my novel. It was both kind and inspiring and has helped to focus how my story can be both true to my vision and commercially appealing.” Richard Brooks
About our Agents
Lou Johnson
Lou Johnson has been a Managing Director of multinational Simon and Schuster, Publishing Director of preeminent global lifestyle publisher Murdoch Books, International Publishing Director & Chief Strategy Officer for Miami based, Mango Publishing Group, Sales Director of ANZ’s largest independent publisher, Allen & Unwin, Head of Marketing/Head of Sales at Random House, managed the ABC’s retail concessions and founded and sold her own disruptive publishing start up, The Author People.
Daniel Pilkington
Daniel Pilkington is a literary agent and publishing consultant based in Sydney’s Inner West and the founder of The Pilkington Agency. After many years in Australian publishing, including as Sales Director at Hachette Australia, he now represents a growing list of authors across fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on Australian voices and stories with international potential. Daniel works closely with writers at all stages of their careers and is passionate about demystifying publishing, sharing practical insight, and helping authors build confident, sustainable writing lives.
