how do you pitch a book to a publisher?

Answer 1

You hire an agent who has contacts and success in the publishing business. If you try and do this on your own, you are going to be knocking on a lot of doors and will find yourself in a seemingly endless chase to get in front of the right person.

Hire an agent.

Answer 2

You send them your manuscript. Nobody goes into a publisher's office and says "here's my idea!" and they hand you bags of money.

This is also not a job where you'll make a lot of money, very few authors ever make more than five figures a year.

If you are prepared to work hard, every day, and are prepared to never reach Stephen King levels of fame and wealth, then take your idea and turn it into a manuscript. Look around at publishers, it'd help to go to a writer's convention. You can see which publisher markets to your target audience based on your book, since this is your first book, don't go for the biggest companies, go for a smaller to middle sized company and simply submit your manuscript. Don't be discouraged if you fail at first, if you like the publisher, edit the manuscript and resend it, or you can just send it unaltered to another company.

Answer 3

Ah, the old "How do I get published" question. Lots of folks ask. I've answered this one many times. First, understand the options available.

Traditional route, large publishing house: You will need an agent. An agent is someone who knows how to work with the big publishers. An agent will read your manuscript and suggest changes to increase it's chances of publication. Most large publishers will only accepted agented submissions.

An agent can even start representing you before your book is finished. A good agent can get you a deal before the book is complete. So you don't even need a final manuscript to work this way.

An agent is paid on commission, and is only paid if they place your book. Generally they will get a 10-20% cut of the royalties. An agent that asks for money up front, or tries to sell add-on services, is a scam.

And contrary to popular myth, it is NOT impossible to get an agent. Agents are always hungry for new talent. Remember the mantra "Every published writer was once an unpublished writer."

Traditional publishing, small press: Most small press publishers will review non-agented submissions. However, you must query first. If they are interested, they will ask to see the completed manuscript.

In either traditional route, it will not cost you one dime. The publisher will use it's own editors, proofreaders, book designers, and salespeople to design and market your book.

Non-traditional publishing, Subsidy: Subsidy publishing in any form is a scam. In these scenarios, the alleged publisher asks the writer to "invest" in the project. They may ask you to pay for special services. Or nickel and dime you by charging you for proofreading, editing, etc. This is not how a traditional publisher works. Subsidy publishing should be avoided.

Self-Publishing: With self-publishing, you act as your own publisher. This is a good option if:

1. You have a "niche" book that would only be of interest to a small market (i.e. A book on the history of your hometown, a book on shovel collecting, etc)
2. You have a strong understanding of how to market. You will need to write your own ad copy, press releases, etc. If you don't know how to market, you won't sell books.
3. Have a strong understanding of the process. Publishing involves more than typing up the story. There is proofreading, editing, book layout, cover art, even silly things like font choices, blurbs, etc. If you don't know how to do something, you will have to pay a professional to do it for you. Which brings me to...
4. Have a budget. Self-publishing costs money. Even if you use Lulu, which has no upfront costs, you will still have to spend money. You will have to buy copies of the book to send to reviewers. You will need to send comp copies to bookstores to encourage them to stock the book. You will have to buy advertising. If you need professionals, you will have to pay for them.

You must always query first. Keep your query short and too the point. Avoid being "cute." Editors do not care about fancy, weird color paper. They don't want odd fonts. They want to see that you have a firm grasp of the English language. Avoid chatspeak (I actually get queries written 'will U publsh me plz?" ARGH! Offer a brief summary of the book and focus on what makes it unique. DO NOT bore the editor with your life story. Nobody cares that you have wanted to be a writer since you were five or anything like that. Request their publisher guidelines. Make sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The publisher will then send you the guidelines. FOLLOW THEM. If the publisher says to send the submission on a disk, you better send it on a disk. If they say send it on paper double spaced, it better be on paper double spaced.

Answer 4

Either get an agent, OR send the publisher two chapters, with a one-page synopsis of the story. Include all of your contact info, and any other personal info about you that you think might help you. IOW, if you wrote a book about journalism and you were a journalist for a while, that would show them that you have experience and knowledge in that field.

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Answer 5

Overhand, in a fast pitch. If they can't see it coming, they can't block it before it hits them between the eyes. The only exception would be if you had a fast underhand (softball style) pitch.