With summer just around the corner, conference season is nearly upon us. One of the perks of attending writing conferences is that many offer the opportunity to pitch your manuscript directly to agents.

In person pitching can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. Agents want you to be their next client. If they weren't actively looking for new clients, they wouldn't be accepting pitches. Make their job easier and bring your stress level down at the same time by knowing exactly what to include (and not include) in your pitch.

Pitching Dos

• Do include the genre (and subgenre if applicable).

• Do include the word count.

• Do include the title (but be prepared for that to change during the publishing process).

Pitching Don’ts

• Don't talk about it being the first in a series (sell the book you have).

• Don't talk about self-published books unless you’ve sold thousands of copies.

• Don't talk about how other people loved the book—we can all find readers to say nice things.

Elena Hartwell Taylor is the Senior Editor & Director of Programming at Allegory Editing. In addition to working as a developmental editor and writing coach, Elena is a published author. Her most recent novel, All We Buried, appears under the name Elena Taylor. The Eddie Shoes Mystery Series appears under Elena Hartwell. Prior to writing novels, Elena worked extensively in the theater as a playwright, director, educator, and designer. She has taught writing and theatre courses at the college/university level for more than twenty years. She holds a PhD in dramatic theory and criticism, a Masters of Education with an emphasis in teaching theatre, and a BA in Mass Media Communications. For more information about Elena, you can visit her website and read her blog about authors, new books, and the writing process. You can contact her at elena@allegoryediting.com.