by Korina Moss
After finishing my first cozy mystery manuscript I attended a library event with three established cozy authors. When they opened up for questions from the audience, I sat ready with my hand in the air. I bubbled over with a lot of questions about how to get my shiny new manuscript published. Not only did the authors answer my plethora of publishing questions, but afterward, when they signed their books for me, they said something that changed the trajectory of my publication journey: “Pitch us your manuscript.”
I fumbled through a two-minute description of my cozy mystery. What I learned, besides that I should always have a pitch prepared, was the book I’d written wasn’t really a cozy mystery. Even though I’d read cozies for ten-plus years, mine didn’t check all the boxes a cozy mystery needs. They immediately deciphered this based on my pitch.
Some writers might resent having to reduce their book baby, which may have spent years in gestation, into a handful of sentences. What about the subplots? The deep characterization? Doesn’t it do my book a disservice by making it sound too simplistic? Consider this—if you can’t pare it down to the bare bones of when X happens, my protagonist must do Y, or Z will occur, your story might not be as strong as you intended.
It’s never too early in the process to consider your pitch. The reason a pitch is important to an agent and publisher is the same reason it should be important to you, the writer. It’s designed to answer critical questions: Does it fit squarely within your genre? Do you have a grasp of the core of your manuscript? What’s the inciting incident? What’s at stake for your protagonist? What makes your story different from others with your theme or trope? What’s the tone? These are questions to ask yourself as you’re writing, so you don’t end up with a manuscript that misses an important element. Pitching is not just another hoop to jump through to get an agent or publisher. It can be used as a tool to check in and make sure you haven’t strayed too far from the spine of your story. A bonus of pitching your book to yourself is that by the time you’re ready to query, you’ll already have it polished.
One place you can use the pitch is at Thrillerfest, an annual convention in New York City for established and new crime writers. One of their most popular offerings is Pitchfest, which is an opportunity for unagented writers to pitch their manuscript to top agents and editors in the industry. Last May they asked me to participate in their virtual practice pitchfest, which occurs about a month before the conference. Here, writers practice their pitch via a ten-minute private Zoom session with an author-expert who coaches them to improve before doing it for real at Thrillerfest. Serving as one of the author-experts, I was impressed with the writers’ professionalism and well-thought-out pitches. I gave them a bit of advice and helped them dispel their nerves. Then they went on their way to impress Thrillerfest’s agents and publishers. Another conference that offers face-to-face pitch sessions is New England Crime Bake, geared more toward the traditional and cozy mystery.
As for me and that cozy mystery manuscript that wasn’t really a cozy—per the authors’ advice, I heavily revised it. When ready, I entered Twitter’s Pitch Party and Savvy Authors’ PitchFest. Using a three-line pitch, I garnered several full manuscript requests, which directly led to three offers of representation and securing my dream agent.
It did not, however, lead to a publishing contract. After writing a pitch and proposal for a new series, the Cheese Shop Mysteries, I received a three-book contract from Macmillan Publishing (and subsequently a second three-book contract). Now, four books later, I still find it valuable to create a pitch for each book for the reasons stated and for a new reason. Invariably, when I’m interviewed on a podcast or appear on an author panel, I’m asked to sum up my latest book in just a few sentences. With a pitch at the ready, I comfortably do so.
In my latest Cheese Shop Mystery, Case of the Bleus, the secrets to an enigmatic and award-winning blue cheese may be gone forever when its creator—Willa’s former boss, Max—dies. When the person everyone thought would inherit the cheese is killed for those secrets, the hunt for Max’s Church Bleu begins. When Willa discovers she’s the intended heir, she must decipher the riddles Max left to find the cheese and the killer before the killer finds her.
Korina Moss is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series (St. Martin’s Press) set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead. Her books have been featured in Parade, Woman’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction.
