We hosted the first ever Pitch-the-Agents LIVE session at the May 2021 Nonfiction Writers Conference. This event was a HUGE HIT with participants and attendees alike!
NFWC Gold, Platinum and VIP attendees had the opportunity to apply to participate in the live pitches during a special double conference session, and 20 finalists were selected by a random lottery to share their pitches with literary agents Jennifer Chen Tran and Joseph Perry.
Hundreds of conference attendees cheered on the participating writers as they shared their pitches and received feedback from the agents.
Of those 20 participants, seven received proposal requests from one or both agents! So far, at least one participant signed with one of the agents. We look forward to following along with all of their journeys.
Pitch-the-Agents LIVE returns for the Fall 2021 Nonfiction Writers Conference.
How it Works
Each pitch lasts a total of five minutes and time will be carefully monitored. Participants will have up to two minutes to deliver a pitch, leaving the agents with three minutes (or remaining time) to ask questions and give feedback on ways to improve your pitch and/or your book project. If either agent finds a pitch compelling, he or she may ask to receive your book proposal! That’s right, it is possible one or more attendees could end up with agent representation and a book deal! (Though please note there are no guarantees of any book deals or representation.)
How to Participate
NFWC Gold, Platinum and VIP attendees are eligible to participate, however you must register to participate in the pitch sessions. When more attendees register than time allows, we draw names in advance and let you know if you’ll be on deck for the live double pitch session. Be sure to register for NFWC early so you stay notified of event updates.
How to Prepare Your Pitch
- Try to distill your book into a one or two-sentence “elevator pitch” that succinctly tells us what your book is about and why you are the best person to write it.
- Make sure you distinguish your book from what has already been published: what makes your book different and why is it needed in the marketplace?
- Don’t forget to reference competitive titles if they help you better encapsulate what your book is about. You don’t always need to use comps but one or two well-known comps may be extremely helpful.
- If you have any kind of author platform (blog or newsletter subscribers, social media following, website traffic, etc.), be sure to mention the details during your pitch.
Don’t Want to Pitch? Here’s Why You Should Still Attend
Even if you don’t want to pitch your book project to the agents, there is a tremendous amount of value you can gain simply by watching the participating writers and agents in action. You will learn how a book pitch works, what makes it sizzle, what captures the interest of agents, and what recommendations they offer for improvement. Even if you’re self-publishing, it’s important to understand how the traditional publishing world works so that you can remain competitive. We can all learn from what sells well in traditional publishing and gain wisdom from these experienced literary agents!
About the Literary Agents for NFWC Fall 2021
Jennifer Chen Tran is an agent at Bradford Literary, joining in September 2017. She represents both fiction and nonfiction. Originally from New York, Jennifer is a lifelong reader and experienced member of the publishing industry. Prior to joining Bradford Literary, she was an Associate Agent at Fuse Literary and served as Counsel at The New Press. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis.
Jennifer understands the importance of negotiation in securing rights on behalf of her authors. She counsels her clients on how to expand their platforms, improve on craft, and works collaboratively with her clients throughout the editorial and publication process. Her ultimate goal is to work in concert with authors to shape books that will have a positive social impact on the world—books that also inform and entertain.
Joseph Perry is a literary agent and publishing attorney at Perry Literary, Inc., and The Law Offices of Joseph J. Perry, P.C. As an agent he represents bestselling cookbook authors, athletes, musicians, journalists, influencers, academics, and more. As an attorney, Joseph counsels clients in the publishing industry, where among other things, he drafts, reviews, and negotiates various publishing agreements and conducts prepublication review of manuscripts.
Joseph obtained his Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Bonaventure University. He is a graduate of New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute.
Eric Myers founded Myers Literary Management, LLC in 2017, following two years with Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret, LLC and thirteen with The Spieler Agency. A graduate of UCLA and the Sorbonne, Eric entered publishing as a journalist and author. Books he has written include Screen Deco: A Celebration of High Style in Hollywood, Forties Screen Style: A Celebration of High Pastiche in Hollywood, and Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis, all published by St. Martin’s Press. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine and Arts and Leisure sections, Time Out New York, Opera News, Art and Auction, Variety, and Quest. As an agent, Eric has a strong affinity for Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction, as well as adult non-fiction, especially in the areas of history, biography, psychology, health and wellness, and pop culture.
Wendy Keller is the “Chief Talent Launcher” at Keller Media, Inc. in Los Angeles. Keller Media represents authors to top publishers, books speakers into paid
engagements, and helps emerging authors, speakers, entrepreneurs and small business people to plan, build and establish a growing “platform”.
A “platform” is a large, growing group of fans who like and trust you, your company or your message and want whatever you’ve got to say or sell.
Keller Media has placed more than 1,500 deals worldwide, including 17 New York Times best-sellers and 9 international best sellers.
Wendy started her first business at age 15 and got her first paid newspaper job as a 16-year-old college freshman. A former award- winning journalist, she also worked for PR Newswire, the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain and became the associate publisher of Los Angeles’ then-second-largest weekly Spanish newspaper. She founded Keller Media in 1989.
Today, Wendy is the author of 31 properly published books under 9 pseudonyms and a handful of self-published books. She’s been featured on lots of media from Dr. Phil to Dateline, Wall Street Journal to Parenting magazine, Chicago Tribune to New York Post, and hundreds of other interviews on radio, print, podcasts and television. Her most recent book is “The Ultimate Guide to Platform Building”, from Entrepreneur Press.
Wendy is passionate about platform building! She speaks, teaches and trains and consults anyone who will stand still on how to exponentially grow their presence in their marketplace using customized, powerful platform building strategies.
Please go to www.KellerMedia.com to see how Keller Media may be able to help you.
For the platform building book: www.KellerMedia.com/Platform-Book
For training: www.KellerMedia.com/Webinars
To participate in Pitch-the-Agents, you must be registered as a Gold, Platinum or VIP attendee and then fill out an application.