These appointments are a lot like giving a short, and I mean short, speech. You are trying to sell your baby, that book you have so lovingly developed and nurtured, to an editor. If you’re lucky, you have meet her before, but most often she is a stranger who has a lot of power over you and your book. A scary thought.
An editor appointment is essentially a person-to-person query letter. You want to tell the editor a little something about yourself–not your life’s story–but about your writing experience and any credentials you might have. You don’t want this to be too long because these appointments are only about ten minutes.
When you discuss your book, try to think of a hook as you would in a query letter. Grab the editor’s attention with a few short sentences about your story.
After you have grabbed her attention, describe your main characters–again briefly. I don’t mean a physical description but what makes them tick. What has shaped their lives? In your description you can begin to set up why they may have a conflict.
Next, you need to tell the editor about the conflicts–both internal and external. It is important to have internal conflict as well as external. Internal conflict comes from the personalities of the two main characters whereas the external conflict comes from something or someone outside the two main characters.
Lastly, describe how the hero and heroine will finally get together in the end. Will he compromise? Will she? Or, do both of them? What is the black moment and how is it resolved?
Remember to relax–breathe deeply or do whatever else works for you. Chocolate works for me. If you have trouble, rehearse by yourself or with a friend.
Some things to remember to do are be on time, be prepared, be cordial, remember to smile, and research the line you are pitching to. Some things to avoid doing are bringing your manuscript with you, hogging the floor in a group appointment, be overbearing and monopolizing the editor’s time. When the appointment is over, don’t try and talk into someone else’s time.
An editor appointment is your chance to have an editor’s undivided attention. It may be the beginning of a long, working relationship. Good luck!
