A writer I know had the luck recently to gain a two minute pitch spot in front of some agents. She was somewhat nervous beforehand, and somewhat emotionally exhausted afterwards, but she did pick up some tips that she wished she'd known before.
She wasn't the only author talking, and she noticed that most of them (herself included) started with the sort of small talk that you make when you introduce yourself. 'Hello, my name is Cinderella, and I've been writing a book which I want to talk to you about today'. Another author started with 'My book is about' which was much stronger, and saved a few precious seconds.
She also realised it was crucial - and this sounds obvious but it's a mistake many of us make - to know what your book really is about. If you can't encapsulate it in a few words, then how can the person you're pitching to get a sense of what you've written.
So what does an agent or editor need to know in those two minutes? They need to know something about genre - who is your target audience? They need to know the plot and how the main characters work within that plot. They need to know if there's a unique or interesting angle with your book - have you lived the life you're describing - or has any aspect of it been in the news recently. They're also getting a sense of you as a person. An agent/author relationship is based on two people, and they need to know you can be coherent and pleasant, or their work will be that much harder.
Do you have a sense of how you'd pitch your own work? If that sounds too daunting, try practicing as if you're the author of a famous classic, how would you sell it to someone who hadn't read it?
Cressida
(Editorial Consultant)
After much deliberation. Well actually laziness perhaps in trying to cut down on the description of the novel when speaking to friends I've managed to get the gist of it down to just two sentences.
When it does come to submitting work, again, is it worth putting that brief description early on in the covering letter?