I’d not heard the term before, but it perfectly described what is needed when pitching a manuscript to an editor. “in my pocket,” is any other manuscripts I might have finished, am working on, or have on my mind.
What else you got?
When you get fifteen minutes to pitch your work you don’t want the meeting to end too soon by presenting an idea that doesn’t grab the editor. Maybe they have already acquired something similar, or they are hoping for a different twist. That’s when they’ll ask, “What else do you have?”
It’s scary to say nothing or sit there in silence with sweaty palms. Instead, pull something out of your pocket. Have a sell sheet or pitch ready for that other book you’ve been writing or outlining. I pitched my idea for my October release off the cuff to a couple of publishers. The idea had been floating around in my mind, but I’d not done anything with it. They liked the idea and I got to work on book one in the Village of Women series, Angelina’s Resolve. I prepared a proposal and a summary of the book and a series.
A different publisher picked up Angelina’s Resolve and the Village of Women series. But if I hadn’t pulled that pitch out of my pocket I might have missed an opportunity. The idea for my July release Rescuing Her Heart was another pocket pitch. I wanted to write Jed ‘s story. He is the twin of Lonnie in my novella Healing Hearts in The Cowboy Novella Collection. Now it is book#2 in that series.
Pitch an idea for a different genre
A fellow author was at a book expo and although she wrote fiction she pitched an idea for a cast iron cookware cookbook to an academic publisher as she chatted with them about what they published. They like her idea and offered a contract. Then she set to work making that book a reality. This was her debut book, not what she had been focusing on but the notoriety from this book from a well-known publishing house may be just the catalyst to open doors for the kinds of books her heart desires to write.
I’ve heard the same thing time and time again from other writers. “I went to pitch ABC and they asked what else I had and requested the manuscript for XYZ.”
Fill your pocket with other ideas
As conference season is upon us again prepare not only the pitch for your completed manuscript and proposal but those might be nice ones too. Create a sell sheet with a summary of the story, word count and estimated time of completion. Your story may deviate from your original summary as your characters reveal more about themselves or your research takes you in an unexpected direction, but the idea is on paper. You’re ready to pull out of your pocket whatever else you think the editor might be interested in. They may even point out other editors who are better suited to your story ideas.
Have you ever pulled an idea out of your pocket that you hadn’t plan to pitch? Did it lead to a contract?