Fall Philly Faculty Spotlight: Agent Christa Heschke, by Lori Ann Palma

Our roll call of fabulous Fall Philly faculty continues with literary agent Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis.

 

Hi Christa! What’s on your wish list right now?

 

My wish list is in detail on my blog, located at christaheschke.blogspot.com

What’s your best tip for creating a strong pitch? 

 

A strong pitch is focused, and to the point. You should know your book’s hook, which is generally 1-2 lines describing what makes it stand out. You can use other books as comparative titles i.e. My novel, TITLE, is Gone Girlfor young adults. Or My novel is The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets The Breakfast Club, etc. With both of these examples I get a clear picture of what the novel could be. Don’t describe your entire novel in a pitch. Keep it short and sweet. Get across the most important bits of the story and your characters. Don’t reveal the ending, or twists and turns. You don’t want to spoil the story for me when I read it! Of course, tell me the basics too such as genre, title and intended audience.  

 

Thanks so much, Christa! See you at Fall Philly!