by Peggy Bechko
Most of us want to know how to do it, not how not to do it, but if you know the big DON’Ts you’re a whole lot more likely to get the DOs right.
We might as well admit it, we’re all ‘eager’ when it comes to finding a berth for our babies and selling our work. And, eager is okay, but top that with professionalism and now you’re going somewhere.
So what are the don’ts? For starters when you pitch don’t tell a movie producer the script should be a novel as well and don’t tell a publisher ‘my book should be a movie’. Don’t tell them the manuscript will result in a book that’s a bestseller or that the movie will be a blockbuster. No one can predict that outcome. Only result from such claims will be (if they’re polite) deeply patient sighs. Let’s face it, if someone could predict blockbusters and bestsellers they’d be a dime a dozen. You’re no more likely to predict it than they are. Good luck. So let’s just skip that one.