Wham, Bam, Thank You Slam: How to Pitch Your Novel (part 3)

Lorna Partington was joint winner at Off the Shelf Novel Slam 2023, winner of 2022’s contest, and runner up in 2021. In the last of this mini series of pitching blog posts, Lorna gives us her insight into what works at Novel Slam.

Can you summarise the novel you pitched and tell us what stage it’s at?

The following is the word-for-word pitch for The Shroud, which I gave at Novel Slam: “One day, a thick layer of cloud rolled in from the Pacific and robbed California of its sunshine. Three gloomy years later, a collective depression has settled over Los Angeles. While the super-rich are protected from The Shroud by living under high-tech biodomes, ordinary Angelenos explore hedonistic lifestyles to make it through the gray days. Among them are British expat ELLE BARRATT and husband DYLAN, who are finding it hard to adapt to the sunless city within a marriage already under strain. Their lackluster life changes when Elle meets APHRA WENTWORTH, the dynamic founder of a nonprofit that deals with LA’s skyrocketing suicide problem, and Dylan gets involved in her billionaire father’s enviro-tech project to dissipate The Shroud. But soon, Elle and Dylan’s involvement with the Wentworths puts both their lives in jeopardy and pushes their relationship to the brink, leaving them wondering if their blue skies will ever return.”

Right now, I’m 45,000 words in; exactly halfway through a first draft.

Why did you decide to enter Novel Slam?

Having won in 2022, I had the confidence to put myself out there again. It’s not what I’d call ‘fun’ (since I’m not a performer), but it’s a necessary part of being a committed writer. At some point, you have to be exposed to rejection and criticism, so why not do that in a friendly environment where lots of other people are in the same boat? Plus, there’s booze.

Beyond the hope that I might win, I like the strict requirements of Novel Slam. Being forced to hone my pitch to one minute and the excerpt to three is an excellent way to focus the mind on my story and writing. That focus always makes my writing cleaner and punchier.

What are the challenges of pitching?

Because I’d done it twice before, I felt WAY more relaxed than in previous years. But it’s important to remember that you are not a writer in that moment; you’re a performer. This isn’t comfortable for many writers, including me. Last year, I got myself some performance coaching, and it worked a treat.

The bigger challenge, however, is content. Your three-minute excerpt might be brilliant, but if your one-minute pitch is too complex, too vague, or too rushed, you’ll not get to read your masterpiece! I worked the hardest on the one-minute piece and trimmed as much fat as possible, while retaining a clear premise. On the night, I tried to remember to read slooooowly and clearly, taking a moment or two to look up and connect with the audience. To do this, of course, you need to have fewer words on the page than you would like. Nevertheless, if you want the audience to hear, understand, and remember what you’re saying, keep it short and sweet!

Any advice for someone thinking of entering a pitching contest?

Put yourself out there loudly and proudly. Everyone in the room is on your side, so there’s nothing to fear except fear itself. As the screenwriter and memoirist Nora Ephron once said, ‘Everything is copy,’ which means that whether you fall off the stage or come away the victor, the experience of pitching will be a story that you can draw on at dinner parties or in your writing!

As for Novel Slam in particular:

• Be ruthless in your self-editing: less is more, quality not quantity. Feel free to use my pitch as a template for your own story.

• Go in wanting to have fun. If you’re relaxed, your audience will be relaxed too and, therefore, more receptive to what you’re saying.

• Bring a friend (or several). They’ll not only vote for your pitch but also buy you a drink and give you the thumbs up (whether you won or fell off the stage!).

• Check out my free resource for writing a killer page one, which might help you with your three-minute excerpt (it’s best, I think, to read your novel’s opening).