There are different lengths of pitches, but in any kind, the three key elements of pitching your novel is to be 1) Clear, 2) Concise, and 3) Compelling.
Verbal vs. Written Pitching
Verbal is great for conventions! BUT can be easy to mess up.
Written is nice to help you be prepared, BUT can have a rehearsed feel to it.
Pitching should be good read aloud, like when you're @ the bookstore talking about it.
You are going to love your book more than anyone! You will be a great person to tell about your book because your excitement can be contagious. However, if it's not well-pitched, or give too much/little away, you could lose a reader.
Something an agent or publisher might want is for you to 'tell them why you love your book.'
We all know that when we are pitching, they are also seeing what kind of person we are to know if we are the right fit for them to work with.
It's hard to not take it personally when they say 'no', and it could actually be a blessing!
THE HARD PART is not thinking about all these things when you actually pitching.
Take a deep breath and let your personality shine!
It would also do well to remember that the people we pitch to are REAL people.
(DON'T be STALKERish writers!)
The longer the pitch, the more details it will have.
Some publishers will even say that they don't necessarily ever need to know names.
Key things to include:
Character
Conflict
Consequence
(and maybe even a little)
Comparison
(Dr. who meets... market comparisons, for example)
You don't want to have any frills and/or gimmicks, you just want to show that your idea is 'out of the box.' However, Do Not mistake mystery for clarity.
With a pitch or tag - your goal is to have an emotional hook; and they're usually verbal. (In person is powerful.) Some publishers will as for you to tell them about your story in one sentence.
A Querry - don't tell the ending, but tell consequences
and then in a Synopsis - you'll tell the ending.
Having more than one pitch could be a great way to test the waters and to reach different audiences.
Testing your pitch out is a great way to find out what works.
I can pretty much guarantee that as soon as you tell someone that you're a writer, they're going to want to know what you're writing about.
"Tell me about your novel!"
... And then do it.
