Experts share secrets to a winning book pitch

A successful book pitch should have an attention-grabbing headline and must convey the unique selling point of the book; however, the writing and content that follows should also match it to sustain interest, agreed publishing industry heavyweights Chris Pavone and David Headley at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair that is underway at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The anatomy of a strong pitch

Chris Pavone, an American author of international thrillers whose first novel The Expats was a New York Times bestseller and is currently showcasing The Doorman at SIBF 2025, noted that authors should be honest about their book and should be able to describe it effectively. As a writer, he focuses on writing a compelling description to communicate the book’s value. Pavone, who has edited non-fiction, said non-fiction books tend to get book deals with publishers before the book is written based on a proposal that could be anywhere between one page to 100 pages.

Pavone commented that “publishing is just a matter of opinion – what’s good, what’s bad, what’s saleable. It’s sort of like choosing between chocolate and vanilla and there is no wrong choice.” His advice to aspiring writers was: “Please take more time. Don’t be in a rush to send out a book that you are not ready to send out. And be mindful about which agent you want to represent you.”

The agent’s perspective

David Headley, Managing Director of D.H.H Literary Agency which he founded in 2008 and has an eclectic range of best-selling and award-winning authors, emphasised the importance of the first sentence and voice in a pitch as it determines whether the reader will continue to read the manuscript. “However, the writing must meet the pitch’s expectations. I get loads of good, competent submissions, The reason I reject some of them is because they are not doing something unique.”

Regarding the importance of trust between authors and agents, he stated that agents should give transparent and constructive feedback to help authors improve their work. While authors should trust their agent’s expertise and track record, the latter will have to build a reputation as a successful agent to gain author’s trust. In his opinion, social media and influencer marketing did not necessarily drive sales while book clubs often helped authors to gain visibility.

Both Pavone and Headley said they did not take the help of artificial intelligence in their respective work.