Every year, after our Pitchfest judges have finished reviewing the pitches, we ask them if they have any overarching advice into what makes a standout graphic novel pitch.
This year’s feedback offers a treasure trove of tips for creators looking to catch the eye of editors and agents. Here’s a summary of what they had to say:
Nail Your Storytelling
- Balance Plot with Character
The judges are looking for more than just a surface-level narrative. It’s important to balance plot with internal character development. Your pitch should:
- Showcase the narrative arc
- Reveal the emotional core of your story
- Demonstrate character transformation
Literary agent Sean McCarthy explains:
“I respond most to pitches that touch on both the external (e.g. narrative arc/plot) and internal (e.g. emotional core/character transformation) storylines. I want the external component to grab my attention, and the internal component to show why the pitch will resonate broadly with all types of readers.”
- Craft a Strong Hook
As important as the overall storytelling prowess is the initial “hook” – ie, your logline or short synopsis.
A hook is the most intriguing, unexpected, or emotionally resonant aspect of your story that sets it apart from other narratives. It’s the “Why should I care?” factor that makes someone want to read further. Think of it as the narrative equivalent of a first impression.
Angelica Busanet from Abrams stressed the importance of a compelling hook:
“A common mistake I saw was not laying out the hook of the story faster. As folks with so many submissions in our inbox, at least for me, I like a quick elevator pitch to know why your pitch stands apart from the crowd! A snappy one-two hit of a first line almost always does the trick in pulling me into a submission.”
Your pitch should:
- Lead with a snappy, attention-grabbing logline
- Clearly communicate what makes your story unique
- Describe Your Story, Don’t “Sell” It
One key tip that novice pitchers might not realize is that the tone of your short synopsis or plot summary should be informative, not salesy.
“When crafting the plot summary of your pitch,” Random House editor Alex Lu advises,
“treat it more like a book report and less like ad copy. I don’t necessarily need to know exactly what happens/how the story ends, but I do need to understand how the characters/themes evolve and what the emotional/thematic catharsis is.”
Overblown language like “this story will captivate young readers’ hearts!” tends to turn off editors.
Remember the adage “show, don’t tell.” This is just as true with your pitch as it is in your story. Don’t tell agents and editors “my story is amazing,” show them by engrossing them in your story.
- Mentioning Comp Titles Can Be Very Helpful
Since the Pitchfest submission guidelines require creators to be very concise, many pitches didn’t mention comparison titles. This is understandable because we only gave you a limited word count for the synopsis.
In your full pitch, though, you should almost always include comp titles.
Agent Jenniea Carter noted that when creators include comp titles, it “helps me understand where the creator thinks they fit in the market.”
Comp titles help professionals instantly understand:
- Your target audience
- Where your book might be shelved in a bookstore or library
- The genre and style conventions you’re working within
- Potential sales trajectory
Comps provide a quick snapshot of how your work both fits into and potentially innovates within a particular book category. When you mention accurate and useful comps, it communicates to agents and editors that you’ve done your homework and have a realistic sense of the market.
With Graphic Novel Pitches, Art Matters – A Lot
Artistic presentation is crucial. The judges offered several key observations:
- Avoid repetitive artwork (do not copy-and-paste character faces or poses)
- Pay attention to basic artistic fundamentals like body proportions and varied expressions
- Break up text-heavy panels – be mindful of dialogue density
- If you are exporting lower resolution files for email or online display, double-check that they are legible and clean (not pixelated)
- Clarify the status of your sample art (note whether it is pencils, inks, or final art)
Also, do not treat your cover art as an afterthought. Craft your cover design carefully – you have a split-second to grab someone’s attention, so you want the cover art to be simple and compelling.
As editorial director Jasmine Richards observed, “We do judge books by their covers!”
You don’t have to try to design the final book cover for your pitch; your pitch cover art just needs to a simple image that conveys the tone and style of the book. Usually an image showcasing the main character(s) and the title is fine.
While it should be simple, it should also be dynamic or compelling in some way. The goal is to get the agent or editor to think, “That looks interesting…. I want to open this pitch and read more!”
Choose Your Sample Pages Strategically
When possible, demonstrate emotional range in the sample pages you include in your pitch.
Try to select sample pages that:
- Show character development
- Demonstrate versatility in tone and emotion
- Reveal character depth
First Second editor Samia Garcia-Fakih commented:
“I notice that a lot of the pages I see pitch to pitch are tonally at extremes. Either very quiet and it stays quiet, or energetic or slapstick and it stays that way. For an editor, if these were the main pages they see as samples they might think the story has little emotional range. And it’s hard to get a range in consecutive samples, but that’s why you need to be smart about picking a point in the story that shows your MC [main character] going from quiet to loud, or vice-versa as a result of what’s happening. UNLESS you want to show a story that is always quiet or always over-the-top, which is a valid choice!”
Final Takeaway
Even if the judges had plenty of advice for creators, at the same time, they had plenty of praise!
Agent Shannon Gallagher from Wernik & Pratt summed up the positive feedback from our jury with her first word – “wow”:
“Wow. I must say I was blown away by the high caliber of the submissions this year…. I have to say it was a struggle to pick my favorites…. [It] was a pleasure to participate.”
So, creators, keep up your great work! Keep honing your craft, keep putting your work out there, keep “wowing” people with your stories.
Any Questions About the Judges’ Advice?
Comment below. 🙂
