A Rookie’s Guide to Literary Speed Dating

[Updated Feb 16, 2024, see notes in square brackets.]

Authors have a tough time breaking into the traditional publishing world. We send our work via email or online submission portals and rarely meet an agent or publisher face-to-face. Literary Speed Dating is designed as an opportunity to pitch in person. The catch? We only have three minutes.

[Note: since Covid, these sessions are usually done online.]

Last weekend, I went to Australian Society of Authors’ (ASA) Literary Speed Dating hosted by Writer’s Victoria. ASA recommended that we prepare a one-minute blurb about our book. In the remaining time, the agent/publisher can ask questions and give feedback; the event is as much about learning as to secure interest in your project.

[I attended another session in 2023, which was held online. To prepare, I attended ASA’s Pitch Perfect workshops, which I highly recommend. Their advice has changed, and now, they suggest a longer prepared pitch, leaving just 15 seconds for questions, there’s no time for feedback. What they teach you for speed dating can be applied to other submissions. I updated my pitch letter and synopsis using their advice and subsequently made a successful pitch to a publisher. My debut novel, The Godfather of Dance is out now.]

There were six agents/publishers and perhaps eighty authors. I waited with the authors in one section of the room, while the agents/publishers sat at tables on the other side of a partition wall. We were told to line up behind the name of the person we wanted to see. When I reached the head of the queue, I was taken to a second waiting area behind the partition wall. When the timer went off and the current author left, I took my place at the table.

[In the online version, you’re given an appointment for a video call, so you wait at home, or in your office, or wherever you’re making your call.]

Despite my preparation, I made some rookie mistakes, so I thought I’d share some tips to save others from some red-faced moments.

1. Research the attending agents/publishers. Find out as much as you can about their company, its culture and what they are looking for. Only approach people who are interested in your genre.
2. Rehearse your one-minute [2-minute and 45-sec] blurb, but be ready to change direction. I was so caught up in my rehearsed pitch that I was thrown when I was asked a question partway through. Listen and be flexible.
3. Anticipate likely questions.
   I planned for:

What are comparative titles?
What qualifies you to write this story?
What inspired you to write this story?
Who is your likely audience?

[ASA now recommends you anticipate these questions and answer them in your prepared pitch.]

I should have planned for:

What happens in the rest of the book? My one-minute pitch didn’t tell the ending of the story, so one agent asked about it. Of course, I knew the answer, but I floundered because I hadn’t rehearsed it. Make sure you describe the whole book.
Is there a key message in your book? was another great question, which I might have predicted based on the publisher’s culture. Include this in your pitch.

4. Bring copies of your query, synopsis and sample pages. I assumed that if anyone was interested, I would email my material, but one of them asked for it on the spot. What a missed opportunity.[This isn’t possible online. Now, you wait for an email to express further interest and only send further information if requested.]
5. Meet other authors—while waiting in line, you can discuss the process and hear about other people’s work. Chatting also helped me keep my nerves in check, although I did have to shut off at some points so I could refocus on my pitch and learn from my mistakes.
   [No longer possible online.]

Thank you to ASA and Writer’s Victoria for arranging this event. Thank you to the agents and publishers for being so encouraging. I hope my pointers help others to prepare for future speed dating.

Next time: The Pros and Cons of Writing Memoir
Most popular writing blog: The Book Publishing Flowchart