Playing the numbers
Pitching to editors? Patrick Forsyth recommends a systematic approach
Patrick Forsyth
I once sent out a book proposal, albeit to a publisher I had written for previously, and got acceptance by return. Great! But that is vanishingly unlikely to happen often. Usually, all writers must cast a good deal of bread on the waters to get a proportion of what they suggest accepted and inevitably some falls on stony ground (sorry, now I am really mixing my metaphors!). The ratio here is important and allows some planning, indeed some targeting. If you take note, you will soon know that on average say, half, one in five, ten or whatever of your suggestions result in commissions. This may vary for different genres depending on the nature of your work, but it allows you to plan regular activity that has a reasonable likelihood of producing what you want. You can then schedule to send a specific number of pitches each week or month depending on what you want to achieve.