Introduction / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 1. A morning in the life of a literary agent / James C. Vines --
Chapter 2. Five questions to ask before sending your query letter / Kristen Auclair --
Chapter 3. Notes to the new writer / Anna Ghosh --
Chapter 4. I am willing to be seduced, amazed, charmed, or moved / Sarah Jane Freymann --
Chapter 5. Practicing pitchcraft / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 6. Setting, protagonist, problem : an interview with Donald Maass / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 7. Talent always jumps off the page / Ethan Ellenbert --
Chapter 8. The providential diamond / Joseph Regal --
Chapter 9. Getting ahead of the curve : an interview with Robert Gottlieb / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 10. Niche your pitch : from first proposal to profitable career / Michael Larsen --
Chapter 11. It's the quirks that make it interesting : an interview with Barbara Lowenstein / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 12. Making your book into a movie / Laurie Horowitz --
Chapter 13. Pitches that worked / Rita Rosenkranz --
Chapter 14. In the singles bar of the literary persuasion / Esmond Harmsworth --
Chapter 15. The secret is reduction / Andrew Stuart --
Chapter 16. The serendipity of slush : an interview of Jane Dystel / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 17. I want to hear a diva do opera : an interview with Sheree Bykofsky / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 18. I love to tell a publisher: "Have I got a virgin for you!" : an interview with Harvey Klinger / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 19. 15 minutes to fame : pitching at a conference / Jason Cangialosi and Andrew Welchel --
Chapter 20. A nation of many tribes : an interview with Jim Fitzgerald / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 21. How much is a black dress? : an interview with Meredith Bernstein / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 22. Adventures in copywriting / Debbie Babitt --
Chapter 23. Don't be buffeted by whims : interview with David Vigliano / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 24. Booking in L.A. / Erin Reel --
Chapter 25. The art of the poetry pitch / Amy Holman --
Chapter 26. Pitching your children's book / Andrea Brown --
Chapter 27. Confessions of an acquisitions editor / Phoebe Collins --
Chapter 28. Crafting the nonfiction proposal / Elizabeth Zack --
Chapter 29. The nearly perfect proposal / Robert Shepard --
Chapter 31. The telling detail : an interview with John Ware / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 31. It has to be cutting-edge work / Peter Rubie --
Chapter 32. How I learned to sell sex, death, & rock 'n' roll / Lori Perkins --
Chapter 33. Pitchcraft, the Zen of, and the secrets of the galaxy / Patrick Lobrutto --
Chapter 34. The perfect pitch : low and inside / Andrew Zack --
Chapter 35. Intelligence and imagination : an interview with Ellen Levine / Katharine Sands --
Chapter 36. Publishing as a circus / Elizabeth Pomada --
Chapter 37. This pen for hire : pitching collaborative projects / Tonianne Robino --
Chapter 38. Pitch perfect : in three or four easy steps / Jandy Nelson --
Chapter 39. Pitch and catch : building a relationship / Jeff Herman --
Chapter 40. Selected resources : how to find and contact an agent / Katharine Sands.
