Tag Archives: clothes

More about agents and queries and pitches in future posts, but I thought I would toss in a quick aside on attire. No, I am not going to tell you to wear plaid pants or flowing scarf around your neck. And I don’t think a tuxedo or strapless evening gown is necessary.

I would recommend casual business attire. After all, as I heard over and over, publishing is a business, and if you’ve come to pitch to agents or editors, looking clean and neat will help create a good impression. Think of it as you would applying for a job. I did see some guys in ties and blue Oxford shirts. I’m not sure a tie is necessary, but it certainly won’t hurt. (And if you’re wondering, I didn’t wear a tie. I did, however, almost pull the floor-length-and-more table cloth off one of the small circular tables I sat at to make a pitch to an agent. It was my attempt at a poor imitation of Buster Keaton or Chevy Chase. We do what we can to make an impression.)

But if nothing else, when attending a summer conference in the South, bring a sweater or at least one long-sleeve shirt. Why? It was over 90 degrees F outside the conference hotel. Inside the conference rooms it was somewhere in the mid-60s to low-70s. Not cold enough to hang meat, but cool enough at times to make you wonder. After all, the conference was called Killer Nashville.