Introduce Yourself : Desperate writers turn agent's stomachs by Erik N. Harper

If your desperate, save it for your writing. In Hollywood, as well as literary circles, desperation wears heavy like a wet, wool, pea coat. When you are desperate to get "discovered" or sell something you have written, desperation makes you desperate, and that can be unsettling to some agents and studios. The old saying, "act like you've been there before" stands true for most things. A writer, screenwriter, etc. is more attractive when they appear they don't need the help. Appearing successful can go a long way toward getting pitches, and lunch meetings. Desperation is ugly, it makes you undesirable. The plain and simple truth is, people want to work with confidence and success. Look at things from the outside in. If you are a writer, and several agents are fighting over you who do you most want to work with the most? A small, unknown agency that is pleading to represent you, telling you they will do everything they can to sell your book, or script. They will do whatever you need them to do to represent you. Or would you prefer a large, well known agency that represents other writers you have heard of. They want to represent you but are professional and powerful. Personal touch is fantastic as long as it comes with the possibility of success. Agencies want hungry writers, but not so much that they feel they will be stalked and bothered during the entire process. Sometimes success is in the eye of the beholder. If you exude the look of a successful writer things will happen. Believe in yourself enough to know you can sell something. And remember when you first started writing, you wrote to write. You must still do that, but you must act like you've been there before. Desperation never looks pretty. Especially on a writer.