 DavidBCoe
read all posts by DavidBCoeI have been working on proposals for a couple of new Thieftaker books, and while writing my synopses of the plots, have been thinking about my pitch for the books. It’s been a little while since last we worked on pitches here at MW, and so I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about them again.
Your pitch — also known as ‘the elevator pitch” because it’s something you’re supposed to be able to do when you find yourself unexpectedly stuck in an elevator with the agent or editor of your dreams — is a brief summary of the project that a) conveys the basics of what your book is about, and b) grabs your listener’s interest. How brief? REALLY brief. Fifty words might be too long. Anything beyond 50 words is certainly too long. Ideally, if you can get it down to a single sentence, [...]
Continue reading On Writing and Publishing: Refining Your Elevator Pitch
 A J Hartley
read all posts by A J HartleyI confess that no brilliant idea struck me for today’s post, so I’m offering a kind of update instead, an update which I hope some will find interesting as a window on both creative and business process. Two weeks ago I posted on writing quickly, using as an instance a WIP on which I was about to start work. I had lofty goals, and though I haven’t attained them all, I’m making progress. Today’s post is about the next step.
As I said last time in response to comments, I’m leaning a little more to the pantser side on this one, though I am still mapping the larger story as an outline, and the difference between this and my usual strategy is more about speed than methodology. I’m making decisions quickly and moving on. I’m also blending the plotting and writing process to an extent: I have the basic shape [...]
Continue reading Speed II: The Pitch
 Faith Hunter
read all posts by Faith HunterMore on Bait and Hook, or, Spin is Everything!
In a blurb, spin is everything. Really. And for UnPub, being quick on his feet and creative in his written or verbal pitch can mean the difference between an agent (editor) asking to read UnPub’s work or passing on it. To know which kind of pitch to use requires a bit of research on UnPub’s part. If UnPub means to meet an agent / editor at a conference, should study the agency’s or pub’s webpage and figure out what kind of pitch to make. If a query or proposal letter is required then…um…ditto.
My pal *Mary* has been trying to get an agent excited about her Southern Women’s Fiction Novel for months. Everyone passed. She changed her pitch and the *one* agent of her dreams asked to see [...]
Continue reading Spin, Pitch, and Roll
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