Category: Writing

PItching your book, Strategies to write the Pitch, Writing

Strategy of Pitching Your Book

Mona Alvarado Frazier
So what is your book about?
This is the question automatically asked whenever a friend or acquaintance finds out you’re working on a manuscript for a novel. And if a writer can’t answer that question to friends, they can’t pitch a book to an agent.

Crafting a pitch is often difficult for writers because it’s another skill set, it’s about marketing which most of us find distasteful. A pitch in the book world is a less than three minute presentation of your book to an agent, editor, or publisher. It’s also something that you, the writer, will use several times, when describing your book to book clubs, speaking groups, and book sellers. How is a pitch different from a query letter? Not much difference. A query is simply a “pitch” on paper.  

So as not to stare into space when you are asked the question or to appear dumbfounded, here are some strategies culled from various sources. 

One strategy is for the three minute presentation and the other is for a 25 words or less quickie. First the three minute approach: 

Verbal pitching is not about beautiful prose or giving the listener a blow by blow description of your plot. It’s about having a conversation that communicates specific information in an exciting  way. It is your opportunity to give the listener a quick visual snapshot of your book.The basic information necessary for a pitch is: 



Hook,genre, protagonist, premise of plot and communicating why we should care about the story.

 “A hook in rhetoric is a rhetorical device that gets the attention of the audience and makes them want to listen to the rest of the speech. Hooks can often be metaphors, playing on emotional appeal, and they can also be a series of intriguing questions, a statistic, a fact, or any other rhetorical device that captures a listener’s attention. (Wikipedia).

Genre: thriller, mystery, women’s contemporary, Christian fiction…

Who is your protagonist: human, gender, age, ethnicity, unique characteristics.


What is the plot/quest: a one line summary, i.e. A female editor blackmails her male assistant into a faux engagement to prevent her deportation. (The Proposal).


Who is the hero/heroine and what is his/her quest?


Boil down your story or non-fiction proposal to 1-3 sentences. We’re talking about normal length sentences, not oodles of noodles sentences with twenty commas.  Keep re-writing these sentences until they articulate what you are trying to convey. 


When you convey the information, remember to use the appropriate ‘pitch protocol,” in other words good manners. Don’t pitch a story when the agent is in the bathroom or while he/she is eating. I’ve seen it. Remember to modulate your tone, use pauses, a clear voice, and be professional. When you finish ‘pitching’ close your mouth and open up your ears to listen for feedback. For more information visit www.pitch-university.com 

The other strategy is similar but more concise.  You must be able to sum up your major plot line in 25 words or less. 

This strategy utilizes two questions to develop your pitch. “What if…and So What?”  

It must be 25 words, or less—the best tend to be 17 words.
It must convey the major conflict (plotline) of the story.
It must reveal the protagonist.
It must answer the question, “So What?”  Tell us why we should care, and why we should be compelled to read the story.


You will also use your pitch in the following situations:
Your agent will use it when trying to sell your book to an editor.
The editor will use it when explaining your book to the sales/marketing team.
The sales/marketing team will use it to sell your book into the stores.
You will use your pitch again and again, when your sitting at a book signing and when someone asks you what your book is about. 


Here are a few examples:
What if a cyborg is sent back through time to kill the mother of the future savior of mankind?  “Terminator” 19 words
What if a cowboy stumbles on a drug deal gone bad, takes the money, only to find that he’s being hunted by a relentless killer?  “No Country For Old Men”
-by Cormac Macarthy 25 words
What if a young girl risks her soul to love a vampire boyfriend?  “Twilight”
-by Stephanie Meyer 13 words


You can find more information from Jon Land atwww.thrillerfest.com/craftfest/pitch-tips/ 
I think answering the “What if” and “So What?” generates the specific information needed to make the pitch, however I wouldn’t pitch to an agent with a question. 


And ‘What if’ you don’t like any of the above ideas? Well, there’s an app for that. The 
“Pitch Your Book” teaches a three step plug-and-play formula anyone can use to present their book to an editor or agent, taught in a step-by-step manner with lots of examples, for $3.99 http://www.studybyapp.com


I’ve written three pitches for my novel that I keep in the memo section of my cell phone. I look at it from time to time, but haven’t memorized it, probably because I know it’s not ‘right’ yet. My next goal, within the next thirty days, is to take those three summaries and use the information here to refine the pitch. Then I think I’ll take the plunge and try it out on this blog for feedback. 
Increasing word counts, Novel Doctor, Revision, Wordsharpen Blog, Writing

Tips on Increasing the Word Count for your Novel

Mona Alvarado Frazier
The dilemma of adding more words and pages to my first manuscript didn’t disappear over the 4th of July weekend. I am still short 8,400 words, which is better than the 18K I started out with a week ago. 
Neither the heat in the San Fernando Valley or Santa Clarita, CA, where I attended some great BBQ’s, gave rise to anything remotely related to the creative process (except how to balance my plate of carne asada con salsa and keep my beer cold until the bottom of the can). It caused the opposite. It was all about survival: the sunscreen, hat, swimming pool. Then it was about chowing down, the chisme, and familia.  I came back drained from the sun and unable to sleep until three in the morning (no air-conditioner) although I was sleeping on the savannas sin pijamas.

Today I worked my way through thirty pages of rewrites and then came up dizzy. It’s still hot and remember no air conditioning. So I pushed the laptop away and began readingWriter’s Digest online and blogs. Like most trips, you can find something interesting along the way. I found “A Checklist for Writing a Book,” by Mark C. Newton. “Collect them all and you get to be a writer (publication not guaranteed).” This is my favorite of his ten points, and I paraphrase:
* If your heart is not in it right now, walk away. Come back later. Do not sit down and write when you’re just feeling a little too tired or jaded. The words you put down will probably get taken out later, so why not just save yourself the time and kick back with a (insert beverage of choice) instead. If you’re not enjoying the process, then why the (insert word of choice) should your readers? Mr. Newton, you are right on. I think I’ll go make a sandwich and check the ice chest for an Ultra Lite.

On “Wordsharpeners Blog” by Tamara L. Kraft,  I found a great suggestion:
*Blow something up. There’s nothing like blowing up a character’s plans and goals to increase the word count of a story and to make it more exciting.
Okay, we’re getting somewhere. I pulled out a sheet and titled it:  “What If…”
The pen took on a life of its own. What if the Protaganist, Lili Rivera mid-forties, gets pregnant, gets convicted of the DUI and does jail time, is in jail and finds out she’s pregnant ?
What if her ex-husband (a cop) wants her back? What if he locks up Lili’s current boyfriend, who already has a shady past, on trumped up charges?
What if Rooster Doyle, Lili’s old boyfriend and her daughter Emma’s dad, tracks her down and tells her he isn’t dead?
What if one of Lili’s sons’ runs away after she’s arrested for DUI? What if both run away?
Okay, now we’re cooking. I can pick two items from the menu and develop at least 10K words. I’m feeling so much better now. Ditch the Ultra Lite for a Diet Coke, it’s Tuesday you know.
But I go on to another blog, NovelDoctor.com by Steven P.  His introductory sentence hooked me. Word count is the devil you have to love, or at the very least, respect. Here, here, I said-this guy really understands.
“You missed your goal of 80,000 words by 25,000, didn’t you? There, there. No reason to cry. Well, there might be a reason to cry, but we won’t know that until after you try some of these ideas for increasing your novel’s word count.” Here is a couple that I found useful:
*Introduce a Brand New Character or add to a Minor one. Not just any character, but someone who is significant enough to throw your protagonist’s plans a little out of whack. A new character can add depth and texture (and words) to your story. Maybe I can have Lili pursued by Principal Grant, not her type, but a nice guy if he had the right hair and clothes and she was mature enough to see through her own shallowness. This would add an interesting sexual harassment suit too. Hmmm.
What if you consider all these ideas and nothing seems to work? It’s possible the novel is un-expandable. “Perhaps 55,000 words is exactly the right length for your manuscript. If so? Confidently shop it around to agents and editors. A great story is a great story is a great story.” I love you Novel Doctor. Now, do you happen to know how to fix an air conditioner?