Tag: pitch your story

Categories
Kids Lit

Pitch Opportunities

Last month we put together pitches – the 30-second “What is your book about?” Unless you happen to end up next to an editor or agent at a conference dinner, what can you do with them? 

1 X (formerly you know who) Pitch Events.

These were great during COVID!

Google “online pitch event,” and several sites will listed. Many are for specific genres of groups of authors. If you fit one of those, this is an excellent place to get noticed because editors watch for new and emerging voices. Read all the parameters on the group website. Some will let agented authors pitch, but some won’t. All have rules for how many times a day and how many titles may be pitched.

However, with the X (formerly blah blah) world in flux, many events or Pitch Parties are pausing or moving to other hosts. Just verify that the one you like is active.

2 In person planned pitching.

Short of tracking your preferred agent into the restroom (DON’T) or pouncing out from behind a potted palm, in-person events are increasingly adding pitch opportunities, sometimes at a luncheon where people with the same genre get a minute or 3 to pitch a book to one of the guest editor/agents. (Don’t talk with your mouth full.) It may cost the price of the lunch or a bit more.

At other times, conference speakers, agents, and editors will be available for a conversation of 10–15 minutes. Have your pitch ready Because these move very fast – think speed-dating your book.

Finally, sometimes agents offer an opportunity to pitch after the conference ends and get special consideration.

All About (hehehe) Hashtags

Every pitch event has categories they specifically use for their opportunity. But even if you are in a meeting in person, mentally defining hashtags will help you define and narrow your focus to make your pitch more impactful. Some samples:

  • Age Categories
  • #PB = Picture Book
  • #CB = Chapter Book
  • #MG = Middle Grade
  • #YA = Young Adult
  • Additional hashtags (ONLY if applicable)
  • #DIS = Disability subject matter
  • #LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
  • #ND = Neurodiverse subject matter
  • #OWN = Own Voices
  • #POC = Author is a Person of Color
  • Genres/Sub-genres
  • #F = Fantasy
  • #GN = Graphic Novel
  • #H = Horror
  • #HA = Humor
  • #HF = Historical Fiction
  • #M = Mystery
  • #NF = Non-fiction
  • #STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
  • #SH = Superhero

It is worth having pitches in a file for use any time – and don’t forget to watch for the latest hot topics. That dusty idea from 7 years ago might be just right for now! Pitch it!

Multi award winning author Robin Currie holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Iowa but learned story sharing by sitting on the floor during more than 1000 story times. She sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks, writes stories to read and read again, and just dusted off a pitch for an editor of an old story whose time has finally come! (Cross fingers!)

Categories
Kids Lit

Wind Up and. . .Pitch!

Kids Lit

“So, tell me about your book.” What a great invitation – whether it is from family or friends or (gasp) agent or editor! You finally have their attention! Be ready with your PITCH!

Pitch/logline is one amazingly compact sentence the relates the essence of your story, specifically the plot.

Well, that sounds easy – until I try to write one! There are two good places to find examples.

1 Book description on Amazon or another book seller.

Many times, an original pitch to sell the manuscript is fleshed out to become the book synopsis or back cover copy. I am currently pitching “We’re Getting a Dinosaur!” I looked at board books about dinosaurs and new babies. I found back cover copy:

“A big sister anticipates the birth of a new sibling in this warm and funny stage-by-stage picture book tour of all the sizes of a growing baby, from teeny-tiny poppy seed to giant watermelon. (My Brother Is an Avocado by Tracy Darnton (Author), Yasmeen Ismail (Illustrator). Margaret K McElderry, 2023.

“A big-kid dinosaur can’t wait to teach the new baby everything in this funny, tender, joyful take on becoming a big sister or brother.”

(How to Grow a Dinosaur by Jill Esbaum (Author), Mike Boldt (Illustrator), Dial, 2018.

“It’s not easy being a big sister, especially when your new baby brother is a dino-baby!” (Dino-Baby by Mark Sperring (Author), Sam Lloyd (Illustrator). Bloomsbury, 2013.

2 ChatGPT generates loglines.

It is NOT compromising your authorship to let AI help with pitches!

I typed in: “kid thinks new member of household will be a dinosaur. Shocked with baby in pink blanket.  Baby is like dino – loud, messy, and runs the house.”

AI came back with: When a young child eagerly awaits the arrival of a new family member, they’re convinced it’s going to be a dinosaur. But when the baby finally arrives, wrapped in pink, they realize she might just be the wildest dinosaur of them all.

So I asked AI to rewrite the pitch for a board book. 

AI sent back: In “Dino Baby Adventures,” a child eagerly awaits a new family member, expecting a dinosaur but instead finding a wild, messy baby girl wrapped in pink. Could she be a dinosaur in disguise?

3 Find the common thread or buzz words.

They are upbeat and funny, succinct but piquing curiosity. Many have SEL education about accepting a new baby.

My final pitch is: A child’s dream of a Dino Sized Romp is shattered by the arrival of a baby in a pink blanket, but she has dinosaur traits: loud, messy, and rules the house. Maybe it’s a Cyndi-saurus!

This month look at book blurbs and mess with ChatGPT (the free version). Then experiment with writing pitches for your WIP. You are ready to meet an agent in an elevator!

Next month I’ll take pitching a step further with “X (formerly known as Twitter)” contests and above the slush pile opportunities.

Multi award winning author Robin Currie holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Iowa but learned story sharing by sitting on the floor during more than 1000 story times! She sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again!

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

Pitch Perfect

You’ve worked hard to write your middle grade novel, and now you’re ready to sell it to a publisher. Except you’ve been told you must describe your entire 50,000 book in 30 to 150 words.

Welcome to what the writing community calls “the pitch.”

A pitch is a short description of your book that highlights what makes your story unique.

I’ve taken online classes, read articles, and listened to conference talks about how to write a pitch. When it comes to elements every pitch should contain, most presentations boil down to this: The pitch needs to identify the main character in a manner that shows their goal, the obstacles that stand in their way, and what might happen if they don’t succeed.

Let’s use the technique (protagonist, goal, obstacles, fallout) with a well-known story: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Start with the Protagonist. Bilbo is a hobbit, a race of short people living in middle earth, a land with magical creatures.

What is his goal? He will aid the dwarf king, his faithful subjects, and a wizard on a quest to reclaim the dwarves’ ancestorial home.

What are the obstacles? The company runs into trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and wood elves. Aided by Bilbo’s magic ring and a river town, the heroes kill the dragon who took over the kingdom. However, a battle between five armies breaks out over the treasure the dragon guarded.

What might happen (fallout)? If Bilbo cannot negotiate peace between the various factions, his whole company might die.

Now put the ideas together.

Bilbo is a hobbit, a race of short people living in middle earth, a land with magical creatures. He will aid the dwarf king, his faithful subjects, and a wizard on a quest to reclaim the dwarves’ ancestorial home. The company runs into trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and wood elves. Aided by Bilbo’s magic ring and a river town, the heroes kill the dragon who took over the kingdom. However, a battle between five armies breaks out over the treasure the dragon guarded. If Bilbo cannot negotiate peace between the warring factions, his whole company might die.

This pitch rings in at 97 words, which will work for most conference pitches. However, if your selected entity wants it even shorter, watch me trim the idea to 41 words and still keep the heart of the story.

Aided by Bilbo, thirteen dwarves go on a quest to reclaim their ancestral kingdom, which is guarded by a dragon. When the beast is killed, five armies converge to claim the treasure left behind. Bilbo must negotiate peace or die trying.

Sure, you say. Simple to do with a well-established story. But will it work for me? Let’s see. Using my method, here’s a 52-word pitch for my newest release, Offsides.

Danielle expected a challenging senior year with her final season of soccer, a strained friendship, and a new crush. What she didn’t expect was to uncover a human trafficking ring in her town. When an older man starts grooming her neighbor, Dani intervenes. But her actions may make her the next target.

Intrigued? That’s the power of a pitch. Good luck crafting your own. (And please, make my day and check out Offsides.)

Lori Z. Scott is known for her bestselling Meghan Rose series. Besides these humorous children’s chapter books, Lori has published over 200 articles, short stories, devotions, and poems for magazines like Brio and Focus on the Family. She has also contributed to 15 books, including Writing and Selling Children’s Books in the Christian Market. In 2022, Lori introduced a new YA series. The first book, Inside the Ten-Foot Line, is a Carol Award semi-finalist, the Golden Scroll Youth Book of the Year winner, and an Illumination Book Award medalist. The second book, Offsides, promises even more action and humor. You can connect with Lori on Instagram @Stories.by.Lori 

Categories
Platform and Branding

How to Market Your Book in 2020

The difference between filing your carefully edited pages on your computer and readers reading those pages, is marketing.

Books come alive when readers read them, but in order to read them, they must know it exists. It’s the imagination that puts skin on characters and personalities in dialogue. Without readers, your book is a black and white stack of words.

One of my writing friends once said: “The brutal truth is you may have the greatest book ever written, but if you cannot pitch it, no one may ever know.”

Swap the word pitch with market, and you get a similar result.

So, how do you market your book, especially when life looks quite different now than it did a year ago?

Start with your pitch.

Online marketing can help you so much right now. You can do it from home, but still reach hundreds if not thousands of potential readers. However, just as every word counts in writing, every word counts in marketing. For someone to be willing to stop their scroll, it’s important to be succinct and catch their attention.

If you’re on Twitter, try formatting your pitch to target potential readers (and don’t forget to hashtag #WritingCommunity!). This will hopefully pique interest and if you leave it with a question, opens the door for comments.

Market your protagonist’s character arc.

Readers connect with the human side of characters, and often the humanity of characters means they have flaws. You want to keep the ending a surprise, but give enough to engage their desire to find out what happens. What’s your inciting incident, how does your protagonist respond, and what does this say about him? These can be good questions to ask when considering how to portray character arc.

Note: Keep your target audience in mind, because you want to remember not just what you’re pitching, but who you’re pitching to.

Shine a spotlight on your theme

              Your theme is what holds your book together. It’s the current that carries your protagonist, and your readers, from the first page to the last. It’s what makes them pick up your book instead of the one next to it on the shelf, or add your book to the cart instead of one in the customers-also-bought list on Amazon.

Let your passion for your book overflow as you market, but remember readers often purchase not just because of the genre, but because of the story in the genre. Your theme is what sets your story apart and your character arc helps hold up your theme, whatever it is.

Best wishes as you spread the word on your project!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com

Categories
Writers Chat

Writers Chat Recap for July, Part 2

Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Bethany Jett, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!

“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”

Filling the Writer’s Well with Jean Wise

Have you ever felt spent or like you well has run dry? To be honest, we all do at some point. If this is where you find yourself, today’s Writers Chat episode will encourage your heart, your mind, and bring a smile to your face. Freelance writer and Christian speaker, Jean Wise shares how important it is to maintain health on not just the physical part of your life, but emotional and spiritual as well. Co-hosts Melissa Stroh, Jann W. Martin, and Norma Poore along with our special guest Tina Yeager share tips on refilling a well that’s gone dry. Be sure to check out the replay to hear about Jean’s acrostic on ROYAL.

Watch the July 14th replay.

Creating Your Own Ezine with Amber Weigand-Buckley

In this episode of Writers Chat, Amber shares tips on how to create an e-publication on a budget. She gives a basic overview and shares simple checkpoints in crafting your publication. If you’ve been dreaming of your own publication, then here’s a great way to start doing. Be sure to check out this week’s replay for great resources.

Watch the July 21st replay.

Amber Weigand-Buckley, Magazine/Web Managing Editor at On Course magazine Co-Owner D:vine Media Solutions, member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA), and has over twenty years of award-winning media experience. She is also the founding editor and Art Director of Leading Hearts magazine and serves Asia Pacific Media as a fundraising consultant as well as editor and the art director of their e-mag MISSION magazine. You can contact her by visiting https://barefacedcreativemed.wixsite.com/barefacedjournals.

How to Pitch to Agents at Conferences with Hope Bolinger

You’re tired but a little accomplished. After all the blood, sweat, and tears it is finished. Your baby. Your novel is finally complete. The next step, getting before an agent, can be as daunting as the writing. In this episode, Hope shares with us best practices for pitching to an agent whether at a live or virtual conference. Check out the replay of this episode and be inspired to go through with the next step.

Watch the July 28th replay.

Hope Bolinger is a YA novelist, literary agent at C.Y.L.E., a graduate of Taylor University, has more than 800 of her works featured in various publications like Writer’s Digest, Keys for Kids, and Crosswalk.com, just to name a few. Her column “Hope’s Hacks” reaches over 6,000 readers weekly in the Serious Writer newsletter. She has finished a trilogy based on Daniel from the Bible. You can find Hope on social media or contact her at www.hopebolinger.com

JOIN US!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. Here’s the permanent Zoom room link. 

Participants mute their audio and video during the filming then we open up the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our Writers Chat Facebook Group.

Categories
Screenwriting

Elevator Pitch

If you think the Coronapocalypse has the US economy down, imagine the effect it is having on Hollywood. Most of the major literary agencies have had major layoffs or reductions in salaries for the agents.  Studios have shut down production on some movies and delayed the release of others. For example:

The last time Hollywood shutdown for non-strike related reasons was 100 years ago due to the Great Depression. Since then Hollywood has operated at warp speed with everyone and their uncle trying to get their pitch to the right people.

The Coronavirus has seriously impeded the process of getting new scripts pitched to studios. And yet, recently I was messaging back and forth with one of my screenwriting mentors and briefly shared with him the concept of my WIP. He requested a copy of the completed draft, all because I quickly pitched my story concept and theme briefly.

The Elevator Pitch?

Although elevator pitch isn’t exclusively used in Hollywood, its function is imperative to the film-making process. If you’re not familiar with the term, an elevator pitch is a short informative sales pitch for whatever product, service, or idea trying to be sold or produced. The key factor is getting the basics in the quickest amount of time.

In show business, it provides a screenwriter with an explosive burst of creative information about the story which can be understood in a short amount of time, idealistically in a brief elevator ride with a studio executive or producer.

You never know when the stars may align and allow you to share your story. For screenwriters is a great time to include your log line for your script. There are many urban legends about how the term elevator pitch came about.

The most accepted one is from the golden days of Hollywood, where dreams came true. Every writer, both good and bad flocked to Hollywood to share their stories with directors and producers to make their writing dreams come true. If you were screenwriter in Hollywood and saw a producer or director getting into an elevator, you could follow them and try to explain your story before arriving at the next floor.

              Obviously, the pitch had to be spot on, entertaining and informative, concise. How else would a producer remember it from countless other ideas he had heard already? But, if you do it right, you’re one step closer to your dreams coming true. The concept of the elevator pitch is so popular that it has shown up in several movies and TV shows, below are just a few:

  1. Iron Man
  2. The Pursuit of Happiness
  3. The Dilemma
  4. Mad Men

Screenwriters need to know their stories well enough to pitch them like a pro at a moment’s notice. This could be a chance to make your dreams come true. Be sure to keep it brief but interesting. Script Magazine has a few more suggestions:

  1. Never tell your whole story.
  2. Focus on revealing the essential elements of your story.
  3. Begin by revealing how you came up with the idea.
  4. Leave the buyer in suspense.
  5. Finished your description with the title and your log line.
  6. Follow the log line with a question.
  7. Answer the buyer’s questions succinctly.[i]

Remember the main goal is to always keep whoever you’re pitching to and your audience interested in your story.

Interested?

Everything in the entertainment industry hinges around interest: is the story interesting enough to be written? Is there enough interest to invest millions of dollars into telling it? Is it interesting enough to make people want to spend their hard-earned money to go see it at the theaters?

There is no quick or simple equation to check off each answer. But there are a few high points we should aspire to infuse into our stories; I call it the R.A.R.E formula:

  • Relevant: What makes the story need to be told now and why?
  • Anticipation: Is there a desire to go on a journey with the character or characters?
  • Relatable: Will an audience relate to their characters or their journey?
  • Excitement: is there enough excitement to keep the eventual audience interested for 90 minutes to two hours?

If you check these high points off, you’ll be able to hook the right people with your elevator pitch.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

[i] https://scriptmag.com/career/7-keys-to-a-great-pitch

Categories
Child's Craft

Your Fifteen Minutes

Whether you write for children or adults, or both, meeting with industry professionals at writers’ conferences is essential.

But what do you do with that fifteen-minutes slot?

I asked several editors that question a few months ago. Here are some of their suggestions. But don’t try to do ALL of these in one session. Focus on those that apply to you and your writing.

  • Most editors do not bite.
  • Come prepared with a few questions to ask the editor.
  • Familiarize yourself with that publisher or agency BEFORE the conference. Study their website.
  • Be truthful. If you don’t have a book published say so.
  • Be prepared to talk about yourself and your writing. Your passion should shine through.
  • Feel free to ask for general help in plotting your writing course.
  • Leave contact info with them such as a professional business card or a one-sheet.
  • Decide in advance on your reason for the appointment. Do you have a book idea to sell? Do you need advice? Do you want the editor/agent to glance at a proposal and give you tips on how to improve it? Do you want to brainstorm a story idea? Would you like recommendations for other publishers to submit to?
  • Pitch only one project unless the editor/agent asks for another one.
  • Ask him/her what they are looking for, or what literature they love and hate.
  • Pitch your story in less than five minutes Then stop talking and listen.
  • Know your genre, theme and target audience.
  • Watch the time—be courteous and don’t make others wait.
  • Ask, “If I incorporate your suggestions would you be willing to review my proposal/manuscript?”
  • Be grateful and gracious.
  • Be flexible. Sometimes things happen!
  • Follow up with a SHORT email thanking them for their time.
  • Anticipate some questions such as: How does your story end? What published author’s style would you compare yours to? Who are your favorite authors in your genre? Is this part of a series? What are the subsequent books about? Do you participate in a critique group? Have you pitched this to others? What response did you get?
  • Be yourself—your best self. Be open, humble and genuine.
  • If the editor/agent is reading your material be silent and let them read.
  • Answer their questions the best you can without defending your work.
  • Trust the Lord to open the right doors and forge the right relationships for you.

Jean Hall lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary. Her premier picture book series Four Seasons was recently signed by Little Lamb Books. Jean is a member of the SCBWI, Word Weavers International, and the Kentucky Christian Writers. Visit Jean at www.jeanmatthewhall.com, on Facebook at Jean Matthew Hall, and on Twitter as @Jean_Hall.