Pitch That Book

Creating the perfect pitch. Sounds easy right? Wrong. I’ve been working on the pitch for my current wip for days now. Every time I think I might be close I realize that it really doesn’t tell enough about the book. The hooks that I want are not there.

To create the pitch you need to condense your book down to several sentences. How do you do that? Great question. Kathy Carmichael has an awesome pitch generator. It’s a starting off point though. You then have to do the same as you would with you wip. You have to flesh it out.

Now you can’t add to many words or it’s no longer a pitch. No one wants to pitch their work to an agent or editor only to see said agent/editors eyes glaze over when your in the middle of it.

I do not have an appointment this year at Nationals but I am doing the Agent/Editor appointments as a volunteer. Side note here: It’s a good thing to volunteer at Nationals. People learn who you are and you are giving back your time to our “Mother Chapter”.

Back to the non-appointment but still need that pitch concern. I’ve been told by several that while I may not have the actual appointment since I’ll be there for quite a few hours directing appointment traffic that more often than not the volunteers are asked what they write and what it’s about.

Again, several friends who did this the past several years were asked for partials just by volunteering and talking with the agents and editors.

Of course I realize that this may not happen to me. But if it does I don’t want to stand there fumbling over my words. Looking like I have no idea what I write how long it will be and what the conflict and hook is.

And then there’s the sitting in the bar, riding the elevator, and just general conversation that could lead to someone asking: Tell me about your book question.

So, here I sit working on the all important pitch. Trying to make it a back cover blurb in fewer words yet still giving what the book is about all the while making the person asking feel like “I’ve just got to read this.”

How about you? Do you have your pitch polished, shined to perfection? Are you ready to give it at a moments notice?