Whether trying to sell a book to readers, agents, or publishers, a perfect pitch is a necessity. Sarah Nicolas knows a thing or two about crafting both an attention-grabbing elevator pitch and a compelling, written book blurb. She is the author of eight books and has been a Pitch Wars mentor since 2012. Several of her mentees have gone on to become NY Times and USA Today best-selling authors.
According to the Pitch Wars website, “Pitch Wars is a volunteer-run mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to mentor. Mentors read the entire manuscript and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for the agent showcase. The mentor also helps edit their mentee’s pitch for the contest and their query letter for submission to agents.” Its intention is to provide a platform and community for upcoming writers on their road to publication.
Sarah believes there are several key elements to a great pitch.
- Keep it short. 50-75 words long
- Be sure to include the genre.
- Keep it general. An overview is fine.
- Include the main character, what do they want and what stands in their way.
- Tell them what makes your book different.
- Be passionate!
- Finish with call to action.
Getting the pitch right takes time and some trial and error. Sarah recommends crafting 10-20 different pitches from multiple angles. Then, make the pitch to friends and relatives and record yourself doing it. Listen for what works (and what doesn’t’) and piece those parts together. Record it again, revise and repeat until it works. Ideally, you want to have three different pitches tailored to specific audiences and situations. Then practice, practice, practice. Being comfortable reciting the pitch makes all the difference when you’re face-to-face with an agent.
Many of the same rules for a perfect pitch hold true for query letters, book blurbs and jacket copy. Plot, characters, conflict and stakes are musts. Unlike with a pitch, however, you’re free to add elements like tone, secondary characters and world-building. Just be careful not to overwhelm the reader.
DO’s and DON’Ts for writing queries/book blurbs/jacket copy
Do’s:
- Stake stakes
- Sell the book
- Match to other books within your genre and style
- Raise questions the reader has to read the book to answer
Don’ts
- Give away the ending
- Editorialize
- Write in other than third person present
- Use rhetorical questions
- Introduce too many characters, unfamiliar concepts or too much detail
Creating the perfect pitch can be daunting. Some authors say it’s easier to write the book than it is to write the pitch. By following Sarah’s advice, you’ll have the tools to make the process less painful and the pitch more successful.
Pitch Wars
https://pitchwars.org/
Her book info can be found at:
https://sarahnicolas.com/books/
If your prefer podcasts, find her talk show at PubTalk Live:
https://sarahnicolas.com/pubtalklive/
Text and pictures provided by Sharyn Konyak and Sarah Nichols.
