Pitch it!

I hung around Mary DeMuth's very cool blog yesterday. I was there to respond to comments (if any) about my guest post. While there I noticed she'd done something remarkably generous. She's a writer's mentor (and yes, you can hire her to help you perfect your prose), so she asked people to pitch her their non-fiction books in the comment section.

And it got me thinking - what a great idea! Why? Because the comment section is the perfect place to squeeze your ideas down into a visually small place.

When you write your pitch in a Word doc. or whatever program you use - the page is big! Look at all the space I can fill up. But the comment box is small - it actually forces you to see your pitch from a different perspective and helps you make the cuts, change the verbs, and sharpen the focus of your pitch until you are saying exactly what needs to be said - and nothing more.

So, I'm putting on my imaginary agent hat, and asking you to pitch your NOVEL to me in the comments section of this post. The book doesn't have to be finished, just as long as you know what happens and can end the pitch smoothly.

Use as few words as possible - but be clear. (Extra challenge: can you keep it under 75 words? 50? Go for it!)

Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when writing your pitch:

• Use the same voice as the book itself.
• No adverbs or adjectives.
• Use strong verbs.
• Talk only about the MAIN thread of your book the most. If you have subplots
  or intersecting plots focus on how they play out in the main story in one or two
  sentences (if you need to talk about them at all).
• Don't hold back - use rich language, inviting voice, and creative
  imagery.
• Don't forget the basics - genre, word count -that's up front info agents
  want to know right out of the chute.
• Include your e-mail address if you would like me to chat with you about
  your pitch. If you include your e-mail address, I will get back to you in a few
  days with ideas about what you did great and what you might want to
  polish.