You can nail your book pitch in one go! Pitch writing is one of the most fundamental skills to learn as a writer who looks forward to getting published.
A pitch is a one to three line summary of the subject matter of your book. It is one of the first items that will interest your agent, publisher, and readers.
If your pitch is not striking enough to appeal to an agent, it might never get across to a publisher.
Pitching can be a Herculean task even for the best of writers. When you write a pitch, you are compressing 200 pages of a book into two sentences that can capture one’s attention. These are tips that will help you:
1 ) YOUR PITCH SHOULD CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE:
Who do you want to market this book to? Consider this, and make your points condensed and tailored to their needs.
You have written something that is probably inclusive. It could fit any kind of audience. It could resonate with anybody, but while this might be true, does that guarantee that everybody would want to spare a minute to read it? Will everyone be drawn to your book when they see your two-sentence pitch on the back cover? No. You are casting your net too wide. Think again, and narrow your focus.
There are people that will be drawn to the book because they are absolutely sure it is something they would love to read.
Maybe your theme centers around a man, but then you must ask yourself, what type of man? Is he a father? What type of father? A single father? Narrow your focus so it pulls in the right audience.
Go all the way out for that thing which is important in your novel and plunge your anchor there. Be as specific and intentional as possible.
Yes, you will be targeting a small audience; a specific set of people, but that is okay, because they are going to appreciate this book so much that they would recommend it to friends, and even family. The cycle of recommendation will go on unceasingly, and that is how some best sellers come to be.
2) THE PITCH SHOULD BE UNIQUE:
You must know that there are a lot of books written in your niche. And some of them are written by prominent authors. In writing your pitch, you must not plagiarize these authors.
Do not mindlessly lift their thoughts. Because, when your book is placed side by side with theirs, nothing will make yours unique, and, of course if a reader had to choose, he’d choose the book whose author’s name he is well acquainted with. Find what twist makes your book peculiar and include it in your pitch. Try to be original, if not exceptional.
3) LOOK FOR COMPELLING ELEMENTS IN YOUR BOOK:
These elements could be found in your plot, characters, conflicts or setting. As you go through your work you will certainly find many factors that are really pivotal. You have to opt for one. One that you consider the most crucial factor in the story.
When using a character pitch, ask yourself: What does my protagonist want? Why does he want that? What is at stake if he doesn’t get that quickly enough? Does his desire change at any point in time?
Note, you can also choose to pitch using your antagonist. What is the reason behind his decisions? What does he do to oppose the protagonist?
Base your pitch on the object of conflict in your novel. A character can have conflict within himself. For example, when he struggles to break an addiction, and there could also be external conflicts. You can use this in your pitch to birth curiosity in the minds of your readers.
Pitch based on your setting. How is the world in your book? Is it something supernatural? Does the natural and supernatural co-exist? Is it another universe or dimension? Is the setting intriguing enough to base your pitch on? What in your setting would arouse curiosity and spark interest in the world you have created?
Let these questions guide you as you write your pitch. Remember to keep whatever you write very concise. Two sentences are enough.
4) TALK TO SOMEONE:
A publishing professional, an agent, a coach, an editor or just anyone on any of the social media platforms can help you out.
You can draft three pitches on a single book, put it on social media and ask people which of them they would be drawn to read, and ask also for their reasons. This will give you a vantage view of your story and pitch.
Remember, there is nothing exciting about reading what you already know, so don’t give away the juice in the story in your pitch. The aim of a pitch is to make a reader curious to know what happens next.
RACHAEL ASIKPO.
You can boost your knowledge more on this topic here!
My name is Racheal Asikpo. I can take the creative weight of completing your stories. I can also give you 70% distance from the writing and research. I offer ghostwriting, developmental editing and copyediting services. How about you allow a fresh pair of eyes give you a fresh breath of air?
You can follow me on:
Linkedin or Facebook to know when I post.
I also write episodic shorts on Medium!
You can also reach out to me after perusing my profiles on my Linktree.
I look forward to hearing from you.