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mbarkerWriting Excuses 12.23: Proposals, Pitches, and Queries
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/06/04/12-23-proposals-pitches-and-queries/
Key points: Queries are for novels. Query letter is one page. Start with your pitch. One paragraph. Not a movie trailer, not a rhetorical question. Lead into the story, the concept. Character, conflict, setting, hook, payoff. Query and pitch, you can't get your whole story in. One interesting aspect, one character, one conflict. Include the tone, even if you just state it. Tell, don't show is okay for queries and pitches! Proposals say this is what I want to do, what the books is going to be about, how it is going to work. Proposals are for agents and editors that you already work with. New writers are likely to do sample chapters and an outline or synopsis. Synopsis? About 3 pages, major characters, major story points, key twists, resolution. Sample chapters are the first chapters. The purpose of the synopsis or outline is selling for the sales department. Give them a sense of the feeling the reader will have. Queries and pitches are to convince someone that you have something interesting for them, and that you are good to work with. Proposals are for working relationships, to offer something that they believe they can sell. Make your story appealing!
( Hey, buddy, wanna read something good? )
[Brandon] All right. Well, I think we're out of time on that. I'm going to give you some homework. I want you to practice a verbal pitch. Kind of like I did earlier, hopefully you won't stumble through it as much as I did. But that's the point of this exercise, is I want you to write it out. I want you to memorize it. Then I want you to practice it with 10 people. I am going to force you to actually take a piece of paper and make a punchcard for yourself to punch… To have… the other people will punch and give you their initials. When you have done your 10 pitches to 10 different people…
[Mary] Tell you what. I will generate a punchcard that they can download on the website.
[Brandon] There you are.
[Dan] Awesome.
[Brandon] Get your punchcard taken care of with 10 people and give yourself a prize after you've done it, because I want you to get so smooth with this pitch that you are able to give it when you're very nervously approaching on editor, agent, or a reader if you're self published, telling them what your book's about. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses. Now go write.
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/06/04/12-23-proposals-pitches-and-queries/
Key points: Queries are for novels. Query letter is one page. Start with your pitch. One paragraph. Not a movie trailer, not a rhetorical question. Lead into the story, the concept. Character, conflict, setting, hook, payoff. Query and pitch, you can't get your whole story in. One interesting aspect, one character, one conflict. Include the tone, even if you just state it. Tell, don't show is okay for queries and pitches! Proposals say this is what I want to do, what the books is going to be about, how it is going to work. Proposals are for agents and editors that you already work with. New writers are likely to do sample chapters and an outline or synopsis. Synopsis? About 3 pages, major characters, major story points, key twists, resolution. Sample chapters are the first chapters. The purpose of the synopsis or outline is selling for the sales department. Give them a sense of the feeling the reader will have. Queries and pitches are to convince someone that you have something interesting for them, and that you are good to work with. Proposals are for working relationships, to offer something that they believe they can sell. Make your story appealing!
( Hey, buddy, wanna read something good? )
[Brandon] All right. Well, I think we're out of time on that. I'm going to give you some homework. I want you to practice a verbal pitch. Kind of like I did earlier, hopefully you won't stumble through it as much as I did. But that's the point of this exercise, is I want you to write it out. I want you to memorize it. Then I want you to practice it with 10 people. I am going to force you to actually take a piece of paper and make a punchcard for yourself to punch… To have… the other people will punch and give you their initials. When you have done your 10 pitches to 10 different people…
[Mary] Tell you what. I will generate a punchcard that they can download on the website.
[Brandon] There you are.
[Dan] Awesome.
[Brandon] Get your punchcard taken care of with 10 people and give yourself a prize after you've done it, because I want you to get so smooth with this pitch that you are able to give it when you're very nervously approaching on editor, agent, or a reader if you're self published, telling them what your book's about. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses. Now go write.
