Pitch Workshop

by Rebecca Talley

Imagine your dream editor or agent. Now think about getting on an elevator and that editor or agent steps inside next to you. Your heart thuds against your ribs and your palms start to sweat. The agent turns to you and says, "Do you write?" You swallow the cotton in your throat and give a light nod. The agent says, "Tell me about your book." You then have a few moments to not only summarize your entire novel but to hook that agent and make him/her want to read your book.

Impossible? Not if you know how to craft the elevator pitch.

In under 30 seconds, the time it takes to ride an elevator, you should be able to concisely tell someone about your book. And, even more, make that person want to read it.

Here are some links with advice on preparing a pitch because creating a pitch is as much an art form as writing the entire novel.

How to Pitch Your Book at a Writing Conference

The Fine Art of The Book Pitch

Avoiding Book Pitches that Mislead

For fun, let's practice pitches. If you have a pitch ready, post it to the comments so other readers can critique it. Come on, it'll be fun. We can have a pitch workshop right here on the blog.

Who will be first?