Crafting a Pitch
Having an elevator pitch for your stories is important as you try to sell them. Not only do you need to be able to communicate what your story is about quickly to an editor or agent, editors and agents need to communicate what the story is about to book sellers and online marketplaces.
As I reviewed my notes from NJ SCBWI conference from this past June, Katrina Moore, author of One Hug (2019), Grandpa Grumps (2020), and Grumpy New Year suggested that we write out our pitch. Try to keep it less than 4 sentences.
She suggested this format: Main character wants _______________ but _________________.
She suggested that you ask: How is your pitch FRESH?
Know what is on the market and be able to show how yours is different.
Other questions to ask include:
What’s at the heart of this story?
What do I want this story to do?
On my path to publication, let’s try this out for Paige and Webb.
<Pancakes>
Paige wants to have applesauce on his pancakes but he can’t find any in the house. He gets upset and when Webb tries to help, he gets more upset. After several failed attempts, Webb has an idea that changes how Paige chooses to look at his problem. A story told in a modified markup language that teaches the syntax of HTML tags. At the heart of this story is the theme that when we change how we think about our problems we can find amazing solutions. [5 sentences]
Hmmm…then there is Webb’s perspective on this pitch:
Webb wants to play with his friend Paige, but Paige is upset because he can’t find any applesauce to put on his pancakes. Webb tries several ways to help Paige move on, but it only makes things worse. Can Webb help Paige stop being MAD? This is a story told in a modified markup language that is both a fun puzzle and a tool to teach kids how HTML tags work. At the heart of this story is the theme that choosing to respond to disappointment positively leads to amazing results. [5 sentences]
I’ve always seen this story from Paige’s perspective, but if I pitch it from Webb’s perspective, it changes the pitch. Which one do you think is better? I’m also 1 sentence over on each pitch. How would you shorten it to 4 sentences?
What is on the market and how is mine different? There are several books that talk about anger on the market. Many of them talk about how to manage your anger. I think I better do some research to find out what they are. I also need to research who has sparse words. Then I can say, the subject of ____ with the style of _____. None of them are told in a modified markup language.
What’s at the heart of this story? The heart of this story is that when we can stop being MAD, our brains can find solutions to problems. A good friend can help us see what can help us be great problem solvers.
What do I want this story to do? I want this story to teach the basic concept html syntax of opening and closing tags. I want young children to be exposed to coding at an early age so they will think it is normal and natural instead of confusing and strange. So far, I haven’t figured out that best way to do that.