Ever been at a conference and had the editor of your dreams turn to you and ask, "So, what do you write?" And had your mind go completely blank? You can easily avoid this common nightmare with a little research, preparation, and practice.
Get ready with research:
Take the time to learn where your manuscript fits in the wide and varied market of women's fiction. Within the romance genre there are three main sub- genres: contemporary, historical, and paranormal. Within contemporary, you have single title and category; within historical, you have medieval, Regency, Americana, etc.; within paranormal, you have ghosts, angels, and time travel, to name but a few.
So, when an agent or editor asks, "What do you write?" the first part of your answer should identify what type of book you write, as in: "I write single title contemporary romance." Or: "I write Regency era historicals." Or: "I just completed a ghost romance with an Americana setting."
Perfect your aim with preparation:
If you're headed for a conference, learn which editors and agents plan to attend. Look them up in one of the standard guides, such as Writer's Market, or Guide to Literary Agents & Art/Photo Reps, or find the Semi-Annual Pullout Market Update published in the Romance Writers' Report. Discover what they buy or represent; if they are "acquiring" or "over inventoried." Take note of how many of their recent sales or acquisition were from previously unpublished authors and what books they bought or sold within the last year. To get a feel for what types of book a publishing house is currently pushing, visit their web page.
This advance preparation will help you avoid the faux pas of pitching a single title historical to an editor who only buys category contemporaries.
Wind up your pitching arm:
A "pitch" is a one to three sentence verbal synopsis. It conveys characters, setting, time period, conflict, theme, and resolution. It does not outline plot. In a pitch, you merely want to wet the editor's appetite with the essence of the story, the emotional appeal of your characters, and the purpose of your tale. To do this, you will have to use some industry "catch phrases."
While we work to avoid clichés in our writing, we do just the opposite when pitching. Clichés help to get a character or story "type" across in as few words as possible. For instance, your hero can be a down-on-his-luck cowboy or a cynic with a soft heart. He can be an arrogant earl or a disillusioned knight. Whatever he is, make us want to know him in a single phrase. The same goes for your heroine.
Often, simply describing the two protagonists will make the conflict apparent -- especially if they are polar opposites. Do try, however, to give a sense that the conflict is both internal and external.
Rather than getting bogged down in the plot, state the theme -- otherwise known as the "moral of the story." What do your hero and heroine learn from each other during the course of the wild and wonderful adventure they share? Stating the moral of the story will, hopefully, imply the resolution.
Here is an example of a pitch for my single title contemporary, Drive Me Wild, Dell, Spring 2000:
"Brent Michael's, a Houston news anchor, learns that acceptance takes more than financial success when his childhood friend, Laura Beth Morgan, invites him to be the guest celebrity in a Dating Game fundraiser for the town that once shunned him. When Brent picks Laura from the bachelorette lineup, he also discovers that "Little Laura Beth" has grown up, and she is eager to discover her place in the world beyond the constraints of Beason's Ferry, Texas."
From these two sentences, we get a feel for the small town setting and a sense that these characters will grow during the course of the story. Hopefully, after you give your pitch, the agent or editor will say, "Sounds great, tell me more." If they want to hear more, that is when you go into plot. Keep it brief and enthusiastic. Describe the hero's and heroine's first meeting, two or three turning points in the middle, the dark moment when all seems lost, and the climactic end that will make the reader sigh.
For examples on how to give a longer verbal synopsis, watch the host of American Movie Classics, or his counterpart on Turner Classic Movies. For examples of short pitches, study the movie guides from the video stores. Although, a word of caution on movie listings. Most of those descriptions are "hooks" not "pitches." A hook raises questions; a pitch answers them. When done correctly, a pitch will convince an editor that you have a polished manuscript ideally suited for their house and ready to put into print. So, wind up your pitching arm, and practice till it's perfect.
Watch for Julie's debut novel, Drive Me Wild!, Dell, March 2000
©1998, San Antonio Romance Authors, all rights reserved. Articles may not be reprinted without permission.
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