Selling, Not Telling: The Art of Pitching Novels
Announcements
I am excited to be back with our Writers’ Wednesday episodes. This is one I am sure all authors will glean a lot from. More on that soon, after a few announcements.
Coffee & Books
In just over a week we will have our next Coffee and Books event on August 17th from 1:00-2:00pm EST. Meet authors Misty M. Beller, and Jodi Basye and enjoy a fun Q&A session with them! This is a great opportunity to ask these talented authors about their writing process, tools, and marketing strategies.
This is a free event, but you will need to register to save your spot.
Writers’ Group
If you are an author of historical Christian romance, then I encourage you to connect with authors in your genre through HCRW. HCRW is our writers’ group for historical Christian romance authors. We offer community, connection, critiquing, and training. Memberships start at just $3 a month. Visit www.literaryscape.com/hcrw to learn more.
How to Write a Book Proposal That Sells
Authors, September’s expert training will focus on how to write a book proposal. Our expert trainer will by Terry Whalin. Join us on September 19th from 5:00-6:00pm EST as he walks you through how to write a book proposal that sells, for just $17. *This training is free for HCRW Editing members.
If you want to write a book proposal that will catch the eye of an agent and acquisitions editor, then be sure to join us for an hour of training. You can learn more and register by clicking the button below.
In this week’s Writers’ Wednesday episode you will learn how to write the perfect pitch for your book with the Lindsey Hughes aka The Pitchmaster.
Lindsey loves helping people discover their superpower, create compelling content, and feel excited about pitching and networking. She teaches how to pitch like a boss, network like a VIP, and write like an Oscar winner.
In her wide-ranging career as a Hollywood development executive, Lindsey worked in everything from feature films, television movies, and TV series, to animation and live action. She began her career reading scripts for Robert Zemeckis and Kathryn Bigelow, worked under Michael Eisner at Walt Disney Feature Animation, and developed projects for John H. Williams, producer of the billion-dollar Shrek franchise.
She is the author of two non-fiction books, How to Turn Your Screenplay Into a Novel and The Pitch Master’s Top Tactics. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter for actionable creativity and career tips at thepitchmaster.com/newsletter.
Episode Notes
In this conversation, Lindsay shares valuable insights on how to pitch novels and ourselves as authors. She emphasizes the importance of selling, not telling, and provides a formula for crafting a compelling pitch. Lindsay also highlights the significance of pitching ourselves before pitching our projects and offers tips on introducing ourselves effectively. She encourages authors to find their people by being specific about the kind of books they write. Lindsay also discusses the spiciness level in books and the importance of being clear about it in pitches and book descriptions.
Takeaways
Pitching is about selling, not telling. It's important to tell people just enough to make them interested and want to know more.
Before pitching our projects, we should pitch ourselves effectively. Introduce ourselves with confidence, make eye contact, and be specific about the kind of books we write.
Finding our people is crucial. Be specific about the genre, tropes, and time period of our books to attract the right audience.
Include the spiciness level of our books in pitches and book descriptions to ensure readers know what to expect.
Receiving a 'no' is not a failure. It's an opportunity to find the right audience and focus on those who are genuinely interested in our stories.
