Monday, July 5, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Advice on literary agent pitches or elevator pitches from Rachelle Gardener, Literary Agent.
Advice on literary agent pitches/elevator pitches from Rachelle Gardener, Literary Agent.
From her blog at Rants and Ramblings
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/
Secrets of a Great Pitch:
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/05/secrets-of-great-pitch.html
Rachelle recommends starting with a bit of context or background, then telling about the book. Start with your name and whether your work is fiction or nonfiction.
Include the following information:
- My name is _____ and I wanted to meet with you because _____.
- I'm writing ______ (what genre).
- My publishing history includes _____(number of books, genres).
- Today I want to tell you about my book called _____ .
- This book won the _____ award (if relevant).
- My tagline is _____ (20 words or so that capture your book).
Then go into your pitch - 2 to 3 minutes max, allowing time for the agent or editor to ask questions. Also prepare 1-minute pitch, the so-called elevator pitch.
Some guidelines:
→ Don't try to tell the whole story. Start with the plot catalyst, the event that gets the story started.
→ Then give the set-up, i.e. what happens in the first 30 to 50 pages that drives the reader into the rest of the book. Include the pressing story question or the major story conflict.
→ Fill out your pitch with any of the following: plot elements, character information, setting, backstory, or theme. You want to include just enough information to really intrigue your listener. Note that your pitch doesn't have to be all "plot." If your story is more character driven, then fill out your pitch with interesting character details. If the setting is an important element, talk about that. If the backstory plays heavily, round out your pitch with that.
→ Finish by giving an idea of the climactic scenes and the story resolution.
→ Try not to tell too much of the story in the pitch. The pitch is supposed to get somebody interested, not tell the whole story. Stick to the high points, but be sure to tell enough that you don't leave your listener confused.
→ Include only a couple of characters.
→ Include one plot thread, or two if they’re closely intertwined.
Be prepared to answer questions that could include things like:
→ How does your story end?
→ What published author's style would you compare your writing to?
→ Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
→ Is this a series? And if so, what are the subsequent books about?
→ Have you worked with a critique group or a professional editor?
→ Have you pitched this to publishers in the past? If so, what was the response?
Rachelle says agents and editors are regular people just like us. And she emphasizes that they REALLY like chocolate.
The Elevator Pitch
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/search/label/Elevator%20Pitches
Tell the story. Not the character arc, not the emotional progression. She says the story is the plot--scenes with action and dialogue. It's people going places and doing things and talking to other people. It's characters taking action to make something happen, to change their situation, to solve a problem, to avoid danger.
In the words of her friend the Query Shark (agent Janet Reid), your pitch needs to show:
1. Who is the protagonist?
2. What choice does s/he face?
3. What are the consequences of the choice?
See some real-life pitches and Rachelle’s critiques at
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/01/elevator-pitch-third-floor.html
More topics at this site include:
- How to Title Your Book
- Questions to Ask an Agent
- How to Write a Book Proposal
- How to Write a Query Letter
- List of Writers' Conferences
- List of Freelance Editors
And much more . . . .
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Interesting words that start with the letter "K". from The Online Etymology Dictionary kaffeeklatsch What a word. I like the sound of this whatever
Interesting words that start with the letter "K".
from The Online Etymology Dictionary
kaffeeklatsch What a word. I like the sound of this whatever it means
"gossip over cups of coffee," 1888, from Ger., from kaffee "coffee" + klatsch "gossip" (see klatsch).
kafuffle Sounds like a problem Winnie the Pooh would have but see it as a variant of kerfuffle.
kakistocracy This is not a line of kings who wear khakis.
1829, "government by the worst element of a society," coined on analogy of aristocracy from Gk. kakistos "worst," superlative of kakos "bad" (which is perhaps related to the general IE word for "defecate") + -cracy.
karoo Interesting sounding word. Like a coyote howl or similar sound.
"barren table land in S. Africa," 1789, said to be from a Hottentot word meaning "dry."
karst
name of a high, barren limestone region around Trieste; used by geologists from 1894 to refer to similar landforms. The word is the Ger. form of Slovenian kras.
katzenjammer Love this word too. Kaffeeklatsch with the katzenjammers. Hmmmm.
1849, "a hangover," Amer.Eng. colloquial, from Ger. katzen, comb. form of katze "cat" + jammer "distress, wailing." Hence, "any unpleasant reaction" (1897). Katzenjammer Kids "naughty children" is from title of comic strip first drawn by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 for the "New York Journal."
stan “country, land” (see -stan).
kazoo So was this originally something you blow or blow someone away with?
1884, Amer.Eng., probably altered from earlier bazoo "trumpet" (1877); probably ultimately onomatopoeic (cf. bazooka). In England, formerly called a Timmy Talker, in France, a mirliton.
Kazoos, the great musical wonder, ... anyone can play it; imitates fowls, animals, bagpipes, etc. [1895 Montgomery Ward catalogue, p.245]
keister Just read the etymology. ‘Nuf said.
"buttocks," 1931, perhaps transferred from underworld meaning "safe, strongbox" (1914), earlier "a burglar's toolkit that can be locked" (1881); probably from British dialect kist (c.1300, northern form of chest, from O.N. kista) or its Ger. cognate Kiste "chest, box." The connection may be via pickpocket slang sense of "rear trouser pocket" (1930s).
kerfuffle See kafuffle above, Not from Winnie the Pooh then.
"row, disturbance, c.1930, first in Canadian English, ultimately from Scot. curfuffle.
kibble If the kibble was the bucket the the bits were the waste? My dog never liked kibble & bits anyway.
the noun use for ground-up meat used as dog food, etc., seems to derive from the verb meaning “to bruise or grind coarsely,” attested from 1790, first in milling, but of unknown origin. The same or an identical word was used in the coal trade in the late 19c. and in mining from the 1670s for “bucket used to haul up ore or waste.”
kicksie-wicksie Just read on :-]
a fanciful word for "wife" in Shakespeare ("All's Well," II iii.297), 1601, apparently a perversion of kickshaw, late 16c. for "a fancy dish in cookery" (especially a non-native one), from pronunciation of Fr. quelque chose "something."
kirschwasser I don’t like liquor, but this does sound good.
"liquor distilled from fermented cherry juice," 1819, from Ger., lit. "cherry-water;" first element from M.H.G. kirse, from O.H.G. kirsa, from V.L. *ceresia, from L.L. cerasium "cherry" (see cherry).
kirtle Rhymes with girdle but not the one we commonly think of.
"a man's tunic; a woman's skirt," O.E. cyrtel, related to O.N. kyrtill "tunic," probably both from L. curtus "short" (see curt) + dim. suffix -el.
kismet I thought this had something to do with true love and all that. Evidently not.
1834, from Turk. qismet, from Arabic qismah, qismat "portion, lot, fate," from root of qasama "he divided."
kith Kith and kin. You’ve hear of this one.
O.E. cyðð "native country, home," from cuð "known," pp. of cunnan "to know" (see can (v.)). The alliterative phrase kith and kin (late 14c.) originally meant "country and kinsmen."
kitsch Not short for kitchen. At least not a clean one.
1926, from Ger., lit. "gaudy, trash," from dial. kitschen "to smear."
kiwi A bird or a berry.
"type of flightless bird," 1835, from Maori kiwi, of imitative origin. As slang for "a New Zealander," it is attested from 1918. The kiwi fruit (Actinia chinesis), was originally imported to the U.S. from China (c.1966) and is known in New Zealand as Chinese gooseberry (1925).
klaxon Sounds like something from a Sci/fi movie. The Klaxtons arrived from the planet Xenon.
"loud warning horn," 1908, originally on cars, said to have been named for the company that sold them (The Klaxon Company; distributor for Lovell-McConnell Mfg. Co., Newark, N.J.), but probably the company was named for the horn, which bore a word probably based on Gk. klazein "to roar," cognate with L. clangere "to resound."
kleptocracy Kleptomaniacs rule here, I guess.
"rule by a class of thieves," 1819, originally in reference to Spain; see kleptomania + -cracy.
klezmer If this means poor musician, I guess I am one. Or used to be.
late 19c. (plural klezmorim); originally, "an itinerant East European Jewish professional musician," from Heb. kley zemer, lit. "vessels of song," thus "musical instruments."
klutz Me too, unfortunately
1965 (implied in klutzy), Amer.Eng., from Yiddish klots "clumsy person, blockhead," lit. "block, lump," from M.H.G. klotz "lump, ball."
klutzy
1965, from klutz + -y (2).
kn-
knish I’m hungry now.
1930, from Yiddish, from Rus. knysh, a kind of cake.
kolkhoz I thought I knew womething about the history of communes but I never heard of this.
U.S.S.R. collective farm, 1921, from Rus., contraction of kollektivnoe khozyaistvo "collective farm."
kowtow This word deserves to be on the interesting etymology list.
1804 (n.), from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission, lit.
kraal Another word that belong in a sci/fi or Conan movie.
"village, pen, enclosure," 1731, from colonial Du. kraal, from Port. curral (see corral).
Krakow I didn’t know this was named for someone named Krak.
city in southern Poland, said to have been named for a supposed founder, Krak.
krummhorn Kind of an unfortunate name for a nice instrument.
"curved wind instrument," 1864, from Ger., lit. "crooked horn," from krumm "curved, crooked."
kudzu Tlk about the weed that took over the world.
1893, from Japanese kuzu. Perennial climbing plant native to Japan and China, introduced in U.S. southeast as forage (1920s) and to stop soil erosion (1930s) and quickly got out of hand.
kvass Sorry, this does not sound good to me, but tastes differ.
Russian fermented drink made from rye or barley, 1550s, from Rus. kvas "leaven," from O.C.S. kvasu "yeast," cognate with L. caseus "cheese."
kvetch Me kvetch? Never!
"to complain, whine," 1965, from Yiddish kvetshn, lit. "squeeze, press," from Ger. quetsche "crusher, presser."
from The Online Etymology Dictionary
kaffeeklatsch What a word. I like the sound of this whatever it means
"gossip over cups of coffee," 1888, from Ger., from kaffee "coffee" + klatsch "gossip" (see klatsch).
kafuffle Sounds like a problem Winnie the Pooh would have but see it as a variant of kerfuffle.
kakistocracy This is not a line of kings who wear khakis.
1829, "government by the worst element of a society," coined on analogy of aristocracy from Gk. kakistos "worst," superlative of kakos "bad" (which is perhaps related to the general IE word for "defecate") + -cracy.
karoo Interesting sounding word. Like a coyote howl or similar sound.
"barren table land in S. Africa," 1789, said to be from a Hottentot word meaning "dry."
karst
name of a high, barren limestone region around Trieste; used by geologists from 1894 to refer to similar landforms. The word is the Ger. form of Slovenian kras.
katzenjammer Love this word too. Kaffeeklatsch with the katzenjammers. Hmmmm.
1849, "a hangover," Amer.Eng. colloquial, from Ger. katzen, comb. form of katze "cat" + jammer "distress, wailing." Hence, "any unpleasant reaction" (1897). Katzenjammer Kids "naughty children" is from title of comic strip first drawn by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 for the "New York Journal."
stan “country, land” (see -stan).
kazoo So was this originally something you blow or blow someone away with?
1884, Amer.Eng., probably altered from earlier bazoo "trumpet" (1877); probably ultimately onomatopoeic (cf. bazooka). In England, formerly called a Timmy Talker, in France, a mirliton.
Kazoos, the great musical wonder, ... anyone can play it; imitates fowls, animals, bagpipes, etc. [1895 Montgomery Ward catalogue, p.245]
keister Just read the etymology. ‘Nuf said.
"buttocks," 1931, perhaps transferred from underworld meaning "safe, strongbox" (1914), earlier "a burglar's toolkit that can be locked" (1881); probably from British dialect kist (c.1300, northern form of chest, from O.N. kista) or its Ger. cognate Kiste "chest, box." The connection may be via pickpocket slang sense of "rear trouser pocket" (1930s).
kerfuffle See kafuffle above, Not from Winnie the Pooh then.
"row, disturbance, c.1930, first in Canadian English, ultimately from Scot. curfuffle.
kibble If the kibble was the bucket the the bits were the waste? My dog never liked kibble & bits anyway.
the noun use for ground-up meat used as dog food, etc., seems to derive from the verb meaning “to bruise or grind coarsely,” attested from 1790, first in milling, but of unknown origin. The same or an identical word was used in the coal trade in the late 19c. and in mining from the 1670s for “bucket used to haul up ore or waste.”
kicksie-wicksie Just read on :-]
a fanciful word for "wife" in Shakespeare ("All's Well," II iii.297), 1601, apparently a perversion of kickshaw, late 16c. for "a fancy dish in cookery" (especially a non-native one), from pronunciation of Fr. quelque chose "something."
kirschwasser I don’t like liquor, but this does sound good.
"liquor distilled from fermented cherry juice," 1819, from Ger., lit. "cherry-water;" first element from M.H.G. kirse, from O.H.G. kirsa, from V.L. *ceresia, from L.L. cerasium "cherry" (see cherry).
kirtle Rhymes with girdle but not the one we commonly think of.
"a man's tunic; a woman's skirt," O.E. cyrtel, related to O.N. kyrtill "tunic," probably both from L. curtus "short" (see curt) + dim. suffix -el.
kismet I thought this had something to do with true love and all that. Evidently not.
1834, from Turk. qismet, from Arabic qismah, qismat "portion, lot, fate," from root of qasama "he divided."
kith Kith and kin. You’ve hear of this one.
O.E. cyðð "native country, home," from cuð "known," pp. of cunnan "to know" (see can (v.)). The alliterative phrase kith and kin (late 14c.) originally meant "country and kinsmen."
kitsch Not short for kitchen. At least not a clean one.
1926, from Ger., lit. "gaudy, trash," from dial. kitschen "to smear."
kiwi A bird or a berry.
"type of flightless bird," 1835, from Maori kiwi, of imitative origin. As slang for "a New Zealander," it is attested from 1918. The kiwi fruit (Actinia chinesis), was originally imported to the U.S. from China (c.1966) and is known in New Zealand as Chinese gooseberry (1925).
klaxon Sounds like something from a Sci/fi movie. The Klaxtons arrived from the planet Xenon.
"loud warning horn," 1908, originally on cars, said to have been named for the company that sold them (The Klaxon Company; distributor for Lovell-McConnell Mfg. Co., Newark, N.J.), but probably the company was named for the horn, which bore a word probably based on Gk. klazein "to roar," cognate with L. clangere "to resound."
kleptocracy Kleptomaniacs rule here, I guess.
"rule by a class of thieves," 1819, originally in reference to Spain; see kleptomania + -cracy.
klezmer If this means poor musician, I guess I am one. Or used to be.
late 19c. (plural klezmorim); originally, "an itinerant East European Jewish professional musician," from Heb. kley zemer, lit. "vessels of song," thus "musical instruments."
klutz Me too, unfortunately
1965 (implied in klutzy), Amer.Eng., from Yiddish klots "clumsy person, blockhead," lit. "block, lump," from M.H.G. klotz "lump, ball."
klutzy
1965, from klutz + -y (2).
kn-
knish I’m hungry now.
1930, from Yiddish, from Rus. knysh, a kind of cake.
kolkhoz I thought I knew womething about the history of communes but I never heard of this.
U.S.S.R. collective farm, 1921, from Rus., contraction of kollektivnoe khozyaistvo "collective farm."
kowtow This word deserves to be on the interesting etymology list.
1804 (n.), from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission, lit.
kraal Another word that belong in a sci/fi or Conan movie.
"village, pen, enclosure," 1731, from colonial Du. kraal, from Port. curral (see corral).
Krakow I didn’t know this was named for someone named Krak.
city in southern Poland, said to have been named for a supposed founder, Krak.
krummhorn Kind of an unfortunate name for a nice instrument.
"curved wind instrument," 1864, from Ger., lit. "crooked horn," from krumm "curved, crooked."
kudzu Tlk about the weed that took over the world.
1893, from Japanese kuzu. Perennial climbing plant native to Japan and China, introduced in U.S. southeast as forage (1920s) and to stop soil erosion (1930s) and quickly got out of hand.
kvass Sorry, this does not sound good to me, but tastes differ.
Russian fermented drink made from rye or barley, 1550s, from Rus. kvas "leaven," from O.C.S. kvasu "yeast," cognate with L. caseus "cheese."
kvetch Me kvetch? Never!
"to complain, whine," 1965, from Yiddish kvetshn, lit. "squeeze, press," from Ger. quetsche "crusher, presser."
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