A non-fiction pitch - Deep Country

Not exactly a pitch paragraph today, but a pitch letter - the covering letter that you'd normally send with your synopsis and sample chapters if fiction, or your proposal+synopsis+sample if non-fiction.


In a minute, you'll read a letter that actually did grab an agent, and then a publishing deal. It's also an example of an imperfect letter, and an illustration of the truth that if your idea

Pitch paragraph - The Internet Revolutionary

Before I start my Crabbit Agony Aunt posts on Wednesday (and I already have several questions from you!), I have two pitches to offer you.

Today's is a self-published book from Beryl Kingston, who has previously had many books successfully published. She also has another publishing deal. But today we are looking at the pitch Beryl sent me.

The Internet Revolutionary by Beryl Kingston - 

Pitch para - Your Bed of Heather

A pitch paragraph for you this morning.


YOUR BED OF HEATHER by Lorraine Blencoe  – YA historical fiction


Lorraine’s pitch
paragraph:

This is an emotive and captivating story about a teenage
German boy during World War 2. He can see the world around him changing and one
day his father tells him he must leave their hometown, using false papers, and
disappear. The only way to do this without

Pitch para - Witch, Nun, Shaman's Drum

A pitch paragraph for you to consider and comment on.

WITCH, NUN, SHAMAN’S DRUM by Cameron Lawton – fantasy romance, self-published.
I know Cameron via Twitter and she's very serious about getting her work (various genres) published and learning as she goes, so she will welcome your constructive advice. But be gentle - writers bleed!



Cameron’s pitch:
A Pagan re-telling of the Romeo and Juliet

Pitch paragraph - Death at the Happiness Club

A pitch paragraph for you to consider. Please comment!



DEATH AT THE HAPPINESS
CLUB by Cecilia Peartree – a mystery novel

Cecilia points out that this is the actual blurb from her
Amazon entry and realizes that it’s therefore not necessarily exactly like a
pitch paragraph.

Cecilia’s pitch:



“Death at the Happiness Club is the 4th in a series of quirky mysteries
set in a small town in

Pitch para - Dragonfire by Misha Herwin

As you may know, I'm giving published and self-published writers a chance to show us a pitch paragraph for their book and you the chance to comment, to the benefit of all concerned. Please see the post here for details of how to pitch your own book and about the possibility of it appearing in my forthcoming Dear Agent book. And meanwhile, PLEASE comment below - the writer would like your feedback

Pitch paragraph example - Shedworking by Alex Johnson

Here is the first of the pitch paragraph examples, as advertised in a recent post. If you would like to offer your own pitch, please do read that post as I won't repeat myself. I will, however, stress that there is a quid pro quo, as follows:What I get: the ability to feature your pitch, and my comments, in my forthcoming book, Dear Agent, in order to help writers write good covering letters to

Pitch Pitch: two contemporary pitches

Another double pitch for your constructive criticism today. Remember, these are designed to be the paragraph within the covering letter in a UK query which describes and sells the book, hooking an agent or publisher. They need to be eloquent, focused, concrete,  and give a sense of the ending.

Please add your constructive comments below. As you know, I always try to add my thoughts after the

Pitch Pitch - two novels today

Two pitches for novels today and, as last week, I have no time to add my comments as I’d wish so, it’s over to you, readers. You should know the form by now but if not, scroll down to last week’s pitch or put the words Pitch Pitch in the search box on the right.
Constructive comments, please, and don’t forget to say whether you are normally a fan of this genre.
The Apprentice – a historical novel

Pitch Pitch - three YA/12+ pitches

In an effort to get through the backlog of pitches that brave writers have sent in, I’m putting up three teenage/YA pitches in one go. If you aren’t familiar with this incredibly useful and popular exercise, do go and read some of the comments on recent pitches. (Put Pitch Pitch in the search box at top right.). If you’d like to pitch your own book and get help from my highly constructive readers

Pitch Pitch: -

I have another Pitch Pitch for you. I think you're familiar with this process now but if not please go here and read the guidelines. And then comment - the writer would like your help!


Niki describes her book as a "fiction story" - Niki, just say "novel", ok? For the genre, you said "suspenseful romance" - just say romance. It is supposed to be suspenseful anyway! 

STALKING HER HEART by Niki 

Pitch Pitch: - BENEATH THE RAINBOW

Final pitch of Pitch Pitch week (though I'll do some more irregularly over the next couple of weeks.) Check back over the rest of this week to see what happens, and do do do please add your comments because these brave writers really need you.



Beneath The Rainbowby Lisa ShambrookChildren's, age 9-12 (I'd like Lisa to say 10-12 or 9-11 because 9-12 is too wide.Freya's strong-will and

Pitch Pitch: - DESPRITE MEASURES

Pitch Pitch week continues apace. You know the form by now - if not, please read the earlier posts this week and the comments.


Today's brave and hopeful writer is Deborah Jay with an urban fantasy, DESPRITE MEASURES.  Following one too many close encounters with modern plumbing, Scottish water sprite, Cassie, is trying to adapt to life as a human when she is captured by a magician. He intends

Pitch Pitch: - BELLADONNA

Here's the third of this week's Pitch Pitches. If you are new, please see this post here. See Monday and Tuesday's posts and do comment there, too. It's a whole Pitch Pitch week!
Here is Erin Johnson's pitch for a YA fantasy, BELLADONNA
One hot August day, a fractious young lady named Hazel escapes from her governess, raids an apple orchard, kisses a boy, and smashes a witch's window. The witch

Pitch Pitch: - IS IT NOW YET?

Here's the second of this week's Pitch Pitches. If you don't know about the commenting parameters, please see this post here. Remember, this is to be the "hook" paragraph in the covering letter. A full synopsis would accompany it, along with the sample chapters. See yesterday's post and do comment there, too. I'd love lot of comments throughout the week, to help these intrepid writers!


Today's

Pitch Pitch: - ANTHONY WISH HITS PAYDIRT

Announcing the beginning of PITCH WEEK! Every day this week, another brave writer will see his or her proposed pitch here for your constructive feedback. This is the "hook" paragraph for the covering letter of the submission. It needs to have "must-read" factor suitable for its intended genre and age-range. It should be more informative and concrete than the blurb on the back of the book and

Pitch your pitch - it's back!

Would you like the readers of this blog (and me) to help shape your pitch, that tricky paragraph that goes in the covering letter and hooks you a fabulous agent and/or publisher? Well, we've done that on this blog before and we're going to do it again. Hooray!

Here's what to do:A. First read some of the previous posts about pitches and hooks. For example, this one and this one.
B. Second, read

PITCH PITCH 5

Two pitches for your perusal today.

First, Josiphine Noire would like our help with her pitch for Captive of the Sea. It is a YA historical novel set during the decline of the Viking age. Josiphine says, "Right now I feel like my pitch is...stale. I can't think of a different word for it. If I saw it on the shelf the chances that I would read it are slim at best."

Readers, can you help?!

The 25-word hook revisited

My recent post about creating a 25-word hook for your book generated a huge response - 115 comments so far. And, as I said there, I was preparing a talk/workshop on the subject, at Wordstock. That event has now happened and I promised the workshopees that I'd blog again and give everyone another chance to pitch a 25-word hook. And here I am.

Do, please read that post first, but I will recap or

PITCH PITCH 3

Three brave writers have offered their pitches to you for comment and constructive criticism. What do you think of them? And if you'd like to put your own pitch forward for the same purpose, please see the Over To You page above for details. It's a very, very good way to hone your hook before submitting to agents or publishers!


Grave Communication by Calum Maclean
YA crime novel

Nelson is a