Pitching & One Sheets
Follow up from last pitches:
Thanks everyone for you help with my pitch. I’m still tweaking it, but here is the latest. Feel free to add your two cents in the comment section.
Mari Duggins, an ambitious archeology professor, longs for the approval she believes her dream job as co-host of the local morning show will bring. But when her colleague is murdered and her husband is accused of stealing a priceless artifact, Mari is led on confusing journey where no one is who they claim to be. Not even Mari herself.
Now let’s see if we can help out Lacy:
Sassy sheriff’s deputy Austin Foster honors her father’s last request and finds herself in the midst of an ugly campaign to become County Sheriff. When a murder shakes up the small community, Austin must work with the charming Caleb Taylor, her partner and political opponent. Can Austin trust the man at her side, or will her own stubbornness put her in harm’s way?
It’s good, but how can we make it even better. It is unclear who her father is and what his last request is.
Sassy sheriff’s deputy Austin Foster honors her father’s last request to follow in his footsteps, but walks right into an ugly campaign to become County Sheriff. When a murder shakes up the small coummunity, Austion must … (fill in the blank here: swallow her pride) and team up with Caleb Taylor, her parnter and political opponet. Can Austion trust the man at her side or will her own stubborness bring the end to her politcal career and life.
Not much better, but something to think about. 😉
Angela offered up her pitch as well:
FAKE BLONDE is about a woman who can’t stop acting, even if it means choosing between her dream of stardom and the man who makes her feel like a star.
I don’t want to change this because I know so little about the book so I’ll insert some questions.
What type of woman is she? Describe her using two adjects then insert it like this…
An ambitious performer…can’t stop acting on or off the stage. But when (what happens to her) she must choose between her dream of fame and the man who makes her feel like a star.
Be sure and leave your newly formed pitches in the comment section and it’s never too late to share yours!
ONE SHEETS
So you’ve worked on your pitch, gotten it down to a 30 second sound bite that will knock the socks of an editor. Now what if he/she wants to know more?
That’s when I pull out my One Sheet. I rarely have to do a lot of talking in my 15 minute interviews. I just let the One Sheet speak for itself. Then I shut up. (This is something I have not yet mastered!) Let the editor READ! Resist the Urge to Explain. You’ll have your turn when they start to firs off questions.
So what’s a One Sheet, you ask?
A One Sheet is a brief synopsis of your book which includes pertinent information like:
Title and tag line
Authors name: Big enough to stand out
Brief synopsis/Back Cover Copy and/or 25 word short pitch
Genre
Length, word count
Contact information: Address, Phone, email
Athor bio and photo
Can include one sentence summary of second/third book in series
What your One Sheet looks like is up to you. It should fit your personality and the mood of the book you’re pitching. But regardless of the style a One Sheet should:
Be professional and well written
Easy to read, not overcrowded
Have one to two complimenting graphics or photos
Here are some other articles on One Sheets.
http://linesfromlinda.com/?p=90
You can visit my WIP section of my writing blog to get an idea of what I include on my One Sheet. The only thing that’s missing is the author bio and contact info.
You can take the One Sheet one step further and make it an author bio sheet on one side and a very breif summary of your completed WIPs on the other side. You can even make one up for your series. It’s all up to you!
Need some other examples of a One Sheet? Visit these sites:
http://www.pammeyerswrites.com/writings.html
