Comments on: Boot Camp for our readers

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 19:09:10 +0000

Some good points, Kevin. Although I’m not sure I agree about not sending a sample. I think it’s useful to have at least a brief writing sample with every pitch.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 19:05:33 +0000

That one was meant for Kellie!

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 19:04:17 +0000

I personally like the one or two sentence hook. We live in a “logline”, to borrow a phrase from my book-to-film days, world and a quick pitch that draws the reader in can be very effective.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:56:26 +0000

First, switching genres. I think it can work for some authors to write in different genres in some cases. It’s all very unique to that writer and that situation. I have an author who has published in multiple genres, for both adults and children, all fiction. It’s rare but not impossible.

I think you need to play to your strengths. If you have a strong nonfiction idea that has gotten traction online maybe it is worth considering a nonfiction book (feel free to email me the idea).

You can always continue to write fiction, even if you pursue a nonfiction project as well.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:53:19 +0000

Ah, Melissa. It’s the million dollar question. If only I had the million dollar answer! I would love to see a YA Glee-like series or a modern day version of The Breakfast Club.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:50:41 +0000

I think in terms of Facebook and Twitter, it matters what you are writing. For nonfiction it’s obviously a lot more important than for fiction but any way a writer has to engage with his or her audience is going to be helpful in marketing and promoting their work. A potential author with a strong social media platform is more attractive than one without.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:34:00 +0000

Totally agree, Kevin. Well said.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:32:57 +0000

Yeah, I think it’s not the best idea to share very much about your unpublished work online. It feels unprofessional to me when I look at an author website that’s full of discussions about his or her not-yet-published work.

By: DGLM

DGLM — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:28:08 +0000

Hi, all, and sorry for the delay in responding. I promised I would so here goes!

Mootstrap, it’s a bit of a hard question to answer hypothetically but my sense is that a blog or website should be a broad indicator of your platform and not just a place to showcase your writing, unless you are already published.

By: Kevin A. Lewis

Kevin A. Lewis — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 18:46:08 +0000

Since I’ve been getting some bites on my queries recently, I can definitely say that a snappy lead-in is essential; the trick is to sound clever without appearing staged or rehearsed-my secret weapon is humorous wit; I connect the buzz from the last big event like the BEA or whatever to what I’m pushing while pointing out that the market I’m competing with is flooded and I point out all the desperate editors waiting for the National Guard to show up or something along those lines. This can all be said in literally 2 sentences, and of course if you’re plugging a book about somebody on life support getting in touch with their feelings about their estranged family or something this advice wouldn’t apply. But the mathematics is the same regardless of the tone you’re striking. Naturally, you’ve got to have a compelling sales pitch that raises more curiousity than it satifies-sell the sizzle, not the steak. And I no longer bother with samples-if you want to eat in my patisserie, you can damn well order from the menu…