5 tips to write a book blurb

Thanks to Robin and Romance University for inviting me to guest-blog today!

I’m not an author, but part of my job at Harlequin does involve writing copy—back cover copy, that is! I write on average eight BCBs per month for Harlequin’s ebook exclusives (including Spice Briefs and Harlequin Historical Undone) and Carina Press.

Being able to write a good blurb for your book is an important skill to have, whether it’s for your website, a query to an editor or agent, or for your self-publishing book. But it can also be challenging—it’s completely different than writing a book or synopsis. So here are my five tips for writing compelling copy to grab any reader’s attention:

1) Hook the reader with your protagonist or world.

I usually start a blurb by asking myself what the reader has to know right away that will hook them. For me, that’s usually presenting an interesting protagonist and/or their quest that they will want to know more about. E.g.:

- “When Delia Forrest talks to statues, they talk back.” – Stone Kissed
- “There is nothing Aleron Pitre can’t steal, nobody he can’t con and no situation he can’t slip out of—until he’s sent to the prison planet Tantoret, where every sentence is death.” – Outcast Mine

Other times it’s more important to set the scene by establishing the world of your story, especially if it’s set somewhere unusual. For example, for the steampunk novella Steam Heat, I started with an opening paragraph about the world so readers would know right away they aren’t in Kansas anymore:

“In a world of speed steamers, poisoned air and soulless paranormal beings, two people hold the fate of millions in their hands—and their bodies….”

2) Shoutlines: yes or no?

Shoutlines are that bit of bolded text at the start of a blurb or between paragraphs that grab the reader’s attention and entice them to read on. Good shoutlines are unique, short, and convey at least one hook to the story; unsuccessful shoutlines are tired clichés, too long or don’t add anything of value. Some shoutlines I like are:

- “It wasn’t that she wanted to live forever. She just didn’t want to die.” – Stealing Time (hook—heroine is dying, how will that be resolved?)
- “’Which sexual fantasy is your ultimate turn-on?’” – Her Fantasy (tells right away it’s a hot book!)
- “Their First Christmas, Bound Together…” — Believe (conveys the popular holiday theme, but also hints that this is a BDSM romance)

Some things to ask yourself about adding a shoutline: Do I really need this? What does this shoutline add that the reader won’t get in the rest of the blurb? Is it a cliché (e.g. “Second Chance at Love”)?

3) Perform plot triage.

One question when it comes to writing book blurbs is how much plot to include. When you really a love a book, it’s tempting to mention every plot point and character, and it can be difficult to determine what the reader really needs to know. But including too many plot details can bore your reader or confuse them about what the book is about. I recently read a blurb that had too much about the heroine’s horrible boss…and it made me think he was the hero! It was a turn off until the actual hero was mentioned in paragraph three, but I could have already stopped reading and moved on….

Some questions to ask yourself to avoid putting in too much plot: Does your reader really need to know that (and be harsh)? Could it be considered a spoiler? Are you telling the whole plot, including how the conflict will resolved?

So I don’t go overboard on plot details, I pick a spot in the book, usually a quarter or a third of the way in, and don’t include anything that happens after that point. That’s usually enough to set up the overall story, without giving everything away. I consider anything within the first quarter a spoiler-safe zone.

For a romance specifically, the focus should always be on the hero and heroine, and their relationship. If a plot detail doesn’t directly contribute to the progress of their relationship, consider cutting it from the blurb.

4) Use the manuscript.

Sometimes authors’ own words are the best tool to sell a book. Using lines from the manuscript gives readers a sense of what the book is like by showcasing the author’s voice. For this reason, I always read at least the first 15 pages of a book and highlight passages of the manuscript that I might use.

For example, here’s the opening paragraph for The Hollow House by Janis Patterson:

“I decided to use the name Geraldine Brunton. It’s not the name I was born with, nor the name I married, but it will hide who I really am…and what I have done.”

That is almost straight from the book, with some tightening. It’s perfect for copy because it sets up so much: the protagonist’s name, the fact that she’s under disguise, and she’s done something in her past she has to run from. It also conveys the voice and the fact that the book is written first person.

If you’re not writing your own book blurb, one thing you can do to help the copywriter is to provide a well-written, accurate synopsis—it’s invaluable for the copywriter and you may just see your own words in the finished copy.

5) End with conflict.

Always leave the reader—or agent, or acquiring editor—wanting more. The last line should leave them dying to read the book to learn how the story ends, and the best way to do this is by beefing up the conflict in your final line. When we read a great blurb out at Carina Press meetings, they often end with the team saying “dun dun duuuunnnnn!” because it closes on conflict and drama. Your reader should wonder “How on earth are they going to solve that?”

There are few different ways to hook your readers:

- End with a question (“What will Adam do when he discovers Florentina’s deception?” – A Scandalous Proposition)
- Hint at future danger (“When their investigation leads them to a city hall conspiracy, both their lives and their newly reignited flame could be permanently extinguished…” – Risking Trust)
- Remind them what’s keeping the h/h apart (“But amidst rival reporters, eager fanboys and overzealous role-players, it’s Emma’s secret that may put the brakes on their sizzling attraction for good…” –Defying Convention)

Resist the urge to hint at how things will work out—editors and agents will find that out in the synopses and readers will find out by reading the book!

***

So, do you have any questions for Amy about writing the book blurb or other types of copy?  Questions about her job at Harlequin? Maybe a little curious about the social media aspect of her job? Let ‘em rip!

On Friday, Theresa Stevens talks about understanding heroes.

***

Bio:

Amy Wilkins is Assistant Manager, Digital Content and Social Media, in Harlequin’s Digital & Internet department, where she’s worked since 2008. She manages Harlequin’s ebook program as well as a number of social media properties, and is a member of the acquisition team for Carina Press, Harlequin’s digital-only imprint. You can follow Amy on Twitter @amywilkins or on Tumblr at http://amy-wilkins.tumblr.com.

What’s it like to be a man writing romance? What’s it like to be a black man writing romance in a predominantly Caucasian and female romance industry? We are thrilled to have Wayne Jordan here to give us the in-his-shoes perspective on publishing in romantic fiction.

People always ask me – Since you’re a man, what is it like writing romance?
On one level writing and reading romance isn’t easy. I started reading romance while in my teens and I’ll be 50 next year, so it’s been a long time. I endured years of silent ridicule at school, college and even in the workplace because I read romance. For a few years, in the early 1980s, because I thought a literature major should be reading ‘proper’ literature, I gave up my secret fantasy…or should I say fetish.
But as any romance lover knows, it’s not easy to give up reading romance novels, so I returned to the genre. However, I was a bit more mature now, and found that, I really didn’t give two ‘hoots’ what anyone thought of my preference for romance. I was a man who loved reading romance!

In high school, I discovered that I loved writing and ‘had a talent for it’, said my teachers. Scenes from stories would flash in my mind’s eyes, and I’d quickly write them in my never-ending supply of notebooks. Like the stories I read, there would always be a beautiful heroine and a handsome hero. In the stories I created, I would become that hero and in the end too, I’d get my heroine and swoop her into a passionate embrace. Even then, writing romance came naturally. The words flowed freely from my brain. I created wonderful heroes and heroines, placed them in situations with intense, sexual tension, the customary misunderstanding, but eventually I’ve give them their ‘happily-ever-after’.

I submitted my first romance novel years ago (the late 80s), submitted a query and was rejected. Now I look back on that attempt, I’m not surprised that it got rejected. It was almost twenty years later that I submitted my first ‘fit-to-be-published’ manuscript to BET Book for their Arabesque line. I received the CALL. Today, I know a lot more about romance and have published eight books; my ninth, To Love You More, will be released in April 2012 under the Harlequin Kimani Romance line.

However, almost six years after my first book, Capture the Sunrise, went on sale I still feel like the ugly stepbrother of romance. Why? You ask me.

Because, I have two things going against me….I’m still a man (lol) and I’m black.

I’M STILL A MAN
I’m still very much a man writing in a woman’s world and that’s definitely a negative when it comes to writing romance. I’m not saying this is a problem with all readers, but the majority of women still believe that a ‘real’ man can’t write romance.
Have you ever heard these? Or even heard them echoed in your mind?
A man can’t write romance because:
• He would find it difficult to get into the mind of woman.
• He lacks the sensitivity needed.
• He can’t be emotional.
• He can write about sex, but he definitely won’t be able to able to write love scenes.

Crap! Or should I say poppycock!

For me, there are two important factors which define the ‘good’ romance writer. There are others, but these are significant.
1. An individual (male or female) who knows and loves the genre.
2. An individual (male or female) who loves to and knows how to write.
Those are the qualities I possess and have helped me to create the stories I write. I know I’m a good writer. But I also know I still have a lot to learn to become a great writer.

I’M BLACK!
In the world of romance, black writers are the ugly step-sisters! While the acceptance of and respect for African-American romance writers is slowly changing, it’s far from the equal acceptance that should be the norm.

When I started reading romance novels in my teens, I never found it strange that the hero and heroine looked nothing like me. In fact, since my reading at school was comprised of the works of Shakespeare, Keats, Dickens and many of the British elite, I didn’t find it strange at all. It was only when Sandra Kitt’s Harlequin American, Adam and Eva, that I realized that stories could be written about people just like me. In 1999, with the increasing number for African-American romance writers and the growing success of the Pinnacle Arabesque line (eventually sold to BET who created BET Books) I created a website, www.romanceincolor, which focuses on promoting African-American romance authors and their work. Since then, I’ve become a strong advocate for African-American romance. My dreams of being a romance writer changed. I wanted to write about characters who looked just like me.

The state and acceptance of African-American romance in 2011 is still of serious concern to me. The works of African-America continue to be segregated and shelved under the African-American romance, thus limiting the audience potential. While this is technically true, I’m yet to hear a category called Caucasian romance. For me, romance is romance and love is love and has nothing to do with the color of the reader’s or author’s skin. This can change and has to change.

I have the ideal solution. The same way black readers have been embracing books with Caucasians hero/heroines for decades, the reverse is necessary. I read a wide cross section of romance. I have a diverse taste and enjoy all. I read from several Harlequin series lines (Love Inspired Historical, Blaze, Romantic Suspense, Intrigue, Kimani Romance, Superromance, Desire and Presents). Along with this, I read from several other genres (mystery, suspense, mainstream). My favorite authors are Brenda Jackson, Nora Roberts, Beverly Jenkins, Catherine Mann, Mary Balogh, Maureen Smith, Tami Hoag, Marie Force… and the list goes on.

How many of you can say without hesitation that your reading is a diverse are mine; that when you pick up a romance it’s not about the color of the hero and heroine, but the promise of a story that will transport your into a world where love conquers all.

***

What’s on your bookshelf?  What are your thoughts on the distance between the races in romance fiction? Do you have favorite authors who are males writing under a pen name? Do you have any questions for Wayne about how he handles the female perspective in his books?

C.J. Redwine continues her HolyCowAwesome story series on Monday.

***

Wayne is giving away two copies of his July 2011 book, SAVED BY HER EMBRACE to to two lucky commentors

After dumping her cheating boyfriend, Sandra Walters doesn’t trust men…especially men in white coats! So when she runs into Troy Whitehall in Barbados, she vows to steer clear of the heart-stoppingly handsome surgeon. The passion they once shared is something she’ll never forget, but she isn’t going to let down her defenses again. Even if the good doctor has a bedside manner no woman can resist.

BIO

For as long as he can remember, Wayne Jordan loved reading, but he also enjoyed creating his own make believe worlds. This love for reading and writing continued, and in November 2005 his first book, Capture the Sunrise, was published by BET Books. Wayne has always been an advocate for romance, especially African-American romance. In 1999 he founded www.romanceincolor.com, a website that focuses on African-American romance and its authors.  Wayne is a high school teacher and a graduate of the University of the West Indies. He holds a B.A.  in literature and linguistics and an M.A. in applied linguistics. He lives on the beautiful tropical island of Barbados, which, with its white sands and golden sunshine, is the perfect setting for the romance stories he loves to create. Of course, he still takes time out to immerse himself in the latest release from one of his favorite authors.

The Kid in You

Strong-man poses by Kieran (right) and two of her siblings. This is the way kids see themselves - strong and fierce!

Have you ever met a boring kid?

No.

Seriously.

Every single kid is interesting.

If you’re unaware of this fact, get yourself to the nearest elementary school and meet  a classroom full of them. They’re fascinating. They’ll make you laugh and they’ll make you cry.

They’re little walking, talking beacons of truth. Truth wrapped in story–and sometimes peanut butter and jelly or spit balls, but still.
Beacons of truth. Compelling ones.

Art Linkletter knew this was true. In the 50’s, he had a television show called House Party. And at the conclusion of each episode, he’d interview children, asking them off-the-cuff questions and getting back hilarious and often poignant replies. Later, Bill Cosby followed up with his own show, Kids Say the Darndest Things, in which he employed clips from Linkletter’s interviews with kids.
We can’t get enough of kids and their unique perspectives on life.

Why am I bringing this up?

Because you’ll write better stories if you relate to The Kid In You.

Yes, my friends, there’s a person lurking in the shadows of your life, a wise, sensitive, original person who can take your writing from blasé to blazing, green to great, from flimsy to flat-out spectacular.

What a shame you’re ignoring The Kid in You.

I would never ignore anyone! the kind writers among us are insisting right now.

Well, you are. You’re just as guilty of turning your back on The Kid in You—this all-powerful, untapped writing resource–as the rest of us heartless, ignorant schmucks who decided to become storytellers.

Whether you had a good childhood or not, if you’re reading this right now, you had a childhood. We all did.

Obviously.

But what you may not be doing is talking to that child—that funny blabbermouth or shy genius or sensitive survivor who’s going to make your writing shine–as you write.

Even those of us who do look back tend to do it from an adult’s perspective. We categorize. Look for logical answers and patterns. Use all the wisdom gleaned from living over our lives to make sense of our childhoods. But I promise you, you’ll never know why Mary Kaputnik pulled your chair out from under you in fifth grade! Or why Cousin Joe refused your apology. Or why your late mother cried two days after Christmas, every year, without fail, even though she insisted she was happy.

But it’s adult of us to try to make sense of all that stuff, isn’t it?

Yes. Adult and once-removed.

Once removed from the feelings.

But there’s a reason for this. It’s because the feelings alone are so powerful, you’re practically lifted out of your shoes just going back in time to that Kid In You, which is why you’re Mr. or Ms. Smarty Pants Professor Sensible Person while you travel down Memory Lane most of the time (unless you’ve had too many margaritas or are in the presence of a relentless therapist).

A lot of us tend to write our stories removed from the feelings. It’s our status quo state when we get to the computer. We write as if we’re outside a scene, watching the characters, recording, and trying to make sense of what’s happening—

Because we should.

Because everything’s kinda gotta be logical.

Right?

And fit together.

Sigh!

Like pieces of a puzzle.

Yawn…

So we can protect ourselves.

From ourselves.

Because we’re dangerous when we feel too much. Dangerous and damned intuitive. Dangerous, damned intuitive, and alive. Ignore the goosebumps on your arms because you just remembered how powerful you are and listen to me: being that alive is uncomfortable when you’re a grown-up used to putting up walls to defend yourself, when you’ve spent years putting up a million social filters. It’s exhausting, quite frankly, to connect with The Kid In You.

You’ll think of all kinds of reasons to put a lid on the Kid.

But you’re a writer. You have to write the truth, and the truth can hurt. The truth can throw you for a loop. The truth can chew you up and spit you out—the fake part of you anyway. The real you will be left, gasping for breath, reminding you that nothing you write matters if you aren’t writing from the deepest part of you.

The truth demands you pay attention to The Kid In You.

Now, unless you were severely traumatized, to the point that going back is going to make you want to jump off a bridge, and you’ve been told only to do so under the supervision of trained professionals, I want you to consider doing an exercise with me:

1) Close your eyes.

2) Breathe in and out.

3) Get onto the Star Trek transporter deck of your memory and go back to The Kid In You, at the age that resonates with you most, maybe between 8 and 10.

4) Remember something—something you had feelings about.

5) Feel it.

6) Really feel it. Sometimes this means metaphorically holding onto The Kid In You’s hand or putting your arm over The Kid In You’s shoulder and following along. Stay in imaginary physical contact as much as you can. Don’t observe. Dwell. Ask The Kid In You how he or she is doing. Ask The Kid if he or she has anything to say to you about your story.

7) Come back to the grownup you.

Write.

9) Whenever you get stuck, ask The Kid In You to help you out. Even when it comes to grown-up subjects, The Kid In You will come up with something, a great zinger or a pithy truth that will get you going again.

10) If you stop feeling as you write, stop writing. Reconnect with The Kid In You. Remind yourself you used to feel first, think second. Indulge in some Kid behavior. Play putt-putt. Watch the Brady Bunch. Read a favorite childhood book. Interact with kids.

11) Poke the grownup you every time you forget to feel as you write your story.

That’s it. I hope you’ll find that channeling The Kid In You is like rediscovering your very best friend. Haywood Smith, the author of the Red Hat books, reminded me of this a couple of years ago. She told me she’d learned to go to a place in her head where she’d invite her inner child to sit on her lap. And she’d hug that child close.

I’ve always been connected with my own inner Kid—I think that strong connection helped get me published–but Haywood’s advice reminded me more than ever that there’s something special neglected in our lives.

Ourselves.

The deepest, most vulnerable, intuitive part of ourselves, the part that hides and watches yet yearns to be heard and loved.

Channeling The Kid In You can bring back all kinds of emotions, some of them not easy to handle. But you know what? Those feelings mean you’re still alive. The Kid In You reminds you of that. Most important of all, the Kid In You begs you to be you. No one else can.

I think that after you reacquaint yourself with The Kid In You, you’re going to be surprised at how your characters and plotlines take on new energy and feeling. Something will hum there, something bigger than your story. It could be a truth you may have forgotten about. Or a truth you may have been supressing, intentionally or not. Or perhaps it’s a truth that draws you back over and over, like a sparkly jewel.

That’s your Voice.

Cherish the Kid.

Cherish your Voice.

And tell us a story. Tell us something that will make us lean closer to the fire, so we don’t miss a word.

Kieran is offering a Regency-inspired porcelain tea bag rest along with some “tea time” goodies and a signed copy of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MARRIAGE to one commenter at Romance University!

***

How do you cherish the Kid inside you? How do you find your voice? How does it help your writing?

Join us on Wednesday when Josh Lanyon, talented author of M/M romance and gay fiction, joins us to discuss how to make your male characters in your M/M romance more realistic.

***

BIO: USA Today best-selling author and double-Rita finalist Kieran Kramer writes lighthearted Regency historical romances for St. Martin’s Press. IF YOU GIVE A GIRL A VISCOUNT, the fourth and last book in her Impossible Bachelors series, will hit the shelves in November 2011. Her new Regency series, House of Brady, premiers in 2012. A former CIA employee, journalist, and English teacher, Kieran’s also a game show veteran, karaoke enthusiast, and general adventurer. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and at www.kierankramerbooks.com <http://www.kierankramerbooks.com/> .

Some of the best writing advice I ever got came from the news editor at the paper where I landed my first job.

Don’t write from your chair.

Huh? Most writers I know are very fond of their chairs. We like to sit in them for hours at a time crafting beautiful prose, or conducting fascinating research, or checking out shoe sales on Zappos.com.

But unfortunately, spending all your time in your chair will not give you some of the key things you need to write a compelling story.

Details.

Details are those magical ingredients that you sprinkle into your prose to make it come to life. How do you get these magical story ingredients? The answer is simple: research.

A lot of writers feel at ease with any research that involves books or the Internet. What’s not to like about sitting in the comfort of your office and learning everything you need to know about eighteenth-century undergarments? Books, Web sites, and other reading materials can be helpful sources of information. For example, many of my stories are set in Texas, so I keep a “Guide to Texas Trees and Wildflowers” on my desk so that I have plant names at my fingertips when I’m describing a setting or trying to come up with a street name.

But if you really want to get the good stuff for your story, you need to go beyond thumbing through reference books and surfing the Net. You need the face-to-face interview.

As a reporter, I discovered over and over that while is possible to write an article by getting a few quotes over the phone, that article is infinitely better if the writer goes out and actually meets the people affected by a news event.

Is your main character a cop? A veterinarian? A sous chef? No matter what you’re writing about, that story could be improved by a little research–the more hands-on, the better. Some of the most fun I’ve had as a writer was touring the FBI Academy at Quantico and shooting a Glock on their firing range. You may not have access to the FBI, but if you’re writing about gun-toting tough guys, you can go to a gun shop and handle some firearms. Or set up a ride-along with your local police department and get a glimpse of what they do.

My upcoming novel Snapped opens with a sniper scene on a college campus. The book’s hero is a former military sniper who now serves on the SWAT team called to confront the shooter. Having never stormed a building and taken down a gunman, I decided to do a little research on this topic. The police sniper I interviewed helped me understand the inner workings of a SWAT team and gave me details that allowed me to cram the maximum amount of tension into my opening pages.

Maybe you’re not writing about cops and bad guys, but more ordinary folk. One of my books features a heroine who is a hairstylist at an upscale salon. When I began the story, I knew next to nothing about this job. So I got my hands on one of the best resources for any writer The Complete Idiot’s Guide to (fill in the blank). Whatever profession or hobby your character has, there is probably an Idiots or Dummies book out there that covers it in detail.

After getting a grasp of the basic tasks and jargon related to haircutting, I found a high-end salon in my community and set up an interview with a hairstylist. Over coffee (my treat) during her lunch break, she told me about the ins and outs of her job and gave me a tour of her workplace. There, I picked up the sights and smells of her day-to-day life. I learned about what makes her love her work, and also her pet peeves. (Always ask about pet peeves, by the way. People love to talk about them and it gives you some great details to use when fleshing out a character.)

But what if you are writing about, say, a medical examiner and you don’t know any? Or a countess in regency England? Again, be resourceful. If you’re writing historical fiction, find a historian who specializes in the time period. Many experts, including forensic scientists, write books or journal articles about their field. Read them. Then track down the author’s email address through their university or their Web site and ask for an interview. When you mention that you enjoyed his or her book, the person will probably be happy to talk to you. If you sense reluctance, offer to email a few questions (so the person can take more time answering and not feel put on the spot).

Don’t be afraid to interview anyone around you who has an interesting job, because you never know what could spark a story idea. Practically everyone is an expert in something, and you might be surprised by how willing they are to share their knowledge. Many people find it flattering to be interviewed by someone who has a genuine interest in what they do.

As writers, we are competing for an ever-shrinking sliver of people’s leisure time. You need to hook your reader in quickly. You need to immediately let the reader see the world through your character’s eyes. They key to doing this? Good details. They key to good details? Good research.

And the key to good research? It’s all about getting out of your chair.

***

How much time do YOU spend on research? Have you ever interviewed anyone to strengthen your story?

Join us tomorrow for Laurie Schnebly Campbell for her post on your hero – How Fabulous is TOO Fabulous?

***

Bio:

On September 13th 2011 Mills & Boon launches their second global search for fresh writing talent to their galaxy of romantic fiction stars.

A celebration of romantic fiction and romance, New Voices will put entrants through their romantic fiction paces – and they want the Mills & Boon readership to have their say every step of the way!

The winner of the competition will win some fantastic prizes, including publication by Mills & Boon and a Mills & Boon editor for a year!

You can find out all of the details on the Mills & Boon Website.

Good Luck!

Series Business: Three Types of Series by Misty Evans

I love reading books in a series, don’t you? No matter what your favorite genre, you can find a series that grabs you by the imagination and refuses to let go, story after story. The best series are like Calgon…they take you away from your world and give you a free pass to live vicariously through the characters.

As an author, I enjoy writing series as well. When my muse produces a fun character who takes me on an exciting rollercoaster ride, I hate to write ‘The End’ when their story is finished.  I want to spend more time exploring their world, watching them get themselves in and out of trouble, and help them on their quests to find true love, save the world, or fight the devil. They become good friends who make me laugh and cry, and sometimes, they even show up in my dreams.

There are three basic types of series: serials, sequels and spinoffs.

Serials: The same main character is featured in each book, but each book can stand alone.  Most mystery/suspense and action/adventure series fall into this category. While you learn more about the character as the series progresses, the stories themselves are mostly episodic. A few examples:

Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich)

Tempe Brennan (Kathy Reichs)

Kay Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwall)

Spencer (Robert B. Parker)

Eve Dallas (Nora Roberts)

Sookie Stackhouse (Charlaine Harris)

Sequels: Sequels have a finite number of books where the plot is introduced in the first book and concludes with the last. Many fantasy and science fiction series fall into this category. While the individual books can be read as standalones, readers get more out of the story if they begin with the first book and follow the series in order. A few examples:

Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)

Lord of the Rings (Tolkein)

Mortal Instruments (Cassandra Claire)

Twilight (Stephanie Meyer)

Witches Anonymous (Me, Misty Evans)

Spinoffs: Spinoffs take a minor character, setting or plotline from the original standalone and develop it. In many cases, the series characters are a specific team engaged in a heroic profession. Spinoffs, or ensemble series, work well for romance writers who need a fresh couple for each book’s romance. A few examples:

Troubleshooters (Suzanne Brockman)

Black Ops (Cindy Gerard)

Black Dagger Brotherhood (J.R. Ward)

Dream Hunter Novels (Sherrilyn Kenyon)

Rosatto and Associates (Lisa Scottoline)

Super Agent Series (Me, Misty Evans)

One of my favorite resources to find series and sequels is the Los Angeles Public Library’s Index for Series and Sequels: http://www.lapl.org/resources/indexes/sequels.html . Type in an author and get a list of books in their series, including the main characters and special notes about location or other important facts. Also, try the interactive search through this library: http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNextNEW.asp

For Historical Fiction series, check out: http://1mpages.com/HistoricalFiction.html

A great list of Inspirational Series: http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/bibliographies/inspirationalfictioninseries.asp

Small, but concise Western Series:

http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/bibliographies/westernfictionseries.asp

Sequels and Prequels to Classic Literature: http://sachem.suffolk.lib.ny.us/advisor/sequels.htm

SciFi Series classics are listed here (though the site is hard to read): http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/features_series.html

Even Fictionwise has a series list, although it’s not inclusive to all the series on their site: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/serieslist.htm

Series allow readers (and writers) to get to know fabulous characters and explore their world in detail. Often when a series ends, we feel disappointed and a little lost. The great thing is, there are more great series out there, in every genre, and written by many of our favorite authors under pseudonyms. All we have to do is find them. Check out these lists, then head to your local library, independent bookstore, or online bookstore to find a new series. Happy reading!

  ***

Would a likeable character or storyline entice you to read the sequel or spinoff? Please share some of your favorite series and sequels with us!

***

Literary agent Sara Megibow joins us on Wednesday with her debut column. Sara’s column will appear every third Wednesday of the month.

 ***

Bio:  Misty Evans writes the best-selling Super Agent Series and light paranormal Witches Anonymous series. She likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. To learn more about Misty and her books, visit www.readMistyEvans.com or follow her on www.twitter.com/readmistyevans . And don’t miss her two-week online workshop in September on writing a series: Series Business – Is Writing A Series Right For You http://www.carolinaromancewriters.com/september11.htm.

How manuscripts did you write before you sold? Five. The first one doesn’t count though. That was my practice book. =)

How long was it from the time you began writing seriously and the time you sold? Oooh, tough question. I’m going to focus on the writing seriously part because the practice book alone took me a few years. I was probably writing (in spurts) for six or seven years before I thought I had something good enough to shop. I was submitting for five years before I got the call.

Tell us about The Call. Was there singing? Dancing? Drinking champagne out of a stiletto? There was shock. For sure. Maybe a little disbelief. LOL. I actually wasn’t home when Angela James called. She left me a message (which I still have saved) and when I picked up the message, I listened to it three times. I had to put the phone on speaker because my hands were shaking. In the message, she said she would send me an email so I ran to my office to see if the email was there. I refused to let myself get excited until I saw the email. The email confirmed it for me. It was also a special day because it would have been my father’s 80th birthday. So, I think my Dad sent me a gift from heaven. For more on that see this RU post. As a side note, the second book I reference in The Call post was also acquired by Carina. The book needed fairly major revisions, but I was determined to get it published because writing it helped me get through the brutality of grief.
What are your favorite Man Laws? I have a few:
Never mess with your best friend’s sister.
Never wonder if you should have thrown the asshole off the roof.
Never mess with another guy’s grill.

Was there a challenge in writing a man’s POV? Or does it come natural? I loved, loved, loved writing this book. It was the first time I really let myself go in terms of finding the character’s voice and it was so much fun. The interesting thing for me is that the male POV usually comes much easier than the female. I have no idea what to think of that, (considering I’m a woman!), but I’m not going to analyze it. =)

Who are you dedicating your first book to, and why? My dad. He, in every way, represented strength and dignity and he never, ever gave up. When he believed in something, he fought hard for it.

After years of submitting my work, I was getting discouraged, but I knew if I wanted to be published, I couldn’t give up. If my dad taught me anything, it was to keep fighting.

Why do you think this particular manuscript sold? The hero. Hands down. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun with the plot, but the hero in this book isn’t your typical hero. He’s the sort of guy you meet and think “Yikes. What an idiot.” But then you get to know him a little bit and realize he has a huge heart and is extremely loyal, so you’re willing to forgive his unintentional slip-ups.

What surprised you about the sell? I’d been submitting the book for a few years and had been getting great feedback on it, but no one was willing to take a chance. I submitted it to Carina after a friend sold to them, but decided if they rejected it, I would rewrite the story. I love the hero in this book and wanted his story to be told. I had actually started outlining the revised plot when I received the call from Carina. So, I guess the answer is I was surprised the book sold when it did.

What challenges have you faced since “the call” you didn’t realize you would encounter? Time. Time has been my enemy for the last four months. People always say to have other books ready when the call comes because your editor will ask to see them. Well, believe it. In my case, I had two other books in the series and an idea for a fourth. Carina bought the second and third books, but wanted revisions on the first in the series. I immediately dove into those revisions. By the time I was done with the rewrite of book one, I received the first round revisions on book two. In the last five months I’ve done revisions on three books. At one point in May I was revising two books at the same time.

Let me just mention that in between all of this, I’ve had to get my website revamped (thank you, Carrie!), get my Twitter and Facebook pages up and running, create author accounts at all the various social networking sites and create a newsletter. Be warned gang, the marketing end of being published can be a full-time job in itself. Figure out ahead of time, what kind of time you’re willing to sacrifice from your writing. I promise, you will never, ever be done with marketing. There will always be something to do. You just need to decide what the most important tasks are because you will need time to write.

Is there anything you wished you’d done before you sold? Not really. And I say that honestly. I’m a big believer in learning experiences. Whether the experience has been good or bad, I always want to walk away knowing more than I did before. The road to publication continues to be a tremendous learning experience and I don’t think I’d change any of it.

What’s your best advice for writers who are still waiting to sell? I’m sure you’ve all heard this one. I know I did, but it’s true. Keep writing. When you finish a book, start the next one. While you’re submitting books, write the next one. Don’t sit around waiting for answers on submissions. Keep writing. Here are three reasons why:

My first book just launched.
I have a September 2011 release.
I have a November 2011 release.

Last year at this time, I was contemplating taking a break from writing because the grind of trying to get published was wearing me down, and then— bam!—I sold three books. That’s how it works. If you have books ready, you’re editor will want to see them.

Do you have anything else you’d like to share with the Romance University readers? Just that I think you all are a smart, savvy bunch and I’m so proud to tell people I’m a co-founder of this blog. We have the most amazing readers. Time and time again, we hear from Visiting Professors that we have great conversations at RU. That wouldn’t happen without our readers, so thank you all for making this blog what it is.

And last, will you tell us all about your debut book?
As if I’d say no. LOL. Man Law is about security consultant Vic Andrews. Vic lives by his Man Laws:
Never mess with your best friend’s sister
Never get caught
Never get attached
When one of Vic’s assignments goes wrong and the target selects Gina Delgado and her kids for revenge, there’s nothing Vic won’t do to protect the family he realizes, too late, he wants. He’ll accomplish his mission but he breaks most of his Man Laws in the process and almost loses his only chance at true love.

If you’d like to read an excerpt of Man Law click here. I’m also giving away a copy of Man Law to a commenter. And because this is RU (and I’m crazy about you readers), I’m also giving away a pair of bullet earrings. Oh, heck, why not? Let’s do a third giveaway of a bullet key chain.

So, get those comments rolling if you want to win one of the three gifts.  Psst…RU, Crew, I’ve teamed up with our own Tracey Devlyn and two other mystery authors for a NOOK giveaway at Romance and Suspense.com.  So, if you’re in the market for a NOOK, just click here for the details!

Man Law available at:

Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

***

RU Readers! Do you have a particularly manly man in your life? What are some of HIS Man Laws?

Join us on Monday as Misty Evans walks us through helpful pointers on writing a series.

***

Adrienne’s Bio: Adrienne Giordano writes romantic suspense and women’s fiction. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her work-a-holic husband, sports obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaton Terrorist (Terrier). She is a co-founder of Romance University blog. Adrienne’s debut romantic suspense, Man Law, will be released by Carina Press on July 4, 2011. Her second book, A Just Deception, will be available from Carina Press on September 5, 2011. For more information please visit www.AdrienneGiordano.com. Adrienne can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

In 2010, I was fortunate enough to win the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense with my book, Nearly Departed in Deadwood. After the shock wore off and the celebrations slowed, I returned home from Cloud Nine. Then I began to plan how I could make this contest win work for me. For the past year, I’d been building my platform, trying to increase my name recognition, and working on taking my writing career to the next level, whatever that was. Winning the Daphne came at a perfect time. I was ready for the boost.

Following are some of the ways I used the contest win to work for me:

1. Press Release: I wrote a press release and sent it to several small to mid-sized newspapers that covered the areas of the country where I knew my potential audience was the greatest.
2. Blogs: I accepted invites to post articles and participate in interviews on several blogs, spreading word about the win while networking with other writers and potential readers.
3. Book Cover: On the cover of my book, we put a big golden medallion to draw customers’ attention and inform them the book won a “National Award.”
4. Free Reads: Suddenly, many writers and readers were curious about my book, interested in reading bits of it. So, I shared excerpts of the story with them, making new friends and fans along the way. These same folks are bending over backward to help me sell the book now that it is out. They are wonderful!
5. Quotes: I mentioned the fact that the book won the Daphne when asking fellow authors if they would be willing to give me quotes/blurbs for it. The contest win helped me secure several excellent quotes.
6. Promotion: As soon as my book was published, I sent out email blasts telling everyone that a Daphne du Maurier winning book has been published. This was a slight twist on the usual, “My book is published!” email, and being different is good in a crowded market.
7. Thanks: Because my parents’ words stick with me even now, I try to continually remain humble about the win, keeping in mind that winning involves a lot of luck. I try to express my gratitude in print often for those who created/ran the contest and judged. Giving thanks is much appreciated in this industry. I always appreciate it when I’ve helped someone and they say “Thank you” and will be more willing to help them again in the future.
8. Daphne Contest: I try to promote the Daphne du Maurier contest whenever possible in voice and print. I also agreed to help judge this year’s Daphne entries again.
9. Blogs (again): I am touring the blogosphere now that my book is out, talking about all that winning the Daphne can do for a career in order to give other writers ideas and hope in this sometimes brutal business.
10. Tell the World: My publicist continually uses the Daphne win as a selling tool, such as showing those newspaper articles (see #1 above) that tell about my win. Also, on Amazon, I made sure there is mention of the win in my product description to help convince readers it’s worth their dime.

These are just some of the ways I’ve used the Daphne to work for me.

So, if you enter writing contests (or are thinking about entering a contest), I ask you: What will you do if you final in or win the contest (after your finish celebrating and sober up)? How will you make it work for you?

RU Interview

RU: How many manuscripts did you write before you were published?
AC: I wrote eight manuscripts. Nearly Departed in Deadwood is number seven (I finished writing my eighth manuscript—the next book in the Deadwood Mystery Series, Optical Delusions in Deadwood—prior to getting Nearly Departed in Deadwood out the door). I’m currently writing my ninth manuscript, Dead Case in Deadwood, the third in the Deadwood Mystery series. Man, that was a lot of numbers ending in “th.” Ha!

RU: How long was it from the time you began writing seriously and the time you were published?
AC: I think it’s been over thirteen long years—too long to keep an accurate count. Although, I did get married, finish college, and have two kids in the midst of it all, plus work a full-time day job, so I have some rolling blackouts throughout parts of those years.

RU: Why do you think this particular manuscript sold?
AC: Because of several things: 1.) It won the Daphne du Maurier award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense; 2.) It has great audience potential built into it thanks to the setting and title; 3.) I have spent years building a platform and name recognition, which translates into a lot of supportive fans for the book right out of the gate (which appeals to a publisher).

RU: What surprised you about the sell?
AC: That it became more of a partnership than a sell. You see, I was offered an opportunity to partner with the publisher and share in all aspects of publishing my book. I’ve learned so much in the first three months of this year about the publishing business, and I have a better understanding as to why publishers make some of the decisions they do—decisions I often questioned as an author. While this has not been an easy venture for me, I enjoy having more control in the future of my book.

RU: What challenges have you faced since you sold that you didn’t realize you would encounter?
AC: I had no idea of the many hurdles when it comes to getting a book out through as many distribution channels as there are. I also didn’t realize there were so many distribution channels. It’s really incredible the networks that have been set up by publishers over the years, and the networks being built for eBook publishing now. It’s stressful, exciting, and fun all at the same time.

RU: Is there anything you wished you’d done before you sold?
AC: Written more books. I have four other books written and needing some work before going out to the world, but I wish I had an even bigger backlog of manuscripts. It’s much easier to fine-tune and edit than stare at that dang blinking cursor on a blank page.

RU: What’s your best advice for writers who are still waiting to sell?
AC: Be patient. Publishing is not a game of quick wins and overnight successes. While you’re waiting to sell your book(s), work on building your platform so that when you sell, you have readers who want to buy your book. Five years ago, I asked myself the following question: If I had a book published, who would buy it besides my mother? That’s when I realized I had a lot of pre-publishing work to do and got busy building an audience for my books.

RU: Do you have anything else you’d like to share with the Romance University readers?
AC: Yes, another bit of advice—test everything. I am constantly testing my “products” to see what gives me the response I’m looking for from a reader/fan. When I say in my Acknowledgments that it takes a village to make Ann Charles successful, I’m not just blowing hot air. I have many readers and editors, several for every draft. I also test promotional products on my friends and fans. I test ideas and articles on others. Everything. The world is my QA lab, and I’m out to deliver high-quality products, whether the products are stories, book posters, key chains, workshops, or whatever.

RU: And last, will you tell us all about your debut book?
AC: I’d love to!

Irony is having a big ol’ fiesta and Violet Parker is the piñata. Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota, and Violet’s daughter could be next. Short on time and long on worry, she’s desperate to find the monster behind the abductions. But with her jerkoff co-worker trying to get her fired, a secret admirer sending creepy love poems, and a sexy-as-hell stranger hiding skeletons in his closet, Violet just might end up as one of Deadwood’s dearly departed.

“The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass.”—Violet Parker, Chapter 1

Nearly Departed in Deadwood is the first of many books in the Deadwood Mystery Series. It has mystery, romance, suspense, and paranormal—all in one big genre stew. It’s available all over God’s green earth, and we’re working to make it available on the moon, too.

Stay tuned for Violet Parker’s second book, Optical Delusions in Deadwood, which will be released in May 2011 as an eBook and July 2011 as a print book.

***

RU Writers – have you thought of how your life might change with a contest win?

Join us on Monday as NYT Best Selling Author Lori Wilde talks about the differences in writing contemporary romance and external plot-driven sub-genres like romantic suspense.

***

Ann Charles is an award-winning author who writes romantic mysteries that are splashed with humor. Her debut mystery, Nearly Departed in Deadwood (Released in January 2011) not only won the 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, but also has been selected as a finalist in the 2011 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® contest. A member of Sisters in Crime, the Guppies, and RWA for many moons, she has a B.A. in English
with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington.

When she is not dabbling in fiction, she is penning writing-related articles or standing on her workshop soapbox, sharing what she has learned over the years about the craft and self-promotion. Visit her at www.anncharles.com or www.anncharles.com/deadwood.

You can also find her at http://www.1stturningpoint.com, where she and over two dozen other authors, reviewers, and PR consultants have joined together to teach and share (and learn from each other) all sorts of great information about promotion for both unpublished and published authors.

She lives near Seattle with her clever husband, charming children, and one incredibly sassy cat.

We love firsts, don’t we?  First kiss, first love, first book, first sale.

Now I like firsts as much as the next girl but today, I’d like to talk about seconds.  Specifically, I want to talk about the second book.  My second book, MONEY SHOT, is due out on June 7, and it is without a doubt the best, strongest book I have ever written.  But I won’t lie to you people.  Writing it was a career-shaking disaster.

Because here’s the thing about second books.  That magic formula you finally discovered, allowing you to write a book that actually sold?  Yeah, you’re not allowed to use it again.  You can’t write the second book that same way.

And why not?  Because when somebody buys your debut book in a two-book deal, you have to give your editor a proposal outlining what exactly it is you’re planning to write for that second book.  And then you have to write THAT.  Or something approximating that.

As it turns out, I have two problems with this model.

Problem one:   I don’t know what I’m going to write before I write it.  Even when I outline it in excruciating detail, I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen.  Or, wait, I do know what’s going to happen–the broad strokes, anyway–but I don’t know to whom.  Or exactly how.

See, when I outline a book, it looks mostly like dialogue, only without any attribution tags.  Because it’s not the who that’s important to me, it’s the what.  It’s the argument.  When I write a story, it’s all about letting the two opposing viewpoints in my head duke it out.  The characters are just vehicles for the argument.  And back in the day, when my writing was just another invisible mommy chore I sandwiched between loads of laundry, this was no big deal.  Draft one rolls around and I assign my heroine Opinion A and my hero Opinion B because, hey, it seems reasonable.  And if, three drafts down the road, I realize the book won’t work unless it’s my heroine who holds Opinion B, and the hero who’s all about Opinion A?  No worries.  Nothing but time, baby.

Except now?  Not so much.  Now there are deadlines and expectations and oh dear lord I’m disappointing everybody who ever believed in me or–worse–cut me a check which I’m totally going to have to give back because I can’t write this book.  Not only is it not what I said it would be but it sucks, too!

Which brings us to problem #2:  charm.

Despite what I just said about the story being about the argument, nobody picks up a romance novel for the arguments.  We read romance for the characters.  We want to fall in love.  And so the argument doesn’t matter until you fall in love with the characters having the argument.  And my characters don’t get charming or loveable until about draft three.  (I’m sad to say three truly is the magic.)  Drafts one and two?  The balance is all off.  Light/dark, humor/gravity, plot/character, it’s all wonky.  But something magic happens in that third draft and it suddenly balances out.  The characters start to sparkle, the argument tightens up, the humor and depth dial themselves into harmony.

Which is why, for my money, you should always write the proposal AFTER you’ve written the book.  It’s way easier.  And more accurate.  And, unfortunately, impossible.  Not when you’re getting paid to write books.

I wish I could tell you I had a plan for fixing this but for me, this was the Lesson Of The Second Book:  You can’t fix how you write.  Your process is your process, and the sooner you embrace it, the better.  And if you can get your editor and agent to embrace it, too, and plan deadlines and/or contract negotiations accordingly, please drop me an email to let me know how you did that particular bit of voodoo.  I’d love to know.

***

RU Writers, do you have a process for writing? How do you think it will change for your next book?

Join us on Wednesday when Author Steven James talks about the Essence of Story

***

Bio:
Susan Sey is the author of MONEY, HONEY, a 2008 Golden Heart Winner released by Berkeley Sensation in July 2010, as well as MONEY SHOT, her dreaded second novel, coming June 7.   She lives in the Twin Cities area with her wonderfully supportive family where she studiously avoids the laundry and dutifully rewrites everything three times, because three truly is her magic number.   (She wishes it were two.  One would be nice.)  You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, blogging with the Romance Bandits (www.romancebandits.blogspot.com) or on the web at www.susansey.com.  She loves to hear from readers.

We’re offering you a front row seat to Taylor Lunsford’s video pitch for her book, THE WARRIOR GROOM. Taylor’s summary was selected as an example for our pitch workshop and over the past two weeks, she’s been working with Diane to develop a pitch, a query letter and finally a video pitch. You can check out the progression of Taylor’s pitches and query letters on our Wednesday and Thursday posts.

Thank you Diane and Taylor for being with us again today. We’d also like to give a shout out to our other workshop entrants…Donya Pedigo, Lisa Fields and Margeanne Mitchell. Ladies, thanks for participating!

Romance University – Friday Wrap Up

What a great discussion we’ve had in the comments. I really appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm and actual participation. You guys are B-R-A-V-E!

Today, is all about extended learning. Because what are we? Pitch Geeks! Yes, we are.

Today’s Three Bonuses

#1 Learn from Lisa, Donya, and Margeanne.

As I mentioned on Wednesday, I’m working with 3 other Romance U writers, and I’ll be writing up their case studies over at Pitch U.  (Don’t forget:  Sign up for The Pitch Monthly, so you don’t miss these studies.)

They are awesome writers, and I’m really delighted to get to know them.

But here’s a preview of what we’ll be discussing:

From Lisa Fields’s query and pitch for HEALING HER HEART, her delightful Historical Romance:

• You have to be really careful of asking questions in a pitch or query unless you can guarantee the reader will answer “yes” or “holy cow this is really interesting!”
• If you can possibly read a phrase or comment as the title for a porn flick, you will (even if you’ve never seen porn).
• In your natural reply, you’ll usually clear up my confusion in a way that makes me fall in love with your characters.

From Donya Pedigo’s query and pitch for FINDING HOME, a heartfelt, 75,000-word, category novel intended for the Harlequin Superromance line:

• If you’re writing a story that is an internally-driven “journey,” your greatest aid and biggest challenge is the desire and need to explain.
• Making your character captivating to the reader/listener is probably more important than making her sympathetic.   (And she is captivating!)
• In a romance, what they see in each other is probably more important than why they need each other (in order to complete their character arc).  And, it’s not always easy to realize you’re doing one vs. the other.

From Margeanne Mitchell’s fun, single title, contemporary romance, YESTERDAY’S PLAYBOY:

• Sometimes, if you ask yourself, “What’s the setup?” you’ll come closer to finding  your pitch.
• It’s good to review a pitch to make sure the details, events, and word choices match the tone of the actual manuscript.
• Your willingness to start your pitch over and try again are what mark you as a professional.  (Margeanne is so professional, she’s all over that. <wink> )  In fact, the reason I do so many versions of pitches and queries myself is so I can explore how it would look if I came at it from a different angle.

#2 Learn from Taylor’s Pitch Video.

After our willing victims… volunteers (!), I mean… submitted their entry in the Romance U contest (and it was too late), that’s when I sprang my big request. I was hoping to convince our participants to create Pitch Videos. They agreed!

So far, we’ve focused on pitch and query content. But as we know, pitching requires the ability to say something coherent in person. We writers love our words on the page. We do not love that whole “say something that will affect your career out loud in front of someone important.”

I’m pleased to say, Taylor was all over the video. She did several takes, asked for feedback, and revised her approach. Take a look at what a pitch looks and sounds like.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s what I LOVE about her video:

• She comes across as a nice person, professional, interested in talking about her book.
• She chose her background carefully and created a good impression with her appearance.
• She spoke up and spoke at the right tempo.
• She looked directly at the camera/viewer.
• She got nervous but didn’t let that stop her! It’s absolutely okay to be nervous.
• She gave a short pitch and then stopped. Pitches are conversations about creating a relationship with another person.  You “shut up” as my friend Lynn Lorenz says, and then the person you’re pitching to says something, maybe asks you question, or says “send it.”

Please join me in congratulating Taylor for doing what it took to master pitching and writing query letters. She is 100% awesome.

#3  Learn from Literary Agent Molly Jaffa of Folio Literary Management.

*** Molly Jaffa will be the agent we feature at our next PitchFest, starting this Sunday. She specializes in Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction. (Yes, you may pass the word!)

I asked Molly to review our pitches and queries and let us know if any of them actually worked.

It’s fine for us to *think* we’ve created greatness, but until you put it into practice you really don’t know if you’re right.

I sent her the pitch and query “before” and all the “afters.”

Molly Jaffa:  This is a strong transformation!

I love Taylor’s revised version of your pitch. It gives me a clear idea of who the protagonist and her love interest are, as well as what’s at stake for each of them. It’s short and to the point.

I also like the way the manuscript is positioned as a “reimagining of My Fair Lady”—the evocative phrasing lets me know exactly what to expect from the novel.

The transformation was remarkable—you guys did great work!

I’m over the moon!

I loved how, in Wednesday and Thursday’s comments, everyone had a different favorite pitch/query. Do you know why? They pretty much *all* worked.

You can drive yourself nuts picking apart your work. But remember, there are a hundred right answers. Once you get a pitch/query that actually reflects your book, you’re well on your way.

Now, I want to see all of you out at Pitch University. You have what it takes to really become awesome at pitching. All it takes is the willingness to learn and practice.

I now pronounce you all Pitch Geeks!

***

I’ll be working all day Friday to help all the brave writers who posted their pitches in the comments.

***

Okay, Pitch Geeks! Give us some feedback on Taylor’s video and post your pitches. If you have any questions  about pitches, queries, or anything we’ve discussed over the past three days, post it!

Urban fantasy writer CJ Redwine joins us on Monday, April 4th, for another installment of Query Writing 101.

***

Diane Holmes is the founder and Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, the only no-cost, 100% free website devoted to learning how to verbally pitch your book and answer the question, “What’s your book about?” Pitching is the skill you need to sell your book to agents, editors, and ultimately, readers. And the best part about Pitch U? You learn directly from the experts who pitch books for a living: agents, editors, and experts.