Thursday, July 24, 2008

Impromptu Pitching

There will be opportunities for impromptu pitching in San Fran (and no, not because I'll be stalking my favorite agents into the bathroom and cornering them...although I may lie in wait outside the door. mwuhahaha) and it's wise to have a short, "impromptu" pitch ready that flows easily in conversation.

There's a big difference between what will sound great on paper and what sounds natural when you talk.

So, with that in mind, I've created my logline (a one to two sentence description of my project) to use for those elevator meetings with agents or editors. Here you go:

My book is about a girl who is more than human and thinks her supernatural abilities are only useful for delivering some vigilante justice on the streets of New York City. When another non-human comes to town and hunts her down, she has to choose between claiming her birthright and unleashing a demon army onto humanity or losing the only man she's ever loved.

8 comments:

  1. For what it's worth- I'd bite! (ooh... does she bite?!)

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  2. You have no idea... *grins evilly*

    And just to mess with you a little further, she isn't a vampire.

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  3. Please forgive me, but I must say that my initial reaction to the line "unleashing a demon army onto humanity" made me roll my eyes. But then Danielle suggested I read the first chapter of Shadowing Fate and I trust her implicitly. Forgive me, again, for doubting. Once I began, I eagerly continued to the end. It seems to me as if the human race is its own demon army which is a delightful (or darkening) concept. If that's not the case here, it doesn't matter. You have me. And I'm glad she's not a vampire. Quite frankly, I've had my fill of those.

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  4. Welcome to the blog, Peter. =) Yes, the demon army line isn't everyone's cup of tea (and there's so much more to the story but I had to strip it down to the bare elements) but it hits the target audience.

    Thanks for reading the first chapter and giving me your feedback. No vamps, no werewolves, none of the usual suspects. I dusted off a story from Greek mythology and went from there. =)

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  5. Greek mythology? Okay, now you really have me. Those are magic words for me. And yes, I know exactly how that goes...the condensing into bare minimum and not capturing the full scope. Best of luck in all endeavors!
    And thanks for visiting my blog, too!

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  6. I'm diggin' it, but then you already know I'm interested in the story. =)

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  7. CJ,

    Great elevator pitch. Makes me want to read your book.

    Wait! I have. (Except the last few chapters. Leaving me hanging is sheer torture. Write, CJ, write.)

    And readers of CJ's blog, let me assure you that her book is awesome. And since I'm not a normal reader of urban fantasy, that's saying something. Mark my words, she's going to sell this.

    BTW, this is a totally unsolicited comment. She didn't pay, bribe or cajole me into this glowing report.

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  8. I don't know if I've said it before, but you're going to sell this.

    Soon, I bet.

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