https://carolbrennanking.com/category/my-blog/

One of my intentions when I first started my blog was to create a resource center for other writers. Then, life intervened, and that was reflected in the frequency I found time to write. However, I am determined to do a better job this summer of staying in touch.

Unless you were fortunate enough to take some formal writing classes, the lingo of submitting and publishing your work might seem like a foreign language. I know when I started submitting nearly thirty years ago, I did a lot of looking up definitions and even then, not getting it right.

So let me encourage you to check out 100 Common Publishing Terms at https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/common-publishing-terms. Note the word writersdigest.com in the address of this site. When you see Writer’s Digest or writersdigest, you will know the site can be trusted, as can its in-print magazine: Writer’s Digest

I have subscribed to the magazine for years, and once you get a copy in your hands, you will understand why I get it. I am not pressing you to subscribe, though I think it is a bargain for the value you get. Go to your local bookstore, and if it is any good, they will carry Writers Digest. Or check the library of a college or university nearby to see what Writers Digest offers.

Then, get thee to the online site guaranteed to get you off to a good start as a writer. Look at their Get Published section. They offer help in the following areas: Audiobooks | Breaking In WD | Build My Platform | Business of Writing | Find a Fiction Agent | Find a Nonfiction Agent | Ghostwriting | Self-Publishing | Sell My Work | Submissions & Proposals | Write My Query

If you look up writersdigest.com/getting-published/submissions-proposals, you will find 40 Best Elevator Pitches for Books in 2023. Think you have five minutes to sell your book to an agent: that’s an elevator pitch. It really takes only five minutes for an agent or publisher to know if your book will sell and if it is worth his or her time.

Five minutes is not much time! So, if you really want to get an agent for your book or sell your book, you must do your homework. That means write that sales pitch until it is under five minutes and takes your breath away. Well, take your audience’s voice away. It must be that good: the pitch and the book if you want a future in writing.

I had other things to talk about today, but I also recognized it is worth your while to spend a week or more writing some practice elevator pitches. If your book isn’t finished, sketch it out so you know the beginning, the hook, and the middle where everyone is on stage. You and your reader must know what your characters want. The readers must believe your characters are willing to do whatever they must to get what they want.

All you have to do now is set them free to do their thing. AND YOU MUST WRITE SO YOUR READERS FEEL THAT TENSION. Don’t forget to tease the reader until they understand who wants what from whom and what they are willing to do to win this race.

Once you know those three things, you are ready to write the condensed version or elevator pitch.

Well, that’s it for today. Happy writing.

CBK