Thread by @BrynDonovan

⭐ HOW TO PITCH A STORY ⭐
Hey, brilliant writers! I shared this in a couple of virtual events last week. This is how I pitch a story to producers, and you can use it to pitch to agents or editors, too.
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Remember, the person you're pitching your story to may have to pitch it to someone else! A literary agent will pitch it to editors. A book editor may pitch it to execs or sales reps. A producer may pitch it to investors. So keep it simple!

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1. Unless time is a real constraint, take just a minute for small talk before launching into your pitch. Establish some rapport.

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2. You may know this one: lead with a one- to two-sentence sell line for your story. Check out my article on high concept pitches; it may help!
tinyurl.com/mtmm7ebs

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3. Now introduce each main character...WITH THEIR CHARACTER ARC.
A character arc is how your character learns, grows, or changes throughout the story. Read more about that here: tinyurl.com/2n8mvfpt

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This will feel ham-handed. But when I started out, I had several stories die in the pitch meeting because an exec said, "I don't understand his/her arc."

Here's one example of introducing a character with their arc...

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"Gryffon is a medieval English knight in modern-day Chicago. He learns that his worth isn't determined by wealth and status, but by who he is as a person."

Do that for each main character!

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Now hit the high points of your story: the scenes in a book you hope readers will flip to first, or the scenes you would put in a trailer.

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CONVEY ENTHUSIASM. If you're excited about your story, they're more likely to get excited, too. Are you nervous? Good! Those jitters are positive energy that you can project toward the other person.

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DO NOT hand them reasons to say no.
"I know this idea is kind of out there, but..."
"Even though this is my first script..."
No. None of that.
It's never your job to help someone say no to you.

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At the end of your pitch, asking, "Do you have any concerns about the story?", etc., gives you the chance to address issues.

But what if they just don't want what you're selling?

Don't slink away. This meeting is not over.

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Say, "Okay, then I'd love to use this time to learn more about what you're looking for." Ask them what challenges they face, etc.
And now you've made a connection!
Heads you win, tails you win, my friend. 😀

Hope this helped!

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