A Writer's Perspective
by Beth K. Vogt

Pitch It
August 14, 2005

I hear a lot of talk among both fiction and non-fiction writers about book proposals. When conference time rolls around, everyone sweats over putting together a book proposal.
An intimidating undertaking, that. Often overlooked is the crafting of a pitch sheet--a one page condensation of your book proposal. (I'll spare you the story of having an editor ask me for a pitch sheet and my not having a clue what she was talking about. If you read this column, you can avoid a similar embarrassing moment.)

Why a Pitch Sheet?

Conference appointments are 15 minutes long--30 minutes if you paid for an intensive critique. When you meet with an editor, you want him (or her) to take your oh-so-carefully researched and written proposal. But most editors won't. If they did, they'd need an extra suitcase to lug home all the proposals handed to them. And besides, how much of a 20-30 page proposal can an editor read when you are talking to them?
So, next time you sit down with an editor, hand them your pitch sheet.

What goes on a Pitch Sheet?

• Your working title--Realize the title may be changed, that's why it is called a working title.
• A synopsis of your book--2 to 3 sentences
• Author information--Professional writing credits/life experience
• The need for the book--Explain why your book should be published
• Marketing ideas--How can you help market the book? (And, no, you can't just say, "I'll do radio and t.v. interviews." If you don't know what to do, read Carmen Leal's You Can Market Your Book.)

What are the advantages of a Pitch Sheet?

Developing a pitch sheet forces you to distill your idea down to its most basic components. You edit out the clutter, the verbiage that weighs down your idea. Your goal is to craft sentences that make your book a compelling must-read for the editor.
While you're talking about your book idea, the editor or agent can skim the information on your pitch sheet and jot down notes. Go ahead and have a complete proposal with you just in case he asks for it, but don't set your hopes on that. Before the appointment is over, give the editor a copy of your business card. Some writers even have a synopsis of their book printed on the back of their business cards.

FYI:

The pitch sheet I've described is for non-fiction book ideas. I consulted a few fiction writers I know and discovered pitch sheets for fiction are a bit different. Fiction writers utilize pitch sheets to say, "Here I am," so the sheets contain personal information, as well as a synopsis of their book idea. The examples I saw included a writer's photo, too.

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