Pitch?

No, not the cricket pitch. This one is for books. Anyone who has ever written a book would have come across terms like pitch, logline, and blurb. They are beasts to be tackled by every writer. So what are they?

Pitch:

Before a book is published, a pitch is a summary of the manuscript included in the query package sent to literary agents or commissioning editors at publishing houses.

The objective is to inform, intrigue and generate interest. This pitch is usually around 500 words. For Lit agents or commissioning editors, a pitch helps them decide whether they are the right person to represent the work or if the work aligns with their list of works/area of interest. For the marketing team at the publishing house, the pitch will help guide decisions on the target audience, marketing strategy, and cover design.

A pitch may also be used for various pitching events organised on social media (Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, etc.) The length of these pitches will depend on the number of letters (characters) allowed on the platform.

Once a book is published, an author needs to pitch their work to readers on social media and at book events such as launches and fairs. These pitches need to be customised to meet specific needs. From my experience, you have only 10-15 seconds to grab the reader's attention. Your first few sentences determine whether the reader decides to continue listening to you and take the book home.

Logline:

A one- or two-sentence (max 100 words) summary of a book's central conflict (fiction books)/ theme (non-fiction or poetry books) that includes the protagonist, their goal, and the obstacles standing in their way. Loglines are primarily for marketing on online platforms. Their purpose is to entice and titillate.

Blurb:

Back blurb, specifically, is the information about the book printed on the back of the paperback or hardcover. On online platforms, the blurb is the matter that appears next to the book cover thumbnail. Apart from the book cover, this is the most important deciding factor for readers when purchasing a book. Though there are no industry standards, the word count of a back blurb is usually between 250 and 500 words. This will depend on the genre.

Now that we have an idea about the terms, I will discuss writing a pitch and a logline. Blurb deserves a whole post of its own.

Writing the pitch:

Before you begin, answer these questions.

1. What genre does the book fall under?

E.g. Literary fiction, Science fiction, Contemporary or Historical Romance. Crime thriller or murder mystery. Memoir or narrative non-fiction, etc.

One must be clear about the book's genre and understand the expectations for that genre, including concept, writing style, and word count.

The answer to this question will determine the style of your pitch. A Contemporary romance pitch with a hurt-comfort trope will be different from a romantic comedy.

2. What is special or different about the book? How is it unique?

Here, a comparative title helps because it shows the lit agent or editor what they can expect. For a reader, this indicates whether the work falls within their current reading interests. A pitch may include a comparative classic or contemporary title (book preferred, but can be a movie/series)

At the same time, you will need to include aspects that make your work different from published work. This will be the crux of your pitch, helping you intrigue and generate interest.

3. What is the target audience? Who is it for?

Age, demographics and readership.

I illustrate this with a sample for my book. The pitch for fiction is more detailed because I write contemporary romance novels. However, I have also included some pointers for non-fiction, self-help, short stories, and poetry works.

Pitch for fiction works:

A pitch should include the following key elements-

1.      Main Character(s)

2.      Inciting event, central conflict & stakes

3.    Character growth that must occur for the MC to resolve conflict and avoid stakes or impossible choices the MC must make

To help you connect the thought with words, use the questions listed below.

1.      Who is your main character? (like who are they, not what is their name)

2.      What does your MC want/need?

3.      What stands in the way of your MC getting what they want/need?

4.      What happens if they don’t get what they want/need?

Alternatively, you can ask:

1.      Who is the protagonist?

2.      What choice do they face?

Important Note: While pitching to lit. agents or editors at publishing houses, please review the submission guidelines for query letters (what all to include, word limits, whether to attach as a separate document in email or put it in the body of email)

There is no hard rule for the number of paragraphs, but a simple structure would have three parts.

Part One:

Introduce the main characters—use the most relevant aspects of their age, career, education, current situation, or mental health, depending on the storyline. Tell us where they are in terms of location and/or timeline (historical works).

Part Two:

Inciting event, central conflict & stakes – what has triggered them to undertake the central journey in the story (romantic pursuit, murder or crime, etc).

What are the obstacles before them? Any internal or external forces influencing the conflict/story.

Part Three:

What happens if they don’t get what they want/need?

This is about the character's journey. What do they have to lose by going on this journey? Or what happens if they fail?

Here is an example of Shy, my book, published by NineStar Press LLC, USA

Long pitch for query letter to agents or editors:

‘SHY’ is a ~74,000-word contemporary romance novel set in 2012 with gay protagonists that will appeal to the LGBTQ community and romance readers in the YA and NA segments.

Saaransh’s greatest love is badminton. His dream is to win an Olympic Gold medal for India. But he harbours another secret desire. Find a man for himself. He can’t come out and embrace his reality in a country that still considers Queer relationships as unnatural and illegal. Not if he wants to win that precious yellow medal.

The London Olympics, 2012, present him with a perfect opportunity to achieve both his dreams. While the world is chasing the athletes and stars of more popular sports, Saaransh uses his anonymity to live the gay life for one night. However, he did not count on meeting Brendon, the burly Australian, proud rugby star.

Romance and love are complicated when you are trying to keep the closet closed and the person prancing around in your dreams outs you to the world. You lose your family, job, your dignity, and, because of cowardice, the only chance at happiness.

Saaransh has difficult choices to make. As the world's No. 1 badminton player, he has to become the sports star who can lead the way for LGBTQ rights in India. More important is his personal journey. Saaransh must become the person strong enough to confront the world and find a way to Brendon.

Short pitch for social media pitch events:

‘India’s first gay Olympic gold’ is not the news headline Saaransh wanted to make. Losing his family and his job is hard. But badminton? That’s not something he will give up. Not even for Brendon. Unless he finds the courage to keep them both.

Shy- Ashish Rastogi

Short pitch for readers at book events: This is where most of us, including myself, fumble. Unnecessary adjectives, superlatives or flowery language confuse the reader.

Saraansh is an Indian badminton player. The London Olympics 2012 are his chance for glory and a moment for him to live as his true self. However, the day he stands on the podium with a gold medal, he loses everything in his life. His family, his job and the man he has fallen for. This story is about Saraansh's journey to find dignity and keep the two loves of his life, badminton and Brendon.

Seven years of writing, publishing and marketing my books have been a steep learning curve, and yet there is so much more to understand. But I hope you got the gist.

Now, let's look at some pointers and examples for other genres. I have only presented short pitches from a reader's perspective. You may check the links for longer query letter pitches.

Short pitch for non-fiction and self-help books:

Questions to Consider-

1. Why this book?

2. Why now?

3. Why you?                                                                      

Sentence 1: Most gripping question + the specific answer

Sentence 2: In [title of book] + you will learn about...

Sentence 3: About the author (Who the hell are you?)

E.g. Have you ever wondered if a small cell from your body could save a life? In this book, meet Mandeep from Bangalore, who helps his namesake, Mandeep, from a small town in Punjab. Dr. Sona Sharma uses her medical background to bring us this fascinating real-life tale of medical wonder.

Book- Mandeep meets Mandeep - Dr Sona Sharma

Aspects of putting together a proposal (pitch for lit. agents or editors) are discussed in this post- https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/how-write-non-fiction-proposal-and-get-agent

Short pitch for short stories-

If you have written a short story collection, consider the following questions to draft the pitch.

1.      What is the setting of stories?

2.   What are the genres or themes of stories?

3.     Who will like the book?

E.g., We have all grown up listening to our grandparents share tales of wisdom. This collection of eight short stories by members of the Indie Authors Group features folktales, mysteries, animals, and treasure hunts from India.

Book- Whimsical Tales of Whiskers and Wonders, an anthology by Indie Authors Group.

Further guidance on putting together a query package for short story collection can be found in this post https://www.valleyofwriters.com/how-to-pitch-your-short-story-collection-to-publishers-reviewers/

Short pitch for poetry books:

Poetry is tough to pitch, and most readers consider themes and moods before deciding.

1.      What are the poems about?

2.      What are the themes?

3.      Why you?                                                                          

E.g. A collection of 21 poems that move you to reflect on the tragedy and destruction of civil wars and armed conflict. Written by Nitesh, a business strategy consultant who works to engage, empower, and educate small businesses and unemployed youth in underserved regions of India and has travelled across India in supporting this cause.

Book- I Hear the Dead by Nitesh Mohan Verma

You can find more details in this beautiful blog post https://www.poetrybulletin.com/p/care-package-writing-a-query-letter

Writing a log line:

A logline is a different ballgame—a further condensation of the story brew. The purpose and audience, as explained at the beginning, are different from those for a pitch. The four fundamental elements in a good logline are: (italicised for non-fiction)

• The inciting incident/ the background

• The obstacle/challenge/problem

• The quest/ action/ solution

• The stakes/ what you stand to lose if you don’t act?

If we were to put this all together in a sentence for a work of fiction, it would read something like this-

When ___________(inciting incident) happens to ____________ (main character), they have to ______________(action to overcome obstacle, challenge or quest) or else _____________( what they stand to lose- stakes).

The order is not fixed and can change as long as all the elements are covered.

Returning to my novel Shy for an example-

An Olympic Gold and a Cinder-fella moment is all Saaransh asked for, but one honest mistake leaves him fighting for a family, his job, badminton, and Brendon.

I hope this blog helps you with ideation and in your author journey. However you decide to form your pitch or logline, here are some do’s and don’ts.

• The first few words are essential to grab attention.

• Use a similar tone to that of your book.

• Don’t use long, winding, flowery sentences.

• Don’t use vague or non-specific phrases.  E.g. “more than he bargained for”, “their life will never be the same”, “she faces an impossible choice”

In the end, remember the only “perfect” pitch or logline is the one that gets you the deal or sells your book. There is no magic formula—only an endless cycle of learning and modifying.

Happy writing and happier pitching. What are you waiting for? Fine-tune your pitch and go sell a few books.

Further Reading:

PITCH

https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/how-to-write-a-book-pitch

https://www.alyssamatesic.com/free-writing-resources/how-to-pitch-a-book

LOGLINE

https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2023/05/how-to-write-killer-one-sentence-pitch-logline-novels-memoirs