The Perfect Pitch

Now that your novel hasbeen written, edited, critiqued, and edited some more, what's next?  Where do you go from here?
This really depends onwhat you're goals are, and what you'd like to accomplish with your work.  If you only care that a handful of people readit,  and have a desire to keep  100% of creative, marketing and advertisingcontrol, then by all means pursue self-publishing or a print-on-demand.  This is all you'll really need.  However, if you'd like to get your books intoas many hands as possible, be represented by a legitimate agent and publisher,then you're going to need a query letter, a synopsis and one heck of a pitch. 
What is a pitch?  Pretty much, it's a 30-second sales techniquethat will catch and hold the eye of potential agents, publishers, reviewers andreaders.  It is your story, your novel oryour idea rolled up into a one, tiny, fantastic package.
Why would you need a pitch?  30-seconds maybe all the time you have to sell your idea. When you meet, email or mail your idea to agents, publishers, reviewersor readers, you have to remember they're bombarded everyday with other writers,just like you, wanting the same thing you are. It's your pitch that will make you stand out and catch an ear or aneye.  
What is the structure of a pitch?  Living in atemplate –ready world, we've somewhat become lazy with some of the things wedo, most often forgetting the purpose behind it.  I've read many a query letter that wasperfectly formatted, adhered to all the submission guidelines, but fell flat onbeing witty, authentic and free flowing when it came to the story they tried todescribe.  Sometimes being too technical,you lose part of your creativity.  Icould give you a step-by-step format for a pitch, but I'd rather just give youthe reason and purpose, and allow your creativity to paint YOUR own picture. 
What is the reason & purpose for a pitch?  To tell yourstory in as little, yet as colorful, ways that will make the Pitched want toknow more.   It's not the whole story - the hook, it's justthe bait.  It's what catches the ear, theeye and the curiosity that will lead to the hook.  I.e. – for the movie "Jaws", the pitch wasthe tag line – "Just when you thought itwas safe to go back into the water …" That little line said so much.  The rest of the pitch would follow withsomething like - "… a little coastal towndiscovers what it's like to be terrorized by a 70'ft man-eating shark.  A few brave souls face their worst fears asthey battle against a beast beyond reason. Will they be able to save their own? Or will a killer Great White forever forge a fear of what may be lurkingjust beneath the surface?"  Hopefullyyou get the idea.  It's not about summingup your whole story in a few quick lines – it's about finding the mostcompelling element and presenting it in a way that makes the Pitched want toknow more.  Then … you make sure you havea completed query, short and full synopsis, partial and full manuscript readyfor the asking.
Till next time,~T.L. Gray