Hitting a Homerun Pitch with Your One Page – Cindy Sproles
Congratulations to Martin W. Wiles on the release of his new devotional book, Grits & Grace & God: Manna From Heaven Served Up Southern Style.
Kudos also to Barbara Warren on the launch of her suspense novel, Deception: Fear The Heart of Darkness Masquerading as Light and Jason Brannon for The Maze, a Christian fantasy suspense. Three Blessed Sellers from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.
Post an Amazon review for any of these books, email me: eddie@eddiejones.org and I will GIVE YOU A FREE COPY of any Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas book.
Hitting a Homerun Pitch with Your One Page
Hitting a Homerun Pitch
Some professionals refer to this time as your elevator pitch. In other words, if you and an agent are in an elevator together, I reiterate, you should be able to spit your pitch out in two minutes or less. Here are the specifics for a fast pitch.
Begin with your name. A pitch with no name means nothing. Always carry business cards and have one ready to place in the hand of the agent. You should not have to dig to find your business card.
Your pitch should begin with your hook or tag line and it should be so defining it causes the editor or agent to raise a brow. Spout that well-practiced two-minute pitch with grace and elegance and when you are finished, the agent/editor will most likely ask for a one-sheet.
A one-sheet is a one-page summary of your story.
It should include a bio, photo, and that well-practiced pitch. A one-sheet should list the genre, word count, and whether the manuscript is complete. If you have an agent, that information needs to be there as well. A lot of information for one page? Yes, but if you hone a one-sheet and choose every word carefully, it will draw attention. A one-sheet and a synopsis are the two most difficult pieces of a proposal you will write. They need to be clear, concise, and to the point.
Hopefully, your pitch will lead the agent/editor to ask for your one-sheet and from that, a contact asking for the full proposal. From that …a contract.
Manuscript Formatting Basics
Always check the submission guidelines before you submit any work to an agent or publisher. Following the guidelines will keep your work out of the slush pile and away from the delete box.
If you are requested to send a hard copy, invest in 24#
(24 lb.) white paper. It’s a bit pricier than standard paper, but much neater and it will scream professional.
Your cover page should include the following items:
Use 12-point Times New Roman font.
Space down to the ½ mark and center the title (bold and either 14 or 16-pt.).
Double space – then center the author name.
In the lower ½, put agent contact information. If no agent, put author information. Single-spaced and left flush.
1-inch margins.
Add a header and include the following information in one line across the header as shown: Author name/title genre/word count agent/page numbers
Header should appear on every page as should a page number EXCLUDING title or cover page.
Close the header, space down ten spaces, type chapter number or chapter name and center.
Double-space and indent .5. (Double-space manuscript unless otherwise noted.)
Space six returns (or enters) between chapters and 4 returns (enters) between chapter title and first line of chapter.
At one time each chapter was begun on a new page. With printing now being done on desktop printers, the idea is to conserve paper. This is why I suggest six returns between the last word of a chapter and the chapter title or number.
(excerpt from Learning The Lingo: Cracking the Code (and secrets) of Writing and Publishing)
