I love this reminder — and wish I had an agent who would give me a chance. My fashion essay collection is a modern day "Love, Loss and What I Wore" with a hint of Sex & The City. I have had so many readers hear this, ask to read the sample chapter available, and then inquire about pre-ordering. I understand this is niche, but I truly believe there is enough of a fashion audience devouring stories.
The way I frame this for nonfiction is to have a pitch (and subtitle) answer the question: "What is your target reader's recognized need? Fulfill that." The recognized bit gets authors past what they think their target reader SHOULD read (for academics, curiously, this is often what they've spent their careers studying) and forces them to think about what the target reader WANTS to read. This is easy for prescriptive books, but also works for history, science, and narrative nonfiction by touting "lost" stories or "untold" or "secret" stories or "new" info.
It's tougher for fiction, but if the book is on trend then I frame a pitch as, "You know that book you loved that you wish you could read again for the first time? This is just like it, experience-wise, but slightly different." So the comp titles are then not just sales comps or concept comps, they're experience comps plus a twist. GIRL ON A TRAIN on a bus. A feminist FRANKENSTEIN. The COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO with a dragon.
Of course this can go too far. SPEED was DIE HARD on a bus. UNDER SIEGE, DIE HARD on a boat. Then I got the ms for Joseph Garber's VERTICAL RUN, which was pitched as DIE HARD in a skyscraper. Wait a minute...
"An exquisitely written, quiet novel ... is still going to have a hard time in the marketplace." Exquisite and quiet are the hallmarks of good writing. If it doesn't sell, why do teachers, coaches, agents insist on good writing?
I disagree that quiet is a hallmark of good writing. I also believe that there are many, many definitions of good writing and there are many reasons different books sell. The point is it’s not only prose quality that readers look for in books.
Thank you Kate. And yes, it's a matter of category. But when it comes to upmarket (a very large category), don't readers want exquisitely written and quiet? I mean, think of the opposite : )
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I tell students: when you read a great book and you’re telling your friend about it, what do you say? THAT energy is what you want at the heart of your pitch.
It's like House of Mirth but with Furiosa instead of Lily Bart. Which would be a total banger. This whole pitch thing, the intersection of art & capitalism (hell, even Virginia Woolf did a photo shoot & puff pieces in Vanity Fair back in the day, so hey... gal's gotta eat). Trying to figure out, myself, how to make the opening ten pages be both true to the voice of the MC while also set up all the TENSION and STAKES and POV and etc etc., plus I'm realizing that I like to write historical fiction that's not super-heavy on clothing and furniture, but most people *expect* clothing and furniture. BUT I think that I'm inviting the reader into the brain of a totally fascinating real-life person, who has hot sex even though she's a "woman of a certain age," so isn't that doing something for a reader (of a certain age)? Gaaaah. Going off to imagine Furiosa in a Wharton novel.
I like this angle in general terms for pitching. The book for people who love the Edith Wharton's worlds, but hate Edith Wharton's books. What if Lily Bart had shotgun?
Here's one I have to use: The book that would keep Dracula up all day.
The English Patient meets Ghostbusters... i'd read it
You can write it! You have my permission.
Ok, but pitching and trying to market this way feels so much less icky. It feels much better to be offering something than asking for something.
EXACTLY
I love this reminder — and wish I had an agent who would give me a chance. My fashion essay collection is a modern day "Love, Loss and What I Wore" with a hint of Sex & The City. I have had so many readers hear this, ask to read the sample chapter available, and then inquire about pre-ordering. I understand this is niche, but I truly believe there is enough of a fashion audience devouring stories.
The way I frame this for nonfiction is to have a pitch (and subtitle) answer the question: "What is your target reader's recognized need? Fulfill that." The recognized bit gets authors past what they think their target reader SHOULD read (for academics, curiously, this is often what they've spent their careers studying) and forces them to think about what the target reader WANTS to read. This is easy for prescriptive books, but also works for history, science, and narrative nonfiction by touting "lost" stories or "untold" or "secret" stories or "new" info.
It's tougher for fiction, but if the book is on trend then I frame a pitch as, "You know that book you loved that you wish you could read again for the first time? This is just like it, experience-wise, but slightly different." So the comp titles are then not just sales comps or concept comps, they're experience comps plus a twist. GIRL ON A TRAIN on a bus. A feminist FRANKENSTEIN. The COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO with a dragon.
Of course this can go too far. SPEED was DIE HARD on a bus. UNDER SIEGE, DIE HARD on a boat. Then I got the ms for Joseph Garber's VERTICAL RUN, which was pitched as DIE HARD in a skyscraper. Wait a minute...
"An exquisitely written, quiet novel ... is still going to have a hard time in the marketplace." Exquisite and quiet are the hallmarks of good writing. If it doesn't sell, why do teachers, coaches, agents insist on good writing?
I disagree that quiet is a hallmark of good writing. I also believe that there are many, many definitions of good writing and there are many reasons different books sell. The point is it’s not only prose quality that readers look for in books.
Thank you Kate. And yes, it's a matter of category. But when it comes to upmarket (a very large category), don't readers want exquisitely written and quiet? I mean, think of the opposite : )
Why not exquisitely written and exciting, engrossing, dynamic, or thrilling?
Maybe the movie : ) Yes that would be a well written book
Takeaways: know your pitch and keep your reader engaged on every page. This is one of my favorite posts. So thoughtful. Thank you.
I love this! Such a great perspective to have.
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I tell students: when you read a great book and you’re telling your friend about it, what do you say? THAT energy is what you want at the heart of your pitch.
Thank you. I'm struggling with this now.
Very good, indeed. Also caught my eye because it turns out great minds think alike. I literally posted a piece on Friday about Golden Rules and Publishing: https://stevesemken.substack.com/p/golden-rules-algebra-and-cottleson?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
This is so well put! Going to keep thinking about this!
Very useful advice. I’ve always hated devising pitches and comps, but you’ve given me a new angle on this process. Thank you.
It's like House of Mirth but with Furiosa instead of Lily Bart. Which would be a total banger. This whole pitch thing, the intersection of art & capitalism (hell, even Virginia Woolf did a photo shoot & puff pieces in Vanity Fair back in the day, so hey... gal's gotta eat). Trying to figure out, myself, how to make the opening ten pages be both true to the voice of the MC while also set up all the TENSION and STAKES and POV and etc etc., plus I'm realizing that I like to write historical fiction that's not super-heavy on clothing and furniture, but most people *expect* clothing and furniture. BUT I think that I'm inviting the reader into the brain of a totally fascinating real-life person, who has hot sex even though she's a "woman of a certain age," so isn't that doing something for a reader (of a certain age)? Gaaaah. Going off to imagine Furiosa in a Wharton novel.
I like this angle in general terms for pitching. The book for people who love the Edith Wharton's worlds, but hate Edith Wharton's books. What if Lily Bart had shotgun?
Here's one I have to use: The book that would keep Dracula up all day.
I love the analogy!