The One Sentence Pitch

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 27, 2011

I read an article on Nathan Bransford's website concerning the one sentence pitch for novels. Immediately, I began working up ideas for my latest WIP. The first attempt got me a twenty-nine word sentence. After pruning, I was able to get it down to nine words. It was a great learning experience. Anyone up for discussion on the subject?

Here's the link to the above-mentioned article:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/05/how-to-write-one-sentence-pitch.html

swvaughn · Apr 27, 2011

It is SO hard to come up with one good sentence that describes your whole book. Congrats on getting it in nine words!

I think it's useful to have a one-sentence pitch for one primary reason -- so you know exactly what to say when it is discovered that you've written a book, and the inevitable dreaded question is posed:

"So, what's your book about?"

Then you give the one-sentence pitch so their eyes don't glaze over.

The sentence is helpful at book signings, conferences, workshops, and everyday situations when talking to people in grocery stores. And still a total bitch to actually compose.

I don't have one yet. :tongue

acelticdream · Apr 27, 2011

Hmmmm.

"Six suspects, two deaths, seven kidnappings and the best evidence is in a manuscript."

*cringes* Ok, that's lame. LOL

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 27, 2011

Sonya--writing the pitch really focused my mind on what my novel is about. Very helpful.

Barbara--actually, your sentence sounds like a very good start.

acelticdream · Apr 27, 2011

Thanks, bft!

I'm still new at all this. My brain cells are still out of shape, but we're working on it! =)

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 27, 2011

BEyre said:
Thanks, bft!

I'm still new at all this. My brain cells are still out of shape, but we're working on it! =)

Keep me posted on your progress.

Jonathan Dalar · Apr 27, 2011

This is a great concept. I've heard of it before, or at least a similar version. I'll have to really think about that before applying it to my novels.

fourlittlebees · Apr 27, 2011

Yes. I wish I could use my one-sentence as my query letter. Or even better, my Twitter pitch. Gotten it down under 140 characters?

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 27, 2011

There's also the one, two and three paragraph versions. Hopefully, I'll be starting threads for each of those soon. There are several informative threads about query letters here on AW. Definitely something I'll need to study and work on, fourlittlebees.

Kewii · Apr 27, 2011

I've gotten mine down to about 15 words (or something close to 15). I thought it summed up my book really well and made it sound very simple.

I did it as part of the snowflake method...which I later abandoned finishing (oops!)

A.V. Hollingshead · Apr 28, 2011

I've been working with various phrasings of, "An elven king struggles between what is right for him and what is right for his people." It isn't great, but it is the best I can come up with.

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 28, 2011

Keweii, I tried the snowflake method. The problem was, my snowflake kept getting bigger and bigger. It became an unmanageable avalanche.

I think fifteen words is great. Too much whittling and you end up with nothing.

The One Sentence Pitch

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire

swvaughn

adrift

acelticdream

Just me ... dreaming and writing.

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire

acelticdream

Just me ... dreaming and writing.

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire

Jonathan Dalar

Science fiction, horror and fantasy

fourlittlebees

chief sitter on people

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire

Kewii

A.V. Hollingshead

Vive la révolution littéraire!

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire