Before I turn the soapbox over to Susan, I just have to say first, she is
bright,
funny,
tireless (she's written over 100 books),
brilliant (USA Today's Bestseller list, National Readers' Choice Award, etc.--it's a long list) and is one of the few reasons I'd go live in rainy Washington state.
She's that good. Really. Help me welcome a good buddy of mine-- SUSAN MALLERY!
(pssst...that's her new book on the left. Just came out this month. I have to tell you because she neglected to mention that in her blog! It's the fourth in the Buchanan series. Visit her website and see a great video trailer for the book.
wwwSusanMallery.com)
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This is why I’d never make it in
Hollywood…
I really like being a writer. I don’t have to dress well, I don’t go to meetings and any day can be donut day. But there are the occasional challenges. Conference, for example. All the recent posts about the thrill and pressure of solitary writers suddenly having to be “on” at a conference, chatting with agents and editors, as if we spend our days with real people instead of the voices in our head. It can be stressful.
I can be incredibly charming on my computer, with a idea about what I’m supposed to say and plenty of time to edit. But on the fly? Let’s just say in person there’s more potential for, um, well, disaster. Then there’s that moment when an editor or agent or hey, the romance buyer from Borders says “What’s your next book about?” The author (namely me) is supposed to smile brightly and deliver the perfect one sentence pitch that leaves said agent/editor/powerful book buyer wide-eyed with delight and eagerly anticipating the book while secretly thinking the author is talented and brilliant and destined to be a star.
It’s a lot of pressure for a single sentence.
Pitching an idea is an age-old tradition. My favorite ever is for Jurassic Park—Jaws with dinosaurs. So cool. So easy to understand. So hard to do.
I have a book coming out in January—Accidentally Yours. It’s one of those amazing books occasionally given by the universe—an idea that popped into my head one evening and then was a total joy to write. I love this book. People who have read it love the book. It could be the best thing I’ve ever written. So, did I have a pitch prepared for conference? Nooooooo.
I just plain don’t know what to say. (You can imagine that last sentence with a serious whine in my voice. Really. It’s better that way.) I’ve been working and twisting sentences and words and I just can’t get it. Here’s one attempt.
“Single mom Kerri Sullivan is willing to do anything to save her dying nine year old son—break the law, impersonate a waitress, attempt to seduce a gay chauffer—all in an effort to corner billionaire Nathan King and convince him to contribute fifteen million dollars to a research scientist working on a cure.”
Okay—but Kerri also pretends to be a superhero. When her son got sick, he was only five and he got really depressed about the disease, so she decided that she would convince him she was a superhero because if she was one, he would have superhero genes and could beat the sickness. Apparently it’s working, because he’s still alive. She has a totally cheesy costume and the town helps her do stuff like pretend to lift a car with her bare hands. Plus Nathan lost *his* son to the same disease, so he’s emotionally distant and crabby, but very sexy. And they do strike a deal, with Kerri basically blackmailing Nathan into helping, then offering herself in return. For anything he wants.
All of which is a whole lot more than one sentence. Or even two sentences. I don’t know how to say the book is funny and sexy and that it’s probably going to make people cry, but they’ll laugh, too, and it’s really special and I love it and I hope they’ll love it.
Soooo…pitch your favorite book. Can you sell it in one or two sentences? And if you have any suggestions about pitches for Accidentally Yours, post away.
