(Pitch books on twitter? Find the ways to do it???)
How to Twitter pitch your book (stefwade.com)
How To Craft The Picture-Perfect Twitter Pitch – The Official Manuscript Wish List Website
So how do you craft a Twitter pitch that catches an agent’s eye? There’s a helpful formula, and I’ve lain it out with some examples below—one adult thriller, one YA fantasy, and one picture book. First, lay out in plain terms what your main character wants, what stands in their way, and what they need to do to get it. Keep it short and simple. Pick words carefully to convey the stakes of the story and the relationships between key characters. Even without tags, we should catch hints of genre, setting, and tone.
Ex-FBI agent Tonya must rescue her kidnapped son from her ex-husband by facing down his dangerous biker gang
To free her people from a lethal curse, hardened soldier Martina impersonates a witch princess to expose evil magicians hiding in the royal court
3 year old escape artist Paco prepares a stupendous trick—slipping free of the Bathtub of Doom while his parents are watching
While these pitches are for three wildly different stories, they all clearly indicate conflict and dramatic tension, with themes that line up well with their respective genres. Agents reading these pitches and looking for these genres will take notice.
Then we turn the pitch up a notch by adding a hook or twist to show off the high-concept nature of the manuscript we’re pitching. What sets it apart on the market? How might it subvert our expectations or add a deeper layer of conflict?
Ex-FBI agent Tonya must rescue her kidnapped son from her ex husband by facing down his dangerous biker gang friends—only to discover her preteen may have masterminded his own abduction
To free her people from a lethal curse, hardened soldier Martina impersonates a witch princess to expose evil magicians hiding in the royal court. Her enchanted mask can offer the political skill she lacks—by slowly consuming her own identity
3 year old escape artist Paco prepares a stupendous trick—slipping free of the Bathtub of Doom while his parents are watching. But not even preschool’s most mystifying magician can evade the grasp of the Clinging Stink!
A good twist tells agents that your story takes your premise new and interesting places. By juxtaposing the twist against the premise we’ve established, you highlight that your book neatly fits in a category while also offering something new to readers
Once you have the body of your pitch, add details, comp titles and the proper hashtags. Don’t forget to categorize your pitch by genre—agents use these to search Twitter feeds for the genres they represent!
BABY TEETH+SONS OF ANARCHY
Ex-FBI agent Tonya must rescue her kidnapped son from her ex-husband by facing down his dangerous biker gang—only to discover her preteen may have masterminded his own abduction
#PitCon #A #T
PAWN+THREE DARK CROWNS
To free her people from a lethal curse, hardened soldier Martina impersonates a witch princess to expose evil magicians hiding in the royal court. Her enchanted mask can offer the political skill she lacks—by slowly consuming her own identity
#PitCon #YA #F
THE PIGEON NEEDS A BATH + THIS BOOK IS MAGIC
3 year old escape artist Paco prepares a stupendous trick—slipping free of the Bathtub of Doom while his parents are watching. But not even preschool’s most mystifying magician can evade the grasp of the Clinging Stink!
#Pitcon #PB
Not all books can or should be reduced to a Twitter pitch. Stories where the language is the selling point, with multiple main characters and plotlines, or stories with complicated worldbuilding, can be difficult to communicate in 280 characters.
Still, for debut authors, crafting a Twitter pitch can be an excellent way not only to attract agent attention but to identify strengths and weaknesses in your own work. If you struggle identifying the stakes of your story, ask yourself what your characters stand to lose if they don’t succeed on their journey. If you have trouble identifying the high-concept angle, ask yourself what makes your book feel fresh in its genre.
