Saturday, May 16, 2009

A Contest!!!


Win a Prize by Critiquing my Verbal Pitches!!!

I have been working on my verbal pitches for the Write to Publish conference June 3-6, and I need help!!! At the conference I attended in November, I was so clueless I sat and chitchatted with both editors I met with, until they finally asked how they could help me! (It must have been okay, because I’ve since sold five articles to one of them!)

This time I want to be prepared, and you can be part of my victory. Please take a look at the two pitches below, and then post a critique. It could be helpful criticism or suggestions for changes. Anything that may improve the pitches, making them shine.

For the top five critiques, I will send you a package of 75 bright yellow Super Sticky Post it notes. These are the real deal, from 3M, not the generic brand. For the #1 best critique, in addition to the Post-it notes I will send a set of two lovely “pink ribbon” Uni-ball gel pens. Part of the proceeds from the sale of these pens goes to help breast cancer research.

You have until 6:15 p.m., Central time Thursday to post. I will declare the winners on my Friday post. Thank you in advance for your kind help!

Here they are:

The first book, already completed and in the final stages of editing, is a devotional entitled God Is Bigger: Custom Made Grace for Hope Starved Hearts. It is a compilation of seventy articles, totaling approximately 175 pages. The articles are taken from my inspirational/humor column published over the last eight years in my local newspaper, with a readership of over 5,000. God Is Bigger offers a lighthearted look at God’s grace in four different areas: What we think of God, What we think of ourselves, What we think of others, and What we think of life’s challenges. My writing style is warm, homey, humorous and uplifting. Filled with funny and touching stories gleaned from my life and others’, along with truths from the Word, God Is Bigger offers hope for discouraged hearts.



My Work in Progress is titled, The Secret Life of a Preacher’s Wife. It is a humorous look at life behind the parsonage walls. I use my thirty-four years of experiences and stupid mistakes as a springboard for encouraging anyone who is in ministry, about to enter ministry, or simply curious about life as a pastor’s spouse. Secret Life is not a teaching book, but a homey, humorous look at what I did wrong and right, along with insights to help others on the ministry path. Some of the chapters are “When the Fishbowl Needs Cleaning,” “Can Preachers Have Sex on Sunday?” and “True Confessions of a Hypocrite.”


With a goal of 50,000, the book is 15% finished.

13 comments:

  1. Jen, are you going to use both pitches that day? I'm going over them. =)

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  2. T. Anne;
    Yes, these are my verbals, just to have up my sleeve when editors and agents ask,'What are you working on?'
    Thanks for your help, dear!
    Blessings, Jen

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  3. They both sound really good! I think that the second one sounds more interesting because you have listed some specific chapters that are really catchy! Would you be able to list a couple of your more unique chapters from your first book too? This might give a better flavor of what those funny but touching stories are about. Just an idea!

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  4. I have to admit, if I had to choose between the two books, I'd want the second. LOL Sex on Sunday cracked me up!!! Plus, you know we Americans love reality shows. The second book sounds like a reality show where I'll get a sneak peak. *snicker*

    The first one sounds good too. Kind of like a Chicken Soup for the Soul type thing. But I don't read non-fiction so I'm a really bad critiquer for this.

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  5. Jody:
    Yes, chapter titles for the first book are easy to insert into the pitch.
    Do you like "Housework is a Man's Job" and "How Not to Dress on Your Honeymoon"?
    Thanks for the suggestion,
    Jen

    Jessie: I never thought of it being like a reality show; good point!

    And even though you don't read NF, you will read mine when it comes out, right?
    Thanks,
    Jen

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  6. Of the first pitch I like the second version it strikes me as smoother. Although I might add in the readership of 5,ooo, that's good.

    I like parts of the second from each. That might be a good one to combine. Like the first part of the first and the second part of the second.

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  7. Dear T. Anne:
    Thanks for your input!
    I must have formatted this wrong, so that it looks like two versions of two pitches, rather than two pitches with two paragraphs each. I will reformat it, so it's not so confusing!
    I appreciate your helpful comments!
    Jen

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  8. My Work in Progress is titled, The Secret Life of a Preacher’s Wife. With a humorous look at life behind the parsonage walls, I use my thirty-four years of experiences and mistakes as a springboard for encouraging anyone who is in ministry, about to enter ministry, or simply curious about life as a pastor’s spouse. Secret Life is not a teaching book, but a homey, entertaining peek at what I did wrong and right, along with insights to help others on the ministry path. Some of the chapter titles are “When the Fishbowl Needs Cleaning,” “Can Preachers Have Sex on Sunday?” and “True Confessions of a Hypocrite.”

    Here's what I would change(see above) as some of the words repeated themselves etc.

    I loved them both and thought they sounded very appealing!!!

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  9. Terri:
    Thank you kindly! I appreciate the input!
    I love the word 'peek!'
    Blessings,
    Jen

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  10. I think the first one is a bit stronger--the second seems a bit dry factual whereas the first pitch comes across more like you're comfortable with it.

    I like how they don't feel like they've been rehearshed ad naseum, BUT I would challenge you to try to get across these facts in a way that shows your excitement. I think you can show that a bit more--what about the book gets you excited? If you can convey your feelings, the editor will pick up on it too.

    Good luck!

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  11. Hi Jeanette -

    Confession: I didn't read either blurb. Instead I want to share what I learned with agent Terry Burns during last months course:

    You need to have a quick 1-2 minute pitch (2-3 sentences). Follow that with what type of book it is (genre, length, comparables).

    If the agent/editor likes that, s/he might ask you about your market strategy, platform, etc.

    Terry continually emphasized this point: HOOK THEM WITH A COUPLE OF SENTENCES, THEN SELL YOURSELF.

    He kept reminding us that an agent/editor can get our writing from us at any time (they just have to ask!). But the only way they can get to really know us is at the conference.

    So that's my advice: I'd condense this and be ready with the marketing/platform stuff.

    Hope this helps!

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  12. Angela:
    Thank you a ton for this helpful comment! Perhaps I am more excited over GIB because i've worked on it for eight years, and SL is a new work.
    I will change that...
    Blessings,
    Jen

    Karin:
    Thanks for the blessings of this great advice! Someone else mentioned Terry Burns: i will have to check him out!
    I appreciate you taking the time to advise me.
    Blessings,
    Jen

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  13. I am posting for my friend, Susan Reinhardt, who is a follower but cannot comment because something with my program or hers won't allow it. This is her entry:

    God Is Bigger: Custom Made Grace for Hope-Starved Hearts takes a lighthearted look at God's grace. Four areas are examined: what we think of God, what we think of ourselves, what we think of others, and what we think of life's challenges.

    Filled with funny and touching stories from my life and others', along with truths from God's Word, God Is Bigger offers hope for discouraged hearts.

    The Secret Life of a Preacher's Wife is a humorous look at life behind the parsonage walls. My thirty-four years as a pastor's wife provides a springboard for encouraging anyone in ministry, about to enter ministry, or simply curious about the joys and trials of balancing home and ministry.

    The book is a homey, humorous look at what I did wrong and right, along with insights to help others on the ministry path. Some of the chapters are, "When the Fishbowl Needs Cleaning," "Can Preachers Have Sex on Sunday?," and "True Confessions of a Hypocrite."

    ReplyDelete

Oh, it's YOU! I'm so happy to see you here today, and look forward to reading your comments.