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Will You Add? - Publishing Child Book? Top Ten Tips for Writing Book Pitches That Get Your Manuscript Read
I’ve been both a CEO and a consultant, so I’ve seen from both perspectives what goes right and what goes wrong when a consultant comes in to a company. Generally the CEO or the manager who hires the consultant tells the consultant what he or she wants. Often the manager is frustrated with something that is happening at the company and expects the consultant will have the expertise to “just fix it”. While the manager needs to set the expectations, of course, the consultant rarely gets to voice what he or she knows would make the consulting engagement more successful for both.Here is what your consul
#8 Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless the publisher’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t expect to hear from them for a longer period of time.
#9 Track and Test
In the direct marketing world, sales le
There are financial services providers and there are Financial Services Providers, with a major difference between the two. They both provide services, but the major difference lies in the quality of the services that they provide. The first are some providers that are only in business to get as much money form their clients as possible, while the other type are in business to give as much benefit to their clients as possible.There are some examples of both type in every aspect of financial services, but the problem is determining which type is which before you run into problems. One of the most im
#1 Grab their attention in 10 seconds or less
10 seconds. That’s how much time many editors say they spend per submission when they’re screening.
The first sentence of your pitch is the first thing that an editor will read, and if it doesn’t grab their attention, it will be the last thing the editor reads. Make sure to stimulate their curiosity (without being “cute” or “evasive”) so that they want to read the rest of your pitch and then your manuscript. Remember that your letter may be vying with a huge stack of other such letters in the harried editor’s “slush” pile. Don’t be boring!
#2 What’s in a name?
Make the extra effort to find the name of the person to whom you should address your correspondence. Don’t just use the names listed in resource books. Actually call up the publishing house to make sure that you have the right name (and check the spelling, too). Writing to a real person makes your chances of success much higher and follow-up easier, too.
#3 Be appropriate
Research has shown that your submission can get into the top 5% simply by being appropriate. Being appropriate means you’re appropriate in genre, subject, style, etc. Having a good feel for the types of books the company publishes also helps you write a better pitch.
It all comes down to researching the various publishing companies. You can use the resources listed at the back of this report, do an informal survey at your local bookstore, library, or on Amazon.com, or ask your librarian if you can access the publisher’s catalogs that are often kept in the back office of libraries.
#4 A pretty face
Presentation makes the life of the harried editor a little bit easier and more pleasant. Leave a lot of white space, use an easy-on-the-eyes font and make sure that no words are misspelled. Paragraphs should generally be no longer than 5-6 lines max.
#5 Submission format
Make sure to follow the publisher’s submission format guidelines to the letter. These can generally be found on their website and in some of the reference books listed at the end of this report. You can also usually obtain catalogs and author or illustrator guidelines by sending a written request with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the publisher.
#6 Make replying easy
Always include a self-addressed stamped postcard with boxes to be checked off by the editor (e.g. with a query letter, one box would be: “YES, please send me your manuscript”). You want to lower any obstacles to the editor responding to your inquiry.
#7 Don’t take “NO” for an answer
More and more publishing houses are hanging out the “no unsolicited manuscripts sign”. But contrary to what many authors think, this doesn’t mean that the door is closed to your submission. You can still submit a query letter to ask the editor whether he or she is interested in seeing your project. If the answer is “yes”, you can now send your manuscript marked “requested material”, and the chances of it being opened and read go up dramatically.
#8 Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless the publisher’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t expect to hear from them for a longer period of time.
#9 Track and Test
In the direct marketing world, sales let
Your business card is a valuable piece of real estate and a powerful tool for making a connection and starting a relationship that can show your potential clients the valuable solutions you can offer them.1. Your business card is marketing real estate. Marketing is all about making connections and building relationships. Using all of the real estate on your business card is a powerful and cost effective way to do that. If you are designing a traditional business card make sure to use both sides of the card. Most printing companies only charge a few dollars more to print on the second side in black
#2 What’s in a name?
Make the extra effort to find the name of the person to whom you should address your correspondence. Don’t just use the names listed in resource books. Actually call up the publishing house to make sure that you have the right name (and check the spelling, too). Writing to a real person makes your chances of success much higher and follow-up easier, too.
#3 Be appropriate
Research has shown that your submission can get into the top 5% simply by being appropriate. Being appropriate means you’re appropriate in genre, subject, style, etc. Having a good feel for the types of books the company publishes also helps you write a better pitch.
It all comes down to researching the various publishing companies. You can use the resources listed at the back of this report, do an informal survey at your local bookstore, library, or on Amazon.com, or ask your librarian if you can access the publisher’s catalogs that are often kept in the back office of libraries.
#4 A pretty face
Presentation makes the life of the harried editor a little bit easier and more pleasant. Leave a lot of white space, use an easy-on-the-eyes font and make sure that no words are misspelled. Paragraphs should generally be no longer than 5-6 lines max.
#5 Submission format
Make sure to follow the publisher’s submission format guidelines to the letter. These can generally be found on their website and in some of the reference books listed at the end of this report. You can also usually obtain catalogs and author or illustrator guidelines by sending a written request with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the publisher.
#6 Make replying easy
Always include a self-addressed stamped postcard with boxes to be checked off by the editor (e.g. with a query letter, one box would be: “YES, please send me your manuscript”). You want to lower any obstacles to the editor responding to your inquiry.
#7 Don’t take “NO” for an answer
More and more publishing houses are hanging out the “no unsolicited manuscripts sign”. But contrary to what many authors think, this doesn’t mean that the door is closed to your submission. You can still submit a query letter to ask the editor whether he or she is interested in seeing your project. If the answer is “yes”, you can now send your manuscript marked “requested material”, and the chances of it being opened and read go up dramatically.
#8 Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless the publisher’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t expect to hear from them for a longer period of time.
#9 Track and Test
In the direct marketing world, sales le
The mortgage industry is a very competitive one, so if you are on the market for a mortgage, or refinancing your existing one, you may want to consider getting a few quotes on line.By obtaining a few quotes on line, you are in no way committing yourself to anything.Due to the competitive nature of the mortgage industry, it really wouldn’t hurt to post an on line application at a secure sight, and allow for four or five loan officers or brokers to compete for your business.Obtaining an on line quote is very simple, not to mention, very safe. When going through this simple process, you
It all comes down to researching the various publishing companies. You can use the resources listed at the back of this report, do an informal survey at your local bookstore, library, or on Amazon.com, or ask your librarian if you can access the publisher’s catalogs that are often kept in the back office of libraries.
#4 A pretty face
Presentation makes the life of the harried editor a little bit easier and more pleasant. Leave a lot of white space, use an easy-on-the-eyes font and make sure that no words are misspelled. Paragraphs should generally be no longer than 5-6 lines max.
#5 Submission format
Make sure to follow the publisher’s submission format guidelines to the letter. These can generally be found on their website and in some of the reference books listed at the end of this report. You can also usually obtain catalogs and author or illustrator guidelines by sending a written request with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the publisher.
#6 Make replying easy
Always include a self-addressed stamped postcard with boxes to be checked off by the editor (e.g. with a query letter, one box would be: “YES, please send me your manuscript”). You want to lower any obstacles to the editor responding to your inquiry.
#7 Don’t take “NO” for an answer
More and more publishing houses are hanging out the “no unsolicited manuscripts sign”. But contrary to what many authors think, this doesn’t mean that the door is closed to your submission. You can still submit a query letter to ask the editor whether he or she is interested in seeing your project. If the answer is “yes”, you can now send your manuscript marked “requested material”, and the chances of it being opened and read go up dramatically.
#8 Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless the publisher’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t expect to hear from them for a longer period of time.
#9 Track and Test
In the direct marketing world, sales le
PPC publishing is becoming one of the best ways to advertise on the internet. More and more companies are realizing the advantages of advertising this way, and the ranks of users swells daily. Here are 5 key ways toward the best PPC publishing for your dollar.1. Think niche advertising. Because you will need a website that appeals to someone, make if something that will draw a lot of interest and people who will want to click on the ads placed there. Include good content and photos if you can for the best PPC publishing results2. Use a visually pleasing design. Don’t think bright colors and
#6 Make replying easy
Always include a self-addressed stamped postcard with boxes to be checked off by the editor (e.g. with a query letter, one box would be: “YES, please send me your manuscript”). You want to lower any obstacles to the editor responding to your inquiry.
#7 Don’t take “NO” for an answer
More and more publishing houses are hanging out the “no unsolicited manuscripts sign”. But contrary to what many authors think, this doesn’t mean that the door is closed to your submission. You can still submit a query letter to ask the editor whether he or she is interested in seeing your project. If the answer is “yes”, you can now send your manuscript marked “requested material”, and the chances of it being opened and read go up dramatically.
#8 Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless the publisher’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t expect to hear from them for a longer period of time.
#9 Track and Test
In the direct marketing world, sales le
With the never-ending changes in our Real Estate Markets real estate professionals are starting to pay attention to the sound of new commission streams of income. Some realtors have either shied away or ran-away from such terms as “Cap Rate,” & “Cash-on-Cash Returns.” Terms that only the ‘smart’ and ‘numbers-oriented people use to determine if a Real Estate purchase is a “Good Deal”, or not. A majority of the realtor brethren attended real estate school because they are excited and passionate about the promise of selling real estate and making a fantastic living. That being said “Times are a Changing.”
#8 Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless the publisher’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t expect to hear from them for a longer period of time.
#9 Track and Test
In the direct marketing world, sales letters are continually tested and their response rate/success rate is tracked. The letter with the best results becomes the “control”. You can do much the same. Try different variations in your pitch and see what kind of results they give.
#10 “P.S.”…
This tip is from the direct marketing world. You won’t find it in any books about publishing children’s books.
After the headline or lead, the “P.S.” or “post-script” is the most read part of any sales letter. So, make sure to include a P.S. What do you say in a P.S.? You can restate why your book should be published or introduce an additional reason, provide more credibility or communicate urgency (to motivate the editor to take immediate action).
Conclusion
Follow these tips and consult the resource books listed below, and you’ll be well on your way to getting your child book published.
Resource Books
2005 Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market, by Alice Pope (Editor), Rebecca Chrysler (Editor), ISBN: 1582972737
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books, Second Edition (Paperback) by Harold D. Underdown, ISBN: 1592571433
Writer's & Illustrator's Guide to Children's Book Publishers and Agents (Paperback), by Ellen R. Shapiro, ISBN: 0761525157
© 2005 Paul Arinaga. All Rights Reserved.
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