Life’s a Pitch – How to Sell a Novel in 30 Seconds

By day I’m a Marketing Manager for a publisher, writing blurbs and catchy sales copy for other authors. In my spare time, I’m writing my own novel – and starting to discover how much harder it can be to neatly package and sum up your work!

I have a place at this month’s Discovery Day at Foyle’s, where leading literary agents are offering support to aspiring authors on pitches and extracts. But what details should I include, and what do I leave out – and is it even possible to sum up a historical fantasy that spans continents with a huge cast of characters and multiple plot twists in 30 seconds? In short, yes. Here’s a summary of agency Curtis Brown’s must-read pitching advice for what Discovery Day participants could cover. Hopefully you guys will find it handy too:

• Introduce yourself. Tell us briefly who you are. 
• Talk about what is at the heart of your novel. If there’s a strong original idea, tell it to us.
• Tell us the title if you have one.
• Think about genre.
• If you can liken your novel to a successful published work or say that you are aiming to write like a particular author, do so.
• Tell us the story! We’d like to know what happens. You’re delivering a lively snapshot.
• Who are your characters? Who are the people you’re writing about?
• If you’re really stuck with working out your pitch, you might like to practise pitching a novel that you love.

So, now it’s time for me to bite the bullet! Here’s my attempt at a 30 second pitch. Feel free to let me know what you think works about this (and what doesn’t!). Does this sound like a novel you’d want to read?

NOVEL PITCH – A DRAGON AMONGST MEN

I’m an award-winning writer and a marketing manager in publishing.

A Dragon Amongst Men is historical fantasy fiction, inspired by The Night Circus and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

The British and Chinese Empires hunt escaped magician Angharad Anderson, who holds the power to win the Opium Wars. But aspiring journalist Emma Delaney joins with infamous pirate Madam Cheng to find the magician in London, and they discover a plot to overthrow a nation. 

This opening novel in an adventure series is about strong women in a man’s world. It combines my passions for Chinese culture and the Victorian era.