Once you have finished writing a children's book - whatever medium you’ve written for, you’ll want to sell it. Anybody you mention your book to will want to know what your story is about before they read one word of your completed work. If what you tell them is not compelling, then assume your book is headed for the trash can.
Publishers simply do not have time to wade through dozens of pages of thousands of manuscripts. If you have spent the time writing a childrens book and your friends and family seem uninterested, then more than likely, a publisher will not be interested either.
Here are some bad pitches for well known children's books:
Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone: “An instant classic that makes the Wizard of Oz look like a beginner"
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe: “This book is a delightful, warm and exciting journey created with the power of the imagination.”
Some good pitches for recent children's books:
Kiss of Death: A school trip turns into a nightmare when Kim and Wes leave the plague-village of Eyam with more than they bargained for, and a stolen artifact wreaks revenge.
The Last Book in The Universe: In a land dominated by vicious gangs, Spaz is alone. His foster sister is the only good thing in his life and she is dying. Determined to save her, Spaz bravely sets out into dangerous and forbidden territory, accompanied only by an old man, with his philosophies and memories of what the world once was.
Written pitches for selling to the public are usually longer than verbal pitches you use to tell marketing people what your story is about. Both of the above book examples were written to attract sales from the buying public. When writing children's books, it is important to keep the story line simple. By doing so, your pitch becomes clear and understandable.
Pitching is described in detail in this 10 part course available at write-for-children.com
Check the blog regularly for more insider tips!
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