Beth Bacon reports:
"Whatever you call your book’s summary, it’s an important element of your marketing package. How to create a great book description? It comes down to four steps...Every story has to start somewhere, with some people in some sort of circumstances. Describe them simply here...Every story (every interesting one, anyway) has some sort of hitch that either makes that situation untenable or makes change inevitable...Hopeful possibility. Here’s the potential to overcome the crisis. This 'cool thing' or 'longshot opportunity' makes your audience want to read your story...Finally, readers want to know what kind of emotional state they’re going to get into while they’re reading this book...This is where you set the tone and clinch the deal, turning browsers into buyers...One thing self-published authors tend to do is include too much information in their book blurbs...But [I]nternet book buyers don’t have a lot of time. Leave all that for the book itself. Make it dramatic...If your blurb doesn’t hook your readers, they’re going to assume your book won’t hook them either...These days, with digital bookstore sales becoming more critical than brick-and-mortar store sales, it’s even more important to authors to create effective blurbs...You need to compel your visitor to buy...In summary, when writing a summary, make it snappy. Less is more. Don’t tell them everything, [but] just the dramatic core of the story." Haidn Ellis Foster reports:
"As a freelance writer, your pitch is your greeting card, your foot in the door, and, hopefully, your meal ticket. Because editors don't usually have time to review full articles, those queries will likely affect the bottom line more than your writing itself. That said, it pays to know how to sell yourself and your ideas: in other words, how to quickly craft compelling pitches...Think about your proposed article. What is its driving force? Is there some intriguing question which the story is trying to address? Distilling the article's focus is essential, because this is how the most successful pitches begin. Hook your audience by stating the main thrust of your article in one or two irresistible sentences...Briefly outline the proposed story while keeping the basics of narrative in mind; this is likely your only chance to sell this editor on the idea. As you flesh out the specifics, be sure to mention key points: central issues, what you already know as well as what you can figure out, and (when appropriate) if you have contacts who can lend their authority or add new dimension to your story...If it's not immediately apparent why your story belongs in the publication to which you're pitching, clarify that now. Editors want to know you've thought about their audience. What makes your article interesting or useful to this publication's readers? If your target is a smaller subset of the publication's demographic, explain how the publication as a whole will benefit from running the article...Just as many publications are aimed at specific groups of people, so too are many driven by time-sensitive content...By now, just from your pitch, the editor should be able to see your ability to weave a story. But word-wrangling will only get you so far. In the Internet Age, when anyone with a computer can turn out content of dubious quality, credentials matter. What makes you uniquely qualified to write this article? Do you have certain school/job/life experience which makes you, if not an expert, at least credibly informed on the subject? Don't be modest; here's your chance to sell yourself as the guru you are...Now it's time to present the priors: the names of prior publications as well as prior published articles called 'clips'. If the publication to which you are submitting has writers' guidelines, check them to see if clips are preferred via URL links or as attachments. Also, keep your priors down to 2 or 3; listing too many publications for which you've written will make editors' eyes glaze over, while any clips over 3 or so will at best go unread or at worst show off less than your top work. Remember, if you have good clips related to the article you're pitching, by all means include them. However, quality clips always trump related ones, just as a few quality clips are better than a vast quantity of them...Know your buyer. Directing your query to 'Whom it may concern' isn't your best bet for making a good first impression. Then again, neither is sending material to the editor-in-chief when it should really be addressed to, say, the entertainment editor. Always verify which person at your target publication deals with the subject of your pitch, and then look up their name; 'Dear Ms. Austen' sounds a whole lot better than 'To the Entertainment Editor.' If your idea is strong and you follow the steps above, that editor may just call you back." Trudie Longren reports:
"An opening argument is the first time that the judge and jury will hear your side of the story in a criminal or civil case. The argument is delivered by the attorney of record in the trial. In mock trials, simulated trials held by mock trial teams, the opening argument is an opportunity to introduce the members of the team and to give an overview of your case before the judge and jury. Mock trial opening arguments, unlike opening statements in real trials, usually are subject to time limitations. Prepare an opening argument just as you would any important public speech...Introduce yourself and the members of your team. Address the judge and jury using appropriate courtroom language...Tell the nature of the case. Write a brief sentence or two regarding the reason for the trial...Introduce the argument by outlining the most relevant points of your case. Try to limit your case to three or four points...Give details as [you] argue your points. The details should include the witnesses (expert and lay witnesses) that you will call to the stand and what they will say, as well as the type of evidence that you will offer...End your argument by thanking the members of the jury and the judge. Restate your main points in a short sentence or two; then thank everyone for their attention." |
Writing and editing can be pretty rigorous processes if you want to do them well, but that's what this page is here for. Check out the latest tips here. Archives
May 2024
CategoriesJ.D. Parsons
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