WD121 PitchCraft: Getting Published (Remote Online)

  • 12 Dec 2020
  • 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
  • Remote Online
  • 6

Registration

  • WICE Members & Their Guests

Registration is closed

The pitch, now synonymous with query, was once the province of Hollywood. It has morphed into an umbrella term meaning proposing and introducing your concept for a book; it is used universally for the most lofty and serious projects along with the most commercial. What do we talk about when we talk about the on-page and the in-person pitch? What should you talk about? As an author you are always going to be asked to introduce your work, to share your enthusiasm for your writing, and to get others excited about what is exciting to you. “What is your book about” or “Tell me about your work” means: The 15 minutes of fame is yours to shine in. Agent Katharine Sands shows you how to construct the perfect pitch, and will also address how to find the right agent for your work.

The master class will cover the following:

  • Query letters with a strong hook in the first two lines.
  • What mistakes many writers make when querying agents, and seven surefire techniques that get you out of the slushpile, how to: identify and develop your selling points and sales engines, whet an agent's appetite, get editors to say "yes."
  • Hooks, selling points, and sales engines; and how to avoid "Querial Killers": the easy-to-fix mistakes writers make when querying agents and proposing book projects.
  • Learn what to do--and what not to do--when setting out to woo and win a literary agent.

This class will be held remotely/online. Details on joining the class will be emailed to you 24 hours before the start of the class.


About the Instructor: Katharine Sands,  literary agent with the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, has worked with a varied list of authors who’ve published a diverse array of books including fiction, memoir and nonfiction.. Highlights include Dating the Devil by Lia Romeo; XTC: SongStories; Chasing Zebras: THE Unofficial Guide to House, MD; Make Up, Don’t Break Up with Oprah guest Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil; Playwright Robert Patrick’s novel, Temple Slave; The New Rules of Attraction by Arden Leigh; The Complete Book on International Adoption: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Child; Hands Off My Belly: The Pregnant Woman’s Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods; Under the Hula Moon;  The Gay Vacation Guide; CityTripping: a Guide for Foodies, Fashionistas and the Generally Style-Obsessed; Writers on Directors; Ford model Helen Lee’s The Tao of Beauty; Elvis and You: Your Guide to the Pleasures of Being an Elvis Fan; New York: Songs of the City; Taxpertise: Dirty Little Secrets the  IRS Doesn’t Want You to Know; The SAT Word Slam, Divorce After 50; The Complete Book of Bone Health; The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery; Talk to Strangers; Trust Your Gut; Spiritual Pregnancy. Katharine lives in New York, but is an avowed Francophile who loves Paris and has travelled there many times.

Good to know: 

  • WICE members can register for this event online using WICE's fast and secure online system. Simply click on the link and follow directions.
  • Not a member? You may be able to join some events as a nonmember for a small fee which includes a 3-month membership. Please send an email to wice@wice-paris.org if you have questions. We look forward to talking with you.