Top Secrets for Selling Your Book, Script, or Column

By Gini Graham Scott

How you write your initial query is the key to success. It gets your e-mail query or press release opened and read and shapes how your submission is considered. This book helps you write a powerful query letter. It includes tips on writing a good query, pitching your material to agents, publishers and film producers, sample letters that have led to high responses and big deals, and more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gini Graham Scott
• Release date: Dec 10, 2009
• ISBN: 9781452315409

Gini Graham Scott

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., CEO of Changemakers Publishing and Writing, is an internationally known writer, speaker, and workshop leader. She has published over 50 books with major publishers on various topics and has written over 3 dozen children's books. Her published children's books include Katy's Bow, Scratches, The Crazy Critters First Visit, and Where's the Avocado? published by Black Rose Writing. She has published 8 children's books through her company Changemakers Kids and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She does workshops on self-publishing and creativity. She also helps clients write books as a ghostwriter and self-publish or find publishers and agents. Her websites are www.changemakerspublishgandwriting.com and www.ginigrahamscott.com.

Book preview

Top Secrets for

Selling Your Book, Script

or Column

How to Write a Winning Query

and Make a Winning Pitch

www.ginigrahamscott.com

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2009 Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

SECTION I: GETTING PREPARED

SHOULD YOU GET AN AGENT OR PITCH YOUR BOOK YOURSELF?

Common Problems in Finding a Good Agent

Deciding If Your Book is Better Suited to an Agent, Direct Pitching, or Both

When to Use a Dual Submission Approach

HOW TO GET A GOOD AGENT

Selecting an Agent

Sending Queries to Agents

Sending More Information to Interested Agents

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUBMIT YOUR BOOK TO EDITORS AND AGENTS

HOW TO PITCH YOUR BOOK TO EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS

When to Look for an Editor or Publisher Yourself

Deciding What Types of Editors and Publishers To Contact

Deciding Who to Contact

Sending Your Queries to Editors and Publishers

Sending More Information to Interested Editors and Publishers

WRITING A GOOD SUBJECT LINE

WRITING A GOOD QUERY LETTER TO SELL YOUR SCRIPT OR TV PROJECT

Writing a Good Subject Line

Writing a Good Query Letter

HOW TO GET YOUR COLUMN OR ARTICLE SYNDICATED

Getting Your Column or Article Published

Getting Copies of Your Column or Article/Series

Selecting the Syndicates to Contact

Sending Queries to Syndicates

Sending More Information to Interested Syndicates

SECTION 2: GUIDELINES

INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDELINES SECTION

BOOK PUBLISHING

Guidelines for an E-Mail Query

Guidelines for a Postal Query

Flyer or Synopsis for a Postal Query

SYNDICATING ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

Guidelines for an E-Mail Query

Guidelines for a Postal Query to Syndicates

SCREENPLAY WRITING

Guidelines for Writing an E-Mail Query

SECTION 3: SAMPLE LETTERS

INTRODUCTION TO THE SAMPLE LETTERS SECTION

SAMPLE LETTERS FOR BOOKS - NONFICTION

SAMPLE LETTERS FOR BOOKS - FICTION

SAMPLE LETTERS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS: PICTURE BOOK

SAMPLE LETTERS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS: YOUNG ADULT BOOK

SAMPLE LETTERS FOR SCREENPLAYS

SAMPLE LETTERS FOR THE SALE OF FILM RIGHTS

SAMPLE LETTER FOR TV SHOWS

SAMPLE LETTER FOR ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

INTRODUCTION

In today’s digital age, decision-makers in various industries – publishing, films, music, toys and game, the media, venture capitalists, manufacturers, and more -- are increasingly receptive to e-mail queries to open the door to considering your project. Rather than faxes, phone calls, and regular mail, this is the way to start the process. You can always use a postal query for the hold-outs.

However you do it, how you write your initial query is the key to success. This is what gets your e-mail query opened and read. Then, this initial impression shapes the way your project is considered.

This book is designed to help you write a powerful query letter, drawing on my experience of over six years of writing queries for over 1000 clients, as well as writing my own queries for a series of services I set up to make connections. I sold the business about a year ago, but am still affiliated with it. If you want to contact publishers, literary agents, film producers, production companies, or film agents and managers, these are the Websites with more information. Mention Changemakers for a 10% discount as a first time customer. The e-mails

www.publishersandagents.com – book publishers and agents and syndicates

www.filmconnection.biz – producers, production companies, film agents/managers

I am still working with clients interested in contacting the media, speaking bureaus, meeting planners, the music industry, the game industry, and venture capitalists through the following Websites:

www.songplaywritingconnection.com – the music industry

www.prandnetworkingconnection.com – the media, and speaker bureaus and meeting planners

www.gameandtoyconnection.com – the game and toy industry

www.venturecapitalconnection.com – venture capitalists

In the following sections, I have included articles on writing good query letters, guidelines to write your own letter, and samples of letters I have written that led to high responses and resulted in deals in different industries. I have changed any identifying information in these letters.

The first section provides general tips on pitching your material, writing a good query, and formatting it for an e-mail query, which is different from sending a postal query. It includes articles about whether to directly contact the publishers, editors, producers, and production companies or seek an agent to represent you. Or can you do both at the same time, and how?

The next sections feature guidelines for writing a query for books, articles, columns, and screenplays. The basic principles are the same from industry to industry. Finally, the last section includes some sample letters, organized by industry.

You’ll find this information invaluable in knowing how to best make that all important connection. Then, when you are ready to make those connections, you can send out your own query letter or use a query service, such as PublishersAndAgents or the PR and Networking Connection to help, since these have already done the hard work of identifying who to contact and can make the connections quickly and efficiently, using special software to personalize each query. Whichever approach you choose, the key to get your book, script, or column considered is to start with a winning query letter!

SECTION I: GETTING PREPARED

SHOULD YOU GET AN AGENT OR PITCH YOUR BOOK YOURSELF?

A question that frequently comes up for writers is whether to get an agent or pitch a book directly to editors and publishers.  Ideally, if you have a commercial nonfiction or fiction book, it’s ideal to get an agent – and an agent will want to represent you. In this ideal scenario, a good agent will have the connections and can place your book faster with a bigger and better publisher. Plus the agent can negotiate a bigger advance and better terms.

So how do you get to that agent? If you already have a high-profile, are involved in a big news event, or know people in the news and media,