Why is It Called an Elevator Pitch?   The Scene: You Enter the Elevator and Stand Next to a Prospective AgentThe Elevator is Going Up One Floor You have 15-30 Seconds to Convince the Agentto Ask for a Copy of Your Novel

How Do You Do It?  A One-Sentence SummaryOf What Happens that Captures the Essence of Your NovelDo not pitch a Theme

Example of Theme(What Not to Do)This Book Explores ForgivenessLooking at the Thin Line Between Right and WrongExploring the Meaning of Independence and Asking if It’s Really Possible

What It DoesA One-Sentence Summary Boils your Book Downinto a Simple StatementGenerating Interest in the Novel

About 25 Wordsthat Capture your Novel

The Pitch should Include:   A Character or TwoTheir Choice, Conflict, or GoalWhat’s at Stake (May be Implied)Action that will Get Them to their GoalSetting (only if important, ala SciFi)

Why These Ingredients?A Story Consists of:Interesting CharactersDoing Interesting Things (Events)For Interesting Reasons (Goals/Stakes)If It Isn’t Interesting, It isn’t a Story

The Wizard of OzWhen Dorothy rescues her dog Toto, they are transported to Oz, where she and her three companions must capture the wicked witch’s broom to return home(26 words)

Put Thought into the Story ThemeOtherwise …The Wizard of OzTransported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she encounters, then teams up with three strangers to kill again.

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone When a boy wizard begins training, he must battle for his life with the Dark Lord, who murdered his parents(20 Words)

Two SectionsBefore & After“Before” begins with “When”Before presents Two RequirementsRepresents Initial Condition of Story

“Before” 1. Protagonist (Dorothy)2. Action/Goal the Protagonist isInitially Trying to Do (rescue Toto) at the Story Beginning(from being put to death by Ms Gulch)

“After”Denoted by word “Then”Stated or Implied   Followed by Three Requirements

First  The Story Goal: Dorothy Returns Home

SecondThe Action They must Take to Accomplish that Goal Get the Wicked Witch’s Broom

ThirdWhat are the Stakes(Stated or Implicit)Forever be Stranded in Oz (Implied)

These Three RequirementsLet the Agent Verify that You have Fulfilled the Story RequirementsInteresting CharactersDoing Interesting ThingsFor Interesting Reasons

The Wizard of OzWhen Dorothy rescues her dog Toto, (then) they are transported to Oz,where she and her three companions must capture the wicked witch’s broom to return home

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone When a boy wizard begins training, (then) he must battle for his life with the Dark Lord, who murdered his parents

Synopsis   Keep it SimpleOne Plotline, 1 or 2 CharactersUse the Strongest Nouns, Verbs and AdjectivesMake the Conflict Clear Don’t Give Away the Solution/Ending